The Fall 2019 convocation ceremony for Faculty of Management grads was held this week. Congratulations to all our BComm, BMgmt, and CRMBA graduating students!

Two graduating students are featured in this week’s Student Spotlight: Breena T’ien and Megan Daviduck. They both managed to secure full-time jobs as a result of their work term performance. Breena is a graduate of the Corporate Residency MBA program, who is now working full-time for Scotiabank, Global Banking and Markets as a Corporate Banking Analyst on the Mining, Power, and Real Estate team following her 8-month internship with the organization in Toronto. Megan is a graduate of the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program who majored in Marketing Management and turned her final 4-month co-op with Critical Mass (CM) in Calgary into a full-time role.

Breena was born and raised on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. After she completed her Bachelor of Science with a Major in Biology from the University of Victoria, she came to Dal and completed the CRMBA program. Most of her time outside of school was either spent with family, studying with her peers, or participating in an intramural basketball team.

Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Megan was involved in the Rowe Women in Business Association (WIBA) since her first year at Dal. In her final year, she served as the Social Media Manager for WIBA, was a first-year student mentor through the Dalhousie Commerce Society, and she worked as part-time Campus Tour Guide for Dalhousie’s Recruitment Office.

We caught up with Breena and Megan to hear about their work term experience and ask them about how they secured a full-time job with their respective work term organizations.

What were you able to do during your work term that helped lead to a full-time job offer?

Breena: “After I got the hang of my job at Scotiabank, I realized that this work was something that I enjoyed, and I made it known to my head boss about my desire to return and to pursue a career in Corporate Banking. In addition, I made a point to become good friends with the people I worked with as I knew that their opinions mattered on whether I would come back or not. Networking within my department has helped me form bonds that helped me return as a full-time employee.”

Megan: “With a well-known, thriving internship program, Critical Mass was the perfect place to transition from being an intern into a full-time employee. Everyone at the organization is happy to help you learn and grow, while still allowing you to take on real client projects. I think what helped the most was being able to see the impact my work as an intern had on the clients I was working with and the long-term results that I have been able to follow through with as a full-time employee. Being clear with your employer throughout your work term that you would like to stay on as a full-time employee is important and ensures that both yourself and your mentor/employer are on the same page from the beginning.”

Did you have to compete for your full-time role or was the offer extended to you because of your strong performance as an internship/co-op employee?

Breena: “Competition is high for the position that I currently hold. However, due to my vocalization of wanting to come back, a position was extended to me. I have no doubt in my mind that the eight-month internship position was a huge driver in providing me with this opportunity. This is due to the fact that when I left my internship, I was well trained on the system the company uses, therefore providing me a leg up. The full-time onboarding process was much simpler and took virtually no time.”

Megan: “I believe that at CM, the amount of effort, enthusiasm, and passion you put into what you are working on speaks for itself. There were a lot of interns at CM during my work term, and what I noticed we all had in common was that we were all very focused and driven to make the company, and our mentors, proud of the work we were producing. CM is great for recognizing people’s initiative and fit within the company and for hiring people who work hard, are real, and are proud of the work they produce, but stay humble.”

What advice would you give to other students hoping to transition from being an internship/co-op employee to a full-time employee within the same company?

Megan: “I would make sure to keep track of all of the work and accomplishments you have achieved throughout your work term. It allows you to have something tangible to show your supervisor/mentor/HR rep at the end of your work term to reinforce the value you would bring to the organization should they extend a full-time offer to you. Additionally, take advantage of the opportunity to learn new skills and interact with industry professionals, no matter which industry you’re working in.”

Breena: “Demonstrate your time management ability and your willingness to help other individuals. If my own portfolio was having a slow period, I would always ask my supervisor to let the other teams know that I had the capacity to help out. This will help you as you become familiar with not only your own team, but also gain the opportunity to further network within the company. Also, take your time and learn the theory. It is one thing to copy work to get it done as quickly as possible. However, if you spend the time to really understand the big picture of your work, you will be able to grasp the work in a better fashion and outperform.”

What are your short- and long-term career goals?

Megan: “Short-term, I am looking forward to learning more about what goes into producing great work in a digital-focused agency. Being in this kind of agency setting allows me to learn more about not only the traditional side of marketing, but also the intricacies of the digital side including SEO, digital marketing research, tech development, and much more! I am looking forward as well to the opportunity to work on a variety of different accounts involving world-class clients and working with team members from across the globe. Long-term, I hope to be able to work abroad and potentially move abroad permanently. With CM, there is the opportunity to not only move to different offices across the globe but also to work within multiple disciplines such as strategy or marketing science. At this point, I am open to any and all of the opportunities that come my way.”

Breena: “Short term, I hope to become the head analyst in my department and be the person that people rely on for system solutions. Long term, I would love to pursue a path within the real estate industry. I’m yet undecided on what this looks like, but I find the industry itself truly interesting and beautiful. I think it’s important in its own way that I don’t have concrete plans yet as it will allow me to be flexible and to take opportunities as they present themselves. I’m excited to see what the future holds for me.”

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Congratulations to all of our graduating students. As a new grad, you will continue to have access to your myCareer account, where you can look for and apply to a wide variety of full-time and new grad job postings, and access career and industry-specific intelligence through Management Career Services > Student Resources section of the platform.