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Category: Corporate Tour

Dal Business Students Make Professional Connections and Discover Career Opportunities in Toronto

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Management Career Services (MCS) once again brought business students to Toronto for its annual Toronto Corporate Tour. This event is held at the end of the winter semester to introduce business students to employer partners and career opportunities in a variety of industries. Representatives from MCS arrange office tours, practice interviews, and networking events for students who are selected to attend. “The Greater Toronto Area is our second-largest market for work terms,” says Robert Wooden, Director of MCS. “Last year, more than one-third of all MCS work terms were completed in Ontario, so we were thrilled to be back to engage with our employer partners and provide opportunities for our students to network in-person.”

The 2025 Toronto Corporate Tour took place from April 30 to May 2, with 32 business students attending one of two tour streams, Finance or Career Discovery, depending on their area of interest. The Finance stream focused on visiting employer partners in the financial services industry, while Career Discovery students met employer partners from a variety of industries, including accounting, marketing, finance, and supply chain.

First-year Bachelor of Commerce Co-op student Sebastien Sawler attended the tour as part of the Career Discovery stream. “It was an amazing experience—to be able to sit down with people working across different areas of business, hearing about their day-to-day, and asking questions you don’t always get answers to in the classroom. This tour definitely gave me a better picture of what’s out there and left me more excited about the future!”

During the three-day event, both tour streams visited a total of 12 employer partners, including the first stop, EY Canada. COO/CFO Sonya Fraser (BComm ’93) welcomed the students to Toronto and EY, and discussed a variety of topics including the value of the CPA designation, the importance of giving back, and her views on leadership. EY then hosted a practice interview session and networking lunch for the students. Volunteers from Toronto employer partners attended the event to conduct the practice interviews and provide the students with valuable feedback.

Once again this year, an alumni panel and networking reception was hosted by BMO. The reception was attended by 120 students, employer partners, and alumni. The panel was moderated by Elizabeth Dorsch (MBA’04), Head, Trust and Estate Services and CEO BMO Trust Company. “One of the things I loved most about my experience at Dalhousie was the strong sense of community and belonging – I’m reminded of this tonight,” said Elizabeth during her welcome remarks at the reception. “Even though we’re nowhere near the Dal campus in beautiful Nova Scotia and many of us are meeting for the first time, we are connected by our experience of Dal and our commitment to higher learning, excellence and community.”

MCS is committed to offering opportunities like this one for its students to make real connections with employer partners. And the Toronto Corporate Tour, as a career discovery event best suited for students early in their degree, is one way for business students to kick off their program with career development. “I got to see the fast-paced environment of Toronto’s finance industry. I learned so many great things, met with employers and Dalhousie alumni,” says first-year Bachelor of Commerce Co-op student Hailey Duivenvoorden, who attended the Finance tour stream. “Having this experience with my fellow students also allowed me to gain some amazing new friendships and memories I will carry with me throughout my time at Dalhousie. Thank you again to the great employers who gave their time to give us insights into their careers.”

Dal Business Students Discover Career Opportunities during 2023 Toronto Corporate Tour

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This year, Management Career Services (MCS) brought back its annual Toronto Corporate Tour for the first time since 2019. This event is held at the end of the winter semester to introduce business students to employer partners in a variety of industries in Toronto. Representatives from MCS arrange office tours, practice interviews, and networking events, and students selected to attend also learn about potential career opportunities. “As the Greater Toronto Area is our second-largest market for work terms, we were excited to get back physically to see our employer partners in person and provide opportunities for our students to grow their professional networks there,” says Robert Wooden, Director of MCS. In 2022, 27% of all MCS work terms were completed in Toronto.

The 2023 Toronto Corporate Tour took place from April 26 to 28. Thirty-eight business students attended one of two tour streams, Finance or Career Discovery, depending on their major or area of interest. The Finance stream focused on visiting employer partners in the financial services sector, while Career Discovery students met employer partners from a variety of industries, including accounting, marketing, and supply chain. “Participating in this tour has given me great insight into the corporate world,” says Corporate Residency MBA student Veronica Hawkes. “It can be challenging to choose which path to take after graduation and through the tour I have been able to see many different areas of business that I did not even know existed. I am excited to explore these new areas as I begin to seek out post-graduate opportunities.”

