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Student Spotlight: Jared Hudson

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Jared Hudson is a fourth-year accounting major who was born inCase Comp (2) Halifax. His father’s work took him and his family around the world to nations such as Switzerland and Turkey. When deciding on universities, Dalhousie’s Commerce Program stood out due to the compulsory co-op for commerce students. Not so long ago, Jared started his company myPAQ, which is a sustainable home delivery service for personal care products. Recently, Jared participated in the Halifax Corporate Tour. This involves taking students to three companies, related to their major, around Halifax to network and further learn about the industry and working in it.

At this year’s Halifax Corporate Tour Jared visited VERB Interactive, Dash Hudson, and VOLTA Labs. He reflects on this tour saying “The tour provided me with valuable connections and increased my knowledge about the type of career and office environment I want to have”. Jared found VOLTA Labs, a local innovation hub for startup businesses, as particularly interesting showing him more of the local entrepreneurial environment, and giving him the opportunity to ask fellow startups invaluable advice. On top of allowing him an opportunity to learn how to better his business ventures, Jared believes this tour gave him an edge when applying for future positions having met and networked with many employees at each organization. 

Jared would recommend the Corporate Tour to any students who are job hunting, or trying to learn more about an industry. The insight into the organizations would be helpful for someone trying to determine organizations and industries they would like to explore, or work with. To make the most of this opportunity the ability to network will help you secure a vantage as Jared has. To help with this he recommends to be yourself and be interested. Asking many questions and showing genuine interest will help you build a rapport with the person, as well as build your knowledge. This allows for a natural conversation flow ranging from hobbies to career goals, and in turn promoting yourself.

Moving forward Jared hopes to capitalize and sell his sustainable and industry-disrupting service myPAQ, and continue in the start-up scene. A future in the startup scene may not be his only goal as he explores the opportunity to continue to be an entrepreneur or move into the venture capitalist space. To follow Jared and his business’s adventure follow him on Instagram @jaredhudsonn as well as @mypaqcanada. To find out more about Corporate Tours check them out on the MCS website and watch your myCareer Calendar for information sessions.

 

Student Spotlight: Kevin Vigneau

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Kevin Vigneau is a fourth-year student from Bradford Ontario.Kevin Vigneau spotlight Originally planning to go to university for kinesiology, Kevin found a passion for finance and decided to come to Dalhousie. Here he had the opportunity to explore Nova Scotia from its trails to beaches, as well as the mandatory co-op portion of the Commerce Program.

Two of Kevin’s three co-ops have been with large real estate investment and development firms. Working with the Toronto market, the growth and demand in the industry was eye opening with an added twist of being able to see what you were investing in rather than seeing it as a general financial asset. Over the past summer, Kevin secured his position with CacheFlow through Venture for Canada, a government funded program to connect students with small start-ups for mutual growth. CacheFlow is an organization focusing on creating a smart budgeting tool for organizations that helps match and predict spending patterns as well as understand spending behaviour. Watching the entrepreneurial process and being able to work directly on projects affecting the direction of the firm was a amazing learning opportunity. Kevin recommends this exposure in entrepreneurial realm to any student, especially if you are driven by the fast-paced problem solving. Venture for Canada also has workshops available during your time with them. They offer training that is applicable in the business world as well as networking with businesses across Nova Scotia.

In his final year at Dalhousie Kevin is balancing his school and graduate job hunt as well as being the Commerce Society President. This is a challenge that he recommends to any student, as it provides the ability to work on leadership skills and make a positive impact for fellow students. The balancing of commitments is difficult, but the society works as a team with delegation and team work required to succeed. Through this and an organized schedule, Kevin has been able to successfully balance his obligations while still being able to enjoy his final year.

In this spare time Kevin has been participating in case competitions and summits. In October he participated in the Rumble in the Rowe Case Competition with his team of 4th year Commerce students coming out on top against MBA students and his peers. Kevin got into case competitions as a recommendation from a friends and has continued to pursue them. Kevin says they can get stressful taking on a challenge in such a short amount of time but the skills you develop and experience is worth a little stress. He also displays these competitions prominently on his resume saying they really help show your aptitude to handle high stress situations and problem solving.

