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The Ivey Career Management Podcast shares practical career advice, alumni insights, and expert perspectives to help Ivey students and graduates navigate their careers with confidence.
[Auto-generated transcript. Edits may have been applied for clarity.]
Welcome to the Career Management Podcast at Ivey Business School.
We're excited to bring you stories and strategies from students, special guests, and the Career Management team.
Make yourself comfortable and let's get started. On today's podcast, you'll hear updates from our Corporate Recruitment Team and Career Management.
But first we're joined by one of our Career Peers, Sophia. Sophia and I talk about the art of the coffee chat and more importantly, how she notices,
creates, and maintains genuine connections when a conversation has gone well.
Sophia, thank you so much for joining me today. Would you like to introduce yourself?
Yeah for sure. So my name is Sophia. I'm an Ivey and Health Science dual students.
I'm in my fourth year. Um, some things about me is I'm a certified yoga instructor.
I'm a middle child, and I'm really excited to be a Career Peer and
Help some of the HBA1 students. Fantastic.
I'd love to know more about how you have developed genuine connections and kind of mastered the art of the coffee chat.
Um, so starting off with how do you find that you connect with people?
Yeah, for sure.
I would say it, my main way of finding connections is through LinkedIn, and that's kind of the main platform that I use to find people to connect with.
I would say in terms of finding genuine connections, and I try to find people that have, like, similar interests and similar backgrounds to me.
So I'm from Vancouver, and so I often look for students that are also from Vancouver that also came to Ivey and now work in Toronto.
I think that there's a lot to bond over being an out of province student. I'm passionate about social impact and those sorts of things,
so finding people that have similar interests I think can really pave the way to have conversations
that are outside of work and recruiting topics, and things that are a bit more personal and genuine
that mean something to you, and that can really help in forming connections that can go a long way.
You mentioned genuine connections. Yeah.
How do you differentiate between a just, you know, a regular old connection and a quote unquote genuine connection?
Yeah, for sure. I think that for me, kind of like more of a standard basic connection can be when like a job posting comes up and you know,
that you kind of want to get your name in the door and you want a referral and you want to kind of find
someone that can explain to you more about the position and kind of their experience of the company....
You reach out on LinkedIn and kind of like mass send out requests and then hopefully you can find someone to chat with.
And that's definitely not a negative at all. And it's a great way to get your name in the door.
And I think that those things are a bit more transactional when you're looking for a referral or to get your name moved to the top of the list,
those kind of things are a bit more... Yeah, they're not super genuine because you're kind of doing it to get something out of it, which is not wrong.
It's just different. Um, I think for me, genuine connections kind of are more when you go past convos about work and recruiting
and it becomes a bit more personal and they become more of like a mentor to you.
And it it goes past just that short time period of getting your name through the door for an interview,
and it kind of is a bit more of a long term thing where you're keeping them updated about your life and they're keeping them updated about yours,
and you're connecting back and forth more frequently. I think that's when it becomes a bit more genuine.
And both types of connections are part of your networking strategy,
am I hearing that right? Yeah, I think it's definitely necessary to kind of have both.
I think that genuine ones... you can't always forced those to happen. They kind of happen naturally.
And so those come about when they come about. And I think that on the other side, of course, when applying for jobs,
I think it's super helpful to have someone on the inside that's advocating for you.
And those can be a bit more transactional when you are networking with the intention of hopefully getting an interview and those kind of things.
And so I think it's necessary to have both, but I think that balancing them and making sure you also get those genuine connections is super important.
Okay, you said they can sometimes come about naturally.
Yeah. I'm also curious, is this type of connection that students can also create or foster on their own?
Yeah, definitely I think yeah, some part of it is just kind of natural. When it happens, you click and you click! It just goes from there.
And I think there are ways to find people that you are more likely to have a genuine connection with.
I mentioned the LinkedIn thing and how I'm from Vancouver, and so I find that finding people that have similar backgrounds,
similar interests, that's one way to find a more genuine connection.
I think also, if you've talked to someone and they refer you to someone else who they think that you might have more common interest
with, that can be a really good way.
If someone else puts you in touch with someone to find someone that's more similar to you and has more of a similar background,
that can be a good way to find a genuine connection.
And so I think there are ways to kind of reach out people that have a more likely chance of connecting with you on a different level outside of work.
So you might not know that it's a genuine connection,
but you're curating the type of people that are more likely to have that connection based on your interests and what you want to connect with people on.
Exactly. Yeah. Great. Based on that, is it worth including your personal interests on a... on your resume?
I think it is. I've gotten the advice that it should be included, and I think it paints a better picture of yourself.
Besides your education and your work experience; you're so much more than that.
And so I think being able to showcase your different interests is super, super important.
And you never know when someone's interviewing you or scanning your resume they might have a shared interest.
