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Category: Employers

Opportunities to teach and learn: How a not-for-profit’s support for student work terms led to full-time hiring

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Hiring a co-op, internship, or corporate residency student is like doing an extended interview. If you find a student who is a great fit for your team and has made a big impact in a short amount of time, recruiting your next full-time hire can be a no brainer.

Marcus Jamieson is Executive Director at TEAM Work Cooperative (TWC), a Nova Scotia Works Employment Services Centre that helps connect people to jobs and vice versa by supporting and empowering Nova Scotians and fostering resiliency to build a stronger province. According to Marcus, TWC is no stranger to hiring students from Dal, having done so for the past 10 years, including from the Commerce Co-op and Management Internship programs.

“Our student employees are creative and bring fresh ideas to our organization. In fact, some of our innovations throughout the years has come directly from our students,” says Marcus. “It’s an opportunity for us to provide a professional experience to youth and have a role in shaping their career journey. We also like youth to be engaged in the community and learn skills such as compassion, empathy, teaching, sharing, and kindness as part of their professional identity.”

Marcus says that not only does TWC hire students to support their learning and growth, but also for the opportunity to assess them as potential hires. His team currently includes two of their former Commerce Co-op students.

Xiyu Zhao joined them full-time in August as admin support for TWC’s finance team. “I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to work at TEAM Work and it’s a great pleasure to work with my co-workers,” says Xiyu. “The whole team is supportive and knowledgeable. I did two co-op positions here and I learned a lot. Through my co-ops, I learned more about the local labour market and expanded my network.”

Abigail Rogers, Case Manager at TWC, has now been a member of the team for over a year. “Being a part of the TEAM Work family has been an incredible experience so far. I began as a co-op student in fall 2018 and have been here since,” says Abigail. “In my time here, I have had the opportunity to learn and grow and have felt like a valued member of the team. This has been true since the moment I stepped through the doors. Every day I feel I have the opportunity to make a difference in my community and get to see the impact I have.”

Xiyu and Abigail and are just two of several students TWC has hired full-time over the years. “We have been fortunate to have wonderful, eager, passionate students who want to learn and demonstrate their skills,” says Marcus. “We have hired 5-6 of them back after their work term, and many others have requested second work terms with us. We love the diversity in culture, personalities, and backgrounds Dal offers us.”

Marcus acknowledges that hiring students offers opportunities to both teach and learn. “Dal students are going to be our future leaders, and learning from them is vital for employers to stay innovative, creative, and relevant. For TEAM Work, we need their voices to direct us in the world of work today. All employers should be open to hiring students, as the organization will get just as much out of the experience as the student.”

Interested in hiring a student or learning about funding programs? Contact our Employer Development team:

Ayse Dai-Gammon, Employer Development Manager
Ayse.Gammon@dal.ca
902-220-2237

Cindy Ryan, Employer Development Coordinator – NS
Cindy.Ryan@dal.ca
902-219-2548

Bright, Adaptable and Eager to Learn: How Deloitte Greenhouse benefits from Hiring Dalhousie’s Corporate Residency MBA students

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One of the unique and beneficial parts of completing a Corporate Residency MBA at Dalhousie University is the opportunity for students to gain valuable work experience through an 8-month work term. For the employers of these corporate residencies, the students who join their team often have a previous degree and work experience, adding value both to the company’s culture and bottom line. Recently, Dalhousie Management Career Services spoke to one of those employers, who has been hiring Corporate Residency MBA students since lauching their Atlantic Canada Division.

Kara Barnard is Regional Greenhouse Lead, Atlantic Canada at the Deloitte Greenhouse at Dalhousie University. The Deloitte Greenhouse Experience Program creates an environment that encourages business leaders to challenge conventional thinking and address complex questions. The program is brand new, but even with COVID-19 delaying the opening of their physical doors, the Greenhouse Experience Program has been active in the Atlantic Region since January 2020. “We kicked off our virtual launch with a Corporate Residency MBA student on board and have had one ever since. We will be having our third student join the team in January!”

Kara says that student employees perform a variety of tasks at the Deloitte Greenhouse, from supporting the delivery of virtual client sessions, to having the ability to pivot and dig in on whatever is needed, including finding the answers to get to the right design or approach for clients. “We have had exceptional experiences with our student employees! They have been bright, adaptable, eager to learn members of our team who had a meaningful impact within weeks of joining. They also bring a level of curiosity that continues to push our thinking about what we do and how we can do it differently.”

Kara shares that she would recommend hiring a Dal business student to any organization. “I found them to be an integral part of delivering quality to the clients we serve! They are quick to dive in and understand how they can help and explore the best way to make that happen.”

