Written by Tori Wakeford, a 4th year Marketing Management student and current Lang Students' Association President
The co-op program at UofG is an excellent way to gain relevant work experience while completing your degree. However, not everyone at Lang is enrolled in co-op. This means that students not in co-op look for other ways to gain experience for their resume, and luckily Lang has lots of opportunities for you to do so!
Why it’s important to have experience beyond the classroom
The business courses we take as part of our degree give us the chance to gain technical skills and business knowledge, but it is also super important to learn how to apply this learning. Getting involved on campus and seeking out professional summer jobs are perfect ways to put this theory into practice. Employers will be super impressed by your hands-on experience, and it serves as proof that you’re ready to take on the challenges of working in the business world. Remember, employers don’t necessarily want to see the courses you have taken, but what you have done outside of your coursework.
Find a Professional Summer Job
While co-op students are required to work in full-time, paid positions, it is also an excellent idea (and definitely feasible!) to seek out a professional job even if you’re not in co-op. These jobs specifically designed for university students are often called internships or summer student positions. These positions are often available at both large and small companies in all areas of business such human resources, marketing, accounting, finance, or data analysis. An internship is a great first position within your field of study that is designed to help introduce you to the corporate setting. You will get to work on applying the skills you are learning in class and gain experience working as part of a team. You will often see large companies such as the “Big Four” accounting firms, major banks, advertising agencies and the government offering summer positions for students, and these positions would be a great way to kickstart your work experience and start exploring different areas of business. There are a few important things to know before you start searching for summer jobs like this. First, keep in mind that the application window for these jobs is very early in the year – often January or February even though you wouldn’t start work until May. These jobs can also be very competitive, so it is important to polish up your cover letter, resume and interview skills.
The Business Career Development Centre has lots of different resources to help you with this, but I specifically recommend that you book an appointment with a Peer Helper through Experience Guelph. You can even show the Peer Helper the description of the job you are applying to, and they can help you cater your cover letter and resume to that specific job! There are lots of places to look for summer positions, but Experience Guelph and LinkedIn Jobs are great places to start.
Join a Student Association
In my first year, I knew I wanted to get involved on campus, but I wasn’t very familiar with the options available to me. I ended up talking to someone who was part of the Lang Students’ Association and learned about the different student-run clubs within Lang. We are lucky to have 17 student associations that represent all different majors and interests of BComm students such as investing, sustainability, sport management and even sales! These associations are completely student-run and offer a variety of different positions depending on your skillset.
The coolest thing about being a part of a student association is how similar it is to working for a business. You get to practice working in a team, collaborating with others on projects, meeting deadlines and managing your time – all of which is going to look great on your resume! You can also gain practical experience with social media management, event planning, public speaking and bookkeeping, just to name a few. These teams are also an excellent way to meet new, like-minded people and have a direct impact on the opportunities available to Commerce students at Guelph. If you’re looking to get involved in a student association within Lang, you can find all of the Lang student organization names and instagram handles here. Keep an eye out for posts about hiring! These teams usually hire the majority of their positions in the spring (March-April) and a few in September. It’s also important to remember that you don’t necessarily have to become part of one of these student groups to gain experience. Simply attending their events is much less of a time commitment but will also teach you new skills and help you meet new people.
Join the Mentorship Program
We’ve likely all had a mentor in some form, whether it was a coach, teacher or co-worker. Having someone to go to for guidance can be incredibly helpful, especially when learning to navigate university. The Lang Students’ Association (LSA) runs a mentorship program every school year that connects first- and second-year commerce students (mentees) with mentors in their third, fourth or fifth year of their degree. As a mentee, you will get to read profiles of different upper year students and submit a few choices of mentors you would like to be paired with. The LSA will then pair you with a mentor and you can choose to meet with them as frequently as you’d like, either virtually or in-person (if guidelines permit). Common topics of conversation include picking courses and electives, managing your time, ways to get involved and general tips for success in university. If you are a first- or second-year student, this is a great opportunity to make a new friend and get some guidance from someone who understands your perspective. As upper-year students, being a mentor is an excellent way to build your connections on campus, practice your leadership skills and have an impact on the experience of a new student. As a mentor, you will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the program that makes an excellent addition to your resume! Click here to learn more about the mentorship program.
I hope this article has helped you realize that there are so many opportunities for you to get involved and gain experience both on and off-campus as a student not in co-op. I am personally not in the co-op stream, and I remember feeling worried that I wouldn’t be able to have enough experience on my resume to get a good job after graduation, but that is definitely not the case. I made a goal to get involved and to try to find ways to get hands-on experience both during the school year and over the summer, and by getting involved I feel prepared to enter the competitive job market with both classroom knowledge and applicable experience under my belt. Whether you are in first year or fifth year, it’s never too early or too late to seek out new experiences and opportunities, and we are so fortunate as Lang students that the options are endless when it comes to finding something to suits your skills and interests.
