Student Spotlight: Olivia Cons

September 7, 2021 Management Career Services 2 Comments

Olivia Cons is a third year Bachelor of Commerce student majoring in accounting. A Montréal native, Olivia was drawn to Dalhousie because of the co-op program. “The benefits of co-op were an advantage Dal offers that I could not find easily when looking at other schools and their programs,” she says. She was also drawn to Dal because of its location. “I fell in love with the city of Halifax. Halifax is a beautiful place to spend your university years, with all the nature and beauty by the water, I truly appreciate and cherish every moment I have here. For a new student, it offers the university lifestyle with a sense of home and tranquility.”

During her first co-op, Olivia worked as a Captive Associate at Marsh Canada Limited, a global leader in the insurance sector that helps clients manage risk and growth potential. In her role, she produced financial service guides and prepared audit confirmations, among many other things. She also had the opportunity to work on special projects, such as assisting Marsh’s New York Office in creating a new survey platform. “Working at Marsh for my first work term has been a significant learning experience as it established and fine-tuned my accounting skills,” says Olivia.

After her co-op, she reached out to her team to inquire about extending her work with the organization as a part-time employee during the summer. Marsh agreed and extended the offer, excited to continue to have her on their team.

Reaching this place of confidence in her job search process is a result of a lot of time and hard work, as well as support she received from Management Career Services (MCS). During the initial application process, Olivia reached out to MCS for help. “They were able to assist me step by step,” says Olivia. “They provided numerous job postings, and with the help of MCS, I was able to secure my co-op at Marsh.”

Olivia’s advice for you:

Never give up during the application process. Keep applying to as many places as you can. The more organizations you apply to, the greater your chances of securing your co-op opportunity.
Once you have secured your co-op, be positive and do not feel shy to speak up. Your fellow employees will appreciate your confidence. Creating conversation and relationships in the workplace makes work more fun!

Student Spotlight: Bethany Abramovitch

August 30, 2021 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Bethany Abramovitch is a fourth year Bachelor of Commerce student. She decided to pursue Commerce because of how much she loved her high school business program. When choosing her university, work-integrated learning made Dal the obvious choice.

After landing a role as Dock Coordinator at Nestle Waters’ shipping office, Bethany began to consider a career in supply chain. “It was so different than any job I had worked in before,” says Bethany. “I was intrigued by all of the work that goes on behind the scenes to provide us with the daily items we take for granted.” Thanks to this experience opening her eyes to a career path she hadn’t previously considered, she decided to declare a major in Supply Chain & Logistics Management.

When asked about the best part of working in supply chain and logistics, Bethany says it’s the rapidly growing industry. “It is a relatively new field of study. Most of the senior talent in supply chain did not get a relevant degree and likely worked their way up the ladder. This leaves a lot of room for growth as we study the most efficient ways of running a supply chain.”

Since discovering her love for supply chain and logistics, Bethany has scored three co-ops at three different companies, earning her a vast network of connections. This past summer, Bethany worked at Relay Logistics Inc, a third-party pharmaceutical distribution centre for DHL Supply Chain as an Operations Intern. She has taken on numerous duties in this role and had a chance to participate in DHL’s Capstone event. “I was grouped with four other interns from across the country and given a project of implementing automation and re-slotting the manual pick area of a matrix distribution centre,” she says. “The DHL Capstone event was a wonderful learning and networking experience!”

During her work term, she was designated as the COVID-19 vaccine distribution coordinator, a critical role in ensuring the vaccine was distributed properly. “I planned the repackaging and shipping operations, managed supplies required for cold chain distribution, and ensured the vaccines were shipped and stored at the correct temperature,” Bethany says. Noting the impact that COVID-19 has had on business, she says, “The pandemic has shown us the importance of supply chain, and I hope to see more and more people in this major.”

If you’re considering studying Supply Chain and Logistics Management, feel free to reach out to Bethany at bethany.abramovitch@dal.ca to introduce yourself and hear more about her experience!

Pronouns: She/Her

Student Spotlight: Kevin Vigneau

November 5, 2019 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Kevin Vigneau is a fourth-year student from Bradford Ontario. 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.

