Written by: Mara Williams

Gayle Murdoch (BComm ’04, MBA ‘06) is the Senior Vice President of Sales Effectiveness and Performance at Canada Life. She and her team work with independent advisors, offering support on contracts, compensation, as well as providing assistance with digital tools for various business needs. The foundation of her success in this career can be found in her work term experiences during her Commerce Co-op degree at Dalhousie University. Completing three co-ops during her degree allowed her to develop key skills that set her up for professional success. She would not be where she is today without those experiences.  “The best educational decision I’ve ever made was to take the co-op program at Dalhousie.”

Post-Grad Job Search

Completing co-ops as part of her degree gave Gayle a huge advantage when she began searching for her first jobs post-graduation. Having a full year of work experience gave her real-world examples to discuss in interviews, and familiarity with an office environment helped her jump into the corporate world. Being able to combine her classroom lessons with practical experience provided a huge boost when she began searching for her first full-time job after graduating. Without her work terms, Gayle’s career trajectory would not be what it is today. “Of course, the program, the profs and the admin team are amazing – but the work terms really made a difference in my career path.”

Extracurricular Involvement

As a student, Gayle was heavily involved in the Dalhousie Student Union, taking a role in organizing first-year orientation week. Alongside this, she stepped into a leadership role as a co-chair for Shinerama, a fundraising campaign for cystic fibrosis. These experiences helped enrich her time on campus and allowed her to get involved and give back to the Dalhousie community. In addition, Gayle was a board member for a few community organizations on the south shore of Nova Scotia, further enhancing her organizational and planning skills which became valuable when searching for co-ops and eventual full-time jobs. “Leading a big team of volunteers and coordinating logistics gave me experience that I could speak to in interviews and transferrable skills that I continue to use in my career.” Her community and campus involvement helped her develop a strong professional skill set even before gaining any professional work experience.

Lessons Learned on Work Term

Gayle’s co-ops allowed her to gain experience and insights into the business world that remain relevant to this day. During her work term at Murdoch Market Development, a food-related marketing company, she was given the opportunity to pitch marketing strategies and analyze business development techniques. This practical experience helped her quickly learn what leads to success and what doesn’t, and taught her the importance of moving on quickly from failures. In addition, her work terms helped her understand how crucial teamwork is. She learned the importance of being open to feedback and communicating clearly with colleagues. Being able to listen effectively and remain open to learning new things was a critical lesson Gayle learned on work term, allowing her to benefit from a team’s varied experience. “Those lessons will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I expect will continue to be very helpful.”

Continued Learning

As a professional today, Gayle is a huge advocate for continued learning. Following her undergraduate degree in Commerce, she returned to Dalhousie to complete her MBA. In the summer after her first year of graduate school, she worked at the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles before returning to Halifax and finishing her degree, which she says was an exciting period of her life. Although she completed her MBA directly following her undergraduate degree, Gayle also sees the value in continuing your education even once you join the workforce. “Find ways to ‘go back to school’ every five years to stay fresh and engaged in learning new concepts.” Gayle has taken her own advice and participated in various programs at different educational centres and universities over the years.

In fall 2024, Management Career Services reached an incredible milestone of 20,000 business work terms for students in the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op, Bachelor of Management, and Corporate Residency MBA programs. These programs have produced a diverse group of alumni who have made significant contributions across industries. To learn more about their stories and the impact of these work-integrated learning programs, visit our website.