For our latest blog, we caught up with Blake Jeffrey, who’s currently on his Corporate Residency with Northstar Trade Finance in Toronto. He will be going on exchange to the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark along with fellow Class of 2013 students Sean Sinclair, Chelsea Mazur, and Afif Nassif this coming September!

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Blake. How have you come to be the person you are today?

I know this is the “cliché” thing to say, but I’ve honestly developed to be the person I am today as a result of a supportive family and great friends. My parents are both extremely hard-working and instilled this quality, along with discipline, from an early age. I grew up in Orangeville, Ontario (my parents are now in London) with a very tight-knit crew of friends. Being a smaller town, we all went to school together and played on the same competitive hockey and lacrosse teams. I have learned a lot from these guys about loyalty and these are the individuals that were a big part of shaping who I am.

I’ve always been one to accept challenge and change head on. I’ve held some rather interesting summer job roles over the years. When I was 18, I spent a summer working as a cheese-maker in a goat cheese factory. Although this wasn’t a “business” role, it was hard, grueling work with long hours and it taught me to appreciate the opportunities I had had to that point in my life. When choosing where to do my undergrad I did a trip to the east coast and immediately fell in love with Acadia. It was a long way from home for any 18-year-old, but it was the best decision of my life to this point. I met some great friends there from all over the country. I was also able to continue my athletics, playing for the Acadia men’s lacrosse team for 4 years, captaining and serving as President for my final 2 years. This is where I was able to develop my leadership style and, most importantly, learn how to effectively get the best out of my teammates and, in that case, friends/peers.

Let’s get this question out of the way early so we can quote you on it later; who will be in the Stanley Cup finals, and who will take home the greatest trophy in all of sports?

Tough question! The playoffs have started out with quite a few surprises. Originally I would have said the Penguins or Rangers but both teams are in trouble/knocked out at this point. I think I’ll have to go with the L.A. Kings, although I figure many of the other hockey fanatics in the class will disagree (Tomas Stryncl, Lyndon Bentley, Scott Smith and crew). I’ve got the Rangers in my pool so I guess I need to root for them.

Okay, so on to the real business. What brought you to Dalhousie? Did you consider any other grad schools, and if so, why did you select the Corporate Residency MBA?

I did consider other schools throughout the application process and had my choice of a few. Ultimately I chose Dal because of the Corporate Residency element, which is unmatched by any other program in the country. Most other MBA programs with a co-op element have 4-month work terms. Here at Dal, we are fortunate to have an 8-month work term in which we can really get our feet wet and add significant value to the organizations employing us. Also, the organizations that are partners of the program provide us with great opportunities to not only gain that 8-month work experience but gain a vision of where we want to see our careers proceed after we graduate.

The fact that I was familiar with and comfortable in Halifax also played a significant role. I went to Acadia for my undergrad so I was in Halifax often for lacrosse as well as a night on the town here or there. It’s a great city and one that has a lot to offer for young professionals. Nothing beats brunch on the Murphy’s patio on the harbour when the weather is nice or a Thursday night at the Seahorse.

For your residency, you’re a credit risk analyst at NorthStar Trade Finance. What does this role entail?

My experience at Northstar has been all I could have asked for thus far. From the first day I was there I was given a lot of responsibility and was thrown to the wolves in a sense, but I’d have it no other way. It’s hands-on learning and I get to work directly with the Chief Credit Officer of Northstar, Milton Spidla. As an analyst, my role is to evaluate the creditworthiness of the foreign buyers/clients, i.e. their ability to repay the credits as agreed. I analyze each individual company by its generated cash flows as well as current and projected profitability. After the initial analysis and recommendation is made, I work with the Business Development team to construct a report that gets sent directly to the export agency for approval. The deals typically range from $1-$10 million USD, so the reports need to be very thorough and concise. A typical report will include the financial statement analysis, forecasted statements (3-5) years, as well as an evaluation of the market, industry and foreign exchange (FX) risk.

The unique thing about Northstar is the international exposure that I get. The companies I analyze are typically from South America and Asia, as well as Russia and Europe. The annual financial reports I analyze are in Spanish or Portuguese, which is a challenge, but I literally learn something new every day, which I love. I have been taking Spanish lessons for the past few months.

I’ve heard that the residency at NorthStar has provided excellent one-on-one mentorship from high-level executives in the past. Tell us about your experience with Chief Credit Officer Milton Spidla and how this has benefited your professional development?

Working directly with Milton has benefited me immensely so far. He has so much experience and has worked all over the globe. The day-to-day interaction with him is the largest benefit. He is a true gentleman and has a leadership style I’d like to emulate. He treats everyone with so much respect and it’s obvious that my co-workers enjoy working with him as much as I do. It doesn’t matter what question I bring forward, he is willing to provide as much knowledge as possible. He usually spends the final 30 minutes of a day in one-on-one time with me, going over previous deals and events happening overseas. One thing he stresses is the importance of horizontal knowledge (awareness of the world economy). This is something I have definitely taken to heart and it was one of the main factors in my decision to apply for the 4-month exchange at the Copenhagen Business School.

What does the near future look like for you, Blake?

