When Daisy Zhu graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) and Marketing, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. Walmart Canada Corp. gave her a full 360 degree view of her career potential.
Daisy joined the Walmart team through the Graduate Leadership Program, DARE, which opened her up to every career path available within the company.
This one year rotational program gives individuals exposure to every department by rotating between eight different areas within Walmart. The program is meant to prepare people for the Category Manager role, which works with all functional areas within the company (replenishment logistics, advertising/marketing, etc.); it is a role that is essentially at the center of a retail organization.
Beyond company roles, the program also offers real insight into what it means to work at Walmart. Starting with the interview process, applicants get a tour of the company to see the Walmart culture in action. The final round of interviews includes a full day at the office with other candidate and all applicants engage in team building activities.
While emphasis is placed on the role and culture, Walmart also thinks about their employees as whole persons offering them endless learning opportunities for professional and personal development.
“The DARE program is great because you get to meet your boss and be paired with Executives outside of your rotation,” says Daisy. “One of my mentors is an Executive at Walmart that I meet with once a month to chat about my career ambitions and interests. The company is very open!”
Daisy likens the 360 view taken by Walmart to the Enactus culture.
“With Enactus there were so many different projects and campaigns happening at once and it was very important for me to learn how to multitask and juggle multiple projects,” she says, adding that the great exposure she received throughout Enactus was crucial to developing these important skills.
Her advice for her fellow Enactus community members is to “think about your career, not just the next job.”
Daisy’s openness to the idea of a rotational program brought her passions to light. She recommends new grads take things slow and take opportunities after graduation that allow them to explore different options for developing their careers.