Student Spotlight: Adrian Hutcheson

March 7, 2017 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Fourth-year Bachelor of Commerce student Adrian Hutcheson is a familiar face in the Rowe building. President of the Dalhousie Investment Society and VP Academic for the Rowe JDCC, he can also add winner of the 2017 You’re Hired! Interview Competition to his growing list of extracurricular accomplishments.

Consisting of three rounds, the You’re Hired! Interview Competition puts students’ application and interviewing skills to the test. The first round is a judging-panel review of the applicants’ resumes and cover letters. Top scorers move on to round two, where they present a 1-minute elevator pitch and put themselves through the rigours of mock interviews with a host of employer partners. Finally, the three top candidates (two from Dalhousie and one from Saint Mary’s University), are put through a nerve-wracking interview in front of a live audience.

Adrian says that the competition was exciting and different from other experiences he’s had at Dalhousie. His preparation process was both simple and effective: “To prepare for both the elevator pitches and first round interviews I think it is most important to be able to decide what parts of your life (career, school or personal) are the most interesting for the judges to hear about. I think a big part of being successful in the competition is the ability to connect the skills and experiences you have in a way that relates to the requirements in the job posting. If you can communicate the value you bring to the company, the interviewers are more interested in you.”

To future students considering the competition, Adrian had this advice: “I would recommend this competition to students in every year of the program because it gives you an opportunity to practice one of the most important skills you will need to have in order to be successful in the job market. There are very few opportunities to practice these skills without a real job on the line, so when they come up it is important to take them.”

Congratulations again to the 2017 You’re Hired! Interview Competition Winner Adrian Hutcheson, and second place winner, third-year Commerce student Brianna Dologh. Congratulations also to third place winner, Ana Paula Farell from Saint Mary’s University.

Student Spotlight: Victoria Herron

February 28, 2017 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Victoria Herron is a fourth-year Bachelor of Commerce student who has worked with Scotiabank for all three of her co-op work terms. She’s also continued to work with the organization on a part-time basis while she wraps-up her degree, and will join them full-time upon graduation this spring.

And while she’s spent all three of her work terms with the one organization, that doesn’t mean that Victoria hasn’t experienced variety. Her previous co-op roles with Scotiabank have included positions as a Bank Teller, Senior Accounting Assistant and Commercial Banking Analyst. Now that she’s back in her final year of school, she’s moved into a Client Solutions Analyst role.

Each change in position has afforded her new learning and growth opportunities that have proven her skills to Scotiabank and make her a valuable employee: “as a Client Solutions Analyst I do a lot of statement analysis to determine the financial position of our credit clients. Knowing how to interpret financial statements and ratios is a great transferable skill that helps me make recommendations on credit that I could leverage in many other positions.

One benefit of completing all three work terms with the same organization is that it can be easier to get a large variety of experiences as there’s opportunity to move between departments. I also find that the internal contacts you make within an organization can be an added boost to get that next position”.

Nailing the interview is an important step that will take you from work term successes to your first post-grad job and beyond. Are you interested in learning how to tackle an interview with a company such as Scotiabank? Attend the LIVE You’re Hired! Interview Competition Finals this Friday, March 3^rd! Watch as Adrian Hutcheson and Briana Dologh, along with Ana Paula Farell from SMU have their chance to sit in the hot seat. Visit the myCareer Events Calendar for more details.

5 Ways to Unlock the Secret to Campus Recruitment Success

June 20, 2014 Management Career Services 1 Comment

For employers, connecting with student job seekers has always presented certain challenges, but in the face of the changing job market and recent trends in recruitment tactics, employers have had to become increasingly more strategic in their recruitment efforts. Earlier this year, Commerce, Management, and CRMBA students were surveyed regarding employer recruitment and engagement at Dalhousie. The results were compiled by Lori Bauld and Ally Howard from Management Career Services and presented during the National CACEE conference in May 2014. By examining some of the recent trends and surveying students and employers, Ally and Lori’s presentation shed light on how the student recruitment process is changing and what employers have to do to effectively interact with students at Dalhousie. Here are the top 5 highlights from the presentation that are of most interest to employers:

The Impact of Social Media & Mobile Technology

It is no surprise that social media activity has been booming in recent years and has no signs of slowing down. Students in particular are very involved with social media and have begun using various social media platforms to discover job opportunities online. Another significant trend is the increasing rate of mobile job searching among students. It’s safe to say that every student interacts with some sort of mobile device on a daily basis. Recruiters have recognized the power of social media and mobile as a means of candidate screening, organizational branding, and recruitment and are capitalizing on it:

LinkedIn is the #1 recruitment social media platform of choice that currently has 300 million users (steadily growing) and 1.4 million daily job views.
Facebook and Twitter serve as strong platforms to generate employee brand awareness and are rated as the #2 and #3 social recruitment platforms respectively (Jobvite, 2013).
In 2013 an impressive 78% of recruiters hired through social media platforms. That percentage is up 20% from 2010 and is increasing every year (Jobvite, 2013)
With 7 out of 10 job seekers now using mobile devices to find jobs, those employers who do have mobile enabled sites will attract more attention from students (ADP, 2013).

