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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: Si Chen

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5Si Chen is an international accounting student in her third year of the Bachelor of Commerce program. Though majoring in accounting, Si found a different, unrelated opportunity for her second co-op work term: a human resources position with Cabot Links Golf Course, in Inverness, Nova Scotia. Despite living in a rural community, being an international student, and being employed in field outside her major, Si had a co-op experience that resulted in fast professional growth.

Before her first day, Si researched the company, to develop an understanding of what the company does and how it operates. As a result, she feels that she was better able to“easily identify the employees from different departmental and operational branches.” By entering her co-op term with an open mind and research in hand, Si was able to learn fast and learn a lot.

Strong verbal communication skills and confidence are what Si recommends for any international student looking for a Canadian co-op, “be open-hearted, be modest, and be professional.”

In addition, Si offers five tips for working in human resources:

  1. “Never make assumptions. Every employee’s situation is different. You need to adjust your process for everyone because of their own (unique) situation
  2. Never make exceptions. If you do it once, you will do it every time.
  3. Have a clear understanding about confidentiality. In such a small town, news can spread fast, and so does gossip. As an HR professional, make sure you never say anything you should not.
  4. Don’t make promises if you are not sure you can keep them, and don’t point fingers to another department. Never say “XXX department should not do this”, or “How could your manager do this?” It is okay to feel sorry for someone if something bad happened but as an HR professional, never blame others.
  5. Try your best to remember faces and names, especially for seasonal employees. That is the best way to show your care and respect.”

Because of the difference in responsibilities between accounting and human resources, Si learned that “HR is an important part in a company. They are dealing with all the business that is not related to operations. HR is a customer service job for me, the only difference is my customer is the employee inside the company. Completing an HR co-op gives me a clear understanding about what is the reasonable wage for a new graduate, how the promotion process works, and what the best way to get employee benefits.”

On living in rural Nova Scotia, Si ranks the experience an 8 out of 10. “People are nice and helpful. The small community here makes me feel like they are just a big family. Everyone takes care of others. Before I came, I felt like I was going to have a hard time here. I don’t have a car with me and need to find a place to live for four months within walking distance. But after I got here, everything was solved so easily. A local couple offered me their house to stay. They even send and pick me up from work everyday. I cannot express my appreciation to them. They always talk with me and make sure I am comfortable. The only thing I mind about living in a small community is that there are limited options for places to shop and buy food.”

Want to learn more about careers and opportunities in human resources? Access our Managing People & Organizations industry factsheet under the resources section of myCareer under Management Career Services.