Career Blog
"My dream job is somewhere in the world of quantitative finance. While still unsure of the exact career I want, I know I am on the right path and it has started with Telfer. The University of Ottawa has given me countless experiences to learn both inside and out of the classroom. It has been through courses like Finance Theory, Stats, IT, BA, and Macro, that have allowed me to piece together my passions of investing, the economy and quantitative methods. I also could not have come to this realization without the help of some incredibly talented people and mentors in my life – such as my Business Analytics professor, Jonathan Li, who has been an invaluable insight into this career path. For this, I thank him and all the others from Telfer who have helped me figure out my ambitions."
- Josh L.
Second Year Finance Student
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
Many students have a hard time applying what they have learned when writing their exams. To help you achieve good marks, I’ll share some tips that can boost your chances of success.
1) Start reviewing the material early
It is never effective to study for an exam the night before since you will take in more information than you can remember. To avoid this, you need to plan frequent study periods in advance and set some specific and concrete study goals.
If you want to retain what you are studying, always review what you previously learned before moving on to studying new information from the course. In addition, be sure to fit in some studying every time you get the opportunity, even if it’s only for 20 or 25 minutes because these quick study sessions add up fast!
2) Do your studying in a quiet and tidy space
You will indeed benefit from studying in a quiet space. In addition, whether you are getting ready for exams at the library or at home, you must keep all possible distractions away from you. Most importantly, you’ll have to refrain from constantly looking at new messages on your phones or checking out your social media accounts while you’re studying.
3) Find the right moment
It is not advised to study when we are overtired. Getting a good night’s sleep after doing a bit of studying is much better than forcing yourself to stay up late. You will not remember everything that you studied and your lack of sleep will result in poorer performance.
Did you ever go to an interview without being prepared? Well, I did and believe me, I really didn’t expect things to turn out this way.
It happened last year for an interview with a BMO recruiter. During the same time, I was looking for a co-op placement in the private sector and I had even applied for a position at BMO (for which I still hadn’t heard back even though it had been quite some time). It was a mock interview organized by the Career Centre, and wanting to make a really good impression, I asked myself how I should prepare, especially since the interview wasn’t for a specific position. And then I asked myself, “What would happen if I went in without any preparation and just improvised?” After all, the main purpose of an interview is to determine whether there is a fit between the candidate and the employer. It was a risky thing to do but I still decided to go ahead with it.
Once I arrived, the BMO recruiter introduced herself with a large smile. We covered topics such as who I am, my projects, her career, and potential challenges for an employee who is committed to the project of starting a family. Since it was a practice interview, I felt more at ease, and the interviewer did not necessarily treat our interaction with the same level of formality as they would have if this was a real interview. So all in all, we had an informal discussion in a relaxed atmosphere. By the end of our conversation, I had really connected with the employer, to the point that we exchanged our contact information and she offered to put a word in for me for the position I had applied for at BMO. (I was later called for an interview for this position.) Yes, I had done several interviews before since I was a co-op student. Yes, I had participated in mock interviews for specific positions in the past. But I also went into the interview with something that we often decide to leave at home when we go for a job interview: my personality, the real “me”. It helped me answer the questions in a spontaneous way and I’m confident that it played a big role in my success during this particular interview.
Why did I decide to share this story? Because it took me a lot of time to realize that an interview is above all a meeting between two or more people who want to learn more about each other (yes, the assessing part goes both ways) to know if they are a compatible fit in a work setting. I hope that my experience will inspire you for the future. Please don’t hesitate to share your stories as comments if you have had similar experiences.
I wish you all success!
Note: This above story is Marie Emmanuelle’s personal experience. The Career Centre team recommends that you do your research if you are interviewed for a specific role, since employers will want to see that you are familiar with the role and their company. In addition, some roles may require very specific practical components, such as case type questions or very specific situational questions. No amount of spontaneity will make up for what they will perceive to be your lack of interest or research in the position so it’s always good practice to go into interviews as well prepared as you can.