Over the course of the three-day event, both tour streams visited a total of 14 employer partners, including advertising agency twenty6two International. “We would like to thank the wonderful Dalhousie students that came to visit as part of Management Career Services’ Toronto Corporate Tour,” the organization shared in a LinkedIn post. “It was an honour to be able to share some of the work we do for our clients with such an inquisitive group of future business professionals.”

Both tour streams had the opportunity to attend a networking lunch and practice interview session, sponsored and hosted by Manulife. Volunteers from Toronto employer partners attended the event to conduct the practice interviews and provide the students with valuable feedback. On day two, all students came together again for an alumni panel followed by an alumni and employer partner networking reception, both sponsored and hosted by BMO. Special thanks to Dalhousie University Chancellor (and Vice-Chair of Wealth at BMO), the Honourable Scott Brison, for moderating the alumni panel and hosting the networking reception.

Student feedback from the event was very positive – 100% of students who attended agreed it was a valuable experience and would recommend the tour to other business students, and 97% agreed the tour helped provide focus on their career goals.

“This Corporate Tour has been so good for me because it helped me to understand what companies really look like and how they work, which I didn’t know about before,” says first-year Commerce Co-op student Guanhua Li.

“It was extremely rewarding to see the professionalism and preparedness of our business students,” says Robert. “They took advantage of every learning and networking opportunity presented on this tour, and the employers noticed. I never get tired of hearing our employer partners say how impressed they are by our students.”

Alumni Spotlight: Angie Chia-Baxter

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Angela (Angie) Chia-Baxter graduated from the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program with a major in International Business in spring 2022. Originally from Guelph, Ontario, she decided to move to the east coast to pursue a Commerce degree at Dalhousie because of its mandatory co-op program. “I don’t know if I would’ve pushed myself to do co-op if it was optional. I don’t regret my decision to move east for school because it allowed me to explore a new city and province, and also to get hands-on experience.”

Throughout her four years at Dalhousie, Angie grew to love both marketing and international business. “I like to think I got the best of both worlds in that I got to focus my degree on international business but learn about marketing through my co-ops. I found that I am passionate about working within the start-up ecosystem, which was never something I thought of until my co-ops,” she says, having completed all three of her work terms at start-ups. Her first co-op was at Clockk.com, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) start-up that offers time-tracking software. There, she worked as a Junior Marketer, spending most of her time growing and expanding their social media accounts. She says she was given substantial autonomy and worked with minimal supervision, allowing her to cultivate a strong work ethic. Her second co-op was completed at Proposify, another SaaS, as Product Marketer Intern. “The key thing I valued during my time at Proposify was learning a different side of marketing. Before this, I had been exposed to social media and digital marketing, and it was interesting to expand my knowledge in the industry.”

Her most memorable co-op was her final work term at EnPoint, a start-up that offers a platform for businesses to build out their mentorship program. There, she worked as a Marketing and Business Growth Intern, helping the company with its marketing and sales department. From managing social media accounts to running email campaigns, Angie did it all. Apart from learning skills that would later help her career, it also gave her an insight into how mentorship could benefit her personally. “What has stuck with me from my time with EnPoint was learning how important mentorship is, and that it isn’t one-sided; both parties’ benefit when creating mentor relations.”

In addition to her mandatory co-ops, Angie pursued optional professional development opportunities during her time at Dal, such as attending the Toronto Corporate Tour at the end of her first year. “I attended the Toronto Corporate Tour to give me a better idea of what different industries are about and perhaps give me some sort of direction.” She describes her time on the tour to be both fun and informative, allowing her to network and get a glimpse of the Toronto job market. She recommends other students apply to attend the event, as she says its an excellent opportunity to put themselves out there, network, and learn about a wide variety of industries. “It could be an eye-opening experience and give you insight into which paths you might be interested in the most,” she says.