Well, I have an another 4 months to go at Northstar. I am looking forward to gaining greater responsibility throughout the final half of my residency as well as continuing my Spanish lessons. I am really enjoying my time at Northstar and I will be sad to leave come the end of August. The Rogers Centre is a few minutes from the condo Sean Sinclair and I share, so I imagine I’ll be at my fair share of Blue Jays games. I was also fortunate enough to get accepted into the Copenhagen Business School exchange along with Sean Sinclair, Chelsea Mazur and Afif Nassif. This is a great group of people and I know we will all benefit from the experience and represent Dal very well. After returning from Copenhagen in December, it’s back out east in January to finish up with the rest of our great cohort. All in all, it’s the best of both worlds.

You can follow Blake on Twitter @B_Jeffreyy or find him on LinkedIn by searching for Blake Jeffrey.

For our latest blog, we caught up with Sean A. Sinclair, who’s currently on his Corporate Residency with Scotiabank in Toronto. Sean started the Facebook group for the Class of 2013, so we made sure to ask him about that. Enjoy!

So what’s your story, Mr. Sinclair? Where are you from?

I grew up in what used to be the small town of Newmarket, Ontario, located about 45 minutes north of my current home in Toronto. My mother is a nurse, and my father is a retired police officer. As you can imagine, both have had very demanding careers and as a result have provided my sister and me with prime examples of loyalty, dedication, discipline and hard work. I carried these life lessons throughout my childhood and into competitive sports where I truly began to develop leadership skills. I had the privilege of captaining various soccer, hockey and lacrosse teams that represented my town or my schools. When I realized I wasn’t going to make it to the NHL and grew too old to compete in organized sport, I continued to train and participate in intramural and recreational leagues. I even tested the waters with competitive bodybuilding, which taught me about discipline, resilience and spirituality to some degree. Sport is where I developed my greatest friendships. It’s where I learned how to succeed and fail with dignity and pride. It’s where I learned the importance of hard work, but also the place where I first experienced defeat and heartbreak. Because of my experience in competitive sports, I hate to lose. I understand the importance of hard work and preparation. But most importantly, because of sports, I am resilient and mentally tough. I will need these traits as I pursue a career in finance as I know there will be thousands of other candidates out there who will have their own advantages. The difference is that I have the determination and the will to network my way to success, and I can suck it up and get going when the going gets tough.

What brought you to the Corporate Residency MBA program?

Mainly the Corporate Residency component. I had been working for two years after graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Guelph and I realized that I did not have the contacts or the network I would need to achieve the level of success I desire. My honours specialization at Guelph was in marketing and as a result that is the direction I took after graduation. It took me a bit of time to figure it out, but I realized I want a different challenge from my career than what marketing and sales roles offer. Around the same time the sub-prime mortgage crisis began to hit the U.S. pretty drastically and I knew nothing about its implications for Canada and the global economy. That is when I developed a strong interest in global financial markets. I drew from my economics and finance experience at Guelph to develop opinions but I quickly realized that I had a lot more to learn. I knew that if I wanted to pursue a career in global markets or wealth management I would have to build a network I could leverage for advice and career progression, plus I would have to learn a heck of a lot more about the world of finance. The Corporate Residency MBA at Dalhousie has provided me with the opportunity to achieve both these goals, and build on them as I develop.

You started the Facebook page for the Class of 2013. How did that help in bringing the class together?

I have always had a knack for getting people together and facilitating action (see Class of 2013′s official party journal for details). In addition, I am a giant social media and general Internet nerd—my friends are often complaining about my littering of their news feeds with the latest Bloomberg headline or some infographic related to the world of fitness and nutrition (another passion of mine). Before applying to and being accepted by Dal’s MBA program, I did my research like any other prospective grad student would. I did this by using social media to get the true story of what this program is all about. Through Facebook I met one of my many mentors at Dal: Mr. Jordy Fujiwara, who was a part of the inaugural Corporate Residency MBA class. Jordy is the originator of the Dalhousie MBA Facebook page, as well as one of the original contributors to the blog here. He provided me with advice throughout the application process and the two of us set out on a journey to bring together all current Dal MBA students to one page. The goal was for the various cohorts to develop relationships, share success stories and build an online community for students that would otherwise struggle to stay conected given the geographical breadth of some residencies (e.g. Katie Gallagher, who did her residency in South Africa).

From this general program networking page, I decided (with the assistance of my Coburg Consultants colleagues) to create another page that now has restricted access and is exclusively for our cohort. This simple idea gave rise to something quite extraordinary. The class of 2013 Facebook group began, in earnest, by having each student introduce himself or herself upon acceptance into the program. This was fantastic because it seemed like I knew many of my future classmates before I even met them face-to-face. On my first night in Halifax I ventured down to my now-favourite watering hole The Lower Deck where I saw a familiar face. It was my future classmate Sara-Beth Harrison. Creepy or not, I had found a new friend thanks to Mr. (Mark) Zuckerberg. Once classes began, the volume of posts and sharing in our Facebook group grew exponentially. It had become a forum to discuss issues, an exclusive list to parties and events, an online marketplace for exchanging textbooks, and most importantly a place where we could share our interests and get to know one another. I highly recommend that anyone joining the program or thinking about it reach out to me or one of my peers. We are more than willing to share our experiences and guide you the way that Jordy and the inaugural cohort did for us.

Tell us about the first six months of the program. What was the adjustment like from the real world back to the classroom?

