Meet Aaron: Recruitment Team Manager

In this week's episode, Devon and Sarah-Jane sit down and talk to Aaron Schoenmaker, and hoooo boy, does he have a story!

Today, Aaron is the Manager of National Student Recruitment at Centennial College.

Follow along as we unwind Aaron's twisty tale from high-school dropout and petty criminal to factory worker, skilled tradesperson, marketer and college recruiter.

Here are a few highlights we discovered:

• Networking and building relationships are your best friend when it comes to career movement
• Continuing to upgrade and pursue more education and leveraging transfer credits each time
• Using work-integrated learning opportunities through school to explore options and build experience
• Taking advantage of contract roles to learn, build your network and develop skills in different areas
• The impact of working with real grown-ups at a young age to get a sense of how work fits into your life

Transcript

Welcome to The One About Careers with Devon and Sarah-Jane. The Career Podcast for Adults involved with teens navigating life after high school. We help you help your teens make informed education and career decisions by providing quality information and resources. Join us for weekly, bite -sized conversations covering various aspects of careers, including insights from professionals in different fields. New episodes available every week at theoneaboutcareers.com.

Welcome to the One About Careers. We're so excited you're here. And we're on a
series of talking to people who have real jobs. Devon, who has decided to grace us
with their presence today? Today we are chatting with Aaron Schoenmaker, who is the manager of National Student Recruitment at Centennial College, which is located in Toronto. Hi, Aaron. - Hi, I am delighted to be invited. Thank you guys for having me today. - Oh, we're so pumped you're here. Thanks for coming.
- Very pumped. First question is, what the heck do you do?
- That is the golden question, student recruitment. Devon kind of knows the life a
little bit. It's a role that kind of exists in the shadows. So basically what we
do is we promote the institutions that we work for. So I work for Centennial
College presently and we try and connect prospective students with meaningful career
paths, provide guidance. We're kind of like sales reps for the college system,
but at the same time we're also on officers for community, so we help people, we
help the decision makers, we help those who help the decision makers, the families,
the social workers, it's a mixed bank, a whole lot of everything. - All right,
Devon, you're gonna lead us into the next question. - Am I going, I'm already ready
to lead, I'm good.
How did you get, and I'm gonna take you back like high school -ish, so put yourself
in high school and then walk the path with us, how did you get where you are now?
I'll jump right to when I was about 15. And I didn't really have a career path in
mind or anything along those lines. I'll spare you the sob story and all the minute
details, but my mom was a single mom. We lived in Mississauga just kind of on the
border of Rexdale, the Etobicoke area,
And she kind of felt the pressure of being a single parent to two kids. And that
ended up... She was a human being. 100%. 100%. And that ended up in her taking
some time off from life in general. And she did it a little bit abruptly.
So it left me kind of, you know, in the mist just a little bit. So I was kind
of on my own and, you know, no hard feelings there. You know, we're adults. We've
kind of gotten past that at this point, but I didn't really have any career goals
at that particular time in life. I think my main goal was survival. So I dropped
out of school for a little bit when that happened. I didn't really have any warning
about those pieces, navigated, you know, gotten to a little bit of legal trouble.
And when that happened, I was then released to the only person who could have been
my legal guardian at the time, which was my dad. He was estranged for me at the
time. He was a heavy drinker and we didn't really get along all that well, so I
stayed with him for a very short period of time and then ended up, you know, that
brought me up to the barry area. I was totally out of my element, away from my
friends, away from everything that I knew, and I wound up getting a basement
apartment and working. So I got a job at a factory. Maybe I fudged some of the
numbers on my application at the temp agency a little bit, but I needed to pay the
bills, and I And I ended up working from four until midnight at a plastic factory.
And throughout the day, I clawed my way back into school because I knew that was
something that I wanted to complete. Something just in me told me that I needed to
be there and I needed to do that. So I did that until I graduated. So I was
about two years. And from there, at that time in my life, I thought that was it.
I had a pretty solid gig in a factory. I had seen all the the other individuals
that I was working with that were grownups, but I think over time I kind of
realized that wasn't necessarily what I wanted for my life. And then fate made that
decision for me, essentially, and I got laid off. So, you know,