Angie now works at BNL Consulting as one of their Social Media Managers, where she oversees several clients and helps them grow their accounts. She attributes her success at her current workplace to the co-op program. “With all the hands-on experience I received from Dal during my work terms, I felt equipped and prepared for what was to come post-grad. Many skills I learned during my co-ops such as working autonomously, decision making, and communication I still use on a daily basis!”

Angie’s advice for you:

  • Reach out to MCS with any questions and concerns because they are there to support you.
  • Don’t be afraid to apply to a job that you may feel you aren’t qualified for, you’d be surprised the skills you have from other experiences that are just as applicable.

Student Spotlight: Jared Hudson

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Jared Hudson is a fourth-year accounting major who was born inCase Comp (2) Halifax. His father’s work took him and his family around the world to nations such as Switzerland and Turkey. When deciding on universities, Dalhousie’s Commerce Program stood out due to the compulsory co-op for commerce students. Not so long ago, Jared started his company myPAQ, which is a sustainable home delivery service for personal care products. Recently, Jared participated in the Halifax Corporate Tour. This involves taking students to three companies, related to their major, around Halifax to network and further learn about the industry and working in it.

At this year’s Halifax Corporate Tour Jared visited VERB Interactive, Dash Hudson, and VOLTA Labs. He reflects on this tour saying “The tour provided me with valuable connections and increased my knowledge about the type of career and office environment I want to have”. Jared found VOLTA Labs, a local innovation hub for startup businesses, as particularly interesting showing him more of the local entrepreneurial environment, and giving him the opportunity to ask fellow startups invaluable advice. On top of allowing him an opportunity to learn how to better his business ventures, Jared believes this tour gave him an edge when applying for future positions having met and networked with many employees at each organization. 

Jared would recommend the Corporate Tour to any students who are job hunting, or trying to learn more about an industry. The insight into the organizations would be helpful for someone trying to determine organizations and industries they would like to explore, or work with. To make the most of this opportunity the ability to network will help you secure a vantage as Jared has. To help with this he recommends to be yourself and be interested. Asking many questions and showing genuine interest will help you build a rapport with the person, as well as build your knowledge. This allows for a natural conversation flow ranging from hobbies to career goals, and in turn promoting yourself.

Moving forward Jared hopes to capitalize and sell his sustainable and industry-disrupting service myPAQ, and continue in the start-up scene. A future in the startup scene may not be his only goal as he explores the opportunity to continue to be an entrepreneur or move into the venture capitalist space. To follow Jared and his business’s adventure follow him on Instagram @jaredhudsonn as well as @mypaqcanada. To find out more about Corporate Tours check them out on the MCS website and watch your myCareer Calendar for information sessions.

 

Roadmap to Recruitment Events in 2019

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Many organizations are already rolling out their hiring strategy for 2019, but are there other opportunities you may be overlooking and be able to capitalize on in the second half of the year? As always, MCS is here to provide you with the specialized intelligence and hands-on support that will help you hit your hiring targets. So to make it easier for you to plan your activities well in advance, we have set the dates for all of our major career and recruitment events through to the end of October 2019.

We have also analyzed the results of our 2018 post-event surveys to identify the recruitment trends and best practices that can optimize your student engagement efforts in 2019.

Here’s what we found:

  1. Campus Recruitment Events are Alive and Well

Trying to justify those campus recruitment event budgets? Wondering if your time is well-spent attending them? Based on the student participation and engagement we saw this past year, it’s safe to say that it continues to be an effective tool for attracting and evaluating talent. Need further proof? According to 2017 research conducted by the Scott Resource Group with students from 19 universities, 55% of students disagree or strongly disagree that “employers that use virtual tools to recruit are just as interested in students from my school as those who maintain a physical presence.”

In 2018, we broke student and employer attendance records for our marquee fall networking event, now known as Rowe Networking Night. Over 200 students, and over 110 employers joined us for a lively evening of networking. Save the date for Sept. 11, 2019 when we’ll host the next one!

