Career Blog
Telfer students might recognize Magda Donia, a uOttawa Associate Professor of human resources management and organizational behaviour. Prof. Donia started her academic career by studying political science at McGill University. She later completed both her Masters and PhD at Concordia University. When asked why she chose to work at Telfer, Prof. Donia said: “I had a sense of the place I wanted to work – things [at Telfer] sort of flowed. There was a sense I can’t describe, but like a certainty that I could trust.”
Over the course of her career, she’s learned that she’s in an incredibly lucky spot – being able to do something that she loves with colleagues she deeply trusts. She has a fairly big passion for OB, and recommends that others interested in the field learn how to operate with the negatives; in her opinion, a PhD can be a long and difficult road full of rejection – but it’s worth it in the end.
– Magda Donia,
Associate Professor, Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
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.
As you already know, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. You always have the chance to try out several possibilities before choosing what really interests you. Looking back, I am extremely proud to be involved in clubs, with the Career Centre, and in internal and external competitions; this demonstrates a high level of accountability in professional and personal development. Getting a degree is something that we all strive for, yet employers don’t just look at that. Here are three reason why getting involved on campus can boost your career:
Reason no 1: it allows you to gather career information
Through campus activities, you get to ask employers what makes a candidate more attractive, what type of community engagement they are looking for, or if there is something valuable to them and to what extent? Let’s be real: they won’t tell your EVERYTHING, but they will surely give you some hints. While doing JDC, I had the opportunity to discuss with a few employers about ways they could put in place their strategies and be more attractive to students and overall employees. I also got to ask them questions about their recruiting process and ideal candidates. The result? A win-win situation!
Reason no2: it helps you to get job opportunities
There is pretty much everything at school for any type of personality, whether you like to go big or small. After my teammates and I won first place at the Telfer Internal Case Competition, we were offered a co‑op position at the sponsor company of the case category. This allowed us to extend our network and develop new skills.
Reason no 3: it helps you increase your professional or personal network
When you start as a first year, you only know your classmates and maybe a few upper-year students. However, when you start getting involved, you get to meet more people who can give you advice on a lot of different topics. You’re in college for four years or more, so make the most out of it: have fun, meet new people, and create those long-term relationships. Therefore, I encourage you to try out new things and become accountable for them; the school community will then consider you as one of the well‑respected students. This means good references for job interviews or school admission as well as an improvement of the school.
The current times are hard for everyone, but I can guarantee you that getting involved is one of the best things you get to do at Telfer. Remember: you get out of your four years what you put into them. Trust me: this is a key differentiator for employers. Try it, you won’t regret it.
“I like the environment at Telfer. Most students at Telfer are incredibly kind and supportive. Students who have just met would work together to tackle a difficult assignment question or help one another understand a hard concept. The environment at Telfer fosters collaboration and support, which creates an amazing space to learn in.
I chose Telfer because it offered an amazing co-op program with plenty of connections to both the public and private sectors. Ottawa being 5 hours away from my hometown, it gave me the opportunity to move out and be independent.
Telfer has also given me many memorable moments, but one that stands out to me is when I got selected as the first-year representative for the Telfer Human Resources Association. This moment was memorable to me because it allowed me to meet so many wonderful people (both students and professionals) and it opened the door to many learning and career opportunities. There are so many aspects of Human Resources I want to dabble in once I graduate. Thinking of the many avenues that I can explore if I work hard right now has kept me motivated most days.
My biggest inspiration would be my parents. They are both immigrants who work blue-collar jobs and earn an hourly salary that’s less than what I make in my internship. However, they managed to raise a family and work hard to give their children as many opportunities as they can. Their work ethic, determination and diligence inspire me to work hard to reach my goals.”
– Janosha Indrakumaran, 3rd-year Human Resources and Vice-President, External Affairs, Telfer Human Resources Association
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.
The year 2020 has transformed the world of employment by destroying some business models while making other more efficient than ever. Recruiters have embraced not only new practices, but also a renewed vision of their ideal candidates. If you’re wondering how to best position yourself in a game governed by new rules, discover the three following trends that are currently changing the world of recruitment.
Trend no1: electronic recruitment or e-recruitment
Talent Soft defines e-recruitment as a dematerialized form of recruitment encompassing everything from email applications to endowment process management. It is therefore crucial for candidates to become familiar with practices such as virtual job interviews. For those who are more at ease with in-person interactions, the challenge is to demonstrate their talents and enthusiasm, but behind the camera. So, don’t forget: smile, you’re on camera!
Trend no2: out-of-area recruitment
It is no longer impossible to live in Ottawa and to work full-time in Toronto or even in Vancouver. And why not? One of the new trends we are noticing on the job market is out-of-area recruitment. With the integration of telework and e‑recruitment to most business models, distance is no longer an obstacle when it comes to endowment and job seeking.
