Unpublished Edition 2010

theexecutivemagazineapril 2010 | FRee

Promoting Individual

Achievement

Graduation?What Next?Start Making A Connection For Potiential Employment

a regional win for winDSor | cheungS traDing co. | Be a winner!

theexecutivemagazine april 2010 | 3

inside iSSueTHEexecutiveMAGAZINE

Promoting Individual AchievementApril 2010 | Volume 4 Issue 3

The content of this magazine is compiled by our team at the Odette School of Business. THE EXECUTIVE magazine is a SIFE Windsor venture.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFAaron Mailloux

ASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEFTina Hwang

CREATIVE DIRECTOREllen Nyarko

WRITERSRyan ByrneRashenka De SilvaMonique DiotteAlexander GeorgeJosh KonopaskySarah MaccaroneChris MaillouxJessica Newman

COPY EDITORHailey Kersey

GRAPHICS AND DESIGNTina HwangEllen Nyarko

PHOTOGRAPHYLubna AminEllen NyarkoVedant Pandey

ADVERTSING AND SALESPeter GubaAaron MaillouxVedant Pandey

SIFE Windsor 2009-2010 Management team

Aaron MaillouxPRESIDENT

Tarek DandachVICE PRESIDENT

Sarim EhteshamVP OF FINANCE

Josh KonopaskyVP OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Bradley OuelletteVP OF TECHNOLOGY

Lubna AminVP OF MARKETING

Anirudh DobriyaVP OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Martin DudaniecVP OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Special thanks to Dean Allan Conway, Prof. James Marsh, Dr. Jonathon Lee and all Odette staff whose support make this publication and all SIFE Windsor functions possible.

COVER

10

what MaKeS a winner?

SucceSS uPon

graDuation

14

Get cONNecteD

[email protected]

SIFE WindsorJOIN GROUP

sifewindsorBECOME A FOLLOWER

sifewindsor.comWEBSITE

17

Sife winDSor naMeDregional chaMPionS

coVer StorY

featurette

Sife aDVice

4 | april 2010 theexecutivemagazine

SiFe address

aaron MaillouxPresident, SIFE Windsor

Business Commerce4th Year Finance

Odette School of Business

i am pleased to present to our read-ers our Spring Edition of the Exec-utive Magazine! You are a fourth

year student; you have no job lined up. What do you do now? You will find the answers in this edition! Tips on how to interview, where to look for prospects and what you need to know to succeed are all contained in this publication. Articles that are also included cover the importance of a winning mindset, interviews with local e n t r e p r e -neurial suc-cess stories and SIFE Windsor’s win at Re-gionals!

For the sec-ond year in a row SIFE W i n d s o r has captured the title of TD Entrepreneurship Regional Champion at the 2010 ACE Central Canada Regional Exposition. Our team of 23 students competed with 17 universities and colleges from Ontario and Quebec for the title of Regional Champions representing the Odette School of Business and the University of Windsor. The com-petition took place between March 7th and 9th, 2010. It was a brand new experience for 19 of the 23 attendees, and we look forward to seeing the effect that the trip will have on the team’s performance.

We at SIFE Windsor will now move on to compete at the 2010 ACE National Exposition in May for a chance to claim the title of the TD

Entrepreneurship National Champion. This is well deserved, as our team of 41 strong has dedicated more than 11,336 volunteer hours (this year alone) and has had over $399,090 in economic impact.

This has been a pivotal year for SIFE Windsor with a 400% increase in membership and a doubling of our current project portfolio. Our

team continues to strive for higher heights as we transition into our new Fiscal Year 2010-2011 with a newly elected Executive team. As for the magazine, I look forward to the exponential growth that the new Editor-in-Chief will impress on this publication. It has such potential for growth.

Thanks for all who have supported my term as Editor-in-Chief. I can’t describe the value this position has given me. I hope you enjoy my last edition as your Editor-in-Chief!

Sincerely yours,

Aaron MaillouxEditor-in-Chief

"this has been a pivotal year for Sife windsor with a 400% increase in membership and a

doubling of our current project portfolio."

For the past twenty-five years, this family-run business has been offering a wide variety of health solutions. Since its opening, Cheung's Trading Company has grown to become the largest Chinese health food store in Southern Ontario.

Why such a unique name?

In Hong Kong, health food stores are usually called “trading com-panies.” My parents came from Hong Kong, so they kept the name “trading company” when they moved to Canada.

Tell us about your previous job experience and what value it had in getting you to where you are today.

I’ve always worked in my family business but decided to get experi-ence in the field of advertisement. The first job I had out of school was selling computers at Future Shop. Afterwards, I worked for 12 years in advertising and telecommunications. This learning experi-ence has made a much more valuable employee.


CHEUNG'S

TRADING COMPANYLocal family business celebrates 25 years of success

What’s it like operating a family business?

The great part about Cheung’s Trading Company being a family business is the high level of trust—everyone trusts everyone much more, and trust is very important to cus-tomers. One of the challenges, however, is insuring that work doesn’t come home with you.

What is it about your job that makes you come to work every day?

The business makes an impact on people’s lives. This is one of the great motivations—helping people who come into my store. It’s an extremely gratifying job and be-ing able to see the changes in people’s health makes it all worthwhile.

How do you differentiate yourself from your Windsor competitors?

