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Student Spotlight: Sasha Paikin & Keshav Paliwal

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Sasha Paikin and Keshav Paliwal are two second-year Bachelor of Commerce students who made the most of their first year in anticipation for their first co-op job hunt this fall! We asked them a few questions to find out how they did it, how it helped them, and wether they have any advice for students entering their first year:

Untitled design (14)Sasha Paikin is from Burlington, Ontario and is thinking of majoring in accounting. In her first year, she attended 15 MCS events, including numerous Info Sessions, and the Toronto Corporate Tour. During her summer off, she worked for Durward Jones Barkwell as an accounting intern.
Keshav Paliwal is from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and is thinking of majoring in accounting or finance. In his first year, he attended 12 MCS events including many Power Hours Workshops and the Toronto Corporate Tour. During his summer off, he worked in commercial banking with Scotiabank.

Here are a few of the questions we asked them:

How did you find the time to attend so many events between classes and homework?
It honestly wasn’t difficult; most events were either in between my classes or afterward so I never had to miss any class to go to an event I was interested in. – Sasha

If you plan ahead and stay on top of your work it’s not a problem to find some time to attend an event. –Keshav

Which event was your favourite?
The Halifax Corporate Tour was my favourite event because of the opportunities to network in small groups with so many interesting organizations. – Sasha

I don’t have a particular favourite event, though any event in which recruiters from an organization came to the school was a really valuable experience, as you get to learn about opportunities and expand your network. – Keshav

What was your impression of the Toronto Corporate tour?
The Toronto Corporate Tour was a great experience and I would recommend it to everyone. The networking events were a great opportunity to make connections and the corporate tour visits allowed me to see the positions I would like to apply to this fall first-hand. – Keshav

How do you feel going into your first co-op job hunt this fall?
Attending these events has definitely made me feel more prepared. I now feel more comfortable making meaningful connections and selling myself in interviews. – Sasha

I feel really well prepared to go into my first job hunt thanks to the MCS events which helped me develop my interview, resume and cover letter skills. I’ve also found that it really helps to get advice from upper-year students who have a few co-ops under their belt. – Keshav

What advice do you have for a first-year student coming to Dal?
I recommend learning as much as you can in your first-year about the co-op process through MCS events so that you don’t feel stressed in the fall of second-year. I would also 100% recommend going on a corporate tour, even if you aren’t interested in working in Toronto or Halifax. They are a great opportunity to make connections that could help you secure a position in the future.  – Sasha

I recommend taking full advantage of all the DCS [Dalhousie Commerce Society] and MCS events, particularly, the case competitions. They offer a great opportunity to build analytical and presentation skills. Definitely apply for the Toronto and Halifax Corporate Tours, they expand your network and learn what job opportunities may interest you. – Keshav

To learn more about the events we offer and what MCS can do for you, check out our website and the Events Calendar on myCareer!

Student Spotlight: Max Georgopoulos

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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 Georgopoulos 2

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 25th or go to dal.ca/mcs/corporatetours.

Student Spotlight: Helena & Samantha’s Corporate Tour Experience

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TCT5018576377070_oStill 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!

Do You Have a Record?

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              CCR record

At Dalhousie University, we understand that learning experiences go well beyond the classroom. With so many volunteering, community engagement and campus related opportunities available for students to participate in, it’s really no surprise that many students have become very involved with Dal’s extracurricular experiences. Choosing to participate in these activities would be a positive decision for any student to make, however; much of the student body at Dalhousie is not aware of just how beneficial it can be to their job search.

With Dalhousie’s Co-Curricular Record (CCR), students can have their extracurricular activities recognized in a formal document that shows employers just how involved they are outside the classroom. Finally, a better way to present your involvement than a bullet point on a resume! It also compliments a traditional academic record very nicely.

Although it does look great paired with an academic transcript, the Co-Curricular Record has one fundamental difference: you can build it yourself in myCareer. You create it, Dalhousie validates it.

