Lauren Johnson is an Accounting major in her fourth year of the Commerce Co-op program. Originally from Newmarket, Ontario, she was intrigued to move to the east coast to live by the ocean. When considering universities, Lauren came across Dalhousie’s Commerce Co-op program. “It really checked off my boxes as I wanted to be able to graduate with a full year of work experience, and I knew that Dal would allow me to do so.”

Lauren completed her first two co-ops with J.D. Irving’s shipbuilding division in Dartmouth. She was part of the Project Accounting team, where she was tasked with period end journal entries, reporting the status of hours worked, and inventory reconciliation. Her second work term at J.D. Irving had her working in the same division, but with both the Project Accounting and Financial Reporting teams. With the Financial Reporting team, she acted as the sole accountant for their three shipyards, completing necessary reporting for period end. In addition, she conducted a variety of overhead reporting for Irving Shipbuilding such as HST returns, coding invoices, reconciliations, and more. “Overall, the thing I would say I had loved the most about my co-op was the people I got to work with. They really encouraged me to do the best that I could, and to take on as many opportunities as I could. They made sure that I was included and pushed me to be the best version of myself possible. I am forever grateful to them!”

During her time at J.D. Irving, she was asked by the Director of Accounting to write blog posts on behalf of the company to help attract Nova Scotia students to future job positions. Lauren saw this as the perfect opportunity to combine her love for writing with the opportunity to share her experiences with other students. She was able to work on her written communication and time management skills, which are essential in all industries. “I basically had free reign to write about what I wanted, and sometimes I would receive prompts. I wanted to make sure what I was writing was beneficial to students so they could learn about what J.D. Irving had to offer.”

Lauren’s final co-op was with Deloitte in Halifax as a Tax Analyst. In this role she worked on corporate tax returns for a variety of companies across Atlantic Canada and was introduced to tax planning as well. She says she was proud of the connections she made, as well as the steps she took toward professional growth. “This co-op really allowed me to grow professionally by working in my first busy season and learning a new side of accounting. I was very fortunate to have met some really great people along the way and learn from bright leaders and professionals.”

During her job search, Lauren felt the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically when she was searching for her first co-op. She reached out to her Career and Recruitment Specialist Lauren Shaw, who helped her navigate her job search and provided guidance in formatting her application documents. “I am so grateful for Lauren, for all of the help that she gave me and the support she has provided in the past four years.”

Lauren’s advice for you:

• Take initiative and try new things within your role.
• Try new roles and companies. You don’t know what you do or don’t like unless you try, and the reward far outweighs the risk.
• Connect with upper year students, they can share valuable advice from a student’s perspective.
• Don’t get discouraged if you’re not where you want to be in school or in co-op, you will get there eventually. Remember to use the resources available to you (MCS, UAO, societies, connections, and other students).
• Get involved with student societies! This has built up my resume immensely and I’ve made connections and new friends along the way.

Marissa Augerman is a fourth-year Bachelor of Commerce Co-op student majoring in International Business. She is from the small town of Kingsville, Ontario and was one of just two graduates from her high school to leave the province to attend post-secondary school. Even though she had never visited Nova Scotia, Dal’s Commerce Co-op program piqued her interest because co-op is mandatory and participation is high. This eliminated a lot of stress in her first year of the program.

Marissa’s first co-op was with Traffic Tech, where she worked as a Logistics Coordinator in their Halifax office. The company is a third-party logistics broker that ensures their customers get the logistics services they need at a low cost. Marissa’s duties included tracking the pickup, delivery, and intermediate locations of shipments to update Traffic Tech’s tracking system so that customers can be notified of their shipment’s location. At the end of this co-op, Marissa trained the incoming group of Dalhousie co-op students and other full-time employees before being offered a part-time role at the company, where she worked during her Summer work-term. Traffic Tech then expanded, with their centralized tracking being rolled out to sales teams across the company from California to Chicago, including Dartmouth, NS. “This is a great opportunity for students who may be looking to enter the Supply Chain industry!” she adds.

For her second co-op, Marissa joined TELUS as a Business Analyst in a remote role. She notes that TELUS is a great example of a company practicing corporate sustainable responsibility practices. “During my time there I noticed that they reward employees with days off to volunteer in the community and make the remote environment extremely enjoyable with exciting team meetings.” Marissa worked in Mobility Operations as an Engagement Prime, supporting and analyzing internal employee surveys from the front-line workers and managers. “My favourite part of this work term was launching TELUS’ integration with a new weekly survey tool to allow their employees to provide more frequent feedback,” she notes. During her co-op midterm evaluation, Marissa’s Director mentioned to her Career and Recruitment Specialist that she sees her as a great fit and would like to see her continue with TELUS after graduation. When informed about the good news, Marissa was elated and decided to set up a one-on-one meeting with her boss. “I asked if I could continue as a co-op student in the upcoming summer because I could not picture myself anywhere else. Initiating a job offer did not feel intimidating to me because of the great relationship my boss and I had and the feedback that she had shared gave me the confidence to ask.”

TELUS gave Marissa the opportunity to return to the company for her third co-op term. She now had the confidence to make suggestions that were valued and integrated into her team, which she is very proud of. Upon completing her final work term with TELUS, she was able to exercise her teaching abilities again, as she was appointed to help train the new Dalhousie co-op student who was selected to continue her role.

