Alumni Spotlight: Katie Hewey

September 14, 2021 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Katie Hewey is a Dalhousie alumna who graduated in June 2021 with a Bachelor of Management and a Certificate in Marketing.

She currently works at Manulife where she uses the knowledge she gained from her internship to help her excel at her job. Katie cites that her internship with PepsiCo Canada helped her learn the true value of time management. “Being able to know which tasks to prioritize over others, keeping calm and remaining resilient through the challenges is key,” she says, adding that communication is another skill she consistently uses in her current job; from writing concise emails, to presenting in meetings, to speaking up when help is needed.

During her time in the program, Katie utilized job postings on myCareer to secure her 8-month internship as a sales representative with PepsiCo. She also made sure to take advantage of the employer information sessions and events offered by Management Career Services to begin to build her professional network. “Networking at these sessions led me to some great connections and contacts for the future.”

While completing her degree, Katie also decided to pursue an opportunity to work with Management Career Services as Assistant Career and Recruitment Specialist. “Not only did I get to help other students with creating resume and cover letters, but I also learned so much about what employers are looking for and what it takes to be a great candidate for any job,” she says. “I loved being able to help students understand the value in their work experiences and guide them through an experience that I had understood and gone through myself. Being able to share knowledge and see other students succeed because of it was really rewarding.” Katie says that this experience was useful for her own post-grad job search and credits the position with helping her land her job with Manulife.

When reflecting on her biggest challenge in securing a job, Katie says that confidence was her biggest struggle. “I had to learn not to hide behind emails – sometimes calling is more efficient and personal.” If you never put yourself out there, the people you want to notice you may never see you. “I had to push outside my comfort zone to become more confident.”

Katie’s advice for you:

Use LinkedIn! Keep your profile up-to-date and list as many skills as you have.
Request informational interviews with companies you are interested in.
Contact everyone you can think of, the worst they can say is no.
While on the job, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Although it might seem daunting, a manager would rather walk you through something than have you confused and unproductive.

Pronouns: She/Her

How Our Business Students Can Work for You, a Dal Employee

July 5, 2021 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

It’s no secret there’s a wealth of emerging talent right here at Dalhousie. Our students are high achievers. They’re innovative thinkers. They’re driven and excited to make an impact in the professional world. We see the excellent work they do in the classroom and in their extracurricular activities. Why not take the next step and provide them opportunities to apply their growing business knowledge on your team?

Hiring a Dalhousie business student not only supports the student in their professional growth, but as their employer, you benefit from the skills and perspective they bring to your team. Here are five reasons to consider hiring Dalhousie business students for a four-month co-op, 8-month internship, or an 8-month corporate residency.

Show your Dal pride

Dalhousie students are the reason we come to work every day. They’re the reason we’re here, and who we’re all working to support, directly or indirectly. Hiring a student on your own team is one way to support our students on a deeper level.

Giving our students valuable, real-life work experiences is an important part of preparing them for their future alongside their coursework. For service and support units that do not engage directly with students, hiring them is a great way to do so. It not only provides students with good practical experience, but they also bring valuable support to the units.

– Susan Robertson, Assistant Vice-President, Financial Services

They know the university

There’s a learning curve when any new employee joins a team; it takes time to get to know their new organization. However, for Dalhousie business students, they already know their employer. They know the school and many of the faculties and teams within it.

In the Recruitment and Admissions departments of the Registrar’s Office, we have benefitted greatly from hiring business students. The students’ familiarity with campus and the processes of applying to Dalhousie make them particularly well-suited to help prospective students as they move through the journey from application to arrival. Having experienced the enrolment pathway to Dalhousie and also having first-hand knowledge of the student experience, students are easily onboarded and arrive on the job with an abundance of context and knowledge that helps them to get up to speed on tasks quickly.

– Ann MacDonald, Associate Director, Admissions

High calibre students through all levels (undergrad and grad) with broad and transferrable skills

Business students are learning broadly at undergraduate and graduate levels, growing skills that translate to a wide range of work and tasks. Just a few of the areas of focus for their studies include accounting, finance, marketing, entrepreneurship & innovation, international business, and managing people and organization.

I’ve had the privilege of working with Dalhousie’s Commerce Co-op students for the 11 years that I’ve worked in the Faculty of Management Dean’s Office. I see students grow throughout their terms, sometimes going from never having worked in an office environment to leading projects and making recommendations to improve our processes. I rely on them for valuable insight about the student experience and how to best reach our audiences. Several of them have kept in touch with us as they’ve moved into the next stages of their careers, and it’s always great to see how they are flourishing and believe their experience with us might have contributed to it.

– Nicole Maunsell, Communications Manager, Faculty of Management

New supervisors and junior employers can gain experience supervising students

Co-ops, internships, and corporate residencies are great opportunities for staff who are new to supervisory roles to gain experience on a short-term basis.

We have hired Dalhousie business students for each of the last two academic terms and it has been a wonderful experience! It is an honour to contribute to student learning and career development. The two international co-op students we hired brought fresh perspectives, valued student views and inputs, enthusiasm to positively contribute, and dedication to success. Providing employment opportunities for today’s youth is important for all of us!