First of all, very few places offer both acupuncture and a retail store out front. It’s a one stop shop. You can come see someone like my dad for treatment, and he recom-mends herbs for you to take so it’s all about convenience. Our wide variety of selection means we have something for everyone, and we are highly knowledgeable about all of our products.

What is the biggest problem your business faces?

The biggest problem is getting people to believe in the business. First you have to convince people that the treat-ments work, and then convince them that it is necessary to follow the plan that is prescribed. Dealing with miscon-ceptions is a big problem to deal with. The Internet pres-ents a challenge but also helps educate our customers.

What strategies do you have to reduce the challenges?

We’ve had a website for the last 6 years in an effort to stay ahead of the curve. Online local classified ad services such as Kijiji have helped the business immensely, along with Craigslist. With the state of the current economy, people have moved across the country so we now offer services to ship across Canada, the USA, and to Europe.

Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Don’t be afraid to be different. Everyone thinks they are creative, and innovative; truth is, most companies are re-active rather than proactive. It takes a lot of guts to make the leap and try new ideas. No risk, no reward.♦

Cheung's Trading Company is located at2030 Wyandotte Street West

More information is available atwww.cheungstrading.com

RIGHT:Steven Cheung,

of Cheung's TradingCompany

LOcaL entrepreneur


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If you are interested in becoming part of the Centre for

Business Advancement and Research (CBAR) team or,

if you are interested in the services offered by CBAR,

contact us at: (519) 253-3000 Ex (4627); 360 Sunset

Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4. Or visit our website

at: www.cbarwindsor.com .

CBAR BOOK REVIEW

Rashenka De Silva Bachelor of BusinessAdministration,University of [email protected]

Rashenka De Silva is current-ly in her fourth year of study at the University of Windsor. Upon graduation, she would like to continue her education to pursue a degree in Law. Playing many roles within the University and the Windsor community, Rashenka is also the President of the Business International Students' Club at the Odette School of Busi-ness, and the Vice Presi-dent of the International Students Society.

Becoming a New Managerby Linda A. HillReviewed by Rashenka De Silva

The pocket mentor “Becoming a New Manager” by Linda A Hill pro-vides expert solutions to everyday chal-lenges managers face on the job every-day. This book is packed with handy tools, self-tests as well as real life exam-ples to help new managers identify their strengths and weaknesses and hone crit-ical skills.

The book starts off by mentioning all too common myths about manage-ment and replaces them with corre-sponding truths. Some of the common myths discussed in the book are believ-ing you’ll be using the same skills as individual contributors, imagining that you’ll have more power than you had as an individual contributor, having a lot more freedom and control, and learning the job primarily through training. But in reality, the skills that lead to success as an individual contributor differ mark-edly from those needed to manage. Even though managers have more for-mal authority power, this doesn’t guar-antee that a manager has influence. It’s also true that in reality, managers have far less freedom and more moments of uncertainty. Lastly a manager’s best teacher would be the on the job experi-ence one accumulates once beginning serving in one’s new role.

It’s also discussed in great detail how managers must balance their own expectations of the role with those of their boss, peers and direct reports. Though it’s inevitable that inter role conflict will be present, all three groups are important and need the attention to start building up productive relation-ships.

As suggested in the book, some of the critical skills that a new manager should master would be becoming an agenda setter, becoming a network

builder and taking a broader view of all aspects of the job. “A team is more than just of group of people who work together, rather it’s small number of individuals with complementary skills who are committed to a common pur-pose, share performance goals and an approach to their mission for which they hold themselves collectively accountable.” As creating teams is criti-cal for improved productivity and employee motivation, a manager should learn how to fine tune the managerial style to fit various team situations. Managing individual employees raise some unique challenges to new manag-ers. Therefore, it’s recommended that for a beginner the appropriate manage-rial style is directive, for a disillusioned employee the coaching style would be appropriate, for a reluctant employee the supportive style, and finally for a peak performer more delegating mana-gerial style would be appropriate.

In addition, it’s essential to under-stand the diversity in a group and shapethe culture accordingly. “To some managers, fair treatment means identical treatment. But fairness really means finding the best way to help each direct report succeed.” Another important concept discussed in the book is strength-ening your emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence comprises of five components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill. “Managers who worked to develop their EI outperformed their own yearly earning goals by 20 percent.”

As a newly promoted manager it’s common to not know what to expect, have role strain and endless problem solving. You may also feel isolated and endless burdens of leadership. Therefore, it’s advised that managers don’t neglect their personal life, get enough leisure time and relaxation, talk about concerns with supportive peers, take care of their health and finally keep their job in proper perspective. “Eventually, the hard work of transitioning into the managerial role will pay dividends. You’ll find that you’re satisfying important psychological needs, developing professional skills and collaborating more with others.” I believe that this pocket mentor is a must read for all the new graduates who will be stepping in to the real world to commence their career, to be successful and have a smooth transition to the new role of manage-ment.♦

No doubt the declining fortunes of US auto makers have left a long trail of dust and destruction in Windsor. The tool and dye shops have grinded to a halt, and Windsor is feeling the pinch. According to Canadian auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers, one in six jobs in Windsor is tied to the auto industry. No wonder then that at 12.4% Windsor has the highest unemployment rate in Canada (Source: Statscan, February 2010 data), but don’t turn the lights out just yet. Compared to the previous month, 1800 more Wind-sorites were working and 400 fewer were unemployed in February.