After graduation Kevin is looking to explore career options, possibly going back to his co-op roots in real estate investment and development. To follow Kevin’s success’ check out his LinkedIn page here.

To find out more about Venture for Canada click here for their website.

To find out how you can get involved in case competition watch out on the MyCareer calendar as well as the Management Career Services and Commerce Societies news feeds.

 

 

 

Student Spotlight: Adam Sussman

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Adam Sussman is a first-year dual JD/MBA student Adam Sussman Headshotwho participated in the Rowe Rumble over the weekend. Originally from Toronto, Adam studied Business Administration at American University in Washington, DC, before moving to Halifax. The ability to pursue a corporate residency in conjunction with the dual degree was a determining factor that brought him to Dalhousie. Adam has already started to get himself involved in the school community, becoming CRMBA 1st year academic representative on top of participating in many case competitions.

This winter, Adam will be working at QuantRes for his 8-month MBA residency. A trading firm that focuses on using scientific methods, data analytics, and mathematical modelling to exploit market inefficiencies. Adam was attracted to this unique finance opportunity due to the tangible financial skills and the ability to participate in such a highly competitive field.

To secure this placement, Adam approached QuantRes for an informational interview even before commencing his interview preparation. Adam extensively researched QuantRes online as well as utilized class resources and his classmates to simulate mock interviews. In these practice interviews, Adam and his peers rotated, playing the roles of both interviewer and interviewee to help hone their skills. Even before the interview, Adam was setting himself apart from the pack. Prior to the interview, Adam had engaged in numerous exchanges over both email and phone with his interviewer to continue building rapport and learning about the firm.

In these exchanges, he learned about the company’s values and needs, which in turn helped guide his responses and thought the process in the real interview. Adam highly recommends a proactive and eager approach that can truly differentiate yourself from other candidates. A quick email or LinkedIn message is a great way to do this. Balancing a job search and class obligations is challenging, but the CRMBA has implemented ways to help students balance the two. Adam took advantage of his PPE class (BUSI 5000), which applied job search lessons as part of the course content throughout their summer semester. On top of this, formal interviews are concentrated into an interview week in September to really focus his time on securing his residency position.

Adam’s goal for this residency is to learn as much as he can about money markets before coming back to continue the Law degree aspect of his degree. Adam is confident all of these experiences will contribute to his personal development and aid in his pursuit of a career in corporate law.

To follow Adam’s adventure and experiences his LinkedIn here or his Instagram is @adamsuss24.

To learn more about the JD/MBA program click here  or contact CRMBA@dal.ca

Student Spotlight: Jenn Dubois

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From her time with Big Brothers Rowe Headshot - Jenn Duboisand Sisters Canada to her time with Health Canada, Jenn Dubois has found her passion of helping people. Jenn is a fourth year Commerce student majoring in Managing People and Organizations. On top of her studies, Jenn is also Co-Captain of the ROWE JDCC, a youth mentor, and a SPCA foster parent.

Before coming to Dalhousie Jenn lived all around Central and Eastern Canada. Though the transition of moving was difficult Jenn found a way to get involved in extra-curriculars while maintaining her studies. The mandatory co-op drove Jenn to choose Commerce at Dalhousie, prompting her to move again from New Brunswick to Halifax.

“Moving around showed me there is something different about every place you go, and to seize any opportunity rather than waiting for an opportunity to fall into your lap. No matter how scary or different it may seem, it could be a one-time opportunity that you may not get again and if you do, you never have to do again.”

Award - Jenn DuboisJenn deferred her first co-op to focus on her studies part time while working with Health Canada. This experience allowed her to network for her co-op and gain expertise about Government Human Resources. Jenn has since completed her two co-ops with Health Canada allowing her to experience the organization in different positions as well as notable moments. During her Winter 2018, she earned two awards of excellence for Excellence in Service Delivery, one from the Assistant Deputy Minister, and another from the Deputy Minister himself. She accomplished this when a vacancy opened and volunteered to help fill the organizational gap, which placed her into the teams working to fix the Phoenix pay issues the organization was facing.