The first six months were interesting to say the least. I had taken a two-year hiatus from the world of academia and during that time experienced several different job roles. I knew that grad school would be very different from undergrad but I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from my classmates. Because Dal recruits students straight out of undergrad, and from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds, I had no idea whether my classmates would be competent in ‘thinking business’ or if they would be astonishingly brilliant and I wouldn’t be able to keep up. I think that for the first month or so I was constantly sizing up the competition. In some circumstances I had feelings of being an impostor, almost—in which I sort of felt inadequate to the 34 other carefully selected peers in my cohort. And then there were other times when I thought to myself: ‘What the heck are these science students doing asking questions that a first-year commerce student would know the answer to?’ The diversity of personalities created a dynamic that was very exciting to be a part of. It became apparent very quickly why the selection committee chose the candidates it did. Every single one of my classmates is ambitious, hard-working and eager to learn. The way to think of it is that you select the top two students from your undergrad class and put them in a room together with the top two from other universities. We’re basically a crockpot of keeners, class presidents, varsity athletes, dean’s list kids and the odd teacher’s pet.

The first two months (the summer term) were very different from the fall semester. They consisted of 9-to-5 classes of the same subject (hence the term “intensive”). It was Economics the first two weeks and then Accounting and Quantitative Decision Making after that; all day, every day. However, there was little homework to be done during this time, mostly just preparation work with Management Career Services for the big September interview day. So this was not too harsh a change from ‘the real world’. The fall semester on the other hand represented more of a classic academic schedule with multiple classes, and offered lots of homework. The main difference between undergrad and grad school is the volume of work thrown at you. Regularly, I would be up past midnight working on cases or doing textbook readings for the next day. I will admit that I always threw a solid workout in my schedule after school, so that contributed to my late nights as well. But, hey, when you’re busy and stressed with deadlines, it’s essential to find some time to move your body and clear your mind.

Where are you doing your residency? What are you doing there?

My residency is at Scotiabank in the Domestic Commercial Banking group. I was hired as an associate in the Commercial Associates Program (CAP for short). In this role, I am responsible for the credit communication, security and risk analysis and underwriting of facilities ranging from $1 million to $10 million. The Credit Solutions group, where I will get most of my training, has a very team-oriented atmosphere. I work closely with senior analysts, relationship managers and directors and I communicate with Scotiabank’s Global Risk Management group daily. One of the joys of my current role is interacting with CFOs and CEOs. Put very simply, I help SMEs fund their operations and investments. I analyze each company’s financial data to determine whether the bank should lend to them or not. I work with the customer and with Scotiabank’s risk management department to structure a solutions package that will satisfy both parties. This includes negotiating security and collateral to the bank, establishing borrowing covenants and developing borrowing base calculations.

What’s really interesting about the commercial bank is that we get to touch an extremely diverse portfolio of clients. In a meeting this morning, my director mentioned that 40% of our portfolio falls into the ‘other’ category or cannot be classified. One day I will be structuring a deal for a specialty tool manufacturer, the next day a biodiesel processor, and the following day a private Montessori school. The variety of experience as a CAP trainee doesn’t stop with the business of my customers but continues to the actual credit products I am learning about. The beauty of the (CAP) program is that it involves a rotation throughout the commercial bank. This summer I will work with the following groups: Global Transaction Banking, Real Estate Lending, Specialty Products Group, Global Risk Management, Auto Finance, and Roynat Capital.

How’s life in Toronto treating you?

So far the experience is amazing, and it’s not even summer yet. As I mentioned, I grew up just north of the city so I am already familiar with the geography. Most people don’t know this, but I was first offered my residency at Scotiabank in Halifax. I had the opportunity to work closely with Senior Manager Bruce Smith, who is a great friend of the Corporate Residency MBA program. Though I knew I would experience great mentorship and development by staying on the east coast, I also knew that Toronto is the heart of all things finance in Canada. It took a little bit of a fight, but with the help of Bruce I obtained an associate position on Bay Street. Since I have been in Toronto I have not forgotten the reason why I fought to be at this specific location. Every day I pass by thousands of other professionals on the street. Because it is my goal to realize a job offer before I return to school in September, I have been hustling to speak with as many of these people as possible. I love being in Toronto for the opportunities; it is my opinion that the B-school students who complain about the job market simply do not try hard enough and do not meet the right people. Don’t get me wrong, I am aware that the odds for scoring a sales and trading rotation are about one in a few thousand, but those odds get much better when you know the right people. I am the first to admit that I’m not the most book-smart person in my cohort, but I am a relationship person and I live by the old adage, “It’s not always about what you know; it’s about who you know.”

In addition to the career development perspective, I love Toronto because it is close to my friends and family. In January, I moved into a brand new condo with fellow classmate and Coburg Consultants Ltd. business partner Blake Jeffrey. Not a single weekend has gone by that we haven’t had one of our best friends sleeping on the couch. There is so much to do here every day and night; the boys from home can’t pass up the opportunity to come visit. As you already know, Blake and I are big sports fans and it’s great to live in a city that has so much passion for its professional teams, regardless of how terrible they are. Hey, we’re only a few hours away from the Blue Jays home opener; they’re looking good this year! The SkyDome (I stick with the nostalgic name) is a 5-minute walk from our condo, and Steam Whistle Brewery is on the way. The sunny days spent watching the Jays will keep Blake and me sane while we study for the CFA or CSC the remainder of the week.

Do you know what you want to do post-grad or is it too early to say?

