As a Marketing Management Co-op student, I was able to benefit greatly from the Co-op team as they helped me out in various ways. As a start, they helped me build my resume and were always available when I needed any assistance in that manner. However, I would like to emphasize that as a person, you need to have something other than school, because high grades alone are never sufficient. So my advice is always have some side project that you are working on alongside continuous learning that you are involved in.
One key factor that I would like to emphasize is that rejection is part of the process and is necessary for your development. Working through rejection is a crucial factor in building resilience for your character. You must understand that if you are improving your resume/cover letter and tailoring it for each posting, then it’s just a number game. So, think about it this way: with each new rejection, you are actually closer to landing a role, so keep pushing!
I started my small business selling custom clothing, such as custom hoodies and T-shirts, in my first year in university. This business was one of the important factors that led me to land an internship with Hydro One at their Investment Management and Planning department. Although small, the business allowed me to explore many different business avenues, such as data analysis, working with complicated spreadsheets, launching and managing an online store and social media management. All of these skills that I gained through the business put me one step ahead of other candidates, and I successfully landed the role.
As an Investment Management and Planning Co-op student, I interacted daily with my colleagues and learned from them. They taught me about Business cases, which are forms drafted for projects to get funding from budget distribution, and the entire process from initiation to budget approval and funding release. Additionally, I learned about budget planning and forecasting by utilizing different investment planning platforms. Lastly, I learned how to build automation systems for our team to streamline processes and improve workplace efficiency.
It was a very fruitful co-op experience with a huge learning curve. Still, my advice is to always seek information from more experienced colleagues, as they will give you their experience and help you improve much faster. I know it will be uncomfortable sometimes, but it is necessary, and with time, you will understand how valuable it is for your personal and professional development. The reason for that is that it will put you in uncomfortable situations where you will have to make mistakes and learn from them. Therefore, be uncomfortable by being in new and different experiences, because if not now, then when?
Written by
Yazan Hallak
Yazan is a fifth-year Commerce student majoring in Marketing Management. He enjoys being involved in things outside of work and in the world of small business/entrepreneurship. Yazan also loves to try new things and different roles because he feels that only then can he actually form an educated opinion about an industry or a role.