To its credit, Windsor is considered one of the smartest communities in the world—#21 in fact, according to a rating by Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), a think-tank that studies the economic and social develop-ment of the 21st century community. ICF’s rating is based on Windsor’s ability to adapt to the demands of the new economy and pro-vide sustainable renewal and growth.

So where is this renewal and growth happen-ing in Windsor? Specifically what industries should a budding entrepreneur focus on, and what are the avenues available to him/her to participate in the emerging opportunities in Windsor?

The auto industry and ancillary businesses have provided Windsor the basic infrastruc-ture necessary for an emerging opportunity in wind energy. Further, studies have found that wind conditions in Windsor are ideal for wind farms, and several Canadian, US, and international players in the wind energy market have already taken their initial steps

in Windsor. According to Utilipoint Interna-tional, a company that provides research and advisory services to the energy sector, one megawatt of electricity produced by wind turbines is equal to the electricity that 300 homes use in one year. With North Ameri-ca’s increasing appetite for everything green, it is conceivable that a cleaner source of en-ergy such as wind could stay in the limelight for years to come.

The same can be said for solar energy. 500 of the largest rooftops in Windsor will soon be covered in solar panels, and new solar-based businesses such as Green Sun Rising are set-ting up in Windsor-Essex.

The technology sector is another promising area. The Connecting Windsor-EssexTM Smart Community initiative intends to make Windsor one of the world’s most connected regions, bringing together individuals and organizations “at the speed of life.” In ad-dition, the Softech Alliance Network (SAN) already has several initiatives to drive eco-nomic growth using the information and communication technology industry in Southwestern Ontario. To this end, SAN partners with technology companies, edu-cational institutions, and government to ac-celerate the development of the technology sector in the region.

Agri-business continues to be the leading industry in Essex, employing more people than the auto industry. Essex is one of the most concentrated greenhouse clusters in the world and continues to grow. Related work might include environmental initia-tives, such as water treatment technologies

and alternative fuels.

Another sector to watch is the film indus-try. The state of Michigan has introduced significant tax incentives for studios to film movies in the state. Windsor can leverage its position on the border and the University of Windsor’s strong Communication Stud-ies and Dramatic Arts to receive spinoff benefits. Additionally, this is a sector where technology-savvy entrepreneurs can make a difference, for example in digital media.

Finally, the Windsor-Essex region is on the cusp of huge infrastructure investments from the Federal and Provincial governments. The construction of a new highway and cross-border bridge will bring many related jobs to the area, as will other significant projects in each of the towns and municipalities of the region.

The turnaround in Windsor will largely hinge upon the ability of its educational in-stitutions to foster innovation, collaborate with local businesses, and prepare the city’s youth for tomorrow. The local government and the industry need to focus on retaining this talent. The Odette School of Business’ Centre for Business Advancement and Re-search, the tech incubator at the University of Windsor and St. Clair College’s Self-Em-ployment Assistance initiatives are just a few examples of how our educational institutions are pulling their weight.

With such focused efforts and promising in-dustries shaping up, Windsor should be out of the woods sooner rather than later.♦

If you are interested in becoming part of the Centre for Business Advancement and Research (CBAR) team or, if you are interested in the services offered by CBAR, contact us at: (519) 253-3000 ext. 4627; 360 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4. Or visit our website at: www.cbarwindsor.com

The New Avenues For Entrepreneurship In WindsorAlexander George

ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENT

On March 8th, 2010, we com-peted against seventeen of Ontario’s most prestigious universities to prove that

SIFE Windsor is fostering change through entrepreneurship. SIFE (students in free enterprise) is a non-profit, international organiza-tion whose mission is to improve the economy by encouraging entre-preneurship. Each team is to devel-op new projects with an entrepre-neurial foundation. These projects are presented every year at the ACE regional championships and are judged based on their economic im-pact. The ACE regional competition has the focus of three entrepreneur-ship categories: financial literacy, environmental sustainability and entrepreneurship. This year, SIFE Windsor focused on three main pro-grams: “SIFE Financial”, “SIFE En-vironment”, and “Start to Finish.” These projects required months of planning, organizing, and initiating

to ensure we were ready to compete in this prominent competition. As we readied ourselves to present in Toronto, we had to not only prepare our speeches and videos, but we had to learn to cooperate as a team and have confidence in one another. Our entrepreneurship pro-gram, “Start to Finish” is one of SIFE Windsor’s three on-going programs. Start to Finish is a four-phase initiative which gives hopeful entrepreneurs the chance to start or save a business. The first phase in the Start to Finish process is Demo Camp. Demo Camp is designed to encourage participation and draw new coming ideas into the program. Demo Camp is SIFE Windsor’s con-nection to the entrepreneurial spirit in our community. Aspiring entre-preneurs from all walks of life are invited to participate in an open fo-rum discussion about the strengths, weaknesses, and potential of their ideas. Since SIFE Windsor has real-

ized that many people do not think of themselves as capable of starting their own company, Demo Camp is designed to inspire the inner entre-preneur in the audience and encour-age innovative thought. Members of our team, the University faculty, and local professionals watched dozens of presentations, ranging from ab-stract ideas to developed business plans. Feedback was given to these students about the potential down-falls, problems, and difficulties they may encounter pursuing their business ideas but more important-ly the potential of these ideas in the business world. Demo Camp has an average turn-out of fifty spectators and three presenters twice every semester. Any idea which proves to be a reputable business moves on to the second stage of this program, F.U.S.E. (fostering unique sustain-able entrepreneurship). Project F.U.S.E. gives one-on-one advice and consultation to business own-

featurette

FOSTERINGCHANGE

THROUGHENTREpRENEURSHIp

It took four years of development, ten on-going projects, forty-one active members, 3 programs, and one presentation for SIFE Windsor to win the title of Entrepreneurship Champions at the ACE regional competition in Toronto for the second consecutive year.