RoweNetworkingNight

Rowe Networking Night 2018

2018 also saw student registration for our Halifax and Toronto Corporate Tours fill up much faster than in years past, indicating student demand to interact with employers and explore different work environments and corporate cultures on site is stronger than ever.

Students who attended our 2018 fall recruitment events were recently surveyed and respondents reported that…

  • 85% were satisfied with their experience.
  • 95% were more likely to apply for a job with an organization after connecting with them at an event on campus

Employers who opted to attend our Corporate Residency MBA Pitch & Mingle event in August

  • Saw a 30% average increase in applications to their job postings
  • 100% decided to offer one or more positions to our CRMBA candidates, compared to 80% of the employers who posted jobs but chose not to attend

 

  1. Timing is Everything

The leading cause (76%) of students canceling their registration for a career event this fall was due to a conflict with their class schedule or midterm exam. In addition, “convenient date and time for my schedule” was the top-ranking factor (55%) influencing which events they chose to attend.

So how can employers ensure that their campus information session is being held at an optimal time to attract students? The key to scheduling your campus information session is to consult with the MCS team well in advance, indicating the type of students that you are targeting with respect to the program, year of study, degree major, or any criteria that may be relevant to you. Course schedules vary program to program, and year to year. The MCS team can help you determine the best time to host your event by aligning your targets recruits with the day/time that conflicts with the fewest classes.

How far in advance should you start planning your campus information session?  For the busy September 2019 recruitment season, we recommend reaching out to our team in late spring/early summer. For all other times of year, 4-6 weeks advance notice is ideal for room booking and event promotion purposes.

 

  1. Students Crave Face-Time with Employers & Alumni

Whether we were asking students for their feedback on our Corporate Tours or our fall career events, there was a recurring theme: the more opportunities to network with employers and alumni, the better.  This is feedback that employers can easily apply to their student engagement activities by:

  • Building dedicated networking time into your information session/tour visit

  • Invite multiple recruiters or company representatives to the session/visit to increase the number of students you’re able to talk to within the time available

  • Tapping into Dal alumni you have on your team in the presentation and/or networking component and encourage them to talk about their career path and their experience with the organization

  • Working with MCS to do an alumni spotlight which can be shared through the MCS student e-newsletter, social media channels, and the video wall overlooking the Rowe Atrium in the lead up to your event
Alumni Spotlight Example

Alumni Spotlights on the MCS Blog

  1. Mixing It Up with Mixers Pays Off

2018 saw the evolution of two of our annual recurring events, to positive reviews. Both the Co-op Summer Social and the CRMBA Pitch & Mingle events allow employers to interact with a single cohort from the respective program, and offer a format that combines structured and open networking opportunities.

The PepsiCo booth at the 2018 Co-op Summer Social

The PepsiCo booth at the 2018 Co-op Summer Social

The Co-op Summer Social (an event designed to celebrate the 2nd-year Bachelor of Commerce students returning to campus from their first-ever co-op work term) has been an annual event since 2014. For the first time last year, at the suggestion of MCS’ own co-op student employees, employers were offered the opportunity to host booths and network in the Rowe Atrium. Open to only 200 BComm students and 8 sponsor organizations representing a range of industry sectors, the atmosphere is kept light and cheery, which allows these lower-year undergrads to feel more at ease, whether they were approaching an employer at a booth, or being introduced to them by a student ambassador for a more casual networking interaction. Following the event in 2018, employer sponsors and student ambassadors were invited to rank their experience and provide feedback:

  • On average, employers rated of the quality of student interaction at a 4.3 out of 5, and the alignment with their recruitment goals at a 4 out of 5 (5 being “High”, 1 being “Low”).
  • The majority of employers commented on the value of having student ambassadors on hand to help make introductions

Last year, the CRMBA kicked off its fall recruitment with a speed-pitching event followed by a networking reception.  The speed-pitching session enabled more intimate and engaging discussion to take place between pairs of students and employers pitching each other at high-table stations set up around the room. The structure of the speed-pitching portion helped to break the ice between the two groups leading into the reception. As a result, 85% of the employers shared that they were supportive of this new approach.

