Introduction
The school of business sponsored the breakfast networking event held at the university. It was an event where students had free breakfast as they met and interacted with different potential employers from several companies. Some of these companies included Finning Cat, Tycrop, Hays, Pearson, Cintas, PepsiCo, Kalotire and Prospera Credit Union. I was very excited that morning and was full of energy and confidence. The employers who were present were very appealing, and I was eager to hear what they had to offer.
Part 1
The workshop began with an opening address by one of the event’s keynote speakers, Simon Gibson, who is the MLA for the Abbotsford mission; who talked about how careers are built by networking. We were trained on the concept of networking. This was followed by a minor competition based on what we had learnt during the training session. I was one of the winners in this competition where I won Prospera Shirt and a Pepsi Cola bottle of water.
After going around each company desk, I was particularly very impressed by the Prospera credit union. In fact, if all the companies present were to offer me a job, I would have to go with Prospera. The Prospera credit union has a lot of opportunities for growth and in addition, the company’s headquarters are located close to home meaning that I can study and work at the same time through co-op program. In addition to that, the company also accepts undergraduate students to work with them. I talked with the manager who gave me his business card, and when I asked if I could join the company as a volunteer, he was readily willing to assist me. I knew that, volunteering is one way of increasing the chances of being employed in the company once I complete my studies.
Cintas Company was also good, but the problem is that they hire graduate students only who have majored in sales and marketing and because of this, I may not qualify. The company, however have a sales trainee program and internship program. The Tycrop company people were very welcoming or appealing, and I consequently did not like them. The company's representatives at the desk were quite rude and did not show much any interest in students. Furthermore, they did not have any job opening in our locality. The Cintas Company offered Sales Trainee Programs for sales students. The Finning Cat Company offered The Heavy Equipment Service Program, but they did not have sales careers for undergraduate students. Kalotire offered management trainee programs only; and did not have any programs related to sales. Pepsi Co. offered management training program but like the others, they did offer sales training program or internship program.
I choose to attend this networking event because I considered it as an important career developer. I knew that attending the event would give me an opportunity to meet people who could give me adequate information and help me look for future potential employers where my knowledge and skills would be effectively utilized and appreciated. The main purpose was to establish a meaningful and mutually beneficial relationship with the potential employers.
Part 2
I would consider joining Cintas in case I decided to embark on a full-time career in professional selling. Cintas offer a sales trainee program and internship (scholar) program where they provide students with a strong foundation in the sales process and the art of selling products services to the customer. In the internship program, the students are paid; which would make my work easier as I would be able to cater my expenses during the period.
At the end of the event, I was able to learn how to make professional connections with employers and friendship with students. In fact, I made new friends during the event. In addition, I was able to understand the challenges students face when it comes to applying for jobs. It also came to my attention that, all the companies present in the event deeply valued extra curriculum activities and volunteer work (especially the Pepsi Co and Prospera). Consequently, I have challenged myself to be more involved in such activities. Above all, I was able to discover the different programs that are offered by different companies for undergraduate students. These include co-op programs, sales trainee programs and the heavy equipment service programs.
