Career Conversations - Disability Without Poverty
Career Conversations - Disability Without Poverty with Harshita Srivastava
Navigating the search for your first full-time job that matches your major & interests can be an overwhelming journey. Whether you are a freshman, transfer student or a soon-to-be-alum, we all go through a stage during our undergraduate years where we aimlessly stare at the laptop screens, not knowing where to start. Not to mention that one resume.docx that’s been piled up on top of million tabs, waiting to be revisited when the pressure to get a job finally kicks in. It’s a dreadful experience, and we all deserve someone to ask questions, seek help from, and get support—so let’s talk about it.
Career Conversations, a blog series newly launched by CMNSU, aims to provide co-op experience of Communication students and alumni in diverse sectors. Through conversation-based interviews, we aim to capture insights and tips that will help you to get your foot in the door in the various professional fields.
“All the missed opportunities might account to something you would never know, so take every opportunity you can”. - Harshita Srivastava is a fourth year undergraduate student joint-majoring in Communication and English. With her extensive involvement in university clubs and dedication to advocating for social causes, Harshita shares the value of embracing opportunities and taking risks to discover one’s true potential.
1. Can you tell us about your co-op experience?
I am currently working for a non-profit organization called Disability Without Poverty. It’s an independently funded charity and non-profit organization, and we work towards creating awareness about the multiple issues that individuals with disabilities face. In Canada, discrimination against people with disabilities is still prevalent, and they continue to face prejudice due to their conditions. Many of those who are underprivileged and live below the poverty line are individuals with disabilities. Given these circumstances, our goal is to raise awareness about elevating people out of poverty, particularly those with disabilities, as they are often neglected and do not receive the fair chances that most non-disabled people get. The organization has multiple branches across provinces, including Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario. I work remotely as an Outreach and Events Assistant in the British Columbia branch.
2. Could you share what a typical day looks like for you?
Our day-to-day tasks are quite varied since many people don’t have a specific remote schedule, which allows for more flexibility rather than a structured nine-to-five. However, I still maintain a nine-to-five routine because I have other responsibilities outside of work as a student, such as commitments with CMNSU and other activities, so it’s important for me to maintain a routine to achieve a work-life balance. Recently, we had the opportunity to plan our biggest event, and our provincial branch took the lead in organizing and executing it. This was a valuable experience for me, as I was able to gain hands-on experience in planning one of our most significant events. The event was very successful, with over 150 attendees, including politicians, decision-makers, and activists who share a passion for raising awareness about accessibility, inclusion, disabilities and the prejudice disabled people face systemically.
In terms of my daily tasks, much of my work involves outreach to various stakeholders. This includes reaching out to different organizations across various industries that I believe can collaborate with us, listen to our message, and help us spread awareness. As we are still a relatively new organization, a lot of my time is spent on outreach and email correspondence to amplify our voice and deliver our message.
This outreach work also tied into our recent event, as a significant part of the planning involved contacting politicians, their offices, and political parties to give them a space where we could present our cause. Recently, the government announced an allowance of $2,400 per year for a person with disability, which is insufficient for someone living in in British Columbia. This is the kind of issue we want to discuss. So, whenever we find someone, especially policymakers, who are willing to listen and engage, we seize that opportunity, and much of our outreach initiatives are focused on that goal revolving around discussions of Canadian Disability Benefit (CDB) and alleviating disabled people out of poverty.
3. Some of the major key takeaways you’d like to share from your co-op experiences?
I think the biggest takeaway from my co-op experience was the importance of being present and fully engaged in the opportunity. Being around people passionate about this cause made me realize just how significant it is and why it needs to be more prominently presented to the world. During our event, I had the opportunity to interact with attendees who shared their life stories, and it was eye-opening to learn about the impact that disabilities, especially invisible ones, have on a person’s day-to-day life. This experience has given me a new perspective on event planning, particularly in terms of how we should accommodate everyone, regardless of their conditions, and how we should approach accessibility in general. While we often strive for basic accessibility, there is a need for a deeper commitment to going above and beyond to ensure inclusivity, which is a key takeaway that I will carry forward for the rest of my life.
Additionally, I became more comfortable with multitasking. My role involved not only the event planning and outreach but also creating marketing collaterals like posters, banners, welcome packages and slide decks. This was a valuable opportunity to learn where my skills are best and what I enjoy doing the most.
In terms of skills, the most significant one I developed was outreach. I had little experience with this before my co-op, especially in regards to reaching out to political figures and individuals within the field. As an international student, I understand that professional correspondence norms can differ from one country to another. With this, it was valuable to learn the nuances of how email correspondence was done at a professional level in Canada, beyond what is typically expected at the university level. Additionally, understanding corporate jargon helped me to improve my corporate communication skills, which will be crucial in my future career when reaching out to professionals from various sectors.
4. Were there any unexpected aspects of co-op that you have experienced?
One unexpected aspect of my co-op experience was the amount of freedom I was given regarding working hours. It was not a structured nine-to-five schedule, especially since the role was remote. While the flexibility offered by this arrangement was beneficial, as someone who prefers having a set structure in their work schedules, I felt the need to create one for myself.
Initially, the absence of set deadlines led me to work late into the night, which wasn’t efficient in the long run. It became clear that I needed to establish boundaries and create a routine for myself to ensure I was working for the set amount of hours each day and maintain it consistently throughout the week. This experience taught me the importance of balancing flexibility with structure, as both have their pros and cons.
5. Has your perspective on the career path you want to pursue in your future changed after doing co-op?
I’m still in the exploration stage of figuring out where I want my career to go; currently, I am considering two paths: event planning or becoming a university professor. In terms of event planning, this co-op has been perfect for me. Although I had experience planning events with clubs at SFU, I was unsure how it would be like being in the professional sector, as it’s different from organizing student-targeted events. Prior to starting my co-op, I was also concerned that this may not be the path that I am very fond of. However, this experience has only strengthened my belief that event planning is exactly where I want to go post-graduation. If my passion changes after completing further studies, then university professor is the way to go as I’ve always been interested in pursuing an academic career.