To access and build your Co-Curricular Record:

  1. Log into myCareer
  2. Click on the Co-Curricular Record tab
  3. Search for positions or click the Advanced Search tab

In addition to this convenient process, there are different ways to build your CCR!

Have your extracurricular activities recognized! Your future employer will be impressed.

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“An Incredible Opportunity” – Halifax Corporate Tour Winter 2014

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Friday, March 7 saw 30 engaged students from Dalhousie’s Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Management Programs take part in the Winter 2014 Halifax Corporate Tour. The tour was divided into two tours because of its popularity as a great career exploration opportunity. Eight local organizations representing different industries were visited over the course of the day. It was a fantastic experience for those students who took part in it.

Tour 1 Group Shot

Tour One participants at CEED.

All of the students met shortly after 8:00 am to get a briefing on the day’s activities.  The early start was necessitated by the first visit scheduled at 9:00 am, but it didn’t put a hamper on anyone’s enthusiasm. The eight organizations visited were CEED, Colour, Labatt, NTT Data, PwC, RBC, T4G, and TD Bank.

The participants were impressed by the reception they received at each of the organizations.  They were treated to networking and presentations by representatives from different positions within each organization. Representatives ranging from senior management, recruiters, front line employees, Dalhousie alumni, and in some cases, Dalhousie co-op students all took the time to meet with them. The hour and a half at each stop passed quickly, but it was great to get a taste of the culture, physical work environment, industry challenges, and varied career paths of the people they met.

Group shot of tour participants at Colour.

Tour Two participants at Colour.

Yiran Chen, Bachelor of Commerce student said, “The Halifax Corporate Tour gives me much more than I expected. This is an incredible opportunity to learn about the companies and to show them our personalities as well.”

Yiran Chen 2@ CEED

Yiran Chen at CEED.

MacKenzie Dundas, Bachelor of Management student said, “Overall an amazing opportunity-would recommend to everyone in this program.”

MacKenzie Dundas at T4G.

MacKenzie Dundas at T4G.

To discover more about the Halifax Corporate Tour student experience watch our You Tube video, and check out our Facebook album and search #HfxCorpTour on Twitter.

Interested in participating in a corporate tour? Registration for the Toronto Corporate Tour is open until 4:00 pm on Tuesday, March 18, and there are still spots for the Accounting and Marketing streams. For full details on the tour and registration, visit our website.

Student Spotlight: Karim Pabani

Karim Pabani is a 2nd year Commerce student, majoring in Marketing. Upon arriving at Dalhousie Karim was eager to jumpstart his career goals. In the 1st year of his program, Karim participated in the Toronto Corporate Tour with hopes of gaining business knowledge and contacts in a city where he planned to work. Karim knew that he wanted to pursue marketing, but had little awareness of what specific areas of marketing entailed.

 “The Corporate Tour gave me an inside perspective. I learned what companies are looking for in a young professional, as well as what it takes to be successful in their business. Overall I found that there were so many advantages of participating; I improved my networking skills while expanding contacts with employers and Dal Alumni. Regardless of a student’s year, major and/or career goals; everyone has something to gain by participating in a Corporate Tour.”

Student Spotlight: Stew Paterson

“Through the Toronto Corporate Tour, I developed soft skills” says Stew Paterson. “The tour is an engaging and interactive way to network with leading business professionals and was more valuable than many classes.”

Having spent his undergraduate studies at three different universities, Stew noticed that Dalhousie focused highly on “intangibles”; activities outside of the classroom. Stew believes “the most important intangible is my network of connections”. During his time at Dal, Stew was highly involved in networking activities. As a former President of the Finance Society, Stew made connections he never thought possible. Stew says that “connections made through society events will prove invaluable to any student down the road.”

As an MBA grad, Stew believes that developing a network of connections is the key to success. His clearly defined goals of what he wanted to be, where he wanted to go and how he could get there, allowed him to land a position in the TD Securities Trading Rotation Program.

