Month: March 2011

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What I’ve Learned…from Comm299

-Blog Post for Comm299-

Nearing the end of yet another term here at UBC Sauder School of Business calls for reflection. Comm299 is a course on career fundamentals, and has taught me many things about myself and what Sauder offers it’s students. As such, I’ll refrain from long, drawn out statements, but a series of smaller things I’ve learned over the course of the term, a la Esquire’s excellent What I’ve Learned series

About Myself

As the above image suggests, StrengthsQuest seems to think I’m a pretty good team player – my “Signature Themes” are Individualization, Restorative, Arranger, Includer and Strategic. I’ve always heard from others that I have a knack for managing people because I “get” them. Still don’t really buy it, but having an online assessment restate it is interesting.

Interviews used to scare me, because I usually take some time to process questions, but after a lot of lessons (many being generously personal) and in class exercises from my TA, Cole, I found “general stems” to certain types of questions. This doesn’t mean scripting an answer, but having a topic/point of involvement to discuss when prompted with a certain type of question.

My answers to many interview questions tend to be longer and more drawn out than they need to be. Something that I’m working on.

I can be spontaneous if a good enough opportunity presents itself. When work and a couple of classes got cancelled the day of the Me Inc. Conference (informed of the cancellations, literally 12 hours before the conference date), I made a quick decision to join my peers into what surely can be considered the second rite of passage for first year Sauderites, after FROSH, of course.

In terms of those information interviews and approach letters, I guess I was ahead of the game. In that sense, I’ve definitely been trending towards a good path to success.

I’m a pretty eloquent writer, but a lack of proof reading makes me sound silly.

About the business world/Sauder

The business world is full of neat freaks. Good thing I had a great adviser from the BCC to help me go over it. Turns out ex-299 profs are sticklers for this stuff and can pick misaligned margins out of endless white – just like many executives can.

Networking had a sort of stigma heading into 299 (and Me Inc.), with people talking about how Sauderites often “network” just to get ahead. Turns out my initial belief that networking is all about creating relationships from which both individuals can benefit.

Music is a great way to engage a class. Our TA used it strategically as we entered the class and worked on certain exercises. Kept me – among others I’m certain – from zoning out.

Business people are humans too, it turns out. I’ve got to meet a couple of amazing people because of 299’s instructors’ encouragement to attend Me Inc. and go out and find the people who inspire me. I’ve found some possible mentors and am very excited to what these new relationships may become!

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Depth over Breadth

-Blog Post for COMM299-

Greatest Lesson I’ve Learned from Someone Else

Two years ago, I worked for Port Metro Vancouver’s Community Relations department as a Leadership Student. A paid position, Leadership Students were given the opportunity to work with the port authority’s Community Relations Staff (CRS) in presenting harbour tours, giving classroom presentations and taking part in various other community events. On a usual event, two Leadership Students would join two CRS on the job. Many of the CRS were either in their parting years at the Port or had already graduated, and often gave us advice on post-secondary education and left us with many life lessons. Leadership Students are often picked from supposed “have not” high schools, and it was important for many of us to have mentors work with us so closely.

One member of the CRS, Chris, worked with me quite often and is credited with teaching me one of my greatest lessons. Many of the Leadership Students don’t end up in Commerce, and some don’t even end up in university, so Chris found my aspiration to get into Sauder to be of particular interest to him. During some of the slow times during events, I would ask him for his thoughts on what sort of involvement would be valuable to include on my Sauder supplemental and on resumés and such. At that this time in high school, many of my friends were involved in several . His reply, which now seems completely obvious, was a big deal for me. He told me that it doesn’t matter so much what type of involvement or work you do, but more the growth you gain from that experience. He went on to say that what is important to admissions staff or employers isn’t the number of areas in which you are involved, but the length of the involvement, and an understanding of how that involvement has grown you as a person.

This was an important lesson for me in my high school years as it gave me the peace of mind to pursue fewer involvement opportunities that truly interested and inspired me, rather than putting myself in many small, less meaningful roles. Having gotten into Sauder and into some higher profile workplaces, I can attest to the notion that when it comes to being involved, depth is often greater than breadth. The opportunities that I’ve chosen to be involved in, I feel, have definitely been a positive impact on how I see my life, and has introduced me to like minded people (many of which have become good friends). For this, I am grateful to have learned this lesson, however simple it may seem.

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