with manufacturing going the way that it went in Ontario, it was kind of something
the writing was on the wall. And I navigated myself to working in the trades.
So I started as a laborer on a steel crew. And that helped me to kind of save
some money, actually really good money to be perfectly honest and pick up some
skills that were super beneficial for me later on down the road. And from there,
actually, it was a bit of a romance story at the plastic factory. I met my then
girlfriend, now wife, and she kind of inspired me to pursue post -secondary education
because when you're in the throes of it, I thought, you know what, this steel
thing, I like it, it's good money, this is what I'm And she really said, you know,
I excelled in school, I always excelled academically. So it was just something that
pulled me back. So she decided to convince me to go to school, which was awesome.
I had stocked away quite a bit of money. At that point working in the still trade,
it was a lot of traveling. So I went to school and I took advertising and
marketing and from there, I ended up going back into the trade. So I finished the
program, I had some debt and I said, you know what, money's where it's at. So I
went back to that and it was tough at the time when I graduated. Internships and
things of that nature, when you don't have a support system to go back to, it's
really hard to take non -paid work so you can get experience. But from there, it
was really inspired. My boss told me that I talked too much, so he wanted me to
move into sales, or he said I should either go back to school and pursue further
marketing. And I was like, okay, cool, okay. So I went back to school and I took
destination marketing. So kind of Using some transfer credits and things like that.
So I was the you know, the perpetual student at that point and from there I just
took full advantage. I had been through school once I had seen the other side of
it very physical job I knew what that was gonna result in through experience over
time It's hard on the body lots of travel. I knew I wasn't gonna be able to
maintain a solid relationship Essentially, I got an ultimatum. She said, you know,
you can't be traveling all over the country and still have you know Me So I chose
her and and from there pursued you know my co -ops So one of the things that I
always is it's true testament is co -op work experience through post -secondary
education is key And I got my first crack at somebody gave me a chance at being a marketing professional Which was amazing. I got a job at the casino Ramma. It was a maternity leave contract So it was a big big kid job, you know suit and tie every day and they gave me a shot, which was really, really phenomenal. And that was my first kick at the can of being a professional. So from there, I just did a lot of
networking. And I fell in love with, you know, creating and and I fell in love
with actually inadvertently, I was asked to host a slot tournament on the gaming
floor because they were down to VIP host. And that's where I fell in love with the
microphone. And I was like, Okay, cool, I could do this. I got a face made for
radio, you know, I can, I can be funny, I can be charming, I think. And I love
that portion of it. So, from there, just did some networking, finished up my co -op,
graduated. And I always say, when I'm talking to young people, I always say, you
know, take your co -op job opportunities very seriously. Because by the time I was
ready to graduate, I was too nervous to ask my boss for a day off to go to my
convocation ceremony than I was to actually graduate. So that was pretty interesting
and you know it was a unique experience in my life and when my that contract
completed I was offered a job in the VIP department and I was kind of tired of
watching people lose more money in a night than I could make in a year it was an
interesting industry plus when you work there you can't gamble in Ontario so I was
like I want to play poker every once in a while so I use some of the connections
and networking was big I'm a people person so I'm always smiling I'm always into
work early, and I ended up getting a job at a BIA. So the Downtown Aurelia
Management Board was my next step, which was really cool. You learned very quickly
how to market on a shoestring budget. So I loved my time there, and just oddly
enough, I saw a job posting for a marketing assistant at Georgian College, and that
was really enticing to me. And it was a bit of the old bait and switch, because I
got there, and it was the furthest thing from a marketing assistant job that you
could think of. It was a recruitment position. It was actually their seasonal
recruitment contract. So many colleges will hire individuals on a four month contract
between, you know, the tail end of the summer and December to help their additional
recruitment efforts when they are the busiest. And I said to myself, you're gonna
pay me money to drive around the province and talk about the school that I went
to. You have to pinch yourself. And you have to say, okay, so like, I think I'm
getting a bit of a free paycheck here because they're going to pay for my meals,
put me up in hotels, you get to have the most amazing experiences and meet the
most amazing people. And at that point, I had been bitten by the bug. And I