And I think that during interviews, again,
having conversations that are outside of work and the job can be super beneficial and having a shared interest can really help spark that.
And so I always say to include them. Okay. And you mentioned someone gave you that advice.
Just to clarify for listeners, it wasn't me before our conversation today.
And you don't have to name names, but where... where did that advice come from? Yeah,
I had our coffee chat with someone and he offered to walk through my resume and kind of give me
some pointers on areas where I can improve based on things that he's seen as someone who does,
who's part of the recruiting process. And one of the things that I didn't have beforehand was I didn't have the interests section,
and he recommended that I add it again for that more personal connection so that they can kind of see who you are outside of,
just, again, your work and education experience. What was that like for you adding that interests section?
I think at first I was... it was a bit challenging because I didn't know exactly what interest to put in terms of you still want to, again,
you want to be professional and you want to make sure that they are interests that are... hopefully people have in common.
And so I think that for me, I got to talk about like things that are really are important to me and things that I find people could connect on.
And so one of the things on my interests section is reading.
I love to read, and I feel like that's always a really good conversation starter, and I'm genuinely passionate about it.
And so I would say add things that really mean something to you.
And so that when that conversation does come about, you genuinely have something to add value.
Mhm. Once you've fostered or come across these great connections, how do you maintain them?
Yeah, I think that maintaining them is super important. And I think that starts from the very beginning.
And so after a coffee chat, but regardless of whether you want to continue that connection or not,
always sending a thank you and a follow up is super, super important.
And I think that if they are connection that you did have something a bit more
genuine on the call and you do see it kind of being something more longer term,
like reaching back out either if you've gone through the interview process where their firm,
like keeping them updated on your process, or if you've applied to a different firm and you've accepted a different offer,
again, keeping them updated on where you're at and kind of what made you choose one firm over the other.
And I think also if they're posting on LinkedIn about maybe they got promoted, they've switched companies or something like that,
like offering them congratulations and kind of maintaining it that way is something that you can do to kind of foster that relationship.
You mentioned LinkedIn. Yes. How do you feel about LinkedIn? Um, I think LinkedIn can be really, really helpful.
There's also some downsides to it. On the more helpful part, I think that talking about forming connections and and find people with similar interests,
I think LinkedIn was really great for that.
The filtering tool I find really helpful when I'm looking at a certain company and I can look who's... who's from Vancouver?
Which school do they graduate from? Where are they living now? I find it really helpful to find people, um, that you have something in common with.
And again, like people post about their different volunteer experiences and things like that,
and that can be a good way to, again, find someone that you have like a genuine connection with,
that could be something that you could reach out to and find a really helpful person.
I think it's great for that. On the other hand, I think LinkedIn can be a bit challenging when you are going through the recruiting
process and you're seeing people post about their signed offers and maybe
they're going back to their old job or they're not re-recruiting and they've signed something and you just kind of feel the posts start flooding through.
And I think it can be kind of hard to focus on yourself and not get distracted or worry that you're kind of in a different boat.
So I would say to really focus on your own journey and don't... don't worry about what other people are posting.
I think that if you use it more for yourself and for your own career goals and for forming those connections, it can be really, really helpful.
And I think that for recruiting in general, just really focus on yourself and don't worry about what people are doing.
Everyone's journey is different. And so if you stay focused on yourself, you will be totally fine.
Um, it can be exhilarating when we have a great connection with someone in person or virtual or just in live time,
but then it can be hard to maintain that sense of comfort or connection as we're doing the maintaining part.
Do you have any tips or suggestions for how folks can keep that momentum going, or keep that excitement when doing something that can feel,
that feel a little bit more removed or transactional, like keeping them updated on accomplishments or postings or things like that?
Yeah, for sure. I think that for me, like I don't do that with everybody that I've connected with.
I think that when you do find people that are genuinely invested in you and they genuinely care about what you're doing,
like you're going to want to update them. And so if you don't feel from the other person like this might be something that you want to maintain long term,
I would say send a thank-you message and obviously like express your appreciation.
But it doesn't have to be more than that.
But for the people that genuinely have showed an interest in kind of your journey and they want to help you and they want to see you succeed,
like then it feels a bit more natural, and it's not as intimidating to follow up because you feel like they're genuinely invested in how you're doing.
And I would say it doesn't always just need to be about like when you're sending them like a work update or an internship update;
if something exciting happened, you got a new certification, you learned something new, maybe you traveled to a place that you talked about with them,
something like that.... Like keeping them updated about things that are not just work related can also feel a bit more natural.
And it's not just like you're messaging them when there's kind of like a work update.
I think that can really help. And I think that when the other person is kind of feeling the same way about wanting to help you succeed,
then it feels less uncomfortable because they're totally on your side and they're excited to hear about your accomplishments.
So follow your gut and don't force it. Yeah, exactly.
