Sauder has a formal program of career development in its curriculum. This involves attending workshops conducted by the career centre. These workshops are aimed towards developing skills required for finding and applying for the jobs. The workshops I have attended so far have been on behavioral interview, writing job search letters, business resumes, case interviews and networking. As the class consists of about 60% international students, career centre conducts these workshops to increase the awareness among the students about the common practices in North American job market.
Besides these workshops, career centre has three different mentorship programs, which are general, investment banking and consulting mentorship program. These have limited space and mentors are allotted on two basic criteria, which are merit and career goals of student and mentor. These programs provide a good platform to gain more knowledge about the career a student wants to pursue. Currently, two students have been selected in investment banking mentorship program. Career centre will select students in January for general mentorship program.
Some of the other activities the career centre will be conducting in the coming months are arranging seminars on careers in finance, marketing, supply chain, sustainability and other management careers. Career centre is also taking 12 students from the MBA program to visit Toronto in February. This provides an opportunity for the students to network with different companies in Toronto for internship and job opportunities. There will be a similar trek to Calgary later in the year.
In the end I would like to summarize by saying that one of the most important lesson I have learned so far regarding career development is networking. This not only means going out and marketing yourself but also means connecting with people and increasing your own knowledge, which will assist you in managing your career.
Karanjit Singh Kochar is first year MBA student at Sauder School of Business. Karanjit is from New Delhi, India and has four years of work experience working as an entrepreneur