Andrew Peterson of SIFE Marketing holds the 2010 ACE TD SIFE Entrepreneurship Regional Champion Award.

kicker here

12 | april 2010 theexecutivemagazine theexecutivemagazine april 2010 | 13

ers who need guidance with their business ideas; the idea is to give an overview of the right steps for new entrepreneurs to take in their journey. Our student consultants are selected according to experi-ence, academic success and entre-preneurial drive to ensure the best possible advice. In F.U.S.E.’s short eight-month history, thirteen cli-ents have already completed or are in the process of completing this stage of our comprehensive Start to Finish Entrepreneurial Program. After completing F.U.S.E., selected entrepreneurs move to phase three of our program – CBAR (The Cen-ter for Business Advancement and Research). CBAR works with en-trepreneurs to analyze and gauge

the current position of a business. From this in depth analysis, CBAR student representatives work close-ly with entrepreneurs to produce concrete results. According to the weaker aspects of the business’s position, CBAR students work to improve on these areas in the form of business plans, marketing strate-gies, and branding awareness cam-paigns. Phase four of the program is NUVO (Networking Universi-ties with Venture Opportunities), which is a web-based project that links start-up companies with stu-dents that value hands-on business experience. NUVO offers a unique linkage between start up companies and university students. Qualified businesses are matched up with motivated students willing to help the companies with their respective development. This final phase of Start to Finish combines the results of the previous phases and helps with the real-world implementation to get companies started. “Start to Finish” is a constantly improving initiative and is only the beginning to the many operations of SIFE Windsor. SIFE Windsor’s wide range of projects enabled us to present in all three categories at the ACE

competition. Although our entre-preneurship category is our most established, we showcased success-ful projects in both financial literacy and environmental initiatives. Our newest project, “Dollars and $ense” was the focus of our financial liter-acy presentation. This project was a four-week seminar which focused on a different aspect of wise money management. Dollars and Sense had an outstanding turnout of 170 people, all giving positive feed-back about the discussed financial advice. During our environmental presentation, we focused on a new project called “Green Corridor” where different aspects of environ-mental initiatives are benchmarked and show how environmentally friendly practices can easily save costs. Both of these installments are newly developed and on-going, which will no doubt bring successes in future competitions. All three initiatives were showcased and presented when we competed in Toronto. We had ten minutes to explain our months of work put into project development. We had ten minutes to share our sucuccesses. We had ten minutes to prove to our province that SIFE Windsor is the most entrepreneur-

featurette

ial. We prepared our presentation for weeks, memorizing every word, perfecting every video and master-ing question and answer material. We wanted our year of dedication to be appreciated as we were be-ing evaluated and questioned by top CEOs from companies such as TD, KPMG and Scotia Bank. These people were not only our judges but our potential future employers. We came to Toronto to make an impres-sion and SIFE Windsor was deter-mined to show how we are making a difference in our community. In ten minutes, SIFE Windsor united as a team to show the judges that we can foster change through en-trepreneurship. With minimal sleep the night before we took the stage, we were feeling a variety of emo-tions—from curiosity to anxiety—but we were undeniably ready! When SIFE Windsor en-tered the presentation room, we made a statement. The entire team showed support as each group gave its presentation. We cheered, we ap-plauded, and we had pride – pride for our work, pride for our contri-butions and pride for our team. Our presentations were nearly flaw-less and our question and answer periods were in-depth; however,

the stress did not cease. Our blood began to rush, our palms began to sweat and our minds began to trace areas where we could have elabo-rated further. But it was too late to change anything; all that could be done was wait to hear the results. We knew we made a statement, but what was its impact? The awards ceremony im-mediately followed the presenta-tions. We nervously waited in an-ticipation to hear our name called for first prize. We made a change in our community. We followed our dreams and expanded upon our ideas. We at SIFE Windsor had bet-tered people’s lives. The awards were not for competition, rather, for the recognition of every SIFE mem-ber’s care and dedication to better-ing their community. Our “Start to Finish” program proved to be vic-torious in the entrepreneurship cat-egory. The judges were impressed with the high turn-out of commu-nity involvement and the amount of businesses that have been started or saved as a result of “Start to Fin-ish.” We were the leaders of entre-preneurialism in our region. Thus, with four years of development, ten on-going proj-ects, forty-one active members,

three programs, and one presenta-tion, SIFE Windsor was victori-ous. It was not because we were the champions of the ACE regional entrepreneurship category; it was because of what the SIFE organi-zation had taught us. We learned to develop our projects to best serve the City of Windsor. Through our countless hours of collective work, we learned how to come together as a team to make a difference in our community. This past year has been SIFE Windsor’s most success-ful to date. In addition to our prize, membership has grown by almost four-hundred percent! We began five new and successful projects. In this great expansion, SIFE Windsor continues to be the leading force be-hind the shift to improving our cit-ies troubled economy. We can make a change, we ARE the difference. WE ARE SIFE WINDSOR AND WE ARE FOSTERING CHANGE THROUGH ENTREPRENEUR-SHIP! ♦

By: Jessica Newman

SIFE WINdSOR'S

WIdE RANGE OF pROjECTS ENAblEd US

TO pRESENT IN All THREE CATEGORIES AT THE

ACE COmpETITION

kicker hereIDENTIFYING

OPPORTUNITIESToday’s job search has become increas-

ingly complex. Each day a new “job search” site is born. There are a lot of positive aspects

associated with the internet; however, some pitfalls do exist. We need to be careful to not use the search

engines as our crutch. The following are some tips on how to effectively search:

• Always link back to the organization’s website. When you apply directly through a search engine site, your application must meet their screening process and then go on to the screening process of the employer. Why bother with two screening processes? Apply directly to the organization’s site.

