Hi everyone! My name is Joy, and I am an HR/Marketing Associate within the Activate Strategic Functions New Graduate Development Program. I graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in April 2021 with a Bachelor of Business Administration, specialization in HR. Although I’ve only been at Scotiabank for a short amount of time, my experience thus far has been amazing and I’m excited to share it with you all today!
My journey to Scotiabank started in the summer before my 4th year of university. I was working at Tangerine Bank as a Client Business Support (Operations) Associate for the third summer in a row and there were a lot of questions on my mind regarding where I’d like to work after graduating. That summer, I attended multiple virtual Scotiabank Campus events run for the Tangerine and Scotiabank interns. I learned about Scotia’s welcoming and diverse culture and was provided with many different opportunities for personal and career development. During my interactions with the Campus team, I could tell how much that they wanted students to grow and succeed. It was through these events that I realized this was the type of organization that I wanted to work for, and from there I set up some coffee chats with Campus to learn about their New Graduate opportunities.
My experience within Activate thus far has been great. I’m currently 6 months into my first rotation on the Talent Marketing team. I’ve learned so much about the marketing world and met so many new people throughout the bank. I’ve assisted in creating content, reporting campaign numbers, as well as training my team on a new marketing system that we will be able to leverage in the future. The best part of the Activate Program is the rotational aspect. It can be difficult to know what you’re passionate about right out of university, but this program helps me find exactly that. I never thought that Marketing would be of interest to me until I was exposed to it in this role. I am constantly learning on the job, and I can’t wait to see where I end up by the end of the program.
There have been many highlights since I’ve started at the bank, but the first one is the people and the culture that they have created. The Talent Marketing team has been incredible in helping me feel comfortable within the team and the bank. They have all made sure to get me involved in areas that I’ve shown interest in, as well as get to know me personally. I know whenever I am struggling, I’ll be able to reach out to them for questions and advice. I hope to meet them all in person before my rotation ends! Another huge part of my time here has been the community that I have within Activate. I’ve had the privilege to join the Activate Social Committee as VP of Communications where I’ve been able to lead fun socials and develop friendships within the program. It is incredibly comforting being surrounded by peers who are also entering the beginning of their full-time careers because I know that there is a communitty that I can relate to and ask for support.
My advice to students is simple: stay curious and step out of your comfort zone! Asking questions was a tool that I often overlooked for fear of sounding inexperienced, but my short time at the bank has shown me that curiosity opens you up to so many opportunities to learn and grow. It shows your peers that you are engaged and always looking to improve your knowledge. Early in my university career, networking was far outside of my comfort zone. It wasn’t until the end of university when I truly started to put myself out there and start networking. Now that I look back, I can see how much networking has helped kickstart my career and I only wish I did it sooner. Whatever stepping outside of your comfort zone may look like to you (i.e. networking, putting your hand up, participating in difficult projects) I’d strongly encourage you to take the first step. The reward is always greater than the fear! Overall, finding the right job can be a difficult task, but there are so many opportunities out there for you. Just make sure to be patient, be persistent, and most importantly, stay true to yourself!
Interested in learning more about our Activate program and how to apply? Click here!
