Breaking the mold: how I found a passionate career in HR
Ciara Fletcher (she/her) is a fourth-year Honours Arts student in Legal Studies with a minor in Philosophy. She talks about learning to pivot and try new things in co-op. Ciara also offers advice to other Faculty of Arts and Legal Studies students exploring co-op opportunities, highlighting the rewards of stepping outside traditional Legal Studies roles to explore new fields and sectors, such as human resources and technology companies.
Work term one: In her first work term, Ciara was a customer experience co-ordinator application decision specialist at ApplyBoard. This was her first time working in the educational technology space. A major part of her role was managing student applications.
Work term two: Next, Ciara worked for Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) as a policy development and performance management human resources (HR) analyst. Here, she helped with ground workplace investigations while learning how to work with confidentiality and remain impartial.
Work term three: Her third co-op term landed her at Desire2Learn (D2L) as a people and culture co-ordinator. She worked on the systems and services team and got the opportunity to learn more about HR from a technological perspective.
Work term four: Ciara continued her time with D2L for her most recent co-op term as a people and culture co-ordinator again, this time supporting talent acquisition and internal communications.
Q&A with Ciara
Did your classroom learning prepare you for your co-ops or did you do more learning on the job?
“I would say most of my practical skills were developed on the job. Specifically, technical skills such as HR software were learned through hands-on experiences, whether it was a training session or shadowing colleagues in my role. I haven’t had software experiences in the classroom yet.”
“I want to highlight PSYCH 339, Personnel Psychology, which had a focus on recruitment and selection. I would say that course had direct relevance to my co-op role because there was a major focus on avoiding biases and using data-driven insights, which I apply in my current role to ensure that I'm fair and objective when interviewing candidates for roles. For those interested in pursuing a career in talent acquisition, I recommend taking Personnel Psychology.”
What is the most interesting thing you've done while on a work term?
“The most interesting thing I've done is spearheading employer branding. Specifically, in my HR roles being able to elevate the company’s image as an employer of choice—highlighting why you should work here and what sets us apart.”
“We have a blog called Life at D2L. I've authored several blogs and worked with employees to share their stories—from providing resource guides and ghostwriting, to conducting interviews and collaborating with marketing."
"Those blogs will spotlight team members’ journeys, their daily day-to-day life and their roles at D2L. They also highlight our inclusive environment, our culture and provide candidates with a genuine look into the company.”
“In between my terms at D2L when I was on my school term, I was a campus ambassador. My role focused on boosting brand awareness. I held around 15 coffee chats with Waterloo students to discuss our Early Talent program, attended events and created social media content.”
“Branding is definitely the most impactful aspect of my work experience because it goes beyond the daily tasks of my role, allowing me to make a lasting impact on the company. You also get to talk about how much you like your role to other people and hopefully they get excited about joining too.”
What have you learned from co-op as an Arts student? How has that impacted you?
“What the Faculty of Arts taught me is to be flexible and explore those unique or “outside of my comfort zone” career paths. I originally did not plan to be in HR, and then after three co-ops, I discovered it as a passion. I also learned that my values align more with HR, people operations and being able to make an impact in an organization versus being in a law firm.”
“The original job that your mind is set on in your first or second work term isn't always going to be available and that's okay. Instead, you can pivot and maybe you'll find something that you're more passionate about in the end.”
How has co-op helped you with your career goals?
“Co-op helped me identify the type of company that I want to work for long-term and to see what kind of industries I don't want to work for. I believe what makes co-op valuable and essential is that it's just as important to discover what you don't like as it is to find what you do. Learning what you don’t enjoy is a major win and sometimes it can be even more impactful at the end of the day.”
“Through these experiences, I found that I gravitate towards the tech industry, specifically education technology. That's where D2L is. I realized that I value working for a company where the mission aligns with my values.”
“Lastly, co-op has helped me with my career goals because I learned I have a desire to be in a high impact role. I want to work somewhere where I feel valued, recognized and where my work is seen as critical to the organization.”
"Additionally, as a co-op, I want to work for a company where students are valued and given meaningful tasks, rather than just mundane work. This is why I’m drawn to D2L, as students are entrusted with important responsibilities instead of simple administrative tasks."
What advice would you give to other co-op students?
“The biggest advice I would give to fellow students is to not be discouraged if you don't find that “perfect” role. From my own experience, I know peers in the Faculty of Arts who tend to focus solely on their major (like Legal Studies) when searching for roles because that's their passion, which is perfectly fine. However, it's important to remember that it's okay to pivot as well. Law, for example, intersects with fields like business, HR, marketing and communications. It's great to explore those areas while you have the opportunity in the co-op program."
“There are so many opportunities available to you through co-op and rather than dropping out of co-op when something doesn't align with your interests, it's okay to try something new that’s outside of your specific major. It’s okay to explore things and even accept co-op roles that you’re unsure about. It might turn out to be a better fit for you than you thought.”
What’s next for you?
“I definitely enjoy the tech industry. It's a fast-paced and innovative environment and my goal is to stay within that dynamic mix of HR, but in a tech-focused capacity.”
“I'd be interested to see HR from other realms as well. For instance, HR has business partners, employee relations, compensation, learning and development and more. I see myself exploring a few more areas of HR in my future to see where my interests mesh with most.”
“Looking far into the future, I’d be open to becoming the head of HR or the head of People and Culture in 20 years, but I’ll see where life takes me, one step at a time. After all, even the tallest tree starts as a tiny seed!”