• Use many different key words. When you habitually type in “Finance Position in Toronto, ON,” your search results will only display organizations that have entered those exact words. In today’s labour market, organizations are look-ing for ways to differentiate themselves, often giving their job titles unique keywords that may not show up in your searched results.

• Check often. Some organizations are facing quick turn-around times for job postings and if you’re not regularly checking for them – you will miss out on the opportunity.

• Think like an end user. If you think – “what would that HR representative type into their database of resumes if they were looking for someone like me…?” Make sure you have that keyword somewhere on your resume or cover letter.

Common examples are having BComm, CSC, MBA, and CFA in-

cluded with the long version of the

acronym.

There are over 400 students who are graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce this April from Odette. How are you going to compete? Why would an employer hire you over someone else? Understanding how to identify opportunities, market yourself in your application, prepare a realistic time line before you’re done your last semester, and represent yourself well for the interview are key steps in ensuring you make a connection for potential employment.

MARKETING YOURSELF IN YOUR

APPLICATION Be sure you consider the following when you write up your resume and cover letter:• WhateducationalopportunitiesexperienceshaveIhad?• WhatskillshaveIdevelopedfrommy:

o Previous work/volunteer experienceso Summer jobs o Academic/research projectso Campus and extracurricular activities

• Whatweremymajoraccomplishments?• DidIsuperviseortrainothers?• Cantheresultsofmyworkbemeasured?• HowdidImakeadifferenceinthisposition?

The process of ensuring you have matched your skills and experiences with what the employer has indicated they are looking for is the key link to landing that illustrious interview.

READY

SETGRADUATE

By: Monique Diotte, Career Advising Coordinator, Odette Career and

Placement Services

"At Odette, I was able to apply myself through countless opportunities and discover my true potential. A graduating GPA of 10, a portfolio of successful in-class projects and consulting experience with CBAR has helped me develop and hone my business skills. I am ready!"

SARIM ETHESAM

"Through valuable coursework and various opportunities to get involved, Odette has equipped me with the tools I need to succeed. Here, I discovered my competitive advantage was my ability to combine my art/design background with key marketing concepts. After graduation, I will be pursuing a graduate certificate in Advertising Management. My goal is to become a Creative Director or a Communications/Advertising Strategist".

ELLEN NYARKO

SIFE Creative Director4th Year - Marketing "My 4 years at Odette have

been amazing! From all the classes I took, to all the clubs I joined, Odette has given me the tools to succeed. Moving forward, I look to doing my MBA at Odette and writing my CFA. Ultimately, I see myself as a stock trader and business owner".

AARONMAILLOUX

SIFE President4th Year - Finance

SIFE VP of Finance4th Year - Finance

"Odette has been a tremendous learning experience. Not only has it taught me the necessary skills to compete in the business world, it offers amazing opportunities to get involved and put those skills to work even before stepping in the working world. I came to Odette expecting a degree, and received much more than I had hoped for. I intend on extending my experience here at Odette through the pursuit of my MBA".

JOSH KONOPASKY

SIFE VP of Human Resources4th Year - Human Resources

kicker here

FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE FOR ANY FOURTH YEAR STUDENT•Buy a suit: You're likely to wear one several times during your final year, whether attending career fairs, giving formal presentations in class, or going on inter-views. Although a suit can be pricey, think of it as an investment in your future.

•Polish up your resume and cover letter: Take ad-vantage of the free advice offered at the Odette Career and Placement Service, and always have an updated resume and cover letter on hand. “You never know when you'll meet someone who can get you a job,” says Kerry Gray, Manager, OCAPS.

•Practice Interviewing: Practice makes perfect! The Odette Career and Placement Service offers interview skills sessions and can arrange for you to participate in a mock interview.

•Create a portfolio: Many students forget about cre-ating a portfolio to showcase their work, but a collec-tion of notable work can give you an advantage when it comes to standing out among other job applicants. Portfolios featuring term papers, research projects, or work from summer internships are ideal.

•Go to career/job fairs: Attend a career/job fair if you're interested in the employers attending. Students often will apply for jobs they are only marginally interested in.

When the in-

terview doesn't go well because they

weren't into it, they get discouraged by the rejection.

• Take the GMATs, LSATs, or MCATs: Although you might be bogged down with coursework in your final year, it's a good idea to take required tests if you plan to continue your education in the near future. GRE, LSAT, and GMAT scores are valid for five years after your test date, and MCAT scores are valid for three years.

•Clean up your on-line presence: Start now—it will take a whole year to track down, un-tag, and delete in-formation you don't want potential employers seeing on the web.

• Gather reference information from professors and previous employers: Ideally, you should gather your references while in school and keep in touch with the professors or employers who wrote them after you graduate. Then, when an update becomes necessary, it will be easier to reach out for a more current version.