4 Keys to Campus Recruitment Success You May Be Overlooking

June 26, 2018 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Every organization has their own recruitment strategy. Though the techniques for attracting student talent vary, these four campus recruitment success factors are often easily overlooked:

Having a student-focused campus recruitment strategy

Without advance planning and having direct consultation with the university’s career centre professionals, such as the Management Career Services office, as well as with your recent student hires, your recruitment efforts can fade into the background and be lost in a sea of hiring companies. A good student-centered plan with well defined goals and measurables will help you carry out events, as well as learn from them. By planning with our team to create your event, we can help you formulate a customized engagement strategy using our years of experience with the Rowe School of Business student body and our access to current student talent.

Following-up

After a great day of getting your company’s name out there, talking with students, and perhaps collecting a couple of business cards or applications, you return to the office and wait for the students to make the next move. Why wait for interested students to act, when you can strike while the iron is hot? Following up with the students who caught your eye will make an impact on them and establish your brand as one which actively engages. When you host an information session with us, we are able to facilitate networking and track attendance, making it easier to contact those who have made an impression.

Taking full advantage of social media

Social media is a great tool for helping you increase event attendance and differentiating your organization from competing recruiters. So much can be done on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to spread the news that you are going to be on campus as well as provide a unique interaction with your brand. It can be as simple as posting on the university Facebook account that you have a booth set up on campus, to sourcing student questions from Twitter for an upcoming discussion panel, to something a little more unique and fun like setting up a geo-filter on Snapchat. Management Career Services can help support your event promotion by leveraging our well-established social media networks and other affiliated accounts. By tagging us on Facebook and Twitter @dalmcs or by sharing your content with us to post for you, we will help spread the word to Rowe Business students.

Having a clear call to action

You have invested time and effort into organizing/setting up a campus event, and have sent your best representatives to deliver it, but if prospective student attendees can’t quickly and easily grasp your short and long-term hiring needs, you risk falling short of your goal. By clearly communicating your co-op/internship and career opportunities, students will show more interest, ask more informed questions, and have a better idea of whether they are a good match with your company – either now or in the future. Our office can help you plan out events that target specific programs or years and convey your unique value to the students.

So does your fall recruitment plan hit the mark? Let us help you reach your goals and connect with the right students and grads for the job, so that you get the most from your time on campus.

Student Spotlight: Kristin Clarke

April 10, 2018 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Kristin Clarke is a second year Bachelor of Commerce student who won a gold medal at the 2018 World Junior Curling Championships this March. Kristin chose the Dalhousie Commerce program because of the valuable experience that the co-op work terms provide. She has been incredibly successful in finding a balance between her studies and her athletics.

When asked about how she manages to balance her courses and curling Kristin said, “The main thing is to make sure I plan out when I am going to complete assignments prior to competitions and communicate any potential conflicts with my professors as soon as I’m aware of them.”

Kristin is currently undergoing the challenge of balancing her first work term at Collins Barrow with her curling. Kristin describes Collins Barrow as being. “phenomenal in accommodating my schedule. They recognized what a big opportunity it was for me to compete on the national and world stage this year, and have been extremely supportive of me, even during their busy season. I even came back home from the World Championship to an amazing homemade cake! I genuinely can’t thank the team at CB enough for their support.”

Kristin believes that curling will help her along her career path. A gold medal at the 2018 World Junior Curling Championships is an obvious resume booster however, Kristin also mentions the connections she has made through curling. “It continues to surprise me how many people I meet in the business world that have some form of connection to curling, so I am hopeful that one day these valuable connections will steer me towards a rewarding career.”

In the future Kristin will continue to balance her curling and studies mentioning that her career goals include pursuing graduate work in public administration and working with public policy and performance audits. In terms of her future in curling, Kristin has her sights set on someday representing Canada at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts where the top women’s curlers in the world represent their countries and compete annually.

Student Spotlight: Christian Thomas

March 20, 2018 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Christian Thomas has spent his last two co-op work terms at TD Securities on Bay Street, in Toronto. He is a third-year Finance major originally from Ottawa and has been selected as this year’s Top Co-op Student of the Year based on his strong work ethic, impressive quality of work, and his passion for his co-op job and industry.