Don't force it. Fantastic. Sophia, thank you so much for sharing your time and experience with us today.
Of course, thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. (Musical interlude)
Thanks for joining me today, Melissa.
Thanks for having me. We talked with Sophia today about making genuine connections and the art of the coffee chat.
You've supported lots of students through these types of conversations.
Any advice from Career Management on folks either just getting started with their coffee chatting or who have been doing it for awhile?
Yeah, so I think for those that have just started coffee chatting, you need to do some before you understand what a genuine connection looks like.
While I don't want to say it's a numbers game, I think you do have to do quite a few before you understand your groove,
what works well, and what a good connection could look like because the first couple are going to be awkward.
Um, for those students who have been coffee chatting for a while,
you're probably starting to understand what a good connection looks like and lean in to those strengths.
Lean in to what feels like it's working for you, and leverage those in each connection you can make,
but also understand that not every connection is going to be a good one.
And there are lots of clues through those conversations that should help you navigate your journey maybe a little bit more seamlessly.
Okay. Thanks, Melissa, and tell me what's been going on with Career Management these days.
So lots! We've been meeting with so many students,
um, and what we're really finding is that students are in so many different places.
We have a ton of students who are just checking in and aren't really actively recruiting, and that's okay.
They have identified that maybe their interests are in industries or functional areas that often start recruiting next semester.
And so while they may start to do things like get their resume ready or in a really good place,
or maybe even start to have a couple of coffee chats, they're not really actively, um, doing a ton of coffee chats or applying to a bunch of roles.
We also have people who are doing just that, though. We have a bunch of people who've identified an interest,
maybe that's recruiting right now, maybe that they're just being proactive....
But are having coffee chats, are really dedicating a lot of time and effort to recruiting...
That's great too. We're supporting those students, and we're also having offer conversations.
There are some students who are getting offers who have actively sought out opportunities that are earlier in the recruiting season,
and we're having those conversations, too.
So we are seeing all kinds of different students and their interests, and it's been a really exciting time for us in Career Management.
What words of wisdom would you have for those students who are just getting started or getting ready to recruit?
Yeah, so I think we often think that recruiting has to be this scary word and that we're all in,
but recruiting can very much be part of the exploration process.
You can say that you're recruiting and searching company websites, or identifying firms of interest,
or even researching some alumni that you might want to connect with.
Um, so it doesn't have to feel like this big scary word where you're all in.
So if you are that student who has decided, "ahh, I'm not really as active as my peers are," that's okay.
Uh, you can do small things, like be confident in yourself that, "you know what the industries that I'm interested in, or the areas and the...
areas of business that I'm exploring aren't really hot right now,
and I've done some research to identify that job postings in these spaces don't really start until February or March."
Cool. Lean into that confidence. I think there's always things that you can be doing that aren't leaning "all in" to recruiting,
like the research and the... making sure your resume is in a good place, or updating your LinkedIn profile.
So those would be things I think you can do right now
to still feel like you're contributing to that journey for yourself, but for sure, lean into that confidence that now is just not your time.
And that's okay. And you're not behind. You are not behind.
Can you give me an example of 1 or 2 industries that have not started yet and might not start until, like, the New year?
Yeah. So I think... two actually that immediately come to mind.
One is like that nonprofit space, social impact space.
They often recruit a little bit later. Um, and then I will say on a much broader scale,
there are different smaller organizations in many different industries that very intentionally don't recruit until next semester.
So boutique consulting and strategy roles, different areas of finance.
So we've seen certain areas of like investment banking and asset management and real estate really kick into high gear over the course of the fall.
Private equity. Um, but there are smaller organizations in those spaces that are very intentional about starting up in January or February.
Sports and entertainment kind of spans both. CPG, right?
You might have an organization that recruits a little bit earlier for a brand management role or rotational program.
And then you also might have areas within that business that recruit like a finance role within CPG,
or maybe a customer experience opportunity within that space in the new year.
Um, so it really is firm dependent, but I would say social impact, some sports and entertainment,
um... there's so much that'll happen next semester. Two things that I noticed in what you said there, Melissa.
One is that those intersections of, of different pieces,
so if you're someone who's looking for some of those niche or those intersectional pieces, the new year is, is a great time for you.
The other piece is that Social Impact and nonprofit; I think students underestimate how many students are interested in that
when we hear about so many people recruiting earlier in the fall. There are many students in many firms interested in those areas.
Your time is coming up. So don't you know, don't worry.
Your, your time is going to come. Yeah. And there's a couple of resources,
if I could highlight a couple that might help students identify what is happening in next semester.
The first is looking at our past job postings. So the applications that are closed.
So going to the job listings in 12Twenty, going in intentionally de-selecting "application open",
selecting "application closed" and adding in different filters for function or industry or even time frame.
If you wanted to look at what happened last semester or second semester last year,
then you could go in and add some different filters for application deadlines.