“A tip for any students looking to secure a co-op with the federal government Federal government should create an account on GCJobs and look at FSWEP [Federal Student Work Experience Program] or COOP opportunities posted.” She also suggests that if you are interested in a role related to Managing People and Organizations that it doesn’t hurt to try one out. There is a wide range of jobs types and it is a great way to network as well as get to understand companies better.

Jenn is hoping to secure her final co-op and secure a full time position with the governments Human Resources division. With the connections she has made in the industry, as well as the experiences she’s had, she is in good standing to secure such positions! If you would like to reach out to Jenn or follow her career connect with her LinkedIn.

If you are interested in working in Managing People and Organization please feel free to contact our CRS specialist Maggie Ma for more information, or Jennifer Coombs to learn more about applying to government organizations.

Student Spotlight: Griffin LeBlanc

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Griffin LeBlancOriginally from Ottawa, Ontario, Griffin LeBlanc began his Dal journey enrolled in the Bachelor of Management Program. After his first semester, though, he felt the Commerce program, with its mandatory co-op component, was the right fit for him, and decided to transfer.

Having completed his first co-op work term with the Nova Scotia Public Service Commission in a Financial Analyst role, Griffin secured his second work term at the end of last summer with RCAP Leasing, a subsidiary of RBC Financial Group, and one of Canada’s longest-serving and most-respected equipment financing businesses.

Working for RCAP meant moving to Burlington, Ontario, where Griffin did not know anyone. Thankfully his supervisor and colleagues helped ease the transition to a new job in a new city.

“On my first day, my supervisor Lucy introduced me to some of the younger staff. It was comforting to know that my supervisor and colleagues were looking out for me and making sure I felt welcome. In fact, some of the friends I made while working at RCAP are still very close to me.”

DuringIMG_1184 his time with RCAP Leasing as an Equipment Finance Specialist, Griffin gained a lot of knowledge about an industry that he admits to previously knowing very little about, and feels is not very widely-known by other students as well.

“I was RCAP’s first co-op student ever which was pretty unique. It was a great experience since my supervisor had me work in all of the departments in the office. This provided me with an excellent overview of the company and how each of the departments works together.

I would definitely recommend that other students consider working for an asset-based financing company. The RCAP experience opened my eyes to the world of lending. This then led me to combine my interests of lending and real estate together, by landing my final co-op job at The Bentley Group, a mortgage brokerage. Although I did not continue working in asset-based financing specifically, I still continued working in the lending industry and can thank my co-op experience for opening my eyes to other opportunities within the industry.”

Fast forward to a year after he secured his co-op with RCAP, Griffin was invited by the Canadian Finance and Leasing Association (CFLA) to attend their annual conference in Vancouver, all expenses paid. They asked him to participate in a panel discussion entitled, “Campus Recruitment: Your Gateway to the New Workforce” about how employers in the Vehicle & Equipment Finance industry can leverage co-op programs to grow their teams.

During the panel discussion, Griffin reflected on his RCAP co-op experience and his former supervisor, Lucy Forte-Morelli, CFLA Board Member & VP Operations, Equipment Finance Leasing, RCAP Leasing, who was also on the panel, explained how Griffin’s work helped to make some of RCAP’s processes more efficient, and how he offered a valuable perspective in meetings.

Griffin was grateful for the opportunity to share his thoughts and take advantage of the valuable networking opportunity the conference had to offer.

“I learned how important and rewarding it is to attend conferences. You meet so many people, and business deals can easily get done or started at conferences. I was the only student at the conference, so it was nice to have employers wanting to talk to me after my panel discussion. [The conference] was an amazing experience for me. Not only did I meet some incredible people, but the conference also opened doors to potential jobs after graduation.

[The conference] also brought to my attention the fact that people who work in this industry enjoy helping others to achieve their goals, which is a great thing, and that there are “small-ticket” and “large-ticket” companies. Having a career in asset-based financing is great because there are many different avenues of the industry to explore.”

