Career Blog

No extracurricular involvement or relevant work experience?

Here are three little tips to help you stand out in your interview.

You aspire to work in the lucrative financial industry, but have only worked as a supermarket cashier? Scared that you will fail to answer technical questions during your interview? Keep on reading to discover three thing that you can do to stand out amongst a pool of qualified candidates.

  1. Learn a new skill or get a professional certification

Oftentimes, having a certification or expertise in a certain skill can help you distinguish yourself in an interview. Below are some ways to you can stand out, specific to your specialization, without needing years of education or any experience.

  • If you are a Marketing student, you should look into the new Digital Marketing Certificate Telfer now offers to its students. With the advent of social media and data‑driven marketing, this course will teach you how to use social platforms to their full potential to reach your target market.
     
  • If you are in MISA, arm yourself with the power of analytics by completing the beginner Google Analytics Certification course. It’s completely free! You can also look into learning a new programming language such as Python, C or Java.
     
  • If you are a Finance student looking to build a career around investments, talk to the finance lab manager on DMS second floor about how you can pursue the Canadian Securities Course and the Bloomberg Market Concepts certification. Although the CSC can be quite expensive and time consuming, it serves as a good foundation for learning the materials covered in the CFA exam. Also, most firms will reimburse you for the expense after you get hired anyways so you can consider it a win-win!
     
  • Interested in Accounting? Why not become proficient in softwares such as Quickbooks, Sage or SAP, just through YouTube? Those are used in most small businesses and government organizations. I once got passed over for an accounting job because the employers were looking for a student who knew how to use QuickBooks.
     
  • If you are studying International Business, use your free time to learn the basics of a new language. You can also spend your mornings reading the news on global markets or listen to podcasts on your way to class. You won’t believe how impressed the recruiters will be during the interview.

These are just a few examples of what you can do to get an edge over other candidates in your specialization. Although they do require quite of bit of self‑learning and discipline, the value you will get from them is priceless.

  1. Read specialized books and bring them up in your interview

Reading specialized books highlights the fact that you are a dedicated learner even outside of your required classroom learning. Also, it is a great way to show recruiters that you possess the knowledge of a particular industry, without having any prior work experience in that sector.

Wait! There’s more!

Reading regularly will enrich your vocabulary, which in turn will improve your communication skills. This will give you an edge over other candidates, as you will be able to express yourself with extra confidence and sophistication during your interview.

Some classics that should be on every business student’s reading list are: The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, Good to Great by Jim Collins, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, and Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies by McKinsey & Company.

I am positive that after giving these books a read, you will be able to finesse your way through technical interview questions without any work experience.

Naturally, you don’t have to limit yourself to books. I remember tying back one of my interview answers to an episode of the TV show Suits.

  1. Follow-up after your interview

Have you heard of the serial position bias? Hiring managers typically interview candidates individually in sequence and then make decisions after all candidates have been considered. Studies show that the human brain is more likely to remember the first (primacy effect) and the last (recency effect) interactions and are more likely to forget those in the middle. As a result, your chances of moving on to the next stage depend not only on your merits but also on how well recruiter remembers your evaluation.

That is why a crucial part of your job hunt is to follow up with your interviewers. It could be as simple as sending them a thank you note for their time. This will help refresh their memory, and, due to the recency effect, they will subconsciously be more likely to keep your name in mind.

You will learn more about this topic in your Organizational Behaviour course in second-year.

At the end of the day, remember that employers know you are just starting out, which means that they will be much more impressed with your interpretation of “experience” and with the way you relate it to their questions. My advice to you is this: be yourself, keep it honest, and use the strategies above to make one killer of an impression! Good luck!

My Experience at Telfer Connects

Last Thursday, I had the chance to attend Telfer Connects, an annual networking event organized by the Career Centre for third- and fourth-year students. This year, there were more than 30 companies and around 300 students in attendance.

As a fourth-year student attending this event for the second time, here are my takeaways:

1) Come Prepared

Networking events can sometimes be overwhelming, especially the first couple of ones you attend. Make sure to know which companies will be present and make a list of the ones you are interested in. Also, take the time to briefly research those companies to make it easier to talk to the employers from that company.

2) Talk to Everyone

If you are walking around and you see an employer that is not busy with another student, talk to them. Even if they are not from a company you are interested in, there is always something to gain from others.

3) Do not Just Network

The Career Centre offers multiple other services during Telfer Connects, take advantage of them. You can chat with a career counsellor, have your resumé looked over by an advisor and lastly you can get a professional headshot taken for your LinkedIn.

Telfer Connects was a fantastic event. The employers were friendly and the Telfer students came prepared which allowed for positive discussions. I look forward to Telfer Networks in January, open to all undergraduate Telfer students!
 

How to get the most out of Global Entrepreneurship Week

The upcoming week is global entrepreneurship week and is celebrated around the world among all innovators and entrepreneurs. Telfer is taking part in this week by prompting entrepreneurship culture within the University of Ottawa from November 13th to the 19th. 

Here are some tips and tricks to help you get the most out of Global Entrepreneurship Week:

 1. Know the week’s activities: 

It’s a good idea to get to know the schedule of the entire week to determine which events will be the most beneficial to you, as there is a lot going on. This will ensure you make it to the events that you would like to attend, without arriving late or completely missing it. 

2. Get educated: 

Even though, there will be a lot of information coming your way throughout the week from guest speakers to workshops, you should most definitely do some research before going to the events. I suggest you do some research to learn the background history about the guest speakers, learn about the different start-ups, and the events that will be held throughout the week. This will ensure that you go in prepared and will allow you to know what questions to ask, making the events more beneficial to you!

3. Be prepared to network:

With any networking events, you need to be prepared to network! One tip to use when networking is to learn to listen. The speakers are there to share their experiences and give you tips to help you become future entrepreneurs, so be ready to be all ears. One of the events that will be held during the week that will allow you to put your networking skills to the test is the Startup Career Fair taking place on Tuesday, November 14th. This event will consist of many start-ups within Ottawa and give you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with what options are available for you. 

With these tips and tricks, you are all now ready to make the most out of the upcoming week!