A Profile of Rodrigo Santos, Business Administration Grad
My goals coming into Red River College were to understand business in Canada, start my network in a new country, and be ready to get a good job in the accounting field. RRC’s highly capable and knowledgeable instructors along with a vast set of social and extra-curricular opportunities helped me to successfully achieve my goals.
Academically, I would say that experienced instructors, who not only come from the job market but also still have several industry connections, staying updated on what the companies hiring graduates are looking for, were key to my academic success. Also, the Exchange District campus has a fantastic location in a business-like setting that benefits the Business Administration students attending this campus in getting a feel of how your daily life can be after college.
In my opinion what stands out the most about my RRC experience that prepared me to start my career is that the learning curriculum is totally focused in helping students succeed in their endeavours – whether you’re looking for a job, pursing further academic education, or starting your own business. Classes like Business Communications, where you learn how to communicate and behave professionally, build your resume, improve your LinkedIn profile between other important topics, were essential to assist me in getting interviews and eventually land good job.
If I must choose one single factor that helped me the most to get a good job right after college, that would be RRC social-networking and extra-curricular opportunities. I participated in the Directions Conference for 2017 and I was a Student Ambassador for the Directions Conference for 2018 both were great in helping me understand what the job market was looking for and networking with possible future employers. I was also a participant in the First Impressions Recruitment Event where I landed 5 or 6 interviews, including one with my future employer. The social-networking opportunities provided by RRC are a must-go for students looking to get a job right after college.
My advice for future students is get involved, participate in social and extra-curricular activities provided by RRC, go to companies’ presentations at the campus, engage with possible employers, ask questions during the roundtable at the Directions Conference. Do not forget about your GPA, it is not the most important factor, but it will open some doors for you. Be heard, be seen, be remembered.