With only two semesters to go before graduating, Griffin is confident that his decision to pursue co-op education through the Commerce program has helped him to grow and mature in a significant way over the past few years. He has yet to determine exactly what he wants to do next with his career but doesn’t worry about finding a job, with so many options now available to him.

“I feel prepared to take on the world no matter which path I take.”

Student Spotlight: Breena T’ien & Megan Daviduck

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Student Spotlight InstagramThe 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.

Rowe Networking Night 2019: Tips for Students

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On Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019, we invite all Dalhousie Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Management, and Corporate Residency MBA students to join us for Rowe Networking Night, Management Career Services’ biggest-ever networking event!

Rowe Networking Night LInkedin

Each fall, Management Career Services (MCS) welcomes Canada’s top employers to participate in the Rowe Networking Night. This is your opportunity to make valuable industry connections that will expand your professional network and could even help advance your work term or full-time job search efforts! Click here to register now.

Does networking make you nervous? Have no fear! For important advice on how to get the most out of your attendance at Rowe Networking Night,  
► Scroll down to check out our tip sheet for students, or click here for the PDF version.
► Check out our “Build your confidence and practice the art of networking” blog post and infographics.

To discover other upcoming MCS Career Fest events and activities, visit the myCareer Events Calendar.

RNN Tip Sheet for Students

Rowe Networking Night 2019: Tips for Employers

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On Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019, we invite employers to join us on campus for Rowe Networking Night, Management Career Services’ biggest-ever networking event.

Rowe Networking Night LInkedinLast fall we hosted our first-ever Rowe Networking Night bringing together employers and recruiters from all industry sectors and students from our Commerce, Management, and the Corporate Residency MBA programs. The result? Over 300 students and employers engaging in a lively evening of professional networking. Our 2019 Rowe Networking Night promises to be even bigger and better. Want to attend? Registration is now open! Click here to register.

Want to learn how to get the most out of your attendance at Rowe Networking Night? Check out the tip sheet below, or click here for the PDF version.

RNN Tip Sheet for Employers

 

UPass & Dalplex Info for Students on a Co-op/Internship Work Term in Fall 2019

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UPassThis information specifically pertains to Bachelor of Commerce Co-op students and Bachelor of Management Internship students embarking (or remaining) on a work term this fall.

UPass:
To opt in to the UPass for the fall term, you must visit the DalCard Office (6230 Coburg Road, Howe Hall) and provide proof that you are on an approved work term in the Halifax Regional Municipality. They will provide you with a sticker and charge your student account. Stickers are available beginning the week of August 26th.

To prove your work term details, you can either:

  • (recommended) print a copy of your approved work term record to take with you to the DalCard Office as proof.
  • login to myCareer and show your approved work term on your phone at the DalCard Office.

To print your work term record:

  1. Login to myCareer, click on Management Career Services.
  2. Scroll down to locate your co-op sequence on the right-hand side of the screen
  3. Click the link for the appropriate work term to access your work term record.
  4. Click the blue Print Work Term Detail button that appears to generate a copy of your work term record and then print it.

Please note for the DalCard Office to issue your UPass, your work term record must be approved by Management Career Services, the approved work term details completed and your work term must be in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Please contact your assigned Career and Recruitment Specialist if your submitted work term record has yet to be approved.

Dalplex Access:
Dalhousie students do not pay any student services fees while on co-op work terms, which means they do not have access to Dalplex or Sexton Memorial Gym until they return to classes on a full-time basis. Visit Dalplex directly to purchase a term membership or for rate information, call 902-494-3372.

Health Plan:
This is a reminder that all students who are participating in Co-op for the fall term are NOT automatically billed for the DSU Health and Dental Plan or the DSU International Health Plan (International Students).

Students going on a Co-op in the fall term and who wish to have coverage from September 1, 2019-August 31, 2020 must opt into the DSU Health and Dental Plan online. The opt-in period ends September 18, 2019.

If your co-op takes place outside the province of Nova Scotia, visit or contact the DSU Health Plan Office to inquire about travel coverage. This is particularly important for international students as travel coverage may be limited.

Visit http://www.studentvip.ca/dsu to opt-in or for more information.

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