“As manager of the Career Centre, I make sure that everything is ready to go for all the activities that we have going on, whether it is for a networking event or workshop. I also run the ambassador program, making sure the ambassadors have the resources to do what they need to do. In addition, my role consists of checking in with employers for upcoming activities and meeting with them when they are on campus. My role also allows me to be creative, to build strategies and plans, and seeing that my background is in marketing, it’s a great fit.
One of the things I love about my job is the dual role of working with students and with employers. Students keep you young, employers keep you professional. Overall, it is a good balance.”
- Amanda R.
Manager of Telfer Career Centre
Alumni
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
1) Make a Plan (and stick to it)
Planning what you need to accomplish in a day during the night before can help you to put into perspective what you need to get done throughout the day. By planning a manageable amount of work to do, this will help you to relax, having a plan of what you will accomplish the following day. Doing this will help you to hit the ground running for the following day.
Split your large tasks down into smaller and more easily accomplishable tasks. Rather than allocating 5 hours to “study accounting”, break it down into smaller tasks such as “read chapter 3 accounting notes” and “do practice questions for chapter”. Doing this will make your work more manageable and having an exact plan will help to reduce your stress. Some ways to help you stick to your plan for work are to remove distractions from your environment. Turn off your phone, work in a quiet area, or use an app to block certain websites temporarily. The Google Chrome extension, “StayFocusd” will block you out from using certain websites for set amount of time, which will in turn help you to focus on getting your work done, and alleviate future stress.
2) Take care of your body
When you are stressed about school, one of the first things most students do is work non-stop and forget to take care of themselves. Stress levels and a proper diet are closely related. When we’re overwhelmed with school work, we can easily forget to cook ourselves something nutritious and instead grab an easy, sugary snack. To avoid this, plan ahead by meal prepping your food for the week when you know you have got a lot going on. Fruits, vegetables and foods with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids have proven to reduce stress.
Exercise has been proven to be directly related to stress reduction. The endorphins you gain from doing exercise, even for a few minutes, can improve your mood and your productivity almost immediately. It’s important to take a short break from your work and do something simple such as stretching, going for a walk, or doing a quick at home workout- this will relieve your stress almost immediately.
3) Take a Break
After working for a long period of time, do you ever begin getting unfocused or irritable? Do you start making mistakes and your work stops making sense? These are signs that you need to take a break! Taking a break from your work will help you to de-stress and refocus, so when you return to your task, you can look at it with a fresh mind.
Grabbing a cup of coffee with friends, watching an episode of your favourite Netflix series, or even taking a shower can give your brain the necessary break it needs and help you to de-stress. It’s important to allocate a certain amount of time for breaks and stick to it. Don’t let your 30-minute break turn into 3 hours of procrastinating work on Netflix, because you will be even more stressed out afterwards- it is all about balance.
Let’s start with a small introduction. Hello and welcome, I’m Sonya, and I am a second year marketing student here at Telfer. I volunteer as an ambassador for the Career Centre, I am the Marketing Outreach Director for WMN - a new student-run initiative at Telfer, and I work for seoplus+, a digital marketing agency.
Now that formalities are over with, let’s talk about how I got here. My very first job was at McDonald’s and I worked there for almost two years. I didn’t want it to be my first job. I wanted to work at Lush, or H&M or at a store that actually conveyed my interests. Yet, those stores would not hire a high school student with no experience. A lot of my friends worked at McDonald’s since it was right across from our school in Guelph, and I wanted to start working to save up for school (let’s be honest, my first pay cheques were not saved because I spent them on cake and things my mom would not let me have).
So I applied and got the job right before my 17th birthday. I worked there throughout the remainder of high school, saved up enough for my entire first year of tuition and met amazing people. I even worked at McDonald’s here in Ottawa (not Rideau St., don’t worry) which helped me pay for rent in first year since I lived off campus. I even worked there the summer after first year because I couldn’t find a “business” job back home and earned enough to pay for second year.
