Kayler Mutyabule is an international student from Kampala, Uganda, who is currently in her third year here at Dalhousie in the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program. Kayler is pursuing a major in Supply Chain Management and Logistics. She was intrigued by Dalhousie because of the endless opportunities that the program provided her. She saw the opportunity to graduate from an impressive school with almost a full year’s worth of working experience.

Along with the Co-op opportunities, she found that the program exposed her to several different courses that broaden her understanding of the overall business world. Kayler added, “My key thoughts when starting were that, I wanted to be a part of a program where I felt was continuously growing different aspects of self, challenging my mind and skills in different fields and had a range of subjects to learn.” She said she felt like the Commerce program allowed her to have the right balance between commerce electives and non-commerce electives, allowing her to explore some of her other interests.

For Kayler’s first co-op, she worked in the Dean’s office at the Faculty of Management as a Communications and Operations Assistant. She believes this opportunity allowed her to experience Dalhousie from the administrative lens, allowing her to interact closely with staff and appreciate the work behind faculty walls.

Kayler is currently on her second work term working with Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI) in the Corporate Strategy and Research field. In this position, she feels that she is learning a lot about herself and all the essential skills needed for a corporate strategy position. The most critical skills that she has developed are being more organized and having more self-discipline and initiative. Kayler applied to this position through myCareer, was chosen for an interview, and later offered the job. When asked about the support she received during this process, Kayler added, “MCS played the important role of providing continuous support when needed, reminders to check job opportunities and providing the essential guidelines on how to make a resume stand out, how to conduct oneself in an interview and ways to be a better employee.”.

In her new position, Kayler excited to be in a new environment, learn new things in different fields, sharpening her mind and skills while simultaneously challenging herself to step above and beyond expectations. “The challenges I may face are the limitations of fully experiencing the nitty-gritty of the opportunity due to the current state of the world. I say this because, as of March, while on my first co-op, I worked hard and landed several interactive opportunities that I feel could have been a booster in my career path, but unfortunately, were cancelled due to the pandemic.” Kayler added.

One challenge that she faces in her current work term is the limitation of connecting with her co-workers. Kayler is currently working two days online and three days in the office. “Surprisingly, it has been a good experience, as it’s nice to have a change in the work environment and to have available all the resources that I need to get the job done. It has been a significant learning point to be able to work independently, conduct myself professionally while getting the job done even when not in the office space.” Kayler added.

Kayler’s advice:

“COVID-19, has been extremely challenging mentally, physically and emotionally. Some days are better than others, and I understand that it has been difficult, but I choose to focus on the positives that it brought as well. I have found a great appreciation for the things we take advantage of in life, a reminder to live your life authentically to yourself and always be grateful. I would advise other students to know that I sympathize with their hardships of navigating the ‘new normal,’ to be introspective and pay attention to their mental health through these challenging times. I would encourage them to relentlessly never give up on their dreams/goals, even when things are tough. And lastly, to not just fight for a seat at the table, but to work even harder with the determination to create your own table.”

Connect with Kayler on LinkedIn at: www.linkedin.com/in/kaylermutyabule

Aaron Sophocleous is a fourth-year Bachelor of Commerce student with a focus in Finance. He is originally from Moncton, New Brunswick and chose Dalhousie University because of its location in Halifax, NS, “I love the city and wanted to stay close to home in the Maritimes,” Aaron added. Aaron knew that the Commerce co-op program was for him because of the co-op opportunities because it allows him to gain work experience while obtaining a business degree.

Aaron’s three work terms were all related to sales and trading within the capital markets in Toronto. His first two were with Scotiabank working with the Global Banking and Markets on the Prime Services and Foreign Exchange desk. His last co-op was with TD Securities on the Government Finance desk.

Throughout all Aaron’s work terms, he gained exposure to working on a trading floor in a fast-paced working environment and improves not only his communication skills while learning technical and financial knowledge.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Aaron learned what is was like to work remotely. He managed to make the most of the situation. “It was a unique and rewarding experience with virtual networking opportunities, personal development workshops and the opportunity to work with a talented team.” he added.

Throughout his co-op search, Management Career Services helped Aaron secure his positions by ensuring that his CV was catered to each employer and position. He also mentioned that working with MCS helped him to prepare for his grad job search.

Keen to obtain post-graduate employment, Aaron began his grad job search early, and recently secured a full-time position with TD Securities after graduation.

“My work term with the firm allowed me to network and secure a job upon completing the Bachelor of Commerce, Co-op program.” Aaron added that working within his network was especially critical as the pandemic has brought “a profound level of uncertainty.” He is excited to be starting his career with TD amidst the evolving workplace environment within the industry.

Aaron has secured his full-time position following his graduation in May. He will be joining TD Securities full-time in August 2021. He mentioned, “I am excited and look forward to entering the Sales and Trading Rotational Associate program at TD Securities.”