Christian’s interest in capital markets developed during his first year at Dalhousie when he joined the Dalhousie Investment Society, however it began when his grandfather gave him money for his 16^th birthday and told him to invest it. Christian’s passion for capital markets grew from there and he now has secured his third consecutive work term at the money market desk on the trading floor at TD Securities.

Working in this environment takes a high level of focus and commitment to perform as well as Christian has over the past two work terms. Christian describes himself as a “naturally ambitious person who is always looking for opportunities to push my personal and professional boundaries. This ambition fuels my desire to not only achieve specified goals, but to exceed them.”

It is this ambition that allowed Christian to achieve such a high level of success at TD Securities. His supervisor describes Christian as, “not just a co-op student but someone who I would consider an integral member of the team and if given the chance I would 100% hire him full-time.”

Christian’s hard work led to him quickly earning the trust of his colleagues and a unique goal helped Christian make many additional connections at TD Securities. After his first work term, Christian realized he would have to reach out to colleagues to make his second work term even more successful. “Right out of the gate, I established a goal to meet at least one person a week, with the goal of learning about their group, their career path and sources of success.”

By connecting with colleagues, Christian grew his personal brand within TD Securities which helped him thrive in the culture of TD Securities, which Christian describes as, “very collaborative and focused on developing the next generation”.

Through his hard work and by connecting with his colleagues Christian has been able to complete each of his work terms with TD Securities and prepare himself for a bright future in capital markets. Christian’s supervisor describes Christian as having “a very genuine quality where he makes everyone around him better, which in turn naturally makes his colleagues support and root for him. I have no doubt Christian will be an outstanding future leader in this industry.”

Student Spotlight: Max Georgopoulos

January 22, 2018 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Max Georgopoulos is a second year Bachelor of Commerce student from Aurora, Ontario. Last year he was a part of the Marketing stream on the Toronto Corporate Tour. Max says his experience with the Corporate Tour was nothing but positive. “We saw a wide range of businesses, from start-ups to large corporations like PepsiCo. I got a great scope of what marketing looks like across all types of companies. I also made awesome connections with people in various industries, which ended up opening multiple doors for me in the future.”

Max went on to say he, “would recommend the Toronto Corporate Tour 100%” because he felt that getting an inside look at various companies gives students a better idea of what type of company they might want to work for in their co-op terms and in their career.

Max emphasized the importance of industry connections. Max says, “Having the right connections is one of the biggest factors in landing the job you want.” Max felt the greatest benefit of the Toronto Corporate Tour was networking, describing it as, “a great climate to make connections in, since these employers see you as an initiative-taker who cares about his/her career before you even open your mouth to speak. Good first impression if you ask me.”

“Networking on the tour ended up landing me two jobs: one at Mosaic over the summer and one at a Nudge Rewards for my current co-op. The co-op jobs that some of my friends landed were also a result of a connection that they made on the tour. Without the tour, neither me nor my friends would have been aware of these opportunities, let alone gotten the job. Go on the tour!”

For more information on the Toronto Corporate Tour attend the information session on January 25^th or go to dal.ca/mcs/corporatetours.

Student Spotlight: Helena & Samantha’s Corporate Tour Experience

March 28, 2017 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Still considering taking part in this year’s Toronto Corporate Tour? Third-year Bachelor of Commerce students Helena Booth and Samantha Rudy explain why they’ve previously participated in the tour’s Discovery stream.

To expand awareness

Helena shares that she signed-up for the Discovery stream to gain a better understanding of what it means to work at a public accounting firm versus working in industry. A career in accounting was interesting to her, but she had little knowledge of what options were out there:

“Through this experience, I was able to make connections with recruiters from KPMG, and I strongly believe that it was through these connections that I was able to land all three of my co-ops with KPMG in Toronto.”

The Discovery stream proved beneficial as she considered her future career goals: “My advice to students would be to take advantage of these opportunities as much as possible; research the companies in advance, put yourself out there by talking to as many representatives as you can, and most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask questions!”

To help with selecting a major

Samantha says that she initially signed-up for the Toronto Corporate Tour to help sway her decision between a finance and accounting major. The Discovery stream allowed her to build connections with both financial institutions, REITs and major accounting firms:

“My summer co-op is with KPMG in Toronto. Networking and keeping in contact with the recruiters that I met from the Toronto Corporate Tour greatly enhanced my chances of getting hired at the Toronto office, as meeting the recruiters and networking is a major aspect of the recruitment process… I still keep in contact with the connections that I made from the tour!”