All in all, great experience, right? But how do employers view it and how does it actually relate to business? So many of us have held fast food, retail, or factory jobs. Well, I have great news. Employers LOVE seeing McDonald’s on your resumé. Not only can you draw on all your new transferrable skills in an interview (communication and teamwork), but employers also know how rigorous the training program is, how strict the sales goals are, how stressful it gets, and how many rude customers you have to deal with.
Not only that, but most of employers started out there too. Do you know who else started their career at McDonald’s? Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon; his net worth as of 2018 is 115.7 billion USD. If you like music, stars such as P!NK and Shania Twain have also done their duty at the company. We all have to start somewhere, and fast food or retail is NOT a bad place to start. As mentioned previously, you learn so much there that you can use at any other job - how to work in a team of over 5 people every shift, how to deal with an irate customer (a hugely popular interview question), and how to handle working under pressure and show off your leadership skills.
When I got a job at TD Bank in first year, McDonald’s was the only “real” work experience on my resumé, and I drew all of my answers in the interview based on crazy situations that happened there. Here is a fun example: during the free coffee week in spring, a lady got her small free coffee and left. She came back 10 minutes later stating the coffee was cold. We were so busy and just gave her a new one. She returned again with the same claim. With our store full we barely had enough coffee for everyone that demanded it so it was constantly fresh. The problem with her coffee being cold is she went outside, where it was -20 and snowing, and waited for her coffee to cool down. So, her coffee was cold literally because it was winter outside, but of course, it was our fault. That’s just one of countless examples.
One last thing that working at fast food teaches you is compassion. I now understand why sometimes I have to wait a bit longer for my order during busy lunch times and I will never be the rude person to blame the cashiers for the slowness of the restaurant. Working in restaurants or retail makes you appreciate everything that happens behind the scenes. Often, things happen that are simply out of your control, like the grill turning off, the software on cash registers freezing or running out of product simply because of an overwhelming, unexpected rush can occur.
In conclusion, no job is a bad job. Don’t be ashamed to tell people where you work or hide it from your resumé. You learn so much at your first job and can repurpose those skills throughout the rest of your career journey!
"It has been a great pleasure serving as the Telfer School of Management’s Student Council President this year. From the various opportunities and challenges I faced over the course of this year, I’ve learned important lessons and developed key skills I plan to bring into the business world. Being a student at Telfer has grown me into a man that adapts and is ready to take on the challenges ahead in life."
- Tahir S.
President of the Telfer Student Council
Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York, this weekly feature of the Telfer Career Blog will contain photography of individuals from the Telfer School of Management community and a corresponding narrative that gives us a glimpse into their lives.
In April 2017, I received an offer of full-time employment with Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) from May 1st to December 29, 2017. The Department is responsible for managing Canada’s oceans, fishing grounds, and freshwater resources, in addition to safeguarding its waters through the Canadian Coast Guard.
Over the course of these eight months, I learned some lessons which I believe any undergraduate student can use, regardless of the sector they’re interested in working for - public, private, or NGO.
- The most stressful part of any job is actually getting the job! The application process is long and there are many steps you must take before you can dream of how you’ll be decorating your cubicle. I learned that this process does NOT have to be stressful. Personally, I’ve used almost every one of the resources that the Telfer Career Centre offers undergraduate students, by completing the Career Development Certificate. I felt very well prepared and comfortable throughout the whole application process, and while at work. Through the Rock your Resumé and Interview Skills workshops, I made sure my application stood out to the employer and felt confident during the interview. The Networking Strategies workshop also helped improve my networking skills, which made me more at ease when networking with executives at my workplace.
From in-person workshops to online links, there are resources on everything from networking and interview skills to resumé and cover letter writing. Be sure to use them – they help make the process of finding work less stressful, and they ensure you have the skills you need to market yourself effectively.