• If you're relocating, start looking for apartments and roommates a few months before you plan to move: Look for apartments or rooms to rent, and scout potential roommates. Also, start saving money for po-tential upfront costs such as the security deposit and first and last month's rent.

• Prepare a realistic timeline to ensure success! ♦

PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEWTip #1: Treat your entire job search process like it’s a school project. Prepare a “to-do” list as soon as you know you have an interview that includes what must be done two days before the interview, one day before an interview, and the day of the interview. Follow this routine consistently so you will not run into any issues.

Tip #2: The more prepared you are, the higher your chances for success. Practice your interview techniques on as many different individuals as possible - someone who can throw really tough questions at you and help you to focus on the answers.

Tip #3: Try on your interview suit two to three days before the interview. Ensure it's totally clean, that it fits well and that you feel good wearing it. Make sure it's comfortable to wear whether you are sitting across a desk or sitting

on a couch.

Tip #4: Have five copies of your resume, cover letter and the job description in a portfolio, just in case the interviewer misplaced yours before the interview. Don’t forget to bring a pen and

a prepared list of questions to ask! This way, you won't forget which questions you want to ask. It's totally acceptable to pull out your portfolio and

read the questions.

cover StORY

theexecutivemagazine april 2010 | 1716 | april 2010 theexecutivemagazine

WinningChris Mailloux

“If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?"

- Vince Lombardi I don’t know about you, but I love watching winners in action. This is why I loved watching the win-ter Olympics this past February. As I was watching a couple of the events, I started to think about the differences in thought patterns and the differences in mental and physi-cal attributes between the person who goes home with a gold medal and the person who goes home in last place. What is it? Is it luck, tal-ent, experience, passion or drive?

"A winner is someone who recognizes his God-driven talents, works his tail

off to develop them into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.”

- Larry Bird

Winning is something that most people like to do yet so few of us actually ac-complish. So what is the difference between a winner and those others who aren’t? Being a winner has a lot of ele-ments, but here are just a couple points that are essential in becom-ing a winner.

1. Having Clear Goals 2. Working in your Passion 3. Always Persevering

Focusing On Goals

"Map our your future, but do it in pencil.”

- Jon Bon Jovi

Having a clearly defined goal is critical. It is a proven fact that writ-ing your goals down greatly in-creases your chances of reaching them. Somehow, by writing it down your subconscious mind visualizes it better and starts to formulate a plan to achieve it.

In February 2003, USA Today pub-lished an article in which they had interviewed people from the year prior about their New Year’s reso-lutions for 2002. They then divided the people into two different cat-egories:

1. People who wrote their goals down 2. People who just thought about them

When they checked on them a year later only 4% of the people who just thought of their goals made any changes, but 46% of the people who wrote their goals down made changes to their lifestyles. That is a difference of a 110%! It clearly dis-plays that writing down your goals increases your rate of success.

"When there's no vision, the people perish”

- an old proverb

The other great benefit is when times get tough, you can easily go back and read over your visions and dreams, and it will help you to re-

new your passion and direction.

Having your goals written down is a great start but having goals that have clear mea-surements and time-lines is even better. It is essential to have measurements and time-lines built into your goals, but don’t stall on writing something down un-til you have the measurement and timeline done. When it comes to measurement and timelines, think of automotive racing. The goals here can be pretty clear - make the car go around the track within a certain time limit and/or the car has to be the first car across the check-ered line at the end of the race. Be clear. Be precise

Don’t be afraid to dream big. Aim high, but don’t be scared to write it down.

I have found that setting my long term goals can be fairly easy. It is odd that it seemed to get harder when I started mapping out my short term goals. The key is to make your short term goals so clearly defined that you are able to incorporate bite size pieces of them into your daily life. Passion

"Second place is just the first place loser.”

- Kyle Busch, NASCAR Driver

How badly do you want it? The

SiFe advice


headline herekicker hereSiFe advice


word passion, according to Web-ster’s dictionary, is a word that comes from the Latin word passio, which means to suffer or to endure. My definition of having a passion for something is to burn with de-sire, to want it more than anything else. It’s all you think about, dream about and when you wake up, you think of it. What do you dream about? What do you look forward to doing? I enjoy watching a NA-SCAR race. One of the most pas-sionate drivers that I have seen re-cently is Kyle Busch. You can tell by how he talks, by how he drives the car, by how upset he gets when he loses a race and by how he cel-ebrates when he wins, that he is one passionate person.

“A great leader's courage to fulfill his vi-sion comes from passion, not position.”

- John C. Maxwell

You can think you have all the pas-sion in the world, but until you walk the walk, do the hard stuff and get your hands dirty, you may be just full of hot air. The Great Teacher said, “You will know them by their fruit”

In my opinion, passion isn’t any-thing until there is a physical rep-resentation. Here is a great real life example: I need to exercise at least every other day. Now I would want to say that I am passionate about being healthy and about keeping fit, but if I am not consistently working out once or twice a week (no physi-cal representation) then I am not passionate about it. I am all talk.

Verbal passion plus physical action equals: A Passionate Person

Perseverance

“If you're not making mistakes, you're not taking risks, and that means you're not going anywhere. The key is to make

mistakes faster than the competition, so you have more changes to learn and

win.” - John W. Holt, Jr.

We all have failed at something. I would rather try and fail, then to not try at all. I have had some big fail-ures in business. Every time I fail, it just makes me want to win that much more.