Interested in hiring a student or learning about funding programs? Contact our Employer Development team:

Ayse Dai-Gammon, Employer Development Manager
Ayse.Gammon@dal.ca
902-220-2237

Cindy Ryan, Employer Development Coordinator – NS
Cindy.Ryan@dal.ca
902-219-2548

Eager to learn and make an impact: How a transportation and logistics company integrates co-op students into their recruitment practices

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Some companies have deeply integrated business student recruitment into their culture and practices, while others are just beginning to realize the benefits and rewards of bringing a student onto their team. And some companies, like Traffic Tech, find that over time, the value of hiring student talent is so beneficial that they grow their student recruitment exponentially.

Erica Dixon is a Human Resources Advisor at Traffic Tech, a global company that provides international transportation and logistics needs through high-level facilitation of shipments across air, land, and sea.  “We decided to hire Dal business co-op students because we are able to offer guidance and mentorship opportunities in the field of logistics, and the students are in turn able to assist us in temporarily filling our workforce needs,” says Erica. Traffic Tech had been hiring a few Dalhousie business students each semester, and in 2021, they decided to ramp up their co-op student recruitment. So far this year, the company has hired 27 Dalhousie co-op students.

At Traffic Tech, co-op students get hands-on experience in the logistics industry. They assist the company in negotiations with shippers and carriers, prepare documentation, and track shipments. They even help staff solve a wide variety of issues as they arise. When a student starts working at Traffic Tech, the company uncovers their strengths and assigns tasks based on how those strengths can best serve the team. “Overall, co-op students bring new perspectives on workflow solutions and management which has been an asset to the company,” Erica says. “We are happy to say that we have had students come back or stay on for an additional semester, or even work part-time between semesters. Our students have been eager to learn and make an impact at Traffic Tech.”

Erica shares that their students provided important support when the company recently built a new algorithm to queue and prioritize shipments. “The feedback from the students has been very valuable and that will help our algorithm get better and better,” she says. “Traffic Tech has benefitted immensely from the Dalhousie business co-op program and I would recommend it for any company. It gives the students an opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge into a work setting and gain hands on experience. Our students have been eager to learn and make an impact at Traffic Tech.”

Interested in hiring a Dalhousie business student? Contact our Employer Development team:

Ayse Dai-Gammon, Employer Development Manager
ayse.gammon@dal.ca

Cindy Ryan, Employer Development Coordinator – NS
Cindy.Ryan@dal.ca

Giving co-op students a chance: How a business and professional services organization found mutual value in hiring students

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It’s never too late to give hiring students a try, and to see how adding work terms to your recruitment cycle can positively impact your company. Recently, Dalhousie Management Career Services (MCS) spoke with a student employer who heard about the Commerce Co-op program just over a year ago and decided to give our students chance.

Joe and Dalene Allen are both Executive Directors of BNI Maritimes, the local chapter of a world-leading business networking and referral organization. They learned about the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program in spring 2020 through a member of the MCS Employer Development team. “We hired one Commerce student, Sam Willner, for the Fall 2020 work term to check it out,” says Joe. “Well, we were so pleased with what he brought to our organization that we hired two students, Nick Lawlor and Maia St. John, for the Winter 2021 term!

In the Commerce Co-op program, students complete each of their three mandatory co-ops during a specific time of year: their first in the winter, second in fall, and third in summer. Some employers may be hesitant to hire a first-time co-op student knowing they possess less work experience than other students, but as BNI came to find out, previous experience is only a small piece of the puzzle to making a great student employee.

“Nick and Maia were at the end of their first year and still early in their university learning, yet they were already able to offer us real value,” says Joe. His team went on to hire two more co-op students, Jake MacMillan and Cameron Gannon, for the Summer 2021 term. “It has been a pleasure to have these students work with us. They bring fresh energy, ideas, and skillsets, and they help BNI Maritimes operate more smoothly. We were impressed by the initiative and enthusiasm they have demonstrated by taking on such tasks as making cold calls to companies that they had themselves selected by prospecting such sources as social media and trade publications. They have helped us by bringing their technical skills to our projects and by researching and learning new software and techniques.”

Joe also acknowledges that he and Dalene knew they had a responsibility to ensure the co-op experience was also valuable for their students. “For our part, we wanted to make sure we gave them a valid learning experience by assigning them diverse tasks that would exercise as many skills as possible,” he says. Both he and Dalene encouraged their students to connect with BNI’s member organizations to learn about their businesses and build relationships that may assist them in their future career paths.

“We highly recommend the hiring of Dal Commerce Co-op students to any employer. We have found them to be reliable with a curiosity to adapt and develop skills.”

