In the market for co-op: Gabriel Gonzalez’ co-op experience

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Gabriel Gonzalez
Third year Business Administration – Marketing student

My name is Gabriel Gonzalez, and Im a third-year Business Administration - Marketing student at Mohawk College. My program has taught me everything I need in order to succeed in the world of marketing, including valuable real-world experience through my co-op experiential learning opportunity. 

The process of obtaining a co-op was great. In the Co-op Prep course, our professor guided and helped us to prepare everything we might need to successfully land a co-op opportunity. This ranges from resume and interview help to guiding you through the process of applying to various co-op opportunities. 

While I applied for many different co-op positions with a variety of employers, I had one position in mind: the Social Media Marketing Coordinator Co-op position with the Mohawk College Marketing Department. I wanted to get experience working in social media marketing, and I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity than to work at the school where I have spent so much time as a student. I was ecstatic to receive the chance for an interview, and even more so when I learned I had landed the job. 

I’ve had the chance to learn so much while working with the marketing team at Mohawk. In the past year, Ive created and scheduled many social media posts some you may have seen! I created blog posts, did competitive research, compiled statistics about social media and email performance, and so much more.  

Some of my favourite projects and events I had the pleasure to be part of include: an Instagram takeover with the Mohawk College account, starring in the first-ever Mohawk College TikTok, and being featured on the front page of the website. 

My co-op opportunity helped me not only to discover my strengths but my weaknesses as well. I found that I struggled to write creative copy for various posts while maintaining the established voice of Mohawk College. I’m happy to say that, over time, I have picked up techniques to improve and build on my weaknesses. 

Working with the Marketing department has been an absolute pleasure. They have been endlessly helpful and willing to revise my work, but also to teach me ways to improve. Whether it’s Monday morning meetings or the Wednesday “Tank” meetings with the whole department, meeting and working with everyone has been an amazing experience. 

As my time working with the Marketing department at Mohawk draws to a close, I look back over the year and feel sad to be leaving - but I’m excited for all the new experiences I will have, strengthened by my time spent as part of the marketing team.