started a five year stint at Georgian, just pursuing different contracts. You know,
and it's tough to kind of get in in a union environment when you're working in
contract. And it's a bit of precarious work. But I loved it so much and it was so
impactful it filled my bucket being able to connect with students just like myself
that was at the time and you don't realize it while you're kind of going through
it and you're learning everything and before I knew it I was like no this is it
this is it for me this is exactly what I want to do so I came to the end of
the time that I could at Georgian I was finishing up my last contract I ended up
getting into and if I remember correctly Devin you were connected with this
organization as well I ended up taking a liaison contract at Skills Ontario promoting
the skilled trades. So marrying my personal experience in the trades with promoting
it in the province. And that was just amazing getting to run summer camps. And then
before I knew it, somebody, a good colleague of mine at Georgian had sent me a job
posting at Durham. Lo and behold, I didn't know this, but I had some pretty big
shoes to fill when I applied for that job because that was Devon's old job. It was
the on -campus recruitment coordinator. So managing on campus events like Open House
and the campus tour program and that was, I was very, it was a big stretch for
me. It was very scary to kind of jump into it going away from the institution that
I had grown so fond of and spent so much time with. And I dove in. It was a
huge commute for me coming from Barry all the way to Durham. But I said, you know,
I really want to make a go of it. A colleague of mine had also told me that
there was a position at Centennial and it was a little bit closer to home.
Centennial paid a little bit better at the time. So I was like, you know what? I
got to make a decision for myself. And I decided to go for it and I landed it,
which was amazing. I spent almost five years at Centennial. And just prior to the
pandemic, it was almost like, you know, surprise, my boss had went to another
institution and they asked me if I wanted to be the acting manager. And I said,
yeah, absolutely. This is an amazing opportunity. Boom, pandemic. And I was like,
Okay, well, feet in the fire at the same time, you're gonna navigate this, you're
gonna figure out how to work remotely, you're gonna figure out how to be a leader
and inspire a team that's downtrodden in a time where the post -secondary industry
was kind of going through a bit of a melee of chaos. But I made it and I made
it through. And I came out on the other end of it. They had offered me the gig.
And it's one of those interesting pieces where when you work in post -secondary,
particularly the college world, sometimes the prioritization for further education is
very big. And at that time, they hadn't really been offering manager roles to
individuals who just had college diplomas. So I felt a little bit like they
lowballed me for the salary. And I said, you know what, I'll go back to doing my
own gig because, you know, I can kind of make more with the overtime and whatnot,
which was a good decision for me at the time. I don't think I was ready. I think
I needed a little bit more time doing my job. But, you know, in networking and
being kind to everybody that I met and really trying to do the best that I could
every day, I had made some great connections. Another good colleague of mine had
left Centennial to go to Fleming College. When he got there, they were in the
market for a manager of recruitment and conversions, and he tapped on my shoulder
and asked me if I'd be interested in applying. So I said, you know what, okay,
maybe now's the time I was about four years, I got the five year itch for my
career. So I jumped over to Fleming, which was another really long commute. And I
was like, oh boy, here we go, right? Like I get the reputation of getting around
because I've worked for a couple of institutions over my career. And I went there
and I did that. And that was a phenomenal experience for me because I went from a
rather large institution to a rather small institution, limited budget, limited
resources, phenomenal team, phenomenal people. And I absolutely loved it. And it was
interesting because some of the individuals that I had met along the way at
Centennial, I stayed in touch with. So they had tapped me for some consulting work
for a school out in BC. I got to do this amazing opportunity to head out West for
a couple of days and, you know, flight paid for, wind and dined, but just kind of,
I was like, are you for real? Like you're gonna ask me my opinion on how
recruitment should go. But, you know, I came highly, I guess, regarded from the
individuals that I had worked with, went out there and it kind of opened my eyes.
I was like, okay, so I am a professional at this point. Like this is my gig. I
do know my stuff and I've been doing this for quite some time and it's almost like
that imposter syndrome started to shed away. It never really goes away, but it
started to shed away, especially 'cause I'm just such a big kid. So I'm the most
immature person in the room, nine times out of 10. So I'm trying to pretend to be