As I am sure we all know that I would be lying if I said that life is going to be easy. There are always ups and downs. Celebrate the highs and learn from them. Learn from the lows to ensure you won’t have to go through them again, but don’t stop. Don’t give up. That is why it is important to have clear, precise goals in a written form. When times get rough you can refer to them to give you encouragement and hope. Al-so, by referring to your goals, it puts a perspective on your current situation, and it will give you the energy you need to keep going. I like what Arnold Palmer says: “It's a funny thing, the more I practice the luckier I get”.

A major key in persevering is mak-ing sure our attitude is correct. It is so easy to have our attitudes off a bit. A great example in regards to keep-ing our attitude in check is the use of the term in the aeronautic field. The attitude of an airplane is the orientation of the aircraft in relation to earth. The attitude indicator is an instrument used by the pilot to indi-cate pitch and bank or roll. There is a very interesting parallel between

the attitude of an airplane and your attitude in your personal life. At-titude determines your destination whether you want it to or not. Even if it is off a tiny bit, the result in the end could be huge. Where is your attitude? We all have days when our attitude is less than desirable, but I am talking about your average level throughout a given week. Are you positive? Are happy? Do you see your world has half full? Or half empty? If you are one who is con-tinually trying to improve yourself, then read books on attitude. Read biographies. Learn how great peo-ple overcame tremendous odds and begin to apply those attributes to your own life. Do an attitude check daily to ensure that you’re going in the direction where you want to go. “We choose what attitudes we have right

now. And it's a continuing choice.” - John C. Maxwell

"Losers live in the past. Winners learn from the past and enjoy working in the

present toward the future.” - Denis Waitley

Get started today. Write your goals and dreams down and work them into your daily life. I enjoyed watching the Olympics and the opportunity to watch true winners win. But I think I will stay out of professional sports and be a gold medalist in my Olympic size arena: Business.♦

After graduating from Brown Univer-sity’s Master Program in Innovation Manage-ment and Entrepreneur-ship, Ryan returned to Wind-sor-Essex County to utilize the skills he developed for a new ven-ture. Having tutored throughout his university years, Ryan saw an op-portunity to use technology and the internet to help connect struggling students to tutors in the local area. He looked at a number of issues that faced students trying to find a tutor. For example, where can you go to find a knowledgeable tutor? How does one tell a good tutor from a bad tutor? How can one find an affordable tutor? In order to con-nect students with their ideal match, Ryan created ProvideTutors.com.

His web based service allows you to search an online directory of tu-tors filtered by a number of criteria such as subjects, education levels, and price. You can view the tutor’s background information and their

pas t clients’ re-

views. If you are interested

in connecting with a particular tu-

tor, you can contact the tu-tor via email at no charge. In having a comprehensive website allowing users to filter through a large di-rectory of potential tutors, they are more likely to find a suitable tutor. This website also provides a place for tutors and students to share helpful educational resources and blogs. In addition, tutors can post documents, URLs, tutorials, assign-ments, or anything that they wish to share with their clients or the online community of tutors. Furthermore, this service will provide an oppor-tunity for aspiring, as well as prac-tised tutors to reach a wider market and generate new clientele. "I hope to build a searchable online community to find the most quali-

fied and passionate tutors i n the area and connect them with

students in need of their services." ProvideTutors.com was launched in December 2009 and is free to all customers during the beginning promotional period. Please visit providetutors.com if you are a tu-tor looking to generate more clients or someone looking for help in a particular subject manner. You can also contact Ryan Byrne at [email protected].♦

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headline herekicker hereSiFe interview

first job?

A: To get a job after graduation I used mainly net-working skills. I had people I know in Human Re-source positions help review my resume and cover let-ters. I passed my resume to all my contacts in case they came across an opportunity to pass it along for any open positions. I also asked a lot of people about their jobs and what they enjoyed to get ideas on what positions to apply for.

Q: Describe your first employment experience.

A: I became an analyst with the strategic sourcing under TD’s corporate services division. For those who have never heard of strategic sourcing (because I had never before) it was the department responsible for pur-chasing any large products and services for the entire bank. It was great to finally start working full time, especially receiving pay cheques. It ended up being a crash course in office politics! A game which I initially did not know how to play nor had the personality to entertain some of the things that were happening as a result. I was able to work on some great projects and learn many skills, but at the end of the day I couldn’t hide that I didn’t really have a passion for what I was doing. After only ten months of working in my posi-tion I decided to cut my losses and leave. I made sure to leave on good terms; I thanked them for the oppor-tunity they had given me, expressing I felt I was better suited elsewhere. Leaving the company was the most devastating part. There were no other positions avail-able within TD matching my skill level.

Q: Are you currently employed? If so, where?

A: I recently just became employed again. One of the internal TD business units that I was working with as a sourcing analyst had some positions open up. They sent me an email asking me to apply for the job as they felt

I would be a great fit. I was offered the job after my in-terview and am now working in a higher level position as a Project Manager for the Fraud Management Team at TD Bank. In the end, leaving turned out to be the best thing I could have done for my career at TD.

Q: Do you have any advice for current Odette School of Business, University of Windsor students? Where should they focus: school, involvement, net-working, or a combination of all three?

