Student Spotlight – Henry Locker

January 22, 2020 Management Career Services 1 Comment

Henry Locker is a third-year Bachelor of Commerce student who recently completed a four-month co-op in Vietnam as an Asia Representative. Originally from Halifax, he chose Dalhousie’s Commerce program for the mandatory co-ops and the opportunity to gather a real work environment while exploring multiple industries. “The co-op program is very reputable and unique with 3 staggered co-op placements. This gives me the ability to test the water in many industries” said Henry.

Henry used his networking skills and reached out to friends’ families to find this job. Over the last fall, Henry secured a self-developed job with Confederation Partner in Vietnam, an international finance and service company. Confederation offers many methods for high net-worth individuals and their families to become dual citizens in Canada, USA, European Union, and the Caribbean Islands. He was attracted to this job because the work was inspiring, and he enjoys the satisfaction that this service offers. As an Asia Representative, he performed a variety of different roles, finding the appropriate location for an office at an appropriate price and working with the marketing team to market the company to prospective clients. He was a keynote speaker at 8 seminars with attendance ranging from 30 to 100 people.

Henry spoke to us about his transition, saying “The biggest difference between working in Canada and Vietnam is that Its very common for a workweek in Vietnam to consist of Monday through Saturday 8am to 6pm, and it’s common for most people to even bring work home with them. Even the communication preference is different, most people used an instant messaging app instead of email.”

After Graduation Henry is looking to do his MBA at Dalhousie and continue to explore options in different Markets. To follow Henry’s success, follow him on his Instagram @henry_lockyer .

Student Spotlight: Shumei Wang

November 25, 2019 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Shumei Wang is a third-year commerce student majoring in finance from Chengdu, China. She chose Dalhousie’s Commerce program for the mandatory co-ops and the opportunity to gather real work environment experience while trying out multiple industries that co-op provides. Shumei’s first co-op experience was in the Undergraduate Advising Office (UAO) in the Rowe managing their communications. Currently, on her second work term, Shumei is working with Marsh working in Captive Solutions a more accounting-related position in the organization.

Before coming to Dalhousie, Shumei worked an administrative job with BDO China, a major accounting firm in China. Her work term with UAO was her first job in Canada, she spoke to us about this transition saying “the biggest difference between working in China and Canada is that I need to speak in my second language, English… became more brave of speaking in my second language, speaking to strangers”. She goes on to speak about how the lessons taught to her in the COMM 1710 and 1720 Business Communication classes combined with her work experience helped her develop her communication skills, professionalism, and friendly demeanour in the workplace.

For other international students looking for a co-op or coming into the co-op program, Shumei had some tips to share from her experience. She stresses never giving up on the job hunt, “students with super high GPA will have a lot of interviews and some of them might get ideal offers in late September, but don’t be panic, some good companies posted jobs late, even in late November”. Coinciding with this she stresses putting in effort for each job application tailoring your cover letter and resumes for each application.

Wrapping up our interview Shumei told us about her thoughts on the new International Student Work Experience Program (ISWEP) and her career goals. Shumei regarded the ISWEP as a good opportunity for students to learn and gain experience. In the short term, Shumei wants to find a finance position for her final co-op position and then pursue further education after graduation.

To follow Shumei’s story and adventures follow her @shumei_w27 on Instagram. To learn more about the International Student Work Experience Program visit the informational page here.

Student Spotlight: Jina Lee

October 11, 2016 Allison Auld Leave a Comment

Jina Lee is third-year Bachelor of Commerce student from Korea, majoring in International Business. She completed her first co-op work term in Korea, working for an engineering company as an administrative assistant, and is now completing her second work-term with Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management, thanks in part to her experience participating in the Workplace Experience Program, which matches international students with Canadian employers for 35 hours of job-shadowing experience.

With the goal of gaining knowledge of the Canadian workplace, Jina applied to the program and was matched with Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management. During her program experience, she worked with several of the Faculty’s marketing and communications team members, where she spent time supporting convocation day promotions, learning about social media marketing, planning video production and developing email campaign messaging.

Jina shares that her experience in the program was extremely beneficial for networking and helped to provide her with the experience and confidence she needed that helped her to secure multiple job interviews with Canadian organizations, and ultimately land her most recent work-term placement.

“I would definitely recommend this program to any international student. It will help you with your future job search, and who knows, it may even help you to get a job! If I hadn’t participated in the Workplace Experience Program, I wouldn’t have been as likely to secure the number of job interviews I obtained”.

This upcoming Monday, we’ll be recognizing the contributions and successes of everyone involved in this past year’s Workplace Experience Program and C3 Mentoring Program. If you are interested in participating in either of these events next summer, watch out for information sessions to be held in early 2017.

Student Spotlight: Vera Chen

February 23, 2016 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Vera Chen is a second-year Bachelor of Commerce student at Dalhousie University, currently completing her first co-op work term at Dalhousie’s Undergraduate Academic Advising Office. Vera’s involvement in the Workplace Experience Program allowed her to develop skills, build interest in the marketing field, and learn about Canadian workplace culture while working at Halifax Port Authority. Below, Vera discusses her experience.

“I attended an ISSP session where I met Jennifer Coombs, and she recommended that I participate in the Workplace Experience Program. What appealed to me the most about the program was being part of a company, working closely with experienced staff, meeting new people, and getting the chance to understand a real Canadian workplace.

During my month at Halifax Port Authority, I got the chance to learn alongside a marketing coordinator who had over twenty years of experience with the company. My supervisor and I worked closely, which allowed me to build my expertise in web communications and social media. She is now a valuable reference for me.

My first impression of the Canadian workplace was that it is a little different from my country, China. Everyone in the office sees each other as a friend because every employee is valued. They work together and are willing to help others. I have learned to work with my co-workers as a team to meet a higher standard for our office.

I really enjoyed the experience and engagement in the workplace. I have developed communication and analytical skills and was able to build great relationships. Those skills are benefitting me in my current co-op job as I am required to work with social media marketing tools such as Facebook and Webchat.

I would definitely recommend that everyone consider participating in this program to gain work experience for their future co-op jobs and also build their ability to quickly absorb and apply new information.”

The Workplace Experience Program gives international Bachelor of Commerce students who have little to no Canadian work experience a chance to spend time in the Canadian workplace to learn about the culture and expectations. Students can also receive recognition for their participation by adding it to their Co-Curricular Record. Interested in gaining valuable experience like Vera? The deadline to submit an application is this Sunday, February 28^th. For more information, visit our website and complete the application form.

Category: #WorkTermPride