Trend no3: digital and general skills
With the emergence of telework, the increased digitalization and the repeated lockdowns, it is no longer enough, to wow recruiters, to boast excellent technical skills: candidates must also be able to cope with stress and pressure, be organized and demonstrate autonomy. But the golden ticket, you’ve guessed it, is no other than digital literacy. Some employers are mainly looking for people who can use and share their talents virtually as well as physically.
Now that you know what employers are looking for, you need to gather the tools necessary to meet their needs and to strengthen your general and digital skills as well as your level of comfort in virtual interactions. Luckily, the Telfer Career Centre offers all the resources you need in that department, so don’t hesitate to reach out!
References:
Les tendances du recrutement en 2021
6 tendances de recrutement pour 2021
Qu’est-ce que l’e-recrutement ?
Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them.
─ William Arthur Ward
“Telfer presents multiple opportunities for its students; and those who take advantage of them manage to thrive in their careers. Students have numerous chances to connect with employers from well-known companies during networking events hosted by the Telfer Career Centre, the most prominent of which is Telfer Networks. Telfer graduates also tend to have a very strong, diverse business education (in both their specialization and business in general). During my time at Telfer, I enriched my knowledge in different aspects of business, increased my confidence in presenting, and learned to network. I can say with conviction that I am glad to be a Telfer student as it has successfully guided me through the intricacies of the world of business.”
– Maria Bssadh, 2nd-year Finance
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.
With the quick development of worldwide communications, the importance of an elegant and effective LinkedIn profile can’t be denied. A huge number of experts are tapping daily into the platform to find competitors, openings, new customers, and business opportunities.
Perhaps you have been ignoring it for some time. Perhaps you are a LinkedIn “beginner” who doesn’t have the slightest idea where to begin. Whatever is your current level of proficiency with LinkedIn, check out the following advice to make the most of your profile. Do you have all you require to succeed?
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Use your profile for self-promotion
Don’t see it as a fill-in form. It is far more than just a Web resumé, as it is expected to be seen publicly by employers.
Do remember that we each have a unique professional brand to promote.
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Pick a professional-looking photo
Try not to upload selfies or photos where you wear sunglasses… in the car. You get the point.
Do not make it excessively casual and stay away from unattractive backgrounds.
Do choose a photo where you look professional and where the background is not distracting.
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Specify your career plans
Try to incorporate a professional objective on your profile.
Do explain your Career Interests. This way, your profile will gain visibility on recruiters’ radar. You can also choose the Actively Applying status for employers to see that you are open for new opportunities.
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Make your headline unique
Don’t just outline your present positions: add some flavour!
Do mix commonly used position titles with your interests and objectives.
Finally, don’t forget that the Telfer Career Centre offers workshops focusing on LinkedIn. To know when and where, check out the Calendar of Events. You can also book an appointment with a Career Centre specialist to know how to build and strengthen your LinkedIn profile.
For more information, please check this link below:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dos-donts-successful-high-impact-linkedin-profile-galyna-daniel/
“I have always had an interest in business and coding. In today’s world, where technology is very dominant, I find that it is crucial to be well rounded in these areas.
My ideal job would be an analytics consultant. I have always found analytics interesting and I am very innovative. This job would allow me to use my creativity and come up with solutions and models to improve business.
When I first started university, I sometimes doubted my program choice. However, by taking courses related to my program, getting involved in clubs (such as Enactus, a social entrepreneurship club), developing my skills through the Telfer Career Development Certificate, and attending professional development opportunities, I have realized that my program is in fact a good fit for me.
My advice to new students is to enjoy your university career as much as you can. Get involved, try things outside of your comfort zone and take advantage of the many opportunities that Telfer has to offer. Additionally, surround yourself with like-minded people who will support and inspire you. The Telfer Career Centre has a lot of staff that are willing to help and guide you towards reaching your desired career.”
– Thuy-Vi Ha, 2nd-year BTM (Business Technology Management) and Enactus member
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.
Reading week is soon approaching, and you probably have one thing on your mind: getting away from school. A lot of us usually spend most of our reading week taking a huge pause. However, that is not mandatory! Reading week can absolutely be a productive time for your professional and personal life! So here are some tips to help you have a successful reading week.
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Make a realistic list of the assignments you need to complete
Before reading week starts, make a list of assignments to finish, chapters to read, or notes to complete. Make sure to write it down where you will constantly see it. The key word here is realistic. We’ve all been there: before the week starts, we promise ourselves that we’re going to accomplish this long list of countless assignments and during the week, we end up completely disregarding the list. For that reason, be realistic with yourself. Give yourself a few tasks that you know you can accomplish easily. A productive reading week does not necessarily mean getting the most things done, but getting some key assignments done.
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Finish your school-related stuff first
The best way to have a successful reading week is to prioritize. A good technique is to finish any school‑related task during the first couple days so that you can move on. That way, you’ll be able to relax for the rest of the week without having all the things you “still need to do” lingering in the back of your mind. Plus, it’s never a good plan to leave everything to the Sunday night before school starts. You’re going to hate it at first but trust me: once everything is FINALLY out of the way, you’ll be thanking yourself for prioritizing.
