Hannah Teetzel (she/her) is a fourth-year Math and Business Administration student. In her blog, Hannah discusses finding her passion through unique co-ops, learning from all her experiences and the importance of being there for one another in the workplace.
Hannah's co-op journey:
Work term one: At the , Hannah worked as an accounting intern with the damages and forensic investigations team. Her role was very research heavy as she engaged in a lot of quality checking of reports and entry-level work.
Work term two: Hannah鈥檚 second work term was at . Here, she helped with small business valuations. Coming from a huge legal firm to a smaller team helped her refine her valuation skills and become more familiar with processes.
Work term three: At , Hannah worked as an accountant. Since it was a startup she wore many hats, taking on marketing work and designing slide decks for investors.
Q&A with Hannah:
What challenges did you face during your co-op terms?
鈥淣ot beating myself up during the co-op process. My first work term was during the summer of COVID and I remember really feeling bad when I didn鈥檛 get a co-op. A few of my peers got positions through their pre-existing connections but I didn鈥檛 get one.鈥
鈥淧eople should realize that this is normal and they don鈥檛 need to worry too much about it. If you鈥檙e in a position where you can take a role that you鈥檙e unsure about, remember that it鈥檚 only four months. In the grand scheme of things, you can do anything for one term. You鈥檒l learn a lot more on the job than by doing nothing.鈥
鈥淢y aunt always tells me to cast my net wide because then you catch as much as you can. So don鈥檛 beat yourself up if you can鈥檛 find a co-op, but at the same time work really hard and utilize your connections.鈥
What has been your biggest learning from co-op?
鈥淲hen you go into co-op, you need to realize that you don鈥檛 know everything. I am a perfectionist and this was a challenge in a new environment. So, going into the working world, I was a little shell-shocked because everyone knew so much more than me. It was very nerve-wracking. But it鈥檚 important to remember that the reason that we鈥檙e in co-op is to learn.鈥
鈥淭he reason we鈥檙e there is so people can help us extend our learnings further. My boss at BDO used to say, 鈥淚t鈥檚 better to talk to someone than to grind your gears鈥. It can be frustrating sitting there for an hour, working hard to break through a problem. It鈥檚 okay to go to your boss and say, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what I鈥檓 looking at and I need some help.鈥 You鈥檙e not there because you know everything, you鈥檙e there to learn.鈥
What advice do you have for someone looking for their first co-op?
鈥淚鈥檝e gotten a lot of insights from my sister who is working in campus recruiting. If it鈥檚 your second time applying and you haven鈥檛 necessarily bettered your resume from the first time, try taking a course. For math students, has amazing financial modelling courses to help you grasp how to use Excel. Just taking a course or doing something on the side to better yourself always helps.鈥
鈥淎nother thing is to put yourself out there and take risks. Email people, say hello, introduce yourself and go to events. I remember in my first year, I didn鈥檛 really apply myself. What really helped my r茅sum茅 was putting my small business on it, I could showcase transferable skills from other ventures. Add anything that shows your willingness to learn and take risks. People who have passion and show that drive can be taught.鈥
What did you really enjoy about the culture at Secretariat?
鈥淚t was a workspace where deadlines are unavoidable - to both lawyers and clients. What I like about the culture here is no one man is left alone. There are often times where we work later hours simply because the work needs to get done. We鈥檙e always there for each other and we鈥檙e always willing to lend a helping hand. It made me feel like I was part of a family. I knew people have my back and were more than willing to help when I needed it.鈥
What do you do to stay organized?
鈥淢y calendar is my best friend - it鈥檚 synced to all my devices, so I鈥檓 notified about everything. Every morning when I wake up, I also write a to-do list. Being a part-time student, and working part-time at the Secretariat, I have two different schedules to juggle. Having everything in writing for me to look at really helps.鈥
鈥淚 always connect with the person I am working with at the beginning and end of the day. At the beginning to discuss what needs to be done, at the end of the day I make sure everything was done.鈥
What鈥檚 next for you?
鈥淎 lot of travel, for one. My partner and our best friends have planned a big graduation trip. I鈥檓 also working towards some professional designations. I want to get my Certified Business Valuation designator first and then work towards my Certified Public Accountant certification. I鈥檓 excited to return to Secretariat as a full-time employee and expand my learning. I鈥檓 constantly reading and listening to podcasts to extend my career and live my personal life.鈥