Speed-pitching session followed by networking reception

Speed-pitching session followed by networking reception

Employers who participated in our most recent Toronto Corporate Tour as practice interviewers also benefitted from this combination of a more structured student engagement activity, followed by the option to attend the Corporate Tour networking reception that evening.

The Bottom-line

MCS is here to help you achieve your recruitment goals. Whether you are looking for quality student engagement opportunities, hands-on recruitment activities, or the chance to heighten your organization’s brand exposure, we have the unique solutions and support services to make it happen. Connect with us today to map out the plan that’s right for you.

 

Roadmap to Recruitment Infographic (4)

Student Spotlight: Max Georgopoulos

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Max Georgopoulos is a second year Bachelor of Commerce student from Aurora, Ontario. Last year he was a part of the Marketing stream on the Toronto Corporate Tour. Max says his experience with the Corporate Tour was nothing but positive. “We saw a wide range of businesses, from start-ups to large corporations like PepsiCo. I got a great scope of what marketing looks like across all types of companies. I also made awesome connections with people in various industries, which ended up opening multiple doors for me in the future.”

Max went on to say he, “would recommend the Toronto Corporate Tour 100%” because he felt that getting an inside look at various companies gives students a better idea of what type of company they might want to work for in their co-op terms and in their career.Max Georgopoulos 2

Max emphasized the importance of industry connections. Max says, “Having the right connections is one of the biggest factors in landing the job you want.” Max felt the greatest benefit of the Toronto Corporate Tour was networking, describing it as, “a great climate to make connections in, since these employers see you as an initiative-taker who cares about his/her career before you even open your mouth to speak. Good first impression if you ask me.”

“Networking on the tour ended up landing me two jobs: one at Mosaic over the summer and one at a Nudge Rewards for my current co-op. The co-op jobs that some of my friends landed were also a result of a connection that they made on the tour. Without the tour, neither me nor my friends would have been aware of these opportunities, let alone gotten the job. Go on the tour!”

For more information on the Toronto Corporate Tour attend the information session on January 25th or go to dal.ca/mcs/corporatetours.

Student Spotlight: Gillian Ward

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Gillian

Gillian Ward is a third-year Bachelor of Management student, majoring in Globalization, with interests in marketing and international business. She attended the Halifax Corporate Tour in 2016, and participated in the marketing stream, visiting Cosette, Emera, Corporate Research Associates, and Affinio.

Offering Marketing, Accounting/Finance, and Career Discovery streams, the Halifax Corporate Tour provides students the opportunity to learn about different industries and companies in the city. In Gillian’s opinion, having the ability to choose the stream that best suits your interests, helps students immerse themselves in a field, or fields, they want to learn more about.

Gillian reflects on the tour as, “an incredible experience that gave me great insight into career exploration and advancement.”

“I was able to make valuable connections with business professionals from various companies during the Corporate Tour. I would recommend this great opportunity to any Commerce or Management student as it can help students network and can help solidify which discipline and career path they wish to pursue.”

When asked how the tour affected her, Gillian stated, “the tour influenced my career path because I had the chance to see positions that I was interested in pursuing.”

Interested in the Halifax Corporate Tour? Attend our information session September 25 at 1:15pm in Room 2068 to learn more about why you should participate in this year’s tour and how to register!

Student Spotlight: Helena & Samantha’s Corporate Tour Experience

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TCT5018576377070_oStill considering taking part in this year’s Toronto Corporate Tour? Third-year Bachelor of Commerce students Helena Booth and Samantha Rudy explain why they’ve previously participated in the tour’s Discovery stream.

To expand awareness

Helena shares that she signed-up for the Discovery stream to gain a better understanding of what it means to work at a public accounting firm versus working in industry. A career in accounting was interesting to her, but she had little knowledge of what options were out there:

“Through this experience, I was able to make connections with recruiters from KPMG, and I strongly believe that it was through these connections that I was able to land all three of my co-ops with KPMG in Toronto.”