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Use this time for focus on career goals
Reading week is often seen as a time to either catch up on studying or go on vacation. However, you can also use this time to work on any career-related goal you would otherwise put aside because of school. Here are some suggestions:
- Create or update your LinkedIn profile.
- Update your resume and print out some copies.
- Join a Telfer club.
- Attend a networking event.
- Apply for some internships for the next semester or the summer.
- Browse the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) for job opportunities.
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Try to stick to a routine
As we’ve all been staying at home due to the confinement, we all know how easy it is to lose track of time. You start waking up around noon, watch some YouTube, and before you know, it’s 5 p.m. and you feel like you just lost a whole day. This usually happens when you go on any extended break, like reading week. You start to lose valuable time you could be using to be productive in some way. The solution is to set a daily routine for yourself! Start by setting an alarm for yourself every day to wake up at a reasonable time (give yourself some room to sleep in!) Also, try to get yourself ready for the day, even if you may not be going out that day, as this can make you feel like you must do something productive. Lastly, set a rough schedule for yourself, even if it’s only for random activities. For example, you could plan to exercise in the morning and to go out with friends in the evening. This leaves the afternoon flexible for whatever you need to do, like school-related activities.
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Treat yourself
It seems like a cliché, but it is nevertheless true: have some “treat yourself” moments! Whether it’s going out to eat, getting your nails done, or giving yourself a lazy “Netflix and Chill” day, do it! You’ve worked hard all term and deserve some rest. Make sure to include in your schedule fun things you love.
“...Studying at Telfer has pushed me to take advantage of unique opportunities that would otherwise not have been made available to me...”
“One of the things I love most about Telfer is the diversity of people that make up our student body. I have made so many close friends from other countries and learned so much about other cultures!
I chose Telfer because of the possibility to pursue my studies in French and after having heard great things of their experienced professors. I believe that studying in French is especially important in a country where it is an official language; this will open up more opportunities for me when I join the workforce.
I am especially looking forward to beginning my first Co-op term this summer and further specializing into my program these next two years. In the future, I would like to start my own company and use all the experiences and knowledge I have gained during my years at Telfer. Studying at Telfer has truly pushed me to take advantage of unique opportunities that would otherwise not have been made available to me and I am very happy to have chosen this school.”
– Zineerah Sheikh, 2nd-year Business Technology Management (Co-op)
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.
Everyone has been using technology for school in new and exciting ways this year, but the costs can add up. From extra monitors to ergonomic office chairs, learning from home seems to imply a lot of hidden costs. Fortunately, here are three FREE apps for productivity and organization that make online school a whole lot easier!
No 1: NOTION
Notion is an all-inclusive platform for notes, planning, and knowledge/data management that has taken the internet by storm in recent weeks. Luckily, I started using Notion long before they started working with content creators and can assure you it’s worth the “hype”! Notion users can take advantage of features like headings, highlighting, to-do lists, and many more. Users are also able to contact others, and it’s super easy to add media content onto pages!
For more advanced needs, Notion also comes with database elements ranging from text, number, and tag select – and more advanced options such as formulas, relations, and roll-ups. My personal favourite use of these databases is to create a course schedule organized by week, type (lecture, reading, assignment, etc.), and topic. Then I add a single select column called “confidence” where I rate each topic from 1 to 5 stars which really helps with effective studying since I can prioritize what I actually need to work on.
No 2: AIRTABLE
Hopefully, all the database talk of Notion didn’t confuse you, because that’s what Airtable is all about! Straight from Silicon Valley, Airtable is a database system that presents itself like an easy-to-use spreadsheet, with cloud collaboration services on top! Although I haven’t found it too helpful in my academic life, I’ve been loving it in internships for project management!
Bases can be started by importing data, starting from scratch, or using one of Airtable’s hundreds of templates. Some templates might be beneficial to the average student for apartment/job hunting, grad school applications, house management, and study guides preparation. But really, with all the field options (text, numbers, tag selects) and the more advanced uses like lookups, barcodes, and functionality buttons, there isn’t anything that can’t be tracked or planned with Airtable.
The world of databases can be hard, but the best part of Airtable is that it’s free for personal use!
No 3: OFFICE LENS
The final app on my list is Office Lens. There isn’t anything too exciting to say about it, but it’s become an online school staple! Office Lens is an intuitive PDF creator that makes it easy to take pictures of pretty much any piece of paper, and upload/download them to many different outlets. The best part is that it doesn’t have a page count limit like other free PDF scanner apps. How many of us have started taking pictures of our 12-page midterm only to get a pop-up saying you can only upload 10 pages at a time? Never send that embarrassing “Can I please hand this in two minutes late because of an uploading issue?” email to a professor again!