Overall, till the near future, my co-op has solidified my confidence in both my skills and my career direction that I am on the right track with event planning for the time being.
6. What was your co-op job searching experience like?
My co-op search was tougher than I initially thought. Although I did have a good amount of involvement when I was looking for a job, I expected the process to be easier. However, it was for a summer position, which people often say is harder to secure because 1. The job market is limited, 2. As an international student, the pool becomes smaller as the Canadian Summer Job opens up, which are restricted to those with Canadian citizenship due to government funding and 3. The competition was high, with everyone else also seeking a position. It was a pretty stressful situation, and even getting responses back from organizations felt like a hassle at times.
However, this motivated me to be the very best I could be. Knowing my options were limited, I wanted to be my level best within the given options. I applied to as many positions as possible, redoing my entire cover letter to ensure I am not missing even the tiniest details. Just applying to five jobs took me several hours, so it was a tedious process, but I am happy it all worked out well in the end.
7. What strategy did you find most helpful during your job search?
Because I knew the options were limited at the time, my strategy was to try anything that was available within the field to have a better chance at being selected. I applied to roles in marketing, social media, and other areas within the communication sphere, believing it was beneficial not to limit myself and to be open to try new things; maybe I’ll like it, maybe I won’t, but every opportunity would be a learning opportunity.
I understand that as a co-op student, you might want to focus on a specific area to test your waters, but broadening your search can also be beneficial. The position that I ended up getting was in the field I wanted, but this happened because I aimed broadly within the communication field. I think it’s important to have that mindset—being open to opportunities and knowing that even if you get the position you didn’t expect, there is always something to learn from doing it.
8. Any advice for a strong application package / interview tips?
I know this can be a very basic tip, but really, customize your cover letter and even tweak your resume a bit for each application. If you are applying to a job solely focused on event planning and you have both event planning and marketing experience, highlight the event planning aspect of your experience a lot more than marketing, as you would want to showcase exactly what they are asking & demonstrate that you are capable of doing the given tasks.
Another important tip would be actually do a good research about the position you are applying to. As someone who’s been in the position to interview candidates for clubs or CMNSU, doing the research on mission, values, goals can definitely help you to understand what they do and why it’s important. Additionally, while you are looking at their mission values, also look at the previous projects that they’ve done. You don’t have to know every detail, but having a general understanding and even thinking about how you could contribute or improve upon their past work will help you stand out. Remember, interviews aren’t just about finding ‘who to hire’—they are also about bringing new ideas that can uplift the company.
Lastly, make sure that you are revising your resume each time you tweak it for each job. Don’t go into an interview without knowing what your related skills and experiences are to the role. It is also beneficial to go over the list of interview questions provided by our co-op advisors or do practice runs with others. Be prepared to explain your experience in detail, discuss the outcomes of the tasks, and connect it back to how you can benefit the position you are applying for.
9. What activities and involvements outside academic aspects did you feel were helpful in securing your co-op?
I have been actively involved in several clubs at SFU, including SASS, UNICEF or anything that I could lay my hands on just to figure out where my interests lie. For the past two years, I have also been working with CMNSU, first year as the Vice President of Internal and now as the President; it has been an exciting journey overall, and I am happy to say that working along all these projects and clubs has greatly helped me in finding co-ops, as I had a very specific idea on what and which direction I want to delve into.
With that being said, I know this can be seen as overrated advice but please apply yourself within university as much as possible. Not only being part of clubs or unions helps you get more friends, get familiar with the university / faculty, but it also allows you to know yourself better, how you’re going to perform or function within a group setting when the pressure is high. How you perceive feedback and getting used to receiving constructive criticisms is another big aspect that you would learn about yourself as well. I was also never a good public speaker, but it was all the clubs and union involvement that allowed me to practice and be more confident than what I was when I started university. I can now speak in front of a group of 200 people very easily without a mic, thanks to all the club involvement.
Another crucial aspect is actually understanding what you are studying. Many people underestimate the relevance of their academic studies and think their degree won’t matter anywhere else; but it truly does. For me, the materials and concepts I learned in class—whether it’s related to power dynamics, media, or digitization—come into play when I am working for my co-op or interacting with professors and industry professionals. So I’d advise making sure you know your material, it will help you in more ways that you might expect.
10. Lastly, what advice would you give to undergraduate students?
As I am nearing the end of my undergraduate studies, with just four courses left, and reflecting on my journey as an international student who moved across countries and started my whole world at 19, I have some advice for both new and graduating students. Don’t be afraid to take chances or take risks. I understand that this can sound basic; but sometimes, all the missed opportunities might account to something you would never know. If it fails, that’s fine; at least you are the only person to blame and there’s not anyone else you’re blaming, and that is better than wondering what could’ve happened if you took the chance and “didn’t listen to the person who told you not to do it”. It’s better to have yourself to be blamed than anyone else, because that’s a grudge that never goes. So take all the opportunities that you think would want, and push through it.
For me, the sense of confidence within myself was something that I didn’t think I had in myself when I first moved to Canada, and part of the motivation came from fear of missing out. But eventually as the time passed, it started to become more for the “I’ll do it because I am confident about this and I want to make it happen”. So with that, don’t be afraid of taking chances and risks in situations, and take advantage of every opportunity that is given to you. If you don’t have confidence in yourself, others won’t either. So be confident. It is a learning skill, and yes it can be a lengthy process and sometimes it involves “faking it until you make it”, but trust me—in the end, it will all be worth it.