How Our Business Students Can Work for You, a Dal Employee

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It’s no secret there’s a wealth of emerging talent right here at Dalhousie. Our students are high achievers. They’re innovative thinkers. They’re driven and excited to make an impact in the professional world. We see the excellent work they do in the classroom and in their extracurricular activities. Why not take the next step and provide them opportunities to apply their growing business knowledge on your team?

Hiring a Dalhousie business student not only supports the student in their professional growth, but as their employer, you benefit from the skills and perspective they bring to your team. Here are five reasons to consider hiring Dalhousie business students for a four-month co-op, 8-month internship, or an 8-month corporate residency.

Show your Dal pride

Dalhousie students are the reason we come to work every day. They’re the reason we’re here, and who we’re all working to support, directly or indirectly. Hiring a student on your own team is one way to support our students on a deeper level.

Giving our students valuable, real-life work experiences is an important part of preparing them for their future alongside their coursework. For service and support units that do not engage directly with students, hiring them is a great way to do so. It not only provides students with good practical experience, but they also bring valuable support to the units.

– Susan Robertson, Assistant Vice-President, Financial Services

They know the university

There’s a learning curve when any new employee joins a team; it takes time to get to know their new organization. However, for Dalhousie business students, they already know their employer. They know the school and many of the faculties and teams within it.

In the Recruitment and Admissions departments of the Registrar’s Office, we have benefitted greatly from hiring business students. The students’ familiarity with campus and the processes of applying to Dalhousie make them particularly well-suited to help prospective students as they move through the journey from application to arrival. Having experienced the enrolment pathway to Dalhousie and also having first-hand knowledge of the student experience, students are easily onboarded and arrive on the job with an abundance of context and knowledge that helps them to get up to speed on tasks quickly.

– Ann MacDonald, Associate Director, Admissions

High calibre students through all levels (undergrad and grad) with broad and transferrable skills

Business students are learning broadly at undergraduate and graduate levels, growing skills that translate to a wide range of work and tasks. Just a few of the areas of focus for their studies include accounting, finance, marketing, entrepreneurship & innovation, international business, and managing people and organization.

I’ve had the privilege of working with Dalhousie’s Commerce Co-op students for the 11 years that I’ve worked in the Faculty of Management Dean’s Office. I see students grow throughout their terms, sometimes going from never having worked in an office environment to leading projects and making recommendations to improve our processes. I rely on them for valuable insight about the student experience and how to best reach our audiences. Several of them have kept in touch with us as they’ve moved into the next stages of their careers, and it’s always great to see how they are flourishing and believe their experience with us might have contributed to it.

– Nicole Maunsell, Communications Manager, Faculty of Management

New supervisors and junior employers can gain experience supervising students

Co-ops, internships, and corporate residencies are great opportunities for staff who are new to supervisory roles to gain experience on a short-term basis.

We have hired Dalhousie business students for each of the last two academic terms and it has been a wonderful experience! It is an honour to contribute to student learning and career development. The two international co-op students we hired brought fresh perspectives, valued student views and inputs, enthusiasm to positively contribute, and dedication to success. Providing employment opportunities for today’s youth is important for all of us!

– Angela McKinnon, Former Program Manager, International Student Support Team

Supplemental work for short-term projects and extra support during busy times

If there’s a new project your team is working on that has a designated end date, or if there are times of the year you know you’ll be particularly busy, students can provide focused additional support.

The Talent Management team in Human Resources was interested in a better understanding of labour market trends, a current state analysis of employment at Dalhousie, and further feedback from community partners on recruitment practices. We thought this would be a great learning opportunity for a student interested in such work, while at the same time, providing the team much needed support to get this important work done. Our co-op student met with key stakeholders virtually, conducted detailed research, and delivered a comprehensive report back to HR. We highly recommend hiring a business student and we are happy that we did so ourselves!

– Angela MacMaster, Manager of Talent Management, Human Resources

Wondering how to get started? Contact Management Career Services to learn more about our talent pool and funding opportunities.

Interested in hiring students from other faculties? Contact:

 

Our future employees, leaders, and CEOs: Read what one financial services employer has to say about hiring students

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For some business and organizations, supporting students and recent graduates is a no brainer. It’s deeply ingrained in how their business is run, in their values, and in their long-term planning. Recently, Dalhousie Management Career Services (MCS) spoke with an experienced employer who understands the value students can bring to a business both in the short and long term.

Krista Martin is a Senior Recruiter for Early Talent Acquisition, Personal & Commercial Banking (Atlantic Region & National Office) at RBC, one of the largest banks in Canada. In addition to hiring and supporting student talent, RBC is known for their Future Launch initiative, which provides resources and tools to help young professionals grow and develop their careers.

