“Do you think there are opportunities in the accounting sector for a finance student?”
Tanveer Milglani, a second year BBA co-op student, is networking with employers at the Goodman Career Boot Camp, a two-day career conference. It’s the end of day two and Miglani, dressed in a suit and tie, has already attended two employer panel presentations, two networking sessions and taken part in eight “circuit” sessions about resume screening, your personal sales pitch and your online brand. Instead of being exhausted, he is excited.
“I’m pumped that I’ll be applying for jobs properly,” Milglani said. “The first thing I’m going to do is work on my resume. It is all about standing out from the competition.”
Milglani is one of the 50 undergraduate and graduate business students attending the post-exam event, which is organized by the Career Development Office of the Goodman School of Business and sponsored by CGA Ontario.
“Throughout the year we provide business students with a variety of interactive career and job search sessions,” explained Stephanie Harper, manager of the Goodman Career Development Office. “Career Boot Camp is a chance for us to bring all the tools and networking opportunities into one capstone event for students who are searching for full-time or summer employment.”
Industry experts were on hand to give the students an insider perspective. Sarah Duguay, human resources manager for BDO Canada LLP, was on the panel presentation about interview preparation and strategies. She reminded students about the importance of showing their “fit” during the interview and displaying strong communication skills, a good personality and a positive attitude.
“We want a candidate that is a match on both sides,” she said. “If you are a match with the values of our organization, and if we are a match for your personal values, then that is a good fit.”
Duguay, who is based in the GTA and hires from Goodman every year, believes that attending these types of career events are crucial to job search success.
“It’s extremely important because it gives you an inside look (at a company),” explained Duguay after the panel. “When we meet students, it gives them a leg up, it gives them a chance to network with the employer and be evaluated on more than their resume.”
For Jenna Dustanova, a first-year MBA student, the Boot Camp provided her with some key points to remember for her job search.
“(This has) really helped me understand job search strategies,” said Dustanova. “The value of networking was really reinforced. The job search is a learning process and I’m still learning at every event (I attend).”