It’s still too early for me to say. I am very grateful for my experience at the commercial bank thus far as it has established a solid foundation and provided me with significant breadth of credit knowledge. However, I know that my strengths fall on the sales side and I am looking for something with a fast pace, a competitive environment, and high future compensation. As a result of the networking I’ve been doing so far in Toronto, I have discovered parts of the bank I didn’t know existed. This is what I initially found so difficult about banking and finance: the language and the structure of every bank is different, and when you start looking at private firms the water is even more murky. I am very interested in capital markets or investment banking roles, but I am not closing myself off to any other opportunities. Looking to the future, I would like to find myself on the debt side working on a fixed income/bond desk as I am a little apprehensive of what the future holds for equities. My plan over the next month is to prepare for applications and interviews for capital markets rotation programs at the Schedule I banks. A rotation will allow me to work on multiple desks and further my understanding of the various product and industry groups. Yesterday, I sat down for a coffee with the director of my group at Scotiabank. After discussing The Kee to Bala, Blue Rodeo and other music-related topics, he gave me a great piece of advice. He told me to seek diverse experience at the beginning of my career because once you start to specialize and earn promotions, growth becomes limited and the learning scope becomes narrowed.

You can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSin3, or find him by searching for Sean A. Sinclair on LinkedIn!

For this week’s blog, we chatted with Michael Parcon, winner of the 2011 Scotiabank Interview Competition (and the Class of 2013′s Best Dancer award at the MBA Formal!), who’s currently on his Corporate Residency with the Royal Bank of Canada in Halifax. He’s also training for his first marathon in May (hence the title of this post). Good luck, Mike!

What is the Michael Parcon story? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born and raised in Corner Brook, NL, and after graduating from Memorial University with a degree in Business Administration, I always knew I would eventually want to get my MBA. With the job market as competitive as it is today, I knew that the best time to get my MBA would be soon after graduation. That way, I would have an opportunity to begin my business career with my best foot forward.

I’ve always had aspirations towards higher education, and I knew there was so much more to learn about the world of business in an academic setting. But I was also eager to start working in the real world and apply some of the skills and experiences I gained from my undergraduate degree. Dalhousie’s Corporate Residency MBA program gave me exactly what I was looking for: the chance to pursue my goal of an MBA degree from one of the best business schools today, and the opportunity to gain exceptional work experience with one of the best employers in Canada.

Tell us about the fall term of the MBA program. What were some of your best experiences?

The fall term of the MBA program was the busiest, most demanding, and most rewarding academic term I’ve ever had and it was quite clear from the beginning that in order to obtain a high quality MBA degree, you are expected to perform academically at a high level. The work ethic and time required to do well in this program were more than I expected, but the fall term was that much more rewarding and significant when I finally achieved what I had set out to accomplish.

One of the most memorable experiences I had last term was winning the 2011 Scotiabank Interview Competition. I entered the contest because I was curious about how my interview skills would compare with other students from Dalhousie and Saint Mary’s University. I wasn’t too serious about winning, but more interested in gaining feedback on my performance. When I was selected as a finalist, though, my competitive instincts took over. The final round was unlike anything I had done before—I was being interviewed by a 3-person panel before a live audience comprising Dalhousie and Saint Mary’s students, staff and faculty. Even more nerve-wracking was that one of the interviewers was posting his candid remarks regarding my performance on his laptop, which was projected above and behind me for the entire audience to see. Winning the entire thing was a great moment for me as it represented a sense of redemption, validation and accomplishment in what I was doing at Dalhousie.

Where are you working for your Corporate Residency and what can you tell us about it?

For my Corporate Residency, I am working for the Royal Bank of Canada’s Commercial Financial Services in Halifax as a Commercial Account Manager. Commercial markets is an area of banking I was interested to learn more about, and RBC is a great place to be exposed to this as our Canadian Banking unit is our single biggest profit driver for the bank overall. My position has two key roles: 1) Meeting with commercial clients in a sales and advisory role to discuss unique credit solutions to address their specific borrowing needs, and 2) Risk analysis and credit underwriting to properly evaluate all risk factors, determine a borrower’s risk rating, model and structure financial lending, and underwrite credit requests for adjudication. The position is exactly what I was looking for in a Corporate Residency, as I get to meet a variety of clients to form sustainable customer relationships, as well as analyze and evaluate financial data for assessment.

I’m also enjoying some of the perks and cool things about the job. I’ve had the good fortune to represent the Royal Bank at various industry events, corporate galas and charity dinners, as well as participate in community events and recreational tournaments with clients. And I’m especially looking forward to volunteering for the bank by teaching the Junior Achievement program to a class of ninth-grade students later this month.

Do you know what you want to do after graduation?

I definitely want to continue my career in commercial banking, and hopefully I can continue this with RBC. During my time here, I’ve learned so much about banking and the Royal Bank in general; part of the appeal in working for RBC as a commercial banker was the experience of working for a global organization with a strong and recognizable brand. The bank’s network of operations is so big and varied that career options for advancement are limitless. One of my goals when starting at RBC was to identify positions or areas in the bank where I could tell myself “That’s an area of the bank where I want to be working in 10 years” or “That’s who I want to be in 10 years”. And the best thing about commercial banking is that it provides an ideal set of fundamental skills for a bright career in finance.

How is your experience with the MBA program so far? What have you learned about yourself?