The Discovery stream proved beneficial as she considered her future career goals: “My advice to students would be to take advantage of these opportunities as much as possible; research the companies in advance, put yourself out there by talking to as many representatives as you can, and most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask questions!”

To help with selecting a major

Samantha says that she initially signed-up for the Toronto Corporate Tour to help sway her decision between a finance and accounting major. The Discovery stream allowed her to build connections with both financial institutions, REITs and major accounting firms:

“My summer co-op is with KPMG in Toronto. Networking and keeping in contact with the recruiters that I met from the Toronto Corporate Tour greatly enhanced my chances of getting hired at the Toronto office, as meeting the recruiters and networking is a major aspect of the recruitment process… I still keep in contact with the connections that I made from the tour!”

There’s still time to sign up for the 2017 Toronto Corporate Tour, happening April 27 & 28. Participants in the Discovery stream this year will have the opportunity to visit PwC, Labatt, H&R Reit, KPMG, TD and LinkedIn!

Learn more about registering for the 2017 Toronto Corporate Tour or contact Management Career Services if you have further questions!

Student Spotlight: Jianing Sun

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Jianing SpotlightJianing Sun is a second year student in the Bachelor of Commerce program who took part in last year’s Toronto Corporate Tour as part of the Discovery Stream.

Knowing that she would have three co-op work terms to complete over the course of her degree, Jianing says that she took part in the tour with the intent to gain new connections with employers, learn of potential opportunities and receive valuable information that would help her prepare for upcoming work terms. Jianing says her motto is ‘opportunities come to those who are prepared’.

Because she was still undecided about a future major and career path, Jianing chose to take part in the tour’s Discovery Stream. Through the tour, she met with a number of new employers, built relationships with valuable connections, and even secured an interview opportunity with a bank. Jianing says she learned a lot from the corporate tour experience and enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the varied workplace cultures amongst the different employers with whom she visited.

Jianing wholeheartedly encourages students to take part in the Toronto Corporate Tour, and says “the Discovery Stream will be the best choice for students who may still be undecided about their future plans or who want the experience of meeting with a broader variety of organizations. Taking part on the tour is also a great opportunity to expand your networking skills!”

Registration for the Toronto Corporate Tour is on now until Wednesday, March 1. Don’t miss out! Confirmed employer visits include TJX, CIBC, RBC, and Labbatt, along with great Discovery Stream stops including TD, LinkedIn, KPMG and more.

Student Spotlight: Ryan Tran

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Ryan TranFourth-year Bachelor of Commerce student Ryan Tran can certainly attest to the power of networking.

Last year, Ryan participated in the Toronto Corporate Tour, an event that sees Dalhousie students to step into the offices of some of Toronto’s top employers, while also offering mock interviewing and networking opportunities. As a finance major, Ryan opted to take part in the Finance stream, which last year included visits to Scotiabank, RBC Capital Markets, TD Securities and several other key employers.

Networking opportunities on the tour provided Ryan the opportunity to meet with a hiring manager from TD. Impressed with Ryan’s attitude and skills, this manager invited him for coffee with additional hiring managers from the organization. Together, they felt that Ryan would be a great fit for their team and offered him his final co-op work term job on the TD trading floor.

Ryan says that the networking skills he’s gained through participation in numerous MCS-led events paired with his previous work experience helped him to secure the position with TD.

Why you should participate in the Toronto Corporate Tour

Ryan shares that “the Toronto Corporate Tour provided many networking opportunities, with many firms across the financial services industry.  The tour provided an opportunity to network with leaders at TD and I was able to successfully secure a summer co-op work term.  It also allowed me the opportunity to give advice and speak with other students about co-op experiences and future classes.”

For students planning to attend the Toronto Corporate Tour this April 27-28, Ryan advises you to go prepared with lots of questions, make sure to seem eager, and to do some research prior to the tour.  Don’t miss out on this once-a-year chance to meet with industry professionals in Toronto. Registration for the Toronto Corporate Tour opens today!

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