A: The best edge is experience; you can gain experi-ence in school, getting involved, working, internships, volunteering and through job shadows. Networking is important to get you an interview but you will need ex-perience to answer the behavioral questions. One of the best things I discovered is creating a 30-60-90 Day Plan whenever applying for a job. Many people don’t take the time to do them and it really helps you understand what the job requires and whether or not it is something you can see yourself doing. The best advice is don’t worry about the pay. What matters the most is doing something you love; otherwise, work will become a chore and your chances of being successful will greatly decrease. Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: During the five months I had off between jobs, I co-founded a non-profit group that will focus on help-ing troubled teens build successful self-sustainable fu-tures. We are currently in the process of raising funding to build a retreat centre in a country setting that will be used for our youth programs and to generate revenue when used by outside groups. After we get things run-ning I plan on working with youth in our program and help them gain employment through skilled trades, in-ternships, and of course entrepreneurship!.♦

"The skills you gain from SIFE are the same skill sets you need in the business world. "

Q: Why did you become involved with SIFE?

A: I became involved with SIFE because it combined my two passions: business and making a difference. I had checked out a few of the other clubs on campus and they seemed okay but nothing really caught my eye un-til I received an email about SIFE starting up at Odette (ACE at that time) and all it had to offer. After attend-ing a few meetings and hearing about all the exciting projects, I was hooked.

Q: After graduating, did you find employment?

A: I travelled for a couple months after graduating as opposed to looking for a job. When I returned home the economy was starting to enter into the recession. Not the best time to start looking for a job. I decided to try and find a job within TD and applied for anything of interest on our internal website. I transferred to To-

ronto with my part-time position and found a full-time corporate level position within two months. I took the first job offered to me because I hadn’t gotten any other interviews and was fearful another opportunity may not come around for a while.

Q: Did you feel comfortable in your ability for the business world?

A: I felt very confident in my business ability; the skills you gain from SIFE are the same skill sets you need in the business world. I had a lot of material and experience to work with during my interview. Project management, organization, time management, and pre-sentation skills were a few of the many transferable skills I was able to take from my experience at Odette right into my job.

Q: What tools did you use when looking for your

RIGHT:Sarah Maccarone

AQ&Featuring Sarah Maccaronepast VP External/Internal Operations of sife windsor

20 | april 2010 theexecutivemagazine theexecutivemagazine april 2010 | 21

kicker hereCorporate Law in a Contemporary Context

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In this capitalist economy; “corpo-rations touch every part of our daily lives”, says Dr. Len Rotman, a mem-ber of the Faculty of Law. Corporate law, which monitors and legislates business practices, is vital to a healthy society. Though, its complexities can result in many gray areas, particularly when prosecuting big business.

Feelings about corporate law are shift-ing, something Rotman acknowledges and encourages. “Today’s generation of students expect a degree of cor-porate accountability”, says Rotman. Companies have an intrinsic responsi-bility to their communities. “I think the concern about account-ability has always been there,“ says Rotman, “but certainly not in as prom-inent a way as it is now.” Scandals, like those with Enron, have drawn the attention of the public and have helped people “recognize the connection be-tween ethics and business operations,” he says. “Academics who had been ar-guing in favour of such a connection are now receiving greater exposure for their work, which is then used to cor-roborate the connection.”

Rotman specializes in various aspects of Corporate Law, including Fiduciary Law, corporate governance, and com-parative corporate law.

“The goal of a business cannot be prof-itability alone,” Rotman says. “There must be consequences, for polluting an area, for instance. Profit and ethical business techniques are not mutually exclusive”, he says. “Corporate social responsibility, en-vironmental awareness, sustainability, ethical decision making, investment practices, and so many other impor-

tant corporate law issues have signifi-cant effects, not only on individuals, but on nations.” says Rotman. What is concerning is “given the tremendous impact that corporations have, we generally know very little about them and how they operate.”

In the classroom, Rotman takes into consideration context and accountabil-ity. Learning the law is different than understanding why it exists as it does, he says. “It’s important to examine the decision making process and what the laws are there to protect”. His hope is that he will encourage his students to recognize injustices, and when given the opportunity, work toward change in the future. “The greater public interest in corpo-rate law in recent years, has already had an impact on corporate practice and motivation, particularly with re-gard to corporate social responsibility. Consequently, any increased public awareness will likely bring with it an increased ability to influence corporate practices, either directly or through government regulation of their activi-ties,” Rotman says. Being aware of international corporate policies and how countries differ, for better or for worse, is also important; as it helps encourage new and multiple perspectives. It creates a well rounded experience and will hopefully lead to “better corporate citizens”, says Rot-man. Rather than focusing on sharehold-ers expectations and short-term gain, it is more important for business’ to remain consistently profitable by cre-ating a strong and ethical foundation. This feeling permeates the Canadian psyche and is fast becoming a more

globally acceptable ideology, Rotman says. With the inclusion of Windsor Law’s “access to justice” theme, focus on international legislation, and mul-tiple teaching aids, Rotman provides a wealth of perspectives and knowl-edge. “My favourite class is probably my fiduciary law class,” he says. “There are no more than a small handful of similar classes in law schools in Can-ada and the United States, and mine was one of the first. I am proud of its success and longevity.” Since its in-ception, an expansion of fiduciary law has occurred, which is a happy coinci-dence, says Rotman. The fact that teaching is so enjoyable is in large credit to the students, he says. “My goal is not only to educate students, but also to foster their enthu-siasm of the subject matter.” It is very rewarding, he says, opening students eyes to legal obligation and getting their feedback. Often students are “a valuable source of inspiration for my research.”

Dr. Len Rotman, member of University of Windsor's Faculty of Law.

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