That would give you an idea of some of the types of opportunities or spaces that recruit at that time frame.
Um, the other one I would say is come in and chat with an advisor.
While we certainly aren't experts at everything,
um, we have seen recruiting cycles once, twice or many times, and so we're happy to chat about what they could expect to see into the future.
And what should the student do if they go to look for an employer of interest on 12Twenty and don't see them there?
Um, don't let that limit you from reaching out.
Go chat with an advisor. Go to LinkedIn.
Find some people in those spaces. Um, you can certainly add them.
We use some of that data; if you were to add the employer in, um, that space - we use is business development opportunities for
our corporate team, um, so encourage you to tell us about what some of your interests are,
but certainly don't let the employers that you see in 12Twenty limit you in terms of the job
opportunities that you could seek out or the connections that you can make within those firms.
Thank you for being a wonderful connection for us, Melissa. We appreciate you.
Thank you for having me. Lauren, what's been going on with the CRT these days?
So we're really excited about our upcoming November career nights.
Uh, some people may remember our events from September. These nights are going to be very similar.
November 4th and 5th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.
Um, if you attended in September, these are going to be largely the same format, but with different companies.
Uh, if you didn't attend in September, you might wonder why you should attend now.
Well, I have some reasons.
Not only will you have the chance to meet multiple companies at once, but you can highlight why you're a top candidate for their organization,
gain insights and advice about the recruiting timelines, their ideal candidate profile,
and how to elevate your application for their job opportunities.
And finally, you can make connections with recruiters and hiring managers, and you never know where that will take you.
So we hope that you'll join us. And we have some tips.
Five top tips on how to prepare. Are you ready, Kate? I'm so ready.
Okay, first of all, companies really appreciate when you reach research their company.
Uh, you can start by looking at who's coming on the event description on 12Twenty
and you can look to see who they're planning to recruit; we're telling you that as well.
Um, and then you should become familiar with their services, their products, their mission,
look for news about the company and then use the activity stream in 12Twenty to find out more information if we have it there.
This research will help you to ask targeted questions that demonstrate you know about the company.
For example, what changes or disruptions in the market have influenced your company's priorities recently,
or what kind of projects are typically assigned to new hires at your company?
Try to think of something creative and different, but you know, doing your research will really help you with that.
Tip number 2: perfect your elevator pitch. So I'm sure you've heard this before on the podcast.
Have you talked about elevator pitches? Not yet.
No, but we certainly do in our Career Management 1:1 appointments and in our Career Management Essential classes.
Yes. So I highly recommend students come and see a career coach and perfect that elevator pitch
so that you can give a compelling introduction to the employers that you're going to meet
in November. Tip number 3: follow up. Send personalized thank you emails or LinkedIn messages as soon as you leave the event or within 24 hours.
Tip number 4: apply to the postings. Most companies will have their postings up on 12Twenty, but if they don't, keep checking.
Set up alerts so that you'll be notified when they advertise their roles,
and then don't forget to apply. And tip number 5: add your resume to 12Twenty.
If you haven't already, please upload your resume because you can select your industry,
your function preferences and we get employers asking us for resume books all the time.
So we'd love to share your resume with the employers.
Um, but most importantly, we'd love to see you on November 4th and 5th because they will be different employers.
So we look forward to seeing you there. And, uh, reach out to a career coach if you have any questions.
Awesome. I heard you mentioned there, Lauren, a career book. What does that mean?
Or you said employers sometimes reach out. Yeah. So sometimes the company will say, "oh, I don't want to get 100 resumes.
I want a resume book. Can you send me a resume book of everyone who's interested in sales and speaks French?"
That's actually a popular request. Um, or, you know, any kind of, uh, function preference.
So that might be like "finance" or location preference...
"Vancouver". So all of those things are really helpful if you can put those in your profile for us.
And then so you get those requests. And then what do you folks do with that? Run a search on 12Twenty,
and any student who has not reported an offer and who has said that an employer can
reach out to them and then list those particular preferences that the employer requests,
we would send a resume book. So that is why putting all that information is so helpful.
If a student is now wondering, "gosh, I don't know if I uploaded my preferences or gave permission," uh, what should they do?
Log in to 12Twenty and check and look at your profile. You should be able to see everything you've said there and you can change that at any time.
Mhm. And if a student uploaded a resume maybe back in August or September,
but has had some different experiences or wanted to make updates, can they change that resume?
Yes. We really encourage you to keep your resume up to date and select the resume,
uh, primary resume that you want us to use. When you select the primary resume
that's the one that goes out to employers. Amazing. Thank you so much, Lauren. Thank you for asking.
Thank you for listening. If you are interested in connecting with Career Management,
you can book a 1:1 appointment by visiting the 12Twenty appointments tab online or by visiting room 2235 in the Ivey Building.