• An interview with Sarah
• An interview with David Sly, Ideba President and Sarah's supervisor

An interview with Sarah

1. Tell me a bit about yourself (where are you from, how did you choose UVic, what program are you taking and what drew you to that program?): I am from Okotoks, Alberta and I always knew I wanted to move to the beautiful west coat. I initially considered UBC but after touring the campuses, I fell in love with Victoria city and the smaller but trendy downtown. At first I planned to apply to Uvic for Fine Arts but later decided I wanted to utilize my math skills, competitive nature, and desire for a leadership role. I entered with an undeclared major, took required courses for business and applied after my first year. I was accepted and became a pre-admit and now am currently beginning my third year. I was drawn to BComm at Uvic because of the unique program structure, fantastic exchange opportunities, and focus on work experience which I knew would provide the best tools for me in the future. 
2. How did you hear about the co-op program?: The co-op program is required by the BCom program at Uvic, but I have also heard positive experiences from alumni and friends in other programs who recommended a co-op position. 
3. How many co-op work terms have you completed?: I have just completed my first co-op work term. 
4. On your most recent work term, what was your job title and role, and what were your responsibilities?: My title was Junior Consultant. I was an integral part of the team, assisting with projects that focused on research, consulting, and marketing. During my time with Ideba my responsibilities included creating social media content for clients, completing a competitive web SWOT for two different clients and then creating and presenting an executive summary with recommendations to improve their web presence. During this summer I wrote three case studies, one for Clincient, Mitel, and WatchGuard which highlighted their experience with a particular client and will be used to inform any potential clients of the excellent service they provide. I was also involved in researching for several projects including an info graphic for Microsoft and many more!
5. What did you hope to learn from working for your co-op employers?: I wanted to learn what it was really like to work within marketing! It's a sector of business that a lot of students like myself are interested in but it's hard to know what it's like until you try working in it. I was looking for experience with day to day work and was excited to see it first hand. 
6. How closely did you work with your employer/supervisor?: Extremely closely. Within this small company I worked daily with Courtney Schwartz, and we were visited often by our President David Sly. We communicated constantly with other team members over email, IM, and phone calls and I was ecstatic to travel to Portland for a quarterly business review and meet the team members from Portland and Seattle in person. 
7. What was the biggest surprise about your work term?: The trust placed in my abilities. As a co-op student I was not expecting to work with such large clients and give presentations to high level executives. I was not expecting to have case studies I wrote published or to even be asked to proofread copy for our president David Sly. There was an immense trust in my ability to complete projects and to manage my own time effectively. I was so grateful to complete meaningful work and contribute to the team.  
8. What did you learn on your work term? New skills? Responsibilities?: I gained a lot of research and presentation skills this summer. I presented the results of a competitive web SWOT over the phone to Symantec Education along with my co-worker Michelle Clarke. I also then presented in person to our clients DTI with my co-worker Courtney Schwartz for another competitive web SWOT. These presentations were initially nerve wracking but very exhilarating to see a positive reaction to my hard work. Through those projects I definitely learned to communicate succinctly and effectively and to present in a natural manner that was easy to follow. 
9. How did your work term relate to your academic studies?: It has greatly improved my basic writing skills. By writing three case studies this summer I gained experience taking unedited interview transcripts and turning them into an informative and persuasive sales tool. Feedback from my co-workers made my writing much more clear and defined, I saw the immense improvement over my term and will see the benefits from that in the coming school year. 
10. What made you excited about the job? The unique position the company has on its role in the market. As our president David Sly would say, the company was not founded to make money but to provide the best quality work our clients and make a difference in the community. After having my phone interview with David I was very intrigued by this progressive outlook on a company structure and it made me excited to be apart of it, particularly the amount of charity and community relations work that Ideba partakes in. 
11. How did this work term help you in your career journey? Did it help you focus on a particular career?: Yes it did. I have gained practical experience working in marketing which was not an area I knew a lot about previously. I'm really excited to return to Ideba next summer and take on another co-op with them, and possibly long term opportunities. 
12. How did you use your core competencies in the workplace?: I use team work and communication every day. Within such a tight-knit environment, clear communication is important to do the best work with the best results. I have learned to  clearly convey my message through emails and phone calls and add to the fun and light-hearted team conversations. 
13. What advice do you have for other students who are thinking about taking part in co-op?: It's essential. In the current job market work experience will be the factor that sets you apart from every other student. Relevant work experience shows you can and will succeed in a position you apply for. I strongly recommend it for any student. A good entry level job after graduation is not the guarantee it once was, so students should make the most of their summers and come out of school with strong work experience and a network of connections because it will make a huge difference. 
14. What are your plans for the future?: I will be returning to Ideba next summer and continuing my work with them. I look forward to continue learning more in my own time about web and graphic design. Long term I hope to work in a leadership role in a creative environment, and ideally own my own business if the right opportunity arose.
15. Anything else to add?: I have lots of friends and peers at schools who don't know what they want to do, but you never know until you try. A co-op is a fantastic way to experience the working world for a term and find out what direction to go. I recommend it to anyone and everyone interested.