RBC has been an active employer of Dalhousie business students through MCS for many years, particularly in the Corporate Residency MBA program since its inception. “Students are the future employees, leaders, and CEOs of organizations,” Krista says. “They bring energy, technical skills, and new ideas, and they want to make a difference.” In general, supporting student talent is integral at RBC. In fact, its current CEO was initially hired as a co-op student in the 1980s.

Through her time working in recruitment at RBC, Krista has seen a vast array of student talent pass through their doors. “Every student we hire brings something different to the table. Their curiosity, eagerness to learn, desire to be part of the team, and willingness to jump in are what stands out,” she says. “I see them going through their learning plans, asking questions of their mentors, having one-on-one meetings with their managers, volunteering with their teams, meeting other employees at lunch – it’s such a privilege to watch the evolution and see many of them return as full-time employees!”

Hiring students is a win-win situation: students gain experience, organizations gain access to new skilled talent. But Krista also believes there are more and deeper benefits to hiring students. “Being open to providing an opportunity for a student helps the organization and those around them grow as well,” she says. “Understanding what they are learning now, how we can adapt as organizations to new technologies, modifying process, and understanding what is important to young people will help to keep you and your organization relevant for the future.”

Based on Krista’s experiences working with students, hiring them for co-ops, internships, or corporate residencies is a highly recommended practice. “Students are hungry for opportunity to put their learning into practice and embrace the professional world. Their desire to contribute to the organization is forefront, and it’s a great way for the organization to learn from them as well.”

Interested in hiring a student or learning about funding programs? Contact our Employer Development team:

Ayse Dai-Gammon, Employer Development Manager
Ayse.Gammon@dal.ca
902-220-2237

Cindy Ryan, Employer Development Coordinator – NS
Cindy.Ryan@dal.ca
902-219-2548

John Mitri, Employer Development Coordinator – GTA
John.Mitri@dal.ca
647-575-5717

Innovation and Initiative: How a robotics company benefitted from a Dalhousie business student who went above and beyond

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It’s well-known that an employer can have a lasting impact on their co-op student. Often, the reverse is also true. Recently, Dalhousie Management Career Services spoke with one student employer who experienced the benefits of the fresh perspective, confidence, and willingness to learn that our co-op students bring to the table.

Ahmad Farooq is a Project Manager at CrossWing, an Ontario-based robotics company in the business of developing groundbreaking interactive robots. Since the pandemic began, CrossWing shifted their focus to develop CleanBot, a COVID-19 disinfecting robot. The company received government funding to design, create, and distribute these robots to businesses.

Ahmad began hiring Dalhousie co-op students in 2020, and one of his student hires was James Whytock, a third-year Bachelor of Commerce co-op student with a major in Finance. James, who is originally from Ontario, was drawn to Dalhousie’s Commerce program by the appeal of graduating with a year of work experience under his belt, which he knew would give him a competitive edge in the job market. James completed his second co-op with CrossWing in fall 2020 as a Sales and Business Development Associate.

During his co-op, James’ role was to connect the company and the product to investors and buyers. He saw great success in this role and exceeded expectations by engaging with and meeting some of the world’s largest companies: Walmart Canada, Honda Canada, and Scotiabank. His day-to-day responsibilities included cold calling people and organizations with the goal of informing them about CrossWing’s new product. He gave presentations and demonstrations, often to CEOs, and fostered trust in CrossWing’s CleanBot.

“James has brought a refreshing change to our team dynamic and has proactively taken on responsibility. His eagerness to learn and implement his newfound skills really impressed us. His communication skills have only progressed with time and his determination in following up on sales activities is exemplary,” said Ahmad.

Having a co-op student he could depend on to perform work of this caliber was key to the success in this role, which had a direct impact on the company’s bottom line. Beyond these benefits, Ahmad recognizes the value of supporting a co-op student’s personal and professional growth, and having an impact on shaping them early in their professional journey, setting them up for future success. He feels other companies could reap the same benefits from giving student employees a chance.

“I would absolutely recommend co-op hiring to other companies, since it gives aspiring young individuals a chance to enter the realm of the corporate world and gain valuable experience,” said Ahmad. “Quite often, these experiences help to shape their education choices and transforms their career accordingly.”

Interested in hiring a student, or curious about accessing funding programs? Contact our Employer Development team at:

Ayse Dai-Gammon, Employer Development Manager
ayse.gammon@dal.ca

Cindy Ryan, Employer Development Coordinator – NS
Cindy.Ryan@dal.ca

John Mitri, Employer Development Coordinator – GTA
John.Mitri@dal.ca

Rowe Networking Night 2019: Tips for Employers

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On Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019, we invite employers to join us on campus for Rowe Networking Night, Management Career Services’ biggest-ever networking event.