- Networking may seem intimidating or daunting for those who have never actively practiced it. Unfortunately, this is a skill that you must use in every sector, so the ability to network effectively is very valuable. I learned that in order to receive opportunities for career progression, you must put yourself out there, be willing to meet new people, and take the initiative to make these opportunities happen.
During my time at DFO, I met numerous employees from every sector through social events, volunteering for the Workplace Charitable Campaign, and the professional network that spans across the Government (YPN). By getting involved, you open doors that can potentially lead you into a new role. Over the summer, one of my contacts had reached out to me with an opportunity to work for the Canadian Coast Guard’s Integrated Technical Services team. I spent one month on an assignment with them, and gained valuable skills, experience, and systems knowledge that will hopefully come in use as I further my career. Networking gives you access to opportunities that you may not have otherwise – remember that it gets easier the more you practice!
- I believe that the most important lesson I learned while working was that there will be countless opportunities waiting for me after graduation. This first full-time job, has helped me realize me that it’s only the first step in my career path. It taught me what type of tasks I enjoy doing, the work environment I would prefer to be in, as well as the main direction I want to go in professionally. All these factors will help shape the way of my career and will help me make the best choices relevant to full-time work. While at work, I would often receive emails regarding staff positions that are available to be filled, and links to job postings both in the National Capital Region and all over Canada. I appreciate that in the public sector, there is a wide variety of jobs available and that “lateral moves” between departments are common. Personally, I am interested in expanding my breadth of knowledge about different industries while working for the Federal Government, and I look forward to the opportunities that are yet to come.
I would like to thank the Telfer Career Centre for providing undergraduate students with the resources that have helped me with my personal and professional development. I encourage each and every one of you to take the time to learn more about the workshops and development programs that are offered to you as students of Telfer!
In summary: use the Career Centre’s resources, practice networking to expand your connections and create opportunities, and remember that there are many possibilities waiting for you in the future.
As Telfer students, we spend a good amount of time preparing for and attending networking events. But how much time do we spend after the event maintaining our network? The truth is, follow-ups after a networking event are often forgotten, even though they are also important!
Here are 4 tips to help you build strong relationships after attending networking events:
1) Prioritize your contacts
Sort through your contacts based on their relevance to you, and your goals. As you attend networking events, you will likely receive a number of business cards from new contacts. Out of all the business cards that you receive, you will want to aim in building solid professional relationship with a few key people. Keep in mind that a small step like this goes a long way!
2) Timeliness is key
Follow up while memories between the two of you are still fresh. Shoot a simple thank you message on LinkedIn or through email. Ask for their opinions on matters that they can assist you with. You can check in on a regular basis with messages that really don’t have to be long! Don't wait until a week or a month after the event to follow up, because employers may not remember you = will not respond.
3) Invite them out for a coffee or lunch
The best communication channel is face-to-face. Sitting down one on one gives you the opportunity to engage in better conversation and also a chance for them to understand who you are as a person.
4) Be yourself
Present yourself with confidence. If you find yourself in a position where you’re behaving differently than you would otherwise, then it's likely that you’re trying to act to impress. This can often make the connection between you and the employer seems disingenuous. Keep it real.
A strong network doesn’t come easily, you have to build and maintain it as you go. And it's never too late to start connecting!
"I’m an international student, and my arrival in Canada was a big challenge. Fortunately, I made the right choice by choosing the University of Ottawa. It offers many resources to help us throughout our studies and even after graduation. For example, Career Centre advisors helped me polish my resumé and improve my interview skills. This was very useful because I got internships as a CO-OP student.
I highly recommend the CO-OP program, because it allows us to experience the workplace and form opinions. It is an exceptional opportunity, in the sense it allows us to really assess our choice of program option. We can confirm our career choice during our studies instead of waiting until we graduate to realize that the program we chose is not the right one for us. Also, I would like to acknowledge professors and their commitment to helping students, by guiding us and answering our various questions on graduate studies, on career opportunities, but also on questions like optional courses."
- Djamila S.
BCom student in Finance, CO-OP student, 4th year