At the same time I started my Corporate Residency with RBC, I also started training for my first marathon that I’ll be running in May, and it’s the perfect analogy I can make when talking about my experience with the program. Getting your MBA is a lot like training for a marathon: both are completely brand new experiences requiring you to learn and adapt to new skills, work harder than you ever have before, pace yourself, and tofocus on a long-term goal no matter how hard it may get. Some days will be good and others will be bad; some days can feel like a race to the finish, while other days you’ll find that slow and steady wins the race; some days you’ll feel like the task in front of you is impossible, and then you feel a sense of pride in your accomplishment; and sometimes you’ll question what you’ve gotten yourself into, but most times you’ll feel that you made the right decision. Ultimately, no matter what happens, the overall fulfillment comes not just from reaching the “finish line”, but in the overall experience itself.

What would you say to someone who’s thinking of applying today?

Past blogs have done a great job of speaking to the huge career advantage that an MBA degree can offer, or the uniqueness of a paid Corporate Residency in the middle of the program, or the refreshing focus on values-based leadership and ethics. But an underrated aspect of this program I wish to share with a prospective applicant are the friendships and connections you will form with your classmates. This program does an excellent job in making sure everyone in the cohort has an opportunity to form both productive working partnerships inside the classroom and close friendships outside the classroom. With my class, we’ve known each other for just a few months, yet today we all feel like one big family. With any cohort, you’ll meet some of the smartest and most interesting people out there, and you’ll form professional networks and personal friendships that will last a lifetime.

For our latest blog, we caught up with Mary-Eleanor Walker, who’s currently on her Corporate Residency with Scotia Mocatta in Toronto. Enjoy!

How did you end up in the Corporate Residency MBA program? Tell us a little about the Mary-Eleanor story.

I was working in marketing/communications for a Crown corporation—closing in on my sixth year at Nova Scotia Business Inc.—and couldn’t shake the desire to go back to school. I had completed an undergraduate degree in Public Relations at Mount Saint Vincent University in 2006, and jumped right into a career. I loved my job, but knew I’d eventually want to get back into the classroom. A fundraising adventure and hike in Nepal led me to finally take the leap and hit the books again. Once I made that decision, I had to decide which program. I met with the faculty and administration at Dalhousie University and appreciated their candid outlook on the program. It’s new and it’s got a lot to offer. You learn a range of subjects and meet many new people with diverse skills and backgrounds. I also found the residency component appealing; who wouldn’t want to gain more work experience and make new connections?

Where are you working for your Corporate Residency and what is it like so far?

I am working for Scotia Mocatta, the precious and base metals division of Scotiabank in Toronto. It has been an exciting and challenging adventure thus far. This is a big departure from marketing/communications and, in some ways, a steep learning curve. I’m being assigned a range of work and have been exposed to many areas of the bank. I’ve learned a lot and I’m only two months in!

Tell us about the first six months of the MBA program? How did it prepare you for what you’re doing now?

The first six months of the program had their ups and downs. It took some time to get used to student life again. I really enjoyed the orientation retreat; it was a great way to kick off the program and I appreciated getting to know the others in the cohort.

It certainly helped prepare me for what I’m doing now because I hadn’t previously been exposed to the banking industry. The best part of the first six months were the people in my cohort. I’ve learned as much from them as I have from my professors.

Do you know what you want to do after graduation?

I wish I had an answer to this question, but not just yet. I’m certainly exposing myself to a new industry here in Toronto, but it’s still early and I’m not sure if this is the direction I want to take. I’m also not sure if I want to return to marketing/communications. There are a lot of questions yet to be answered, but what I do know is that travel and volunteer work are ambitions of mine and I’ll be adding them to my post-graduation plans.

What would you say to someone who’s thinking of applying today?

I would say, explore it and see if it’s for you. It’s a big decision and not one you should take lightly. I took time to determine that this program was the right step. I would also say that faculty and administration are more than happy to meet with interested students – take advantage of this opportunity. Meet with as many people as you can and gain different perspectives.

Michelle Ernest (Corporate Residency MBA 2011) is working at her dream job as an Implementation Specialist at lululemon athletica in Vancouver.

For this week’s blog, we sit down for a Q&A with Dex Gittens—a student in the Class of 2012 who worked at RBC Recruitment and Learning in Toronto for his Corporate Residency. Enjoy!

How did you end up in the Corporate Residency MBA program?

In grade 12, I didn’t know where I wanted to go for university. Our [high-school's] counsellor had all of the grade 12s cycle through his office. He looked at my transcript, looked at me, and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to do something business-related. He said, “Okay, business-related… have you considered Western?” I looked into it and based on my own research (plus what he said), I applied and I got in. So I went to Western.

At Western, I did economics and management and some finance, and fell in love with economics. In third and fourth year, I started to really think about what I was going to do after graduation. My mom is an accountant, but I wasn’t sure if that was my calling, so I started looking at MBAs and schools where I could potentially go. In the end, I was torn between a couple but I chose Dal because I didn’t feel like just a number when I was applying, I guess you could say. And so I came here. So far it’s been awesome.

Where did you work for your Corporate Residency and what was it like?

I worked for RBC Recruitment and Learning in Toronto. The person who recruited me actually turned out to be my boss for the eight months. Of all the interviews I had, he made me feel the most comfortable. I knew it was the best fit for me. On top of that, I had always wanted to work for RBC. So when I got the role, it was something of a dream come true for me. My manager was so excited about having me on-board and telling me about what I’d be doing, and that got me really excited about it as well.

Come January, I ended up working on a number of projects and my manager was there coaching me throughout, encouraging me to do more, to take on more—to push myself. I got to work in different areas of the bank, because Recruitment kind of covers all of them, so I was able to learn a lot about all of these different business functions. I also had to deal with a lot of change from day to day—in one department, things would move in third gear and in another they would move in fifth gear. I got to work for different managers as well, and this was one of the most helpful aspects of the whole experience.