Watch out for the next Corporate Tour heading to Toronto and/Calgary in Spring 2012!

Corporate Tour Success


Each year Management Career Services hosts a Corporate Tour in four metropolitan cities across Canada – Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary. Year after year, Corporate Tours continue to be our most anticipated career development opportunity with a lengthy waitlist of students eager to participate.

Employers are also eager to get involved. Providing students an insider’s view into their working environment has maximized brand exposure and attracted more Dalhousie students wanting to work at their organization.

Over twenty organizations participated in last month’s Toronto Corporate Tour. Over three days, 45 Dalhousie students toured organizations such as TD, BMO, TMX Group, P&G, United Way, Canadian Tire, RBC Capital Markets, Loblaw’s, PepsiCo, PWC, and GE Canada. In total, Dalhousie students connected with over 105 human resources, marketing, finance and executive-level professionals.

The advantages for businesses are limitless. Besides touring the facility, business representatives have also engaged students with case studies, information sessions, mock interviews and social receptions. Having the opportunity to assess and identify quality talent; it’s not unusual for employers to recruit future employees directly from the Corporate Tour.

RBC Capital Markets comments, “Our participation in the Dalhousie Corporate Tour has not only been a great opportunity for us to meet some of Canada’s top finance talent, but also to provide them with an inside perspective of the capital markets industry and the variety of opportunities that are available to them. Coming from Atlantic Canada, we find that Dalhousie’s students often bring a different perspective and demeanor that is welcomed and refreshing. It has been a pleasure to take part in this event over the years.”

Contact Jonathan Perry at jonathan.perry@dal.ca to find out when the next Corporate Tour is coming to your city.

2012 Toronto Corporate Tour

Being one the most anticipated annual events offered by Management Career Services (MCS), if you haven’t attended a Corporate Tour then you certainly know someone who has. Between May 2nd – 4th 45 Commerce, Management and MBA students will travel to Toronto, Ontario to explore a variety of employment opportunities. While being introduced to several corporate communities, students will expand their network, making connections to employers and Dalhousie Alumni.

What’s in it for you?

To accommodate each student’s interest, participants can register for one of three streams (Finance, Marketing or Discovery). On the 2011 Toronto Corporate Tour participating students were exposed to the inner workings of companies such as KPMG, Facebook, Google, Scotia Capital, Shell and Proctor and Gamble. Students gained a better appreciation for each company’s atmosphere, pace and corporate culture. There are great advantages in learning each company’s hiring goals and what it takes to be successful in their business. Overall, the experience helps students define their personal career endeavors; visualizing where they see themselves on their co-op work term and/or after graduation.

Making connections with employers has proved to be of benefit when applying for employment opportunities. HR personnel receive dozens of applications for any one position. Having built on relationships established during the Corporate Tour, Dalhousie applicants have received further consideration and granted interviews for highly competitive positions.

Don’t wait till next year

The Toronto Corporate Tour is an excellent opportunity for first and second year students to gain an overview of corporate culture and employment opportunities. They return to campus focused on developing their skills and experience to be a strong candidate in their industry/ company of choice. Upper-year students have attended the Corporate Tour with the goal of making connections that may lead to securing a full-time position after graduation.

How to get involved? 

Registration for the 2012 Toronto Corporate Tour is now open. For more information or to register visit www.dal.ca/mcs/corptour  or drop by Management Career Service Room 2100, Kenneth Rowe Management Building. There are limited spaces (15 per stream) so don’t delay!

“The tour gave me an insider’s perspective to the corporate culture and pace of work at different companies. I learned what companies are better suited for me. I’m building on the contacts I’ve made to secure a position after graduation.”

-Jeffery Sullivan, 4th Year, Finance

Our Year at a Glance – Connecting you with the best, the brightest and most capable new talent!

We realize you are looking for the best, the brightest, and the most capable employees to fill your needs. We also know that recruitment strategies can be “routine” at times. Management Career Services offers excitement to the process through the events we offer.