There’s still time to sign up for the 2017 Toronto Corporate Tour, happening April 27 & 28. Participants in the Discovery stream this year will have the opportunity to visit PwC, Labatt, H&R Reit, KPMG, TD and LinkedIn!

Learn more about registering for the 2017 Toronto Corporate Tour or contact Management Career Services if you have further questions!

Student Spotlight: Katie Wood

April 5, 2016 Management Career Services 1 Comment

Katie Wood is a second-year Bachelor of Commerce student currently completing her first co-op work term at CIBC. She had a unique experience with her self-developed job search, as she already had a personal connection with her dream organization. Katie’s history with CIBC Run for the Cure helped her secure a co-op placement where she is involved with the campaign every day. Here is Katie’s inspiring story:

“Every year, on the first Sunday of October, you will find my family at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure. CIBC Run for the Cure has always been a big part of our lives. When my family and I cross the finish line every year, we feel proud and grateful. I know I will continue to participate for the rest of my life.

My mom, Anne Wood, was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago. The “In Her Shoes” CIBC campaign was based around my mom’s struggle with Breast Cancer and how we all need to keep fighting against it. I am so proud of where she is today.

I always knew I wanted to get involved with the CIBC Run for the Cure, and help out as much as possible because of my personal connection. When I was looking for a co-op placement, my mom connected me with her contacts at CIBC who she got to know from the “In Her Shoes” campaign. My information got passed on and I eventually landed a phone interview – which concluded with an offer to join the team.

I am so happy that I get to be a part of this team. I am learning how the Run for the Cure gets organized, meeting all the wonderful people who make it happen, and seeing inspiring ideas that will be incorporated into the Run this year. I love how I get to have insight into something that is so close to me.

A highlight of working with this organization is that I have a true interest in what I am doing. The team is absorbing my feedback as I represent their targeted demographic. I feel valuable and important in my role, which makes me happy to come into work every day.

I want to tell students who are finding their own work term placement to do something that inspires them, get involved, and make their ideas count. It is a great feeling to throw an idea out on the table and have the executives like it. When you are a co-op student, it is sometimes hard to express your ideas, but if you do, you might be surprised at what happens next.” You can find opportunities to get involved with CIBC Run for the Cure by visiting the website.

Are you looking for a way to connect with passionate and successful co-op students just like Katie? By sponsoring the 2016 Co-op Summer Social, you will gain early access to Fall 2016 co-op recruits as they celebrate completing their first co-op work term! Sponsorship details can be found here.

Student Spotlight – Ashley Sambrook

March 22, 2016 Management Career Services Leave a Comment

Ashley Sambrook is a current third-year Bachelor of Commerce student who is the Co-Founder and President of the Rowe School of Business – Women in Business Association, and is the incoming President of the Dalhousie Commerce Society.

“Ten months ago I founded the Rowe School of Business – Women in Business Association with Hailey Tibbetts. I recognized the need for a group that empowers women in the Faculty of Management and took the initiative to set up the society. This role is what gave me the confidence to run for the Presidential position in the Dalhousie Commerce Society elections. I based my campaign on my initiative, involvement and aspirations for the future of the society. I am looking forward to an amazing term as President where I will focus on increasing first-year engagement, organizing more mentorship opportunities, and providing a community feeling for all Bachelor of Commerce students.

This summer, for my third co-op work term, I will be joining Emera Inc. as the HR Co-op Student. I have realized that my extra-curricular involvement has given me more confidence while interviewing with employers. I have heard a lot about transferable skills while at Dalhousie and I believe my involvement has been the best example for those tough questions. It is the perfect example of showing initiative, time management, and showcasing my personality!

To all first-year students, I hope you take advantage of every opportunity available to you to help discover your passion. Looking back at my first year, my biggest regret is not getting involved when I first had the chance. If you do not put yourself out there, you will never know what you are missing, and describing your society involvement in co-op interviews can be an amazing asset. I promise there is a society or organization that is the right fit for you!”

Be sure to check out the Dalhousie Commerce Society website and Facebook page for more information on how YOU can become involved just like Ashley!

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