Aaron’s resume is very impressive outside of his work terms, a great way to show potential employers that they are a well-rounded candidate. Aaron is a very involved student and has significantly contributed to the Rowe School of Business. In the past, he has been involved with the Dalhousie Student Union by being an Orientation Week Leader and Committee Member, an appointed member of the Budget and Finance Committee, and a part-time staff member. Aaron is currently serving as a Student Senator on the Dalhousie University Senate and representing the Faculty of Management on the Dalhousie Student Union Student Senate Caucus. One of Aaron’s most impressive accomplishments is being the founder and President of the RoweOUT Society. This society works to represent all 2SLGBTQ+ students at the Rowe School of Business. The society aims to represent and promote diversity, inclusion and belongingness when connecting students to D&I recruitment opportunities and Dal alumni networks.

Aaron’s story is a great example of a conscientious student who put the work in to achieve his goals. Through his hard work, he was able to land three work terms in his desired field, and a position upon graduation. Looking to secure a job after graduation? Contact your Career and Recruitment Specialist. Many companies are eager to hire Dalhousie grads – just ask Aaron!

Aaron’s advice for current students:

• My advice to students would be to follow your dreams and not to give up no matter which obstacle comes your way, precisely when it comes to challenges facing competition.

Nicole Vander Doelen is originally from Newmarket Ontario and is entering her third year of the Bachelor of Commerce Program.

Nicole took a year off of high school to make sure that she was making the right decision when it came to what school and program she wanted to attend. She mentioned that Dalhousie was always on her list because of the co-op program and past family members have also attended the school.

For Nicole’s first work term, she worked at RBC Technology and Operations, out of the Bedford office as a Business Analyst and Project Coordinator on the transformation and strategic initiatives team. While searching for her first work term, Nicole had her sights on a finance position. Her approach to securing her first position did not go unseen.

“I was set on getting a job with one of the big banks. I went to countless networking events and applied to over 30+ jobs on myCareer.” She said, adding “I ended up securing a co-op with RBC through reaching out to people in my network. I did apply through myCareer but truly secured the interview by speaking with RBC talent recruiters.”

Nicole noted that she did have some challenges with her first work term, but persevered and ended up really enjoying things. “The position was not what I had expected. I got so caught up in just securing a job with a big bank I misunderstood the position. It was not as finance focused as I had thought, but I ended up working on an amazing energetic team that allowed me to network within the bank. I was able to gain some insight and understanding into private banking, wealth management, and capital markets.”

Overall, Nicole added  “The position gave me the information I needed to make the decision that I did not want to be a finance major,” a valuable insight into her career path afforded to work-integrated learning students.

Following her first co-op position, Nicole made some changes to her job search approach. She discussed what changed her approach and, “with the help of the academic report for the co-op work term, I was able to work through and decide what kind of position I truly wanted post grad. I was able to figure out that a major in marketing would make the most sense as I am mostly interested in selling, pitching, and content creation as I love to talk and be creative. So, I found myself very interested in brand management and advertising management. From there I spoke with recent Dal marketing grads and found that securing a co-op that will supply me with experience in digital marketing and brand management would be an asset.”

When working to find her fall 2020 work term, Nicole said that the ongoing pandemic added some pressure and caused her to become creative when it came to secure her co-op position. Through her job searched, Nicole found Venture for Canada, an online portal that can help students find work terms. She mentioned that this platform changed her application process and provided her with lots of support.

Nicole said that Venture for Canada was very easy to use. She just had to send in a quick application and after 3 days of them reviewing it, they accepted her and gave her full access to their job board. They also sent her resume directly to employers they thought she would be a good fit for. Before she even looked at the job posts she already had an email from a potential employer asking her to send them a cover letter as they were intrigued by her resume. She applied to 6 positions and heard back from all of them.

Venture for Canada called her after she accepted and informed her that their support doesn’t end there and they actually will be giving her access to their online library in September. Their online library includes free courses and webinars on a variety of subjects including brand management and web development which are both two of her interests. The best part of Venture for Canada is that all the positions posted on there are Canadian start-ups. After securing her co-op she talked to some friends who work in full time marketing positions and found out they actually secured their jobs post grad through Venture for Canada. Nicole added “I think it is a great asset for students looking for real experience and to get their hands dirty, all while supporting local Canadian start-ups.”

Nicole’s Fall position is a communication and marketing associate position with GetintheLoop. She mentioned that she could not be happier with her placement and is enjoying it after her first couple of weeks.

Nicole’s Advice for Students entering the recruitment process for co-op:

• Know what you want. If you cannot explain your ideal co-op, then you won’t be able to find it.
• MCS is there to help and provide positing but only you can put in that extra step to finding your ideal co-op position.
• I highly recommend VFC for any student looking for a co-op, even if you don’t find one on VFC it’s a great network to have access to.

Follow Nicole on LinkedIn!

Check out MCS’s article about finding self-developed jobs through programs like Venture for Canada here.

*Please note,  Venture for Canada is a program of the Government of Canada and supports Canadian students and permanent residents.