Marissa accredits Management Career Services for their support and guidance in formatting her resume and cover letters. She says that had it not been for MCS’s initial job posting, she may have likely not found an opportunity at TELUS. “Just knowing MCS was there meant a lot to me,” she remarked. When asked for advice to give to students, she said “building connections is a great way to network but maintaining these connections with virtual coffee chats or a text goes a long way and I have found it to be so well received and appreciated.”

Here’s what Marissa’s employer at TELUS, Kim Vey, Client Care Director, has to say: “Marissa has demonstrated excellence in everything she has been given to work on, showing initiative, sharing insights from the data she has reviewed, sharing her knowledge of Google tools with other team members, participating actively in brainstorming, strategy and planning discussions. She is always respectful, professional, and so easy to work with! The knowledge of TELUS operations was evident in her second term, where she could dive right in with very little guidance. I would love to have Marissa as a permanent member of our team. She demonstrates the TELUS values and is an important part of what we were able to accomplish this year.”

Second-year student Lauren Palmer chose Dalhousie because of its renowned Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program, accompanied by the immersive learning environment. With ambitions to major in Accounting and obtain a certificate in Quantitative Finance, she always knew she would be a Commerce student. “My mother is also a Commerce Co-op graduate, so you can kind of say it’s in my blood,” she comments. Lauren originally planned to obtain her degree before enrolling in law school, but she quickly realized her passion towards business, more specifically accounting, after her first semester in the program. She is proud of being able to manage her schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and her part-time job as a Research Assistant at Dalhousie.

Lauren will be starting her first of three co-ops in January 2023 as a Tax Analyst at Deloitte, and she credits networking with helping her land the role. Specifically, Lauren met another student who had already completed a co-op at Deloitte who was willing to give her an introduction. “After meeting my now good friend, co-president of the Dalhousie Accounting Society Lauren Johnson, at a first and second year networking event in September 2021, she presented me with the opportunity to meet with her manager at Deloitte and gave me the ability to get my foot in the door,” she says. “I am excited to be able to work in the tax field during the winter tax season. Although I know it will be busy, I also know the experience and knowledge I will gain will be unmatched.” In addition to networking within her society, she took advantage of Management Career Services’ resources to secure her first co-op. “If there is one thing that I associate with MCS, it’s networking. They really got it into my head that good networking skills are an asset to any resume.”

Lauren’s first-hand experience of the value of student societies inspired her to get involved at the executive level. She is currently the Assistant Vice President of Internal Affairs on the Dalhousie Accounting Society. Not only does she enjoy the role, but she is grateful that it allows her to give back and help those who were in her position last year.

Lauren says she is most eager to apply what she learned in her classes to real-world situations during her co-ops. She finds it surreal to think that questions she would answer in her first-year accounting courses may play an integral role in her occupation in the future. When asked for advice for other students, she replied, “Getting involved is one of the most important and influential things you can do in your first year. I was part of three societies, and even before I was able to secure my dream co-op with Deloitte, when I talked to recruiters they were always blown away by my extracurriculars. While grades are certainly important, showing that you are passionate about what you’re doing is a major selling point for anyone who is hiring. It demonstrates that you will show that same level of commitment to their firm.”

Abby Desveaux is in her fourth and final year of the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program, majoring in Finance. Hailing from Miramichi, New Brunswick, she chose Dalhousie because she felt it would be a great and practical way to discover her career aspirations.

Abby completed her two most recent co-ops in Sales and Trading at TD Securities. “I had the opportunity to sit on three different teams throughout that time, two within Fixed Income – Money Markets and Credit, and one newly formed group called Senior Relationship Management,” explains Abby. “My role as an Associate in Money Markets and Credit were similar. I supported both sales and trading teams – booking trades, assisting clients, and preparing morning and end-of-day reports. My role as an Associate on the Senior Relationship Team was more project-based. I was challenged to unlock a deeper level of strategic thinking. The autonomy in my day-to-day allowed me to use my entrepreneurial spirit, which I really enjoyed!”

For her final co-op term this past summer, Abby was hired into the Global Markets Summer Associate program at TD Securities, which matches each student with a Sales and Trading team based on their interests and capabilities. At the beginning of the summer, she was placed on the Senior Relationship Management team. Several weeks later, there was a need for an associate on the Credit team. “Since program placements were already formalized, the managing director of Credit decided to ask me if I could fill the role. My SRM manager signed off on the dual-mandate and I began supporting both teams simultaneously,” Abby says.

What originally appeared to be an unexpected combination – credit and SRM – turned out to be a very constructive one. “I was able to support both teams, and in the process, gain a greater sense of the holistic structure and goals of the organization. Realizing this, my managers wanted to make this job a permanent one. They even asked me to help them pitch the idea to Human Resources! Being a part of a positive change to the program felt like a huge accomplishment.”

Abby credits securing her two consecutive co-ops with TD Securities to her involvement in the Dalhousie Investment Society (DALIS) as Vice President. Former DALIS President Stefan Wippel, who was also recommended to TD Securities by another former DALIS president, helped Abby get a foot in the door and has been her mentor for the last two years. She shares that MCS helped her develop a strong resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile, which are all necessities in a highly competitive environment such as Sales and Trading.

Abby advises students to get involved in extra-curriculars pertaining to your desired field and reach out to Dalhousie students and alumni who have worked in positions you are interested in. “And try to find a healthy balance between school work and enjoying your time as a student, as four years flies by!”