Rowe Networking Night LInkedinLast fall we hosted our first-ever Rowe Networking Night bringing together employers and recruiters from all industry sectors and students from our Commerce, Management, and the Corporate Residency MBA programs. The result? Over 300 students and employers engaging in a lively evening of professional networking. Our 2019 Rowe Networking Night promises to be even bigger and better. Want to attend? Registration is now open! Click here to register.

Want to learn how to get the most out of your attendance at Rowe Networking Night? Check out the tip sheet below, or click here for the PDF version.

RNN Tip Sheet for Employers

 

How to post a new job in myCareer

Quick Steps:

  1. Login to myCareer > Post a Job > select Co-op/ Internship – Faculty of Management in the pop-up box > Post a New Job
  2. Fill in all job details > select Through myCareer as Application Procedure > Upload company logo (if desired) > Submit Posting for Approval

For more detail on the steps above, review the full step-by-step directions below.

Follow these easy steps to post a job on myCareer once your account has been approved.

  1. Log in to myCareer: http://mycareer.dal.ca/login/employer.htm
  2. Click on the blue Post a Job button or the blue circle icon in the bottom right corner of the screen and select Co-op/Internship – Faculty of Management in the pop-up box.
  3. For instructions on how to repost or reopen an existing myCareer job instead, click here.
  4. Click Post a New Job
  5. In the Company Information section, remove any contact details you do not wish to show on the job posting. We ask that you leave your name/title so our students can address their cover letters. Your email addresses and phone numbers are never visible to the students in the Management Career Services job posting module.
  6. In the Job Posting Information section:
    • Select the relevant Term Posted from the options available in the drop-down list, if you know it;
    • Enter the total Number of Positions available;
    • Enter the Job Title;
    • Select the Job Location. You may choose “multiple locations” if the job location is available in more than one province;
    • Select the Targeted Program that matches your needs;
    • Enter your Rate of Pay and Hours per Week information;
    • You can opt to indicate whether Canadian Citizenship is required. Please note: selecting Yes in this field will exclude students who are not citizens, but are legally entitled to work in Canada (example: international students on a work permit, permanent residents of Canada, etc.)
    • Enter the Job Description for your posting into the text box provided and adjust the formatting as needed;
    • Enter your Job Requirements (or qualifications) into the text box provided and adjust the formatting as needed;
    • Enter any extra details into the Additional Application Information text box and adjust the formatting as needed;
    • In the Application Information section:
      • Select the date and time for your Application Deadline
      • Choose “Through myCareer” as the Application Procedure but if you intend to collect applications directly through your own website, indicate that by entering the specific URL in the field marked If by Website, go to
      • Select the required Co-op Application Documents. Please note: our undergraduate students are required to submit a cover letter and resume for every application in the myCareer system.
    • If you wish, you may upload your Company Logo to the job posting.
    • Once you have entered all of the information on this page, you can either Preview it or Submit Posting for Approval. Once submitted, a staff member will review the posting and may contact you for more details or clarification. When the job has been approved and made available for potential applicants to view, you will receive an auto-generated email confirmation.

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For other myCareer tutorials, consult our Employer User Guide.

How to reset your myCareer account password

Quick Steps:

  1. Visit myCareer Forgot password page > Enter business email as login ID > Email Reset Code
  2. Check email for reset code > Click on code > Follow instructions

For more detail on the steps above, review the full step-by-step directions below.

If you have an employer account in the myCareer system, but have forgotten your login information, or have been instructed to reset your password, you can retrieve your account details in this manner:

Visit the myCareer password reset page: https://mycareer.dal.ca/employer/password.htm

Step 1: Receive a reset link

  • Your Login ID is the email address the account was created with
  • Click on the Email Reset Password Link button

Step 2: Once you receive the Reset Link via email, complete the steps:

  • RESET LINK is the link you received by email. Click the link and follow the instructions to reset your password. Don’t Delay, password link expires within 20 minutes.
  • Enter your new password and then confirm it by re-entering it.
  • Click on Reset Password

You will now have access to your account using the new password you created. Return to the Employer Login page to log into the system: https://mycareer.dal.ca/login/employer.htm

If the system indicates that your account cannot be found, please contact Management Career Services by email at mcs@dal.ca or by phone at 902.494.1515 and we can assist you in retrieving your login ID.

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For other myCareer tutorials, consult our Employer User Guide.

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