Samrana Elahi is a fourth year Bachelor of Commerce student and is currently in the final month of her co-op work term as the Great Canadian Sales Competition’s Regional Manager for Eastern Canada. The Great Canadian Sales Competition provides a bridge that connects Canadian students with some of the most exciting business-to-business sales organizations. They are committed to educating students in sales both as a challenging and rewarding career and as an invaluable skill-set. As part of her role, Samrana acts as an ambassador and contestant representation in the region. She works remotely, usually from home, and sometimes travels for her position.

Samrana enjoys working from home as it saves her on travel costs and commute time. However, it can sometimes be a struggle to stay on task. Samrana shares that, “on the days that I get to work from home, I sit down at my home office and I have my entire schedule for the day logged in my calendar to keep me on task.” She even still gets dressed as if she were going to go to the office. But on days she gets to travel? She loves it! “I absolutely love travelling to campuses and connecting with students from many different faculties, it’s one of the best parts of my role. I get to travel to different college and university campuses in my region to facilitate presentations, workshops and meetings with ambassadors and administration.”

For any students interested in a co-op position with the ability to work remotely, Samrana encourages the student to be driven and a self-starter, adding, “you have to be able to motivate yourself to stay on task and get all your work done. I had to turn off all the notifications on my phone and computer so that I can focus and ensure I won’t get sucked into social media.”

Samrana recommends building sales skills because “it’s such a relevant skill that most people don’t get the opportunity to develop in school.” Samrana developed some of these skills when she participated in the Scotiabank You’re Hired Interview Competition in 2015. She developed written and oral communication skills, that helped her communicate with potential employers, “the final step in securing your job, is ultimately selling yourself in that interview and demonstrating how you are a better fit than other candidates.” Participating in the interview competition provided her with the chance to practice these skills. The You’re Hired Interview Competition also gives you the chance to win up to $1,000!

For students still looking for their winter co-op, Samrana suggests to “network and develop your sales skills. Networking events were a great way for me to vibe out potential employers to see if I could envision myself fitting with their current culture.  When it comes to developing your sales skills, I would recommend students submit a 30-90 second video pitch to the Great Canadian Sales Competition for a chance to get practice and get rewarded for using those skills.”

Interested in improving your sales pitch or interviewing skills? The Great Canadian Sales Competition’s first round closes December 4, and the registration for the You’re Hired Interview Competition is set to open soon!

Amber Watts is a fourth year Bachelor of Commerce student, majoring in International Business. Throughout the course of her degree, she successfully completed three co-ops within the public sector; first with Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Network (EDN), and then her second and third co-ops were with Canadian federal government departments, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and Global Affairs Canada – Trade Commissioner Service (GAC), respectively.

Amber’s decision to major in International Business affected her co-op job search as she looked for positions that would tie into her major. Because of her initial co-op experience, she further developed specific interest in International Business Development, and her subsequent work terms reflect that interest. “My major made me interested in the global economy, and my co-ops have taught me about working with entrepreneurs at all lengths of the business development continuum. I looked for positions that would give me exposure to global operations, and those that were involved with working with entrepreneurs.”

Amber obtained her co-ops through utilizing her network and myCareer, “I found my first co-op using only myCareer as I had little to no professional experience beforehand and had a small network. My second position was secured through my network: I first saw the posting on myCareer and knew that ACOA funded EDN and I was able to get in touch with my network to make introductions for me to secure an interview, and then the position itself. I used a similar tactic with my third position – ACOA and GAC are business development partners, and I was able to use connections at ACOA to introduce me to the team at GAC.”

Gaining experience and building transferable skills allowed Amber to secure future co-ops. For example, experience in communicating with clients was something Amber brought with her from her first co-op to her third co-op. Additionally, she recommends data literacy and knowledge of business development and international trade as being important skills to have in order to ensure a successful International Business co-op.

For students searching for their next co-op position, Amber advises to “take advantage of the resources they have access to, be it myCareer or their internal network, and not to be shy to apply for a variety of positions. Most times the actual job is a lot more than what is described on the job posting, and the employers have created the positions with the aim to teach students how to apply the knowledge they have learned in the classroom in a real-life setting.”

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and to learn, take advantage of every opportunity presented to you during your co-op and take the initiative to make your co-op an interactive experience by attending conferences, trade shows or events,” says Amber.

To learn more about what it’s like to work in International Business, refer to the International Business industry fast sheet in the Student Resources section of myCareer.

Tiana Dumanovsky is a fourth-year Accounting student in the Bachelor of Commerce program. For her first two international co-op work terms, Tiana worked as an audit intern in Sydney, Australia with PwC. But in her third year, Tiana went on an academic exchange to England that inspired her to apply for a co-op there. Read ahead to learn more about her amazing opportunity!

“It was a couple of weeks into my co-op search when I saw the posting for Oxford Royale Academy, an institution in Oxford for students pursuing summer or gap year learning opportunities. I applied and three days later, I received the call that I was offered a higher leadership position with their operations team!”

As Tiana was already in England on a study term, she faced challenges applying for a Tier 5 Work Mobility Visa that she would need for her work term. Tiana was told that she needed to return to her country of residence (Canada) to apply for the Visa; she could not do so from England, and there was a wait for the application process.

As a last resort, Tiana hopped the border to France to apply at an actual Visa Centre. She was told the chances were small for the application to go through, since she was still not applying in her country of residence, but Tiana decided it was worth a chance anyway!

Tiana nervously checked her application status every hour. After 10 days she got a response and was instructed to go to the application centre to pick up her decision. “When I finally had the envelope in my hands I closed one eye and looked for the answer. I was amazed to see the word “approved” written by my name.”

Tiana was already familiar on how to apply for a Visa as she was already in England on an exchange, however, she still experienced difficulties and a wait before she got her approval. So the lesson she learned is how important it is to apply early! Contact Management Career Services today for guidance on how to obtain your own work permit and experience the excitement of a work term abroad for yourself.

Because everything worked out in Tiana’s favour, she loved her time with the Academy, as she reflects on her experience:

“Ever since starting work for Oxford Royale Academy, I was stretched. My time spent in the logistics department has given me far more leadership experience and far more ownership over my work. Every weekend I would direct a team of over 25 people to ensure the logistic requirements of the academy are met in terms of transporting students, organizing arrivals and departures for campuses and acting as a customer facing resource to the parents of the students. While this has very much tested me at every level, I have grown as an individual and feel much more prepared to take on leadership in the future.

My undergraduate degree has been a total whirlwind, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”