Getting back to the business of in‑person networking

After a three-year hiatus, Management Career Services at Dal brought back its biggest event of the year: the Rowe Networking Night presented by RBC. And business students showed just how much they missed in-person networking opportunities by coming out in droves.

With 375 Commerce Co-op, Management, and Corporate Residency MBA students in attendance, it was the best attended Rowe Networking Night to date.

One of those students was Lauren Johnson, a fourth-year Commerce Co-op student. Lauren, who attended the last networking night in 2019 as a first-year student, is now in her final year of the program.

“As a first-year student, it was nerve wracking being in a room with so many employers, but what I didn’t know then was how important it was going to be for the future. Three years later here I am again,” says Lauren. “It was great to see employers and students in-person and networking. This event has been vital in practicing my networking skills and building my connections.”

Career-building conversations

Robert Wooden, director of Management Career Services, says that it was exciting to hear the buzz of networking in the room at the event late last month.

“Students and employer partners are eager to meet at events, whether that’s in-person or virtually, but the nature of in-person events creates more opportunities to organically have those career-building conversations. At Rowe Networking Night, students were able to meet employer partners face-to-face to discuss future work-integrated learning and post-grad employment opportunities, as well as gather career intelligence.”

More than 160 first-year students attended the event — organized with support from Management faculty members — less than a month into their degree, eager to make connections for future co-op and job opportunities.

Bila Gaite, a first-year Commerce Co-op student, feels that these opportunities to network are a valuable part of the program.

“I left the event with contacts from several different employers, and I got to discuss summer opportunities, future co-op opportunities, and how my degree will translate into various industries and positions. Attending this event was a wonderful way to get a foot in the door and begin to grow my network early,” says Bila.

Of the 74 employer partners representing 29 organizations who came out to meet our student talent, 25 per cent of them were Dalhousie alumni looking to reconnect with their alma mater and give back to the students who are where they once where — just starting out in their careers.

Bridging the gap between education and employment

The event was also supported by 11 employer sponsors, including presenting sponsor RBC, Management Career Services’ top employer partner from 2021. “RBC was proud to be presenting sponsor of Rowe Networking Night after three years away. It was amazing to be back, meeting and connecting with hundreds of incredible Dalhousie students,” says Mike Parcon, manager of business markets at RBC and an alumnus of Dalhousie’s Corporate Residency MBA program. “Partnerships with organizations like Dalhousie are especially important and help bring RBC Future Launch to life as we help Canadian students bridge the gap between education and employment.”

Students and employer partners alike seemed excited to be back in-person, making professional connections for the future.

“For many of the students, it was their first networking event, and we are so proud of them for showing up and putting in the effort to advance their professional development. Employer partners commented that our business students present exceptionally well,” says Wooden. “Thank you to everyone who attended, both students and employer partners, it was a great success.”