What did you take away from your Corporate Residency? How did it contribute to your personal and professional development?

What makes RBC as great as they are is that they invest a lot in their people. Part of that is weekly mentorship, which I had with my managers. What I learned quickly was that in order to add value to your team, you have to speak up. You can’t just sit and take notes and not say anything. In meetings, I would have these thoughts, like “why are we doing it this way?”, and I would have other questions, but I wouldn’t raise them. Then, after the meeting, in a ‘safer’ environment, I would pose the questions to my team. The people I was working closely with would then ask me why I didn’t say anything during the meeting. I would say something like, “I thought everyone else was thinking the same thing.” To that, one of my mentors encouraged me by responding: “Well, I didn’t think of it, so you should have said it!” That was an ongoing challenge for me, having the confidence to speak up. It was a struggle on my own, but the mentoring that RBC provided helped me get past it. Once I did, things sort of opened up for me—a lot of opportunities started coming my way. Soon enough, I was learning about change management and stakeholder engagement and even leading or co-leading certain initiatives.

Everything I was learning was really validated when [Program Director] Dr. Scott Comber and [Corporate Residency Manager] Ally Howard came to see me in early March. They passed on the glowing things that were being said about me and this really affirmed my confidence in speaking up going forward.

What do you want to do after graduation later this year, and more long-term in the future?

Near the end of my residency, I started thinking ahead to what next steps would look like. Coming back to Halifax, I knew I would have to maintain the strong relationships I had built during my 8 months in Toronto—which might lead to a potential job down the line. The best way to do so, I thought, was to work part-time for the bank while I was back in school. I brought the idea to my managers and worked with them to perfect my résumé and cover letter to their standards—each of which took two months (or about 50 iterations)! On one of my last days at the bank, it was sent to some higher-up people in Toronto and then on to RBC’s offices in Halifax. So [beginning this month], I’ll be working part-time for RBC here in Halifax, which keeps me connected to the bank—which is great. After graduation, working for RBC is what I’m pushing for right now, and I’m currently interviewing for a number of opportunities there.

More long-term, I think Commercial Banking is what I want to do. The reason for that—which is one thing I learned while I was at the bank—is the importance of having what’s called a broad base of skills in order to be successful. This is what I’m developing through my MBA, and especially through the Corporate Residency component, and in working part-time for the bank. I’m trying to set myself up for success.

How have you developed since you started the Corporate Residency MBA? What has it done for you?

The Corporate Residency MBA has broadened my perspective, which is what an MBA is supposed to do. In undergrad, I wasn’t sure what a business degree meant, but now I have a good idea. You’re supposed to be good at a variety of things, and I’ve definitely gotten that so far. In your first year, you have mandatory courses, but in your second it’s more about taking classes that are suited for you. I’ve tried my best to push myself outside my comfort zone and take classes and get myself involved in things that I might not have before.

Reflecting on who I am now versus who I was then, it’s more or less a confidence thing. If you’re confident in your ability to do things and what you bring to the table with a team, that’s all that matters. The biggest thing for me has been with presentations. I used to be terrified of them and now I’m doing case competitions. I can deal with stress and a busy schedule better than I could before. In addition to the case competitions, I’m serving on the MBA Society and generally just taking on way too much—but managing it. I’m working with different people in more diverse groups, rather than the same people all the time, and learning different ways of solving problems—because I know now that this is how the real world works.

Cristina Castronovo (class of 2011) was offered a job as an Associate Brand Manager with Johnson & Johnson after her Corporate Residency. Find out how the Corporate Residency MBA program helped her fast-track her career and transition from science to the business world.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What is the Michelle Ernest story?

Ahh, the Michelle Ernest story. How much time do you have? A cup of coffee or a bottle of wine?

It was a glorious and sunny summer day in 1987 when…
Not that kind of story? OK, here’s the summarized version of the past few years: I completed my undergraduate degree at Acadia University in Wolfville, NS. I majored in Business with a focus in Marketing and a secondary focus in Music and Spanish. I spent an invigorating summer working for one of Halifax’s top advertising agencies and fell further in love with the wild and wonderful advertising world. I had plans to return to said agency after I graduated from Acadia. Unfortunately, 2009 wasn’t the greatest year to jump into the business world and, as my agency was downsizing, my job became no more. I decided that it was an opportune time to return to the classroom.

I always knew I would get my MBA one day; what I hadn’t expected was that that day had arrived! I loved Halifax and wanted to spend more time in the city, and had formerly worked on the advertising campaign of Dalhousie’s (then-new) Corporate Residency MBA so I already knew the program intimately. I quickly turned around my application and GMAT and was on my way to starting school, again. I knew early on from my experience with and knowledge of lululemon that my dream job would be to ultimately end up in their head office. However, I also knew that I had a long way to go before that could happen! I had finished my Corporate Residency with Aon and was just about to commit to returning upon graduation! I was excited about starting my career with Aon, knew that it was an excellent company and felt confident with my choice. I looked forward to becoming a strong business leader within Aon, hoping that the role would position me well for a possible opportunity with lululemon later in my professional life. And the stars must have been aligned that week because before I had officially accepted a position with Aon, I received an offer from lululemon athletica (the result of making my goals known, a powerful conversation, and being in a pipeline transparent to lululemon’s leadership team). It was my dream that came true, and the rest will be history.

