A recent graduate from halfway around the world is adding diversity and sharing her world-view perspective at Atlantic Canada’s oldest market research company.
International Sobey School of Business grad Aqsa Zaidi, who grew up in India, recently joined the team at Narrative Research in Halifax (formerly Corporate Research Associates) as its newest research analyst.
“Aqsa has been a wonderful addition to our team. Aside from her strong educational background, she has brought a contagiously positive attitude to our office. As an international graduate, she also offers a different cultural perspective that can contribute to bolstered creativity and innovation through the sharing of ideas,” says CEO & Partner, Margaret Brigley.
Aqsa’s presence has been lightening the step of everyone in the company, and the team at Narrative Research is having a very deep impact on Aqsa.
“I have a high-energy personality and I’ve been completely accepted for who I am and what I can do,” she says. “I come here and I don’t have to focus on anything other than how I am going to do the best job I can. That’s the beautiful part.”
That environment allows Aqsa to make an effective contribution to the multiple client projects she is working on, as well as in the development of proposals and presentations.
Hiring Aqsa was made easier for Narrative Research by the Graduate to Opportunity (GTO) program, which provides a salary incentive that helps small businesses, start-ups, social enterprises and non-profits hire recent grads for permanent, full-time jobs in Nova Scotia.
GTO offers 25% of a grad’s first year salary – 35% if the grad is diverse – and 12.5% of the second-year salary to eligible employers in the province.
Margaret says the program is a great help for businesses like hers.
“In a competitive marketplace, programs like this help businesses take the next step in growing their business. Increasing staff complement has inherent risk associated with it, and the GTO program helps minimize that risk,” she says.
“The program is also good for Nova Scotia as a whole. Baby Boomers are retiring in larger numbers than they’re being replaced and programs like GTO help bring new talent to the workforce. Hiring new graduates helps retain youth in our province, which is key to growing our economy.”
For the first time in 32 years, Nova Scotia has seen three consecutive years where more youth have entered Nova Scotia than left. Well-educated university and college graduates are strengthening businesses like Narrative Research, and the province, every day.
“My generation really cares about the community and environment. Whether it is social innovation or technological innovation, we want the world to get better, we want communities to get better,” says Aqsa. “We have this energy and drive to do better for the collective good and at Narrative Research, that drive and enthusiasm is embraced.”
If you are interested in learning more about the available funding to hire talented grads, take a look into the GTO program at: https://novascotia.ca/programs/graduate-to-opportunity/
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