(Jobvite, 2013)

Global Reach

The following graphic (as seen in the MCS 2013 Annual Report Card) shows where Dalhousie’s Commerce, Management, and CRMBA students were placed for their work terms or internships in 2013:

Note that although Dalhousie’s student attend school in Nova Scotia, many of them choose to complete their work terms or internships outside of the province, and over 50% of them are not originally from Nova Scotia. Therefor, employers can broaden the scope of their Dalhousie recruitment efforts to not only include regionally based jobs, but national and international opportunities as well.

Student Engagement

As a recruiter, it is important to develop an appropriate recruitment strategy that appeals to the student demographic that you are targeting. Our recent survey shows that Dalhousie students in Commerce, Management, and MBA differ in how they engage with employers on campus:

Commerce students exhibit their highest level of engagement with employers during information sessions and networking events.
Management students exhibit their highest level of engagement with employers through corporate tours and professional workshops
MBA students exhibit their highest level of engagement with employer guest speakers and during networking events

When asked which organizational traits Dalhousie Commerce, Management, and CRMBA students valued the most, their responses were again quite different and interesting:

Commerce student value continuous learning and advancement the most.
Management student value work/life balance and continuous the most
MBA students value salary and advancement the most

This information helps employers to identify which types of events and traits they should focus on when trying to recruit students from specific programs.

Candidate Experience

Aside from social media recruitment and establishing a strong online presence, it is also very valuable for employers to have a strong personal presence with Dalhousie students and connect with them through multiple touch points. Larger companies like banks and accounting firms have the funding and the capacity to engage with students on campus as well as virtually and create that connection that students appreciate. However, for companies without access to those resources, it can be difficult to achieve the same level of student connection.

Developing a strong social media and online presence can help smaller companies build their brand and virtually connect with students, but to consistently engage with students Ally and Lori recommend an Integrated Talent Attraction Strategy should be implemented to connect with students. This means that in addition to having a virtual presence, companies should be active on campus and participate in student engagement activities such as career development workshops or corporate tours.

Ultimately, the more touch points a company has with Dalhousie students, the more effective their recruitment efforts will be.

Student & Employer Testimonials

As part of their research, Lori and Ally also interviewed a Dalhousie student and two Dalhousie employer stakeholders. Follow the links to hear what they have to say about the employer/student interaction and recruitment process at Dalhousie and get their thoughts on how effective an Integrated Talent Attraction Strategy can be to recruitment initiatives.

Andrew Quinlan: Student Insight

Samantha Whitehall: PWC, Talent Aquisition Specialist

Bruce Smith: Scotiabank, Senior Manager

You’re Hired! Dalhousie Finalists

March 12, 2014 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

The You’re Hired! Interview Competition has wrapped up for another year. Dalhousie’s finalists were Lindsay Proudfoot, fourth year Commerce student who landed in third place, and Danielle Skuy, first year Commerce student who scored second place.

We asked Lindsay and Danielle about how they prepared for the competition, what they felt set them apart from the other competitors, and what advice they had for students who may be considering competing in future interview competitions.

Lindsay in round two of the competition.

How did you prepare for the competition?

Lindsay felt that she had been preparing for the past five years for this competition! She completed three work terms at Scotiabank and she prepared for You’re Hired! by going over her work term reports from these co-ops. She also did further research on Scotiabank, consolidated her skills, and focused on behavioural questions. Lindsay noted that the preparation for the competition differed from a real job interview because she felt it focused on behavioural questions more so than highlighting specific skill sets for a particular job.

Danielle used the ‘STAR’ approach (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) for the interview stage of the competition, and she related the results portion of her answers directly to the job posting. She felt that she was able to use this approach to show how the results would benefit the company. Danielle found the situational question most challenging. Her advice to other students is to take a risk by not always making the safe response or always giving the answer you think they want.

Danielle’s preparation for the finals involved more research on Scotiabank, the banking industry, and fine tuning her STAR answers so that they were clear and concise. She also asked her mom for some guidance.

Danielle in round two of the competition.

What set you apart from the other contestants?

Lindsay reflected that her previous work term experience helped to set her apart from the competition. Her unique work term experiences and the research she did on banking trends and financial information about Scotiabank were helpful to her. Lindsay believed the elevator pitch portion of the competition and the feedback she received was very beneficial. She was mindful of the time limit for the elevator pitch, and she advocated having a strong finish even if it meant finishing with a second to spare.

Danielle credited the elevator pitches as setting her apart from the other contestants. Danielle was well prepared; she studied the job description and connected the job characteristics with obvious traits and skills that would be beneficial. She also focused on her international experience and language skills which connected with the international scope of Scotiabank’s global business presence in over 50 countries.

Danielle receives her award from Bruce Smith and Craig Thompson of Scotiabank.

What advice do you have for other students who may consider entering next year’s You’re Hired! competition?

Lindsay advises that connecting your experience with a required skill is important, and she feels that it is equally important to show your personality.

“The Interview Competition is the optimal way to build your professional network and gain insight into how to differentiate yourself in the interview process. The judges are eager to give you feedback and answer your questions. Overall, a very rewarding learning experience. No matter what, you’ll come out with a valuable learning experience and maybe a few business cards.”

Danielle thinks that students who are considering an interview competition should “go for it.” She received some great feedback, and she encourages other students to take advantage of it!

Lindsay receives her award from Bruce Smith and Craig Thompson of Scotiabank.

Category: Co-Curricular Record