 

Tap the Talent

Tap the Talent is an interactive event, taking place in September of each year, that connects you to undergraduate and graduate students with career interests in marketing, sales and business management. The plethora of talent is made visible in an event booklet of profiles and resumes of all the participating students. From this booklet you can pre-select candidates for interviews in advance of the event.

On the day of the event, students will have one more opportunity to sell themselves through the oral presentation of their one-minute elevator pitches. If other students impress you, and we are sure they will, you will be given the chance to choose “Wild Cards” to be added to your interview list for the day.

For more information on this event, contact our Marketing Career and Recruitment Specialist, Jonathan Perry at Jonathan.Perry@Dal.ca or (902) 494-6936.

Corporate Tours

This unique recruitment and networking opportunity offers current and recently graduated students three Canadian tours  in both the private and public sectors. Corporate tours give your organization a chance to provide potential future employees an inside perspective of your organizations’ work, along with your values and culture. Essentially, we bring the talent to you!

Corporate tours serve as an excellent way to scout new talent while in the comfort of your office. They give you a chance to engage with students who might not otherwise consider your organization while also evaluating our talented students through networking. During the visit, we provide profile books containing profiles and resumes of each student for your review. Locations typically include the Toronto and Calgary tour offered in April/May and the Ottawa tour offered in December.

For more information on this event, contact our Marketing Career and Recruitment Specialist, Jonathan Perry at Jonathan.Perry@Dal.ca or (902) 494-6936.

Super Wednesday

Super Wednesday provides you with the opportunity to recruit the best and brightest students geared toward a career in the Finance Industry. Taking place in September of each year, this event easily connects you with upper-year undergraduate and graduate students with a time-saving structure that brings quality applicants to the surface.

Similar in structure to our Tap the Talent event, interview selection begins when you receive the profile book containing profiles and resumes of participating students. On the Wednesday of the event, you will deliver a quick pitch to our students, drawing further interest in your organization, after which you will then examine the caliber of our students as they give their one-minute elevator pitches. Once you have evaluated our students, you may then select “wild card” candidates to add to your interview list.

For more information on this event, contact our Financial Services Career and Recruitment Specialist, Lori Bauld at Lori.Bauld@Dal.ca or (902) 494-7548.

Scotiabank Interview Competition

The Scotiabank Interview Competition involves your assistance with the development of our students, and provides you with early exposure to highly engaged students. Each November, since 2006, students join this event to develop their interview skills, learn from their peers and network with employers.

In this experiential learning opportunity, students present their elevator pitches and interviewing skills to you in hopes of building a network and receiving advice that will help them develop skills that can be used to gain a career in your organization. You have the unique ability to relay to students exactly what can help them reach their career goals as well as scope fresh talent while networking with participants. The event is a learning process for our students and gives them a chance to win some money and a potential job!

The panel of employer interviewers included representatives from Scotiabank and a number of organizations who were all extremely impressed with the caliber of students in this year’s competition. In fact, the first place was a tie between Dalhousie students; Michael Parcon (MBA) and Daniel Bartek (BComm) with Carrie Qi (Saint Mary’s University) close behind in second place.

For more information on this event, contact our Financial Services Career and Recruitment Specialist, Lori Bauld at Lori.Bauld@Dal.ca or (902) 494-7548.

Accounting Society Event

Management Career Services along with the Accounting Society starts the new school year each September by inviting you to Dalhousie to scout our talent! This is your chance to draw students to your organization for co-op and graduate recruitment. Event sponsors have the opportunity to participate in panel discussions where they can speak to accounting students about career paths in their companies, and openly answer questions from students in the audience.

Following the panel discussion, we host a networking event for all employers and students. This networking session is filled with representatives from over 20 different organizations. You will be provided the opportunity to speak one-on-one with students, making those first connections that are so critical in securing future talent.

For more information on this event, contact our Financial Services Career and Recruitment Specialist, Lori Bauld at Lori.Bauld@Dal.ca or (902) 494-7548.