Turning rejection into motivation: how to stand out as a GBDA student
Cathy Le (she/her) is a fourth-year Global Business and Digital Arts (GBDA) student. She explains her approach to standing out when it comes to co-op applications and how she deals with rejection.
Cathy’s co-op journey:
Work term one: Cathy’s first work experience with the National Collaborating Center for Infectious Diseases (NCCID) as a visual communications lead for a knowledge translation grant.
She designed a visual comic strip explaining the scientific research behind how climate change affects Canada and how vector-borne diseases are spreading because of climate change. The comic was disseminated to health institutions and science labs across Canada.
Work term two: At the Mennonite Economic Development Association (MEDA), Cathy was a graphic design co-op student.
She worked alongside the marketing and communications team to develop marketing materials promoting projects that aim to find solutions to aid with poverty in Asia and Africa. She designed all the pieces that were used by sales reps to get funding.
Work term three: At her last co-op, Cathy worked at Chick-Fil-A headquarters in Atlanta Georgia as the international design co-ordinator co-op student. She designed pieces for their SharePoint website and design materials used in the international restaurant development team.
Q&A with Cathy:
Which company was your favorite to work at?
“I would say, out of all the organizations I have worked for, my most favorable experience has been at Chick-fil-A. With previous roles at the Government of Canada and a non-profit organization, stepping into the corporate environment of Chick-fil-A was new territory for me.”
“My current co-op has not only enhanced my technical skills but also provided invaluable professional experience in a corporate setting. The opportunity to take full ownership of impactful design projects has been incredibly motivating. In addition to the work culture, the supportive and kind people I have interacted with – whether they were part of my student cohort, Chick-fil-A staff members, or the design team – have made this experience amazing. It was considerably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work here.”
What advice would you give to other GBDA students?
“Put yourself out there, I was a well-rounded student in high school through my involvement with student councils and sports, which helped me stand out.”
“So, it was a big adjustment coming to university, with thousands of people in my faculty, all competing for the best co-op positions and grades.”
“I quickly learned that you cannot limit yourself here if you want to stand out. Many students in GBDA pick one focus like UX Design or Graphic Design and just stick to it but you should never choose such a narrow path for what you want to do with your life.”
“That was something that I struggled with; my previous work experience was more graphic design related but that was not something I saw myself doing in the future. I still decided to try it out anyway and I learned a lot from working with people with different expertise than mine.”
“I was able to grow my skillset in a way that students who stuck to one focus couldn’t.”
“I believe that in order to become a unique versatile designer you have to be well rounded in different skillsets.”
Did you feel that your coursework prepared you for your co-ops?
“Some of the coursework definitely helped me land my co-op roles, but you have to be willing to learn additional skills if you want to succeed. Many GBDA students build up strong portfolios with side projects they’ve done on their own.”
“While I did not find some of the GBDA classes to be beneficial to me, what truly prepared me for my co-op was my proactive approach to learning. Throughout the school term, I focused on personal case study projects to apply what I was learning in a professional context.”
“Overall, my point is that you need to hustle on the side in addition to your classes. You cannot rely solely on what you learn in the classroom.”
What side projects did you complete to stand out?
“I had the opportunity to partake in many different projects like designathons or case competitions, but my most meaningful project was a mobile application called Hello Dorm. I completed it with three other GBDA students in our free time.”
“We noticed that the housing market can be terrible, especially for University of Waterloo students so we created a platform where people and organizations can post their listings specifically for post-secondary students.”
“Students can also look for compatible roommates through the platform. I personally had bad experiences with roommates because I couldn't build relationships with them before coming to university, so I wanted to help prevent that from happening to other students.”
How did you land your co-ops?
“I actually arranged all of them myself. I personally did not find WaterlooWorks to be very helpful because many of the tech design jobs that were available were highly competitive, particularly when over 100 applicants were competing for the same one role. It was a significant challenge to compete against other outstanding Waterloo students.”
“So, I took initiative and I applied for jobs outside of WaterlooWorks basically a year before my work terms.”
“For my last co-op, I started applying last October or November and I applied to as many jobs as I could find. I’ve done that for every co-op since my first year. If you apply for jobs the semester before, there’s far more competition and there’s no time to network.”
“I believe to successfully arrange your own job; you often must rely on a lot of networking. Whether it’s a campus recruiter or a senior director, it's all about making those relationships. Having people in the organization who already know your name, experience and skills gives you a huge leg up over other applicants.”
“It's a difficult and tedious process, especially applying a year ahead, but in the long run, applying early allows you to stand out.”
How did you approach applying for so many jobs?
“Applying for jobs is difficult and something everyone must go through, but you should never put yourself down if you cannot get one.”
“I landed an international co-op, but that didn’t come out of nowhere. It takes a lot of work and dedication to get to where you want to be. I had to apply to hundreds of employers and I received many rejection letters. Every week for months, I’d get rejection notifications and it sucked, but you must keep your head high.”
“Try to get better every day and don’t let the rejections dictate what you want to do. Remember that no matter what, your work has value.”
What's next for you?
“As I approach graduation next year, my goal is to pursue a career as a product designer in the tech industry.”
“Being early in my career, I am continuously learning more about my work and aim to keep an open mind as I progress through my career.”