What are you doing now? Where do you work and what do you do there?

I work for one of the best companies in the world.

I was the first to be hired into lululemon’s new Advanced Management Program, whereby high-potential individuals are brought into the company in a type of an accelerated work environment. This group of peeps has since grown to almost a dozen, and we are still and always looking for greatness (wink wink)!

I work on the Operational Solutions team as a project manager where I get to create, develop and execute special projects to make the stores more efficient and awesome, and thusly to better the company as a whole. Ops Solutions is essentially the funnel between every department at the head office, and our 191 North American stores and showrooms. I get to work one-on-one with the stores’ leadership teams—training them on new projects and initiatives, coaching them on best practices and how to utilize these initiatives, troubleshooting any operational issues that might arise, and establishing rapports and relationships. To complement this, I also get to work with many of our cross-functional departments to bridge the gap between the retail floor and what goes on “behind the scenes”.

So in a nutshell, I get to play and be creative and strategic and work with a ton of outstanding, fun, smart people. Everyday. Hellooo dream job!

Where did you work during your corporate residency? Tell us about it.

I worked for Aon Risk Services. I was a Strategic Business Advisor for Eastern Canada but worked in a unique position as I was based in Halifax, working for a group of individuals in Toronto, traveling all over Eastern Canada! I worked on two projects for Aon—one to help identify new market opportunities and another to further strengthen and enhance Aon’s existing client-relationships and accounts. It was a tremendous opportunity and I thoroughly enjoyed working with our teams across Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Although we were working specifically on projects pertaining to Aon, the skills I developed through establishing rapports with individuals, mostly via phone or email, are transferrable into any role where cross-functional relationship-building is an asset and an advantage.

What was the biggest challenge you faced during your corporate residency?

My biggest challenge actually doubled as the greatest advantage! The nature of my projects at Aon (and the geography between me and the other offices) meant that I would be in a type of a self-managing role. I knew this coming into the position, and was excited about it. I appreciate and thrive in an independent work environment, and this was great for me, but also challenging at times. There was a high level of accountability that came with many of the decisions I made, so I had to be 100% confident and make sure that each choice and decision was calculated, worthwhile and appropriately supported.

Your job at lululemon is a dream job to many people. How did you make it a reality?

And MY dream job, as well!

I’ve never been a big fan of leaving things to chance or taking the proverbial back seat. I wholly believe in myself to accomplish great things, but nothing is going to fall into my lap. I learned a long time ago that I have to make my own good fortune happen. However, despite a commitment to always being in action, I can’t take all the credit for bringing my dream into reality. As I mentioned before, the timing was perfect—a week or two later and we might not be having this conversation. I also had a great mentor who not only knew me well enough to know in which department my skills and personality would be a perfect fit, but who also took a stand for what I am capable of and what I can deliver and change in this world.

Where do you see yourself in one year? Five years?

By this time next year I hope to have become a Operations Manager in my department, in the process of preparing for a 6-month position with the Ops team at the head office in Melbourne to help train and leverage their department to support the growing Australian market.

Five years? Still with lululemon, though not necessarily in Vancouver. You might catch me back on the East Coast, south of the border with our US operations, or maybe even opening our first showroom in the Caribbean!

If you were to reflect on your experience in the Corporate Residency MBA program, how have you changed? What do you think sets this program apart? Why would you tell someone to apply?

I remember Dr. Scott Comber said once: “an MBA is about volume and production”.  Regardless of what project you’re working on or what spreadsheet you’re analyzing or case study you’re picking apart, it’s not necessarily about the type of work you are doing but the way you are doing the work. My MBA was, in two words, fast and fun. My job at lululemon is, in two words, fast and fun. Because of the way I learned to work and suceed in my MBA, I am fully prepared to thrive in this role. It’s important to work hard and have fun, but each of those is only most rewarding when complemented by the other. If you’re just looking for a three-letter acronym behind your name, go to the cheapest and easiest business school you can find. If you’re looking for an MBA that focuses on both the professional and personal side of business, open your eyes to Dalhousie’s program. Integrity isn’t a core value, but rather the foundation upon which your values should be built. Dal’s MBA—built on integrity—masters the combination of soft skills and hard skills, creates valuable opportunities to expand your network and work on real-world business cases, and does an exceptional job preparing you for what you will encounter entering the work force.

Of course, it doesn’t end there. There are more presentations today, MBA Society elections this week, reports due this week and next, case and interview competitions this month and a seemingly endless to-do list of other ‘deliverables’ on the Class of 2013′s calendar.

Through it all, maintaining a sense of humour and having some fun occasionally—what you might call ‘the lighter side of the Dal MBA’—has been essential.

After the particularly grueling 72-hour integrative case project on the last weekend of October, most of the class was recovering and getting ready for Dr. Nason’s class the next morning. That usually means putting the finishing touches on that week’s assignment, reading a few newspapers to know what’s going on in the world of finance and perhaps doing some extra problems from the textbook for practice.

But for first-year Corporate Residency MBA student Christie Lang, getting ready for class the next day (which happened to be Halloween) meant doing all of the above, plus a little something… extra. To be specific, it meant fashioning 36 bow ties out of craft-store cloth and 36 sets of eyeglasses out of pipe-cleaners. Now, the perfectly logical question is: why? Many of us know how hard it is to make one Halloween costume—never mind 36 of them!

