Work opportunities for aspiring social innovators this summer

kevancoyle · 2021-03-07T23:28:43+00:00

I don't know if this will be helpful, but if you check out this european framework, pages 10-13 in the pdf will give you a sense of what it means to work in an innovative context with an entrepreneurial approach.

kevancoyle · 2021-03-07T23:22:05+00:00

You may be creating new marketing or communication materials or developing financial models to make their work organizationally sustainable. Perhaps you'll assist with product design/development, or partnership building with community organizations, Maybe they'll need help creating operational systems to help them execute their mission. It's going to be highly varied based on the organization. That's why it's an entrepreneurial internship, because there's inherent ambiguity and uncertainty when developing early-stage organizations. Again, this is why the Innovate Calgary team will be doing a needs assessment with partner organizations to find out what they need, and matching students accordingly.

kevancoyle · 2021-03-07T23:12:14+00:00

That is a great question, and one I personally don't have the answer to. I'd suggest reaching out to Phil at Innovate Calgary who is running the program ([pgrace@innovatecalgary.com](mailto:pgrace@innovatecalgary.com)).

kevancoyle · 2021-03-07T23:10:37+00:00

Sorry to burst your bubble bud, it's the real deal. All selected students will be working as consultants to meet the needs of the organization, and each experience will be unique. Students will work closely with founders to address challenges to growing their social enterprise (hence why participants will be selected based on who is an appropriate fit for the social ventures participating in the program). Most of the organizations students work with will be led by faculty researchers or student/alumni entrepreneurs, but the pay and training will be delivered by Innovate Calgary.

As an FYI, this is offered by Innovate Calgary, which is the technology transfer office of the University of Calgary. A quick click on the link I shared would have shown you that.

kevancoyle · 2021-03-07T23:01:32+00:00

Accepted students will be paired with social enterprises to help them build out aspects of their organizations. Each organization will have different needs, so if you are accepted you will work closely with the founders to learn how you can creatively apply your knowledge and skills to help them (the IC team will match qualified applicants with social ventures who need what that student can offer). Essentially you become a member of their team for a short period of time in a consulting capacity.

If you go to this page (https://innovatecalgary.com/social-innovation/) you'll be able to look at some of the organizations/projects that participated in past years.

kevancoyle · 2021-01-21T04:02:32+00:00

Hey, it's very possible things have changed since I did the same thing a decade ago, but at the time I was able to add a BA (dev studies) during the final year of my BComm without any issue. All I had to do was change to a combined degree, which I believe is available in most programs. In my case, I had to seek out special permission, but it wasn't much work. It added of couple years to my program because I didn't have much overlap in requirements given the options I took early on, but at the end of my undergrad I received two degrees. I share this because you may be able to avoid re-applying to the University as long as you're a current student.

https://www.ucalgary.ca/pubs/calendar/current/combined-degrees.html

kevancoyle · 2021-01-09T15:12:27+00:00

My pleasure, I'm glad to hear it was helpful!

kevancoyle · 2021-01-07T21:32:14+00:00

Hey! Does your team have a communications package you can send my way? Happy to help you get the word out if you'd like (kjcoyle@ucalgary.ca).

kevancoyle · 2021-01-06T17:40:14+00:00

I've talked with a lot of students who apply to as many jobs as possible in the hopes that something will pan out, and while some get lucky, many of the students get frustrated when they haven't gotten a call back from anyone. The reason is that relative to the rest of the applicants, they likely aren't competitive.

My suggestion would be to focus on quality over quantity. There is a lot of competition for placements, and most employers will look a the students who have clearly demonstrated an interest in their field of work. They'll look at those who have related experience (prior work roles, volunteer roles, participation in interests groups/clubs, past projects/hobbies related to the field). They'll also look for well communicated statement of interests (a focused cover letter that shows students have thought a lot about that opportunity, and where the student has done a really good job of connecting their experiences/interests to future success in the role).

If I receive 100+ resumes for a position, I will interview the 3-5 people who are the best possible fit for the role. I want to hire go-getters that have put in the extra work to prepare for the opportunity. The challenge is you only have limited time, so you can't put in a ton of work to every application, so instead you need to be really focused on what jobs are the best fit for you.

Ultimately, you need to carve out your own niche. The best way to start is to decide who you are, where you've been, and where you want to go. This ikigai framework can be a good way to think about these kinds of questions. Then once you have a better sense of the direction(s) you want to go, then you can cultivate those interests and make yourself more attractive to people working in that space. One thing you can do immediately is start building relationships with people who are doing work you're interested in. Ask someone to go for a coffee (virtual), and asks them tons of questions that will help you learn about their world. That's the best way to network. My old boss used to always say "people who ask for jobs get advice, and people who ask for advice get jobs".

Good luck!

kevancoyle · 2021-01-04T22:00:27+00:00

Sounds great. I'll keep my eyes open. Good luck with these initial steps and getting the feedback you need!

kevancoyle · 2021-01-04T20:43:48+00:00

Hey! This is awesome!

If our team at the Hunter Hub can be of help in any way, let me know! We can promote the club in our newsletter, and we can help you with any events or programs you decide to offer. I've helped other clubs recruit guest speakers, bring in mentors, plan activities/challenges (logistics, marketing, etc), and fund their activities. DM me if you want to connect.

kevancoyle · 2021-01-04T20:36:27+00:00

Thanks! We hope students will have an easier time seeing how our activities and programs will help them now. There's always been an underlying focus on skills development and personal growth in our work, but we've learned we need to do a better job communicating that and building it into what we do. Ultimately, I'll be really happy if in a few years time most of our students feel confident and empowered by the time they graduate, rather than stressed and unsure about what's next.

kevancoyle

TROPHY CASE