a grown um so that was very eye -opening to me and I said okay you know what I'm
going to make a commitment to myself and I'm not going to turn down any
opportunities I'm just going to see them through and see how it goes so I got back
I was still loving my time at at Fleming and from there I had went to again the
same individual Justin one of my mentors now he tapped me on the shoulder and he
said hey we have another manager job and we would love to have you back we're
expanding our department we're changing our roles, we have a whole new division, new
focus. So just consider it. I know you're liking what you're doing right now. And I
said, okay, cool, I'll consider it. And I was thinking about it as they were
getting their job posting together. I was asked to go speak at Craylo, which is a
conference for the committee of registrars and liaison officers. So they asked me to
come in and do a bit of a speaking engagement, which I agreed to do. And at the
time I ran into a few old colleagues and they introduced me to the new director at
And I really liked it's it's so funny. I'm gonna say an old man phrase here My
team bugs me for it all the time. They say I say old man They got a running list
of all my old manisms But but I really liked the cut of her jib. I really did.
I thought she was compelling I figured you know I always try and align myself with
people that I can learn from and people that I find very fascinating and interesting
So we got to talking while we were at the conference and it kind of like, you
know triggered me to say, you know Okay, I think I could work for this individual
and I think it might be a good space for me. And fast forward past the interview
process and I'm back, I'm back at Scarborough, I'm back at Centennial. I'm now the
manager of the National Student Recruitment Team doing some amazing work and
continuing on doing what I do. Sorry, totally long winded answer for what could have
been a short one. - Is there anything that's really surprised you about your work?
- Yeah, the fact that I'm there, To be perfectly honest, I never saw myself doing
this job. If you would have told me 15 -20 years ago, this is the career path that
I would have been in. I would have laughed you out of the room. To be perfectly
honest, I was the kid with long hair, a big goatee, probably thought I was going
to be a rock star, gotten away too much trouble. Like I said, I always did well
academically, but it was kind of like that counterculture. I was covered in piercings
And I was very much so, you know, fight against the system and, you know,
counterculture and all those things. So I think the fact that I'm here really
surprises me every single day. And it's a blessing. I never thought that I could
see myself here. At a very young age, I was working with adults. And I think that
was the thing that was really compelling to me. I got to see what I thought the
end game was in a lot of ways. So it uh eye -opening and I said you know in a
lot of instances I was like yes that's what I want to do but in a lot of
instances too I was kind of like yeah I can't see myself getting to that point I
was very fortunate when I was at Georgian to have been there for as long as I did
because I really got to see a student that I recruited graduate and that was kind
of the the light bulb moment I was like oh my gosh and they came up to me at
convocation and hugged me and said that I hadn't impact on their life and that gets
you right in the feels You know, especially for somebody who came from a world
where you don't get emotional, you know what I mean, you don't have an impact on
people. It's, and then all of a sudden you're kind of like blubbering in the
corner. You're like, oh my God, this is the most amazing feeling I've ever had.
Not a bad takeaway for your work, that's for sure. Right. Um, knowing what you know
now, what advice would you give your teenage self? It's be kind to everybody that
you meet. I think is a big piece of it. Networking is probably the hack that so
many people don't understand. Having a great network, being kind, working hard,
giving 110 % every day, all those colloquialisms, all those, you know, catchphrases in
those buzzwords, they have a lot of meaning, but it all results back to surrounding
yourself with great people. I would tell myself to find a mentor. I would tell
myself to align myself with people who I don't agree with. I think is a really big
piece. The best mentors that I have currently are those individuals who I
fundamentally disagreed with, who challenged me at every turn, who forced me to think
outside of my typical norm and forced me to be a new individual every single day,
but persistence is the hugest piece. You never know what's gonna happen until you
try. Get outside of your comfort zone. Don't let life beat you down because no
matter how hard it is in the moment, there's something cool that's waiting for you.
It really is and it's up to you to get to that cool thing.
Nice. Thank you so much for your time today and we look forward to hearing from
our audience on the next episode of the One About Careers.

Thanks for listening to the One About Careers podcast. You can catch up with past
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