An interview with David Sly, Ideba President and Sarah's supervisor

A quick profile of Ideba:

• Consulting company specializing in Research, Marketing, Sales Enablement, and Content Development.
• Started in February 2010, the company is comprised of a virtual team with employees based in Victoria, Seattle, Portland and the Bay Area.
• Client base includes Microsoft, SAP, Symantec, DTI Global, Mitel, Clinicient, FortisBC, SpringCM and WatchGuard Technologies.
• Skews heavily toward B2B technology clients on the bleeding edge of global trends in mobility, virtualization, VoIP, and Cloud.
• The Company has a 96% customer satisfaction rate over the past year, which is as good as it will get when some customers will not give a 10/10 score on principal.

The company was not founded to make money, but to make a difference in the communities where it does business/serves. The company is very engaged in community events, charitable giving and with work for non-profits.

1. What is your job title and role? What are your responsibilities?: President. Responsibilities include day to day management of the company, new business, consulting on major client engagements, relationship management (clients, partners and employees – especially cheeky interns!).
2. What is your past experience with co-op (either first-hand experience or your company’s experience?): Hired co-op students when working for my previous employer. EXTREMELY impressed with students from UVic BCOM co-op program to the point where I believe that this program HAS TO be extended into the US. The quality of the BCOM students is phenomenal and they come out of school with a solid education, inquisitive mind, and realistic expectations.
3. Describe the co-op position that was posted: Junior Consultant position designed to attract someone that likes research, analysis and creative thinking – with an ability to apply all three on a daily basis. Also, looking for someone that is personable, with strong communication skills, so that they can present to clients (up to and including Presidents of small to mid-size companies and Director-level at Microsoft, Symantec and SAP).
4. Why was this made into a co-op position (short-term help on a specific project, overall support, etc.?): With the express intent of being able to hire after co-op, if successful during the internship.
5. Did you work directly with the co-op student?: Yes. In internal and client-facing capacities.
6. What projects did the student work on?: Symantec Competitive Web SWOT, Clinicient customer case study, WatchGuard customer case study, Mitel customer case study, SpringCM transcription, DTI Competitive Web SWOT including presentation to President of DTI Global, DTI transcription, Clinicient transcription, BMW transcription, SAP transcription, Cooper Pacific social media, NECI social media, Cooper Pacific Web Analytics, Microsoft single slide case studies, Microsoft InfoGraphic research.
7. How did the student contribute to the workplace? Did he or she bring new knowledge/ideas to the workplace? New energy?: Sarah was a good team player, which is essential on a virtual team. She participated in our team's Quarterly Business Review, was able to pick up Ideba processes and culture really quickly (important, as we are a little different), has strong ethics and integrity – key attributes working at Ideba, good communication skills, and is humble and gracious. These are two great qualities that do not take away in any way from being smart and social.
8. How does your company benefit from co-op students?: Co-op is a natural, organic way to extend an experienced team of high-quality professionals, many of whom are the very best at what they do on a national and/or international level. Students' fresh, inquisitive minds that bring a fresh perspective to processes and the ways that we have historically approached customer engagements. These two things do NOT just benefit our company, but also our customers, who see additional value out of the work that Ideba does. The Company has a 96% customer satisfaction rate over the past year, which is as good as it will get when some customers will not give a 10/10 score on principal.
9. Would you hire a student again?: Yes, but only when Sarah finishes her next co-op, and when fiscally responsible to do so.