– Angela McKinnon, Former Program Manager, International Student Support Team

Supplemental work for short-term projects and extra support during busy times

If there’s a new project your team is working on that has a designated end date, or if there are times of the year you know you’ll be particularly busy, students can provide focused additional support.

The Talent Management team in Human Resources was interested in a better understanding of labour market trends, a current state analysis of employment at Dalhousie, and further feedback from community partners on recruitment practices. We thought this would be a great learning opportunity for a student interested in such work, while at the same time, providing the team much needed support to get this important work done. Our co-op student met with key stakeholders virtually, conducted detailed research, and delivered a comprehensive report back to HR. We highly recommend hiring a business student and we are happy that we did so ourselves!

– Angela MacMaster, Manager of Talent Management, Human Resources

Wondering how to get started? Contact Management Career Services to learn more about our talent pool and funding opportunities.

Interested in hiring students from other faculties? Contact:

Student Spotlight: Clare Kilgour

June 11, 2021 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Clare Kilgour is third year Bachelor of Commerce student, majoring in accounting, and Co-President of the Dalhousie Accounting Society. She chose Dalhousie because she adored the idea of moving somewhere new. “I loved the idea of living on the east coast. The co-op program also caught my eye because it would allow me to have three real world work experiences.”

Through her conversations with upper-year Commerce students, Clare decided to take the initiative in beginning her job search early. “I learned the importance of networking and getting involved to build my resume,” says Clare. She utilized the resources available at Management Career Services, saying, “What MCS did to help me was provide small networking events where I could practice in order to be better prepared to talk to recruiters in second year. This really helped me with my confidence.”

Clare has since secured three consecutive co-op positions with Deloitte. She currently works from home, and although she has gotten used to the change, she hopes that she can go into the office when it’s safe. Her daily tasks include performing audit testing procedures on various accounts that she sees on the financial statements. “For example, this week I am testing the Property, Plant, and Equipment balance,” says Clare. “Testing means that I use various pieces of documentation from the client, like an invoice for a purchase of equipment, to recalculate and verify the PPE balance that will show up on their year-end financial statements when released to shareholders/the public.”

When asked what her proudest accomplishment has been this term, Clare reflects back on all three of her co-ops with Deloitte and says that she is proud of the independence that she’s earned. “I am able to understand procedures more, ask less questions, and have more autonomy over the work I am doing,” she says. “This is part of why I enjoy working at Deloitte in audit in addition to the team and learning environment.”

Clare’s advice for you? Keep practicing and furthering your networking and communication skills, because it does get easier, and attend the company information sessions.

If you are interested in accounting, feel free to reach out to Clare to chat, and check out the Accounting Society!

Pronouns: She/Her

Fresh talent is ready for fall!

June 19, 2017 Andrea McKay Leave a Comment

Our business students are eager to help you achieve results.

Visit myCareer now to post your jobs and access our talent

Bachelor of Commerce Co-op

⋅ Accounting

⋅ Finance

⋅ Supply Chain & Logistics Management

⋅ Marketing Management

⋅ Managing People & Organizations

⋅ International Business

⋅ Entrepreneurship

Contact us to access our employer services today

Employer Development Manager
Ayse.Gammon@dal.ca | 902.494.4583

Student Spotlight: Colin MacKinley

March 7, 2016 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Colin MacKinley is a third-year Bachelor of Commerce student majoring in Accounting, and is originally from Bedford, Nova Scotia. Colin worked in the Finance Department of Nova Scotia Community College for his first co-op work term, and he worked as an Assurance Associate for PwC in Halifax for his second co-op work term. He will be completing his third and final co-op at PwC this summer. Colin’s involvement with PwC’s Talent Academy helped him make valuable business connections and build lasting business relationships. Connor discusses how his involvement with the Talent Academy helped advance his professional career.

“I came across the PwC Talent Academy conference in the Management Career Services E-bulletin and I immediately applied for a position. I saw this as a great opportunity to create new connections and was fortunate enough to be selected.

The Talent Academy really gave me first-hand insight of the PwC culture, and it was a fantastic experience to build and develop essential teamwork and leadership skills with students from across the country. I found the skills and knowledge I gained from the Talent Academy to be directly relatable to my co-op position with PwC. If it wasn’t for the PwC Talent Academy and MCS, I would not have had the amazing opportunity to make the connections I did to secure my fall co-op position with the firm.

I would highly recommend that students apply to attend the Talent Academy, as it is a tremendous opportunity to learn more about the firm, create lasting relationships, and hear from experienced professionals in the industry. Also, be sure to take advantage of the upcoming events on the myCareer events calendar, as they are a great wayto get your foot in the door and gain valuable experience for the future.”

PwC’s Talent Academy application information can be found under job 52732 on myCareer. There is a virtual information session on March 11^thfrom 2-3 p.m., and the deadline to apply for the Talent Academy is March 21^st at 5:00 p.m. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to advance your skills and build lasting professional relationships!

Archives for co-op

Our business students are eager to help you achieve results.

Visit myCareer now to post your jobs and access our talent