As most of the class was glumly resigned to not dressing up for the occasion this year, given how much work there was to be done, Christie and a few others had thought of an idea to bring a little bit of the Halloween spirit to Dr. Nason’s finance class.

You see, aside from his brilliant, inspirational lectures and boundless knowledge of all things finance (well, business in general), Dr. Nason is well-known around the Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building for his distinctive attire. He can be counted on, day in and day out, to be sporting one of his trademark bow-ties, cuff-links, and spectacles—as you can see in the photograph above (with Ms. Lang herself).

So the idea, and the reason Christie spent Sunday evening making all those glasses and bow-ties, was to have the whole class dress up as Dr. Nason the next day, both as a bit of Halloween fun and as a tribute to one of the program’s outstanding administrators, professors, staff and supporters—the people who truly make the Corporate Residency MBA program what it is, and who often don’t get all the recognition they deserve.

Thanks to Christie’s efforts that Sunday, and the students who shared the idea in the first place, Dr. Nason arrived in class last Monday morning to a group of eager-to-learn look-alikes, not to mention a customized soundtrack (put together by fellow first-year MBA student Kareem Sobaih) with the words “Richard Nason” blasting over the loudspeakers. To the delight of the class, he was happy to oblige by dancing his way over to the podium to introduce that day’s quote and start his lecture.

Throughout the morning, other faculty such as Marketing professor Dan Shaw and Personal & Professional Effectiveness instructor (and Director of the Corporate Residency MBA program) Dr. Scott Comber came by to see all of the ‘little Nasons’ in their Halloween garb. Laughs were shared, and a few photographs were taken. All in all: thanks to the efforts of students like Christie, it was a much-needed occasion to relax for a moment and enjoy ‘the lighter side of the Dal MBA’.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What is the James Ewart story?

I’ve moved around a lot in my life. I grew up in England, living there from 1993 to 2000 before coming back to Canada. Since I’ve been back, I have lived in Oakville, Ontario, where I went to high school. Since I was always strong in science I decided to go into Engineering. I attended Queen’s University where I completed a degree in Chemical Engineering and majored in the biomedical aspect of this field. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in original research in the field of biomaterials, by completing a senior thesis project centred on a specific polymer used in controlled-release devices.

Originally my intention was to try to become a doctor or get a Master’s in Engineering, but I found as I progressed through my undergrad and various summer jobs that my skills were better suited to the business world. Hence, I now find myself at Dalhousie in the Corporate Residency MBA program.

What are your personal strengths? What sets James Ewart apart?

I would say that my world experience and my technical background give me very solid grounding. I think my Engineering education gave me a very good tool set to learn and integrate new information, not only of a technical nature but also in the world of business. I also think that growing up in Europe allowed me to better understand divergent cultures and viewpoints.

Those who know me have heard me speak at great length about my experiences as a SCUBA diver. Apart from being a very enjoyable hobby, it has taught me some very useful skills. Being able to remain calm and level-headed in stressful situations is truly invaluable, not only in the world of academia but also in the workforce. Also, on a personal level, I would consider myself very persistent, patient and driven. I always want to try and be better; I don’t believe there is a cap to a skill and one should always be striving to improve. At the same time, I understand not rushing into things and would consider the ability to not make snap decisions very valuable.

You’re the only engineer in the Class of 2013. Tell us how this background has prepared you for your MBA, as well as any advantages or disadvantages it’s had.

I think the strong grounding in mathematics gives me an edge because it allows me to concentrate more on the concepts rather than getting the mechanics right. Certain areas in the business world can be very technical and I think that coming from a technical background allows me to excel in these areas. The one disadvantage is that by spending the last several years thinking primarily about science, I did not have a strong grasp of some purely business-related subject matter. Engineering at Queen’s did include business in the curriculum but the level of detail was nowhere near a pure undergrad in business.

Tell us about your work experience. What do you want to do in your career?

My experience has been limited to summer jobs. I worked for two summers at the Molson/Coors brewery in Toronto in their fermentation department and spent last summer at a contract manufacturer for the cosmetics industry called Cosmetica.

For a career I want to leverage my engineering skills in the business world and combine those with the new skills I am learning from my MBA.

Where will you be for your corporate residency? What will you be doing there, as far as you know?

For my corporate residency I will be working at Aon Reed Stenhouse in Toronto in their risk management division.

What are your thoughts about the curriculum so far? What has been your favourite class?

So far the curriculum has been great. It has been very refreshing to start learning subjects that are 100% new to me and so far have been very interesting. My favourite class has definitely been finance. The reason: I get to utilize my mathematical and Excel skills as well as learn concepts I find to be very interesting and useful.

What extra-curricular activities have you gotten involved with? How has this contributed to your MBA experience so far?

My main extra-curricular activity has been my part-ownership in Coburg Consultants. I have found this to be a great experience because I get to apply what I learn in class. I think the ability to put concepts into practice while learning them has helped solidify my knowledge in these areas.

What would you say to an engineer who might be thinking of applying to the Corporate Residency MBA program?

I would say: go for it! Coming to business school adds a whole new range of skills that sometimes Engineering graduates lack. I think that regardless of whether you decide to go down a purely science route or a purely business route, the skills learned through both engineering and an MBA complement each other. A person who decides on a pure science route could definitely benefit from knowing how to be a more effective manager and how the science fits into the strategic plans of their corporation. I also think that someone purely in the business route can benefit from understanding the more technical nuts-and-bolts of how some companies design and manufacture products.