Dough Life: A Day in the Life of a Suncor Energy Wholesale Ops Analyst

Name: Shalinda Suriyampola

Role: Wholesale Operations Analyst (New Grad Rotational Program at Suncor)

About Me

Hello everyone! My name is Shalinda and I am currently in the New Graduate Rotational Program at Suncor Energy, and I work in the Calgary office. Currently, my rotation is in Downstream Wholesale Marketing, and in October, my next rotation will be as a Product Supply Trading Analyst.

This rotational program is 2 years long and you spend 1 year in each rotation. Typically for my position, you do field visits and learn on the site, and learn about the day-to-day executions at gas stations.

Suncor Energy is a great organization that provides great opportunities for people to develop and grow.

In business school, there’s a competitive culture to plan out and line up your internships before graduation. For myself, I waited and planned carefully, and found Suncor’s amazing rotational program, and I still started at the same time as everyone else.

Even if you don’t find something perfect in the beginning, you can always be patient, gain work experience, and everything will be fine in the end! At Suncor, it was worth the wait to not rush the process, and I am happy to find an organization that cares about the safety and its people.

1. What is your role? What does your job entail?

My name is Shalinda and I am currently in the New Graduate Rotational Program at Suncor Energy, and I work in the Calgary office. Currently, my rotation is in Downstream Wholesale Marketing, and in October, my next rotation will be as a Product Supply Trading Analyst.

My role involves doing support for the downstream wholesale marketing division for Western Canada. The important thing to note - Marketing in the Oil and Gas industry does not mean in necessarily the conventional sense, like CPGs (Consumer Packaged Goods).

Primarily, I support the team that manages the truck stop sites, like how sales are done for monthly information, such as revenue, maintenance costs, and etc. I essentially provide numerical support to the team as needed.

2. What does a typical day look like for you? How is your work-life balance?

It’s actually been a pretty independent position, for example, you start at 8:00 AM and you finish around 5:00 PM.

I’ve started communicating more with my team and manager since COVID-19 began, to check up and go over the work that I’m doing, asking for feedback and such. When I wake up, the first tasks are data requests and reports, which I work on until noon, then I work on my emails and other ad-hoc requests. This usually involves working with someone in the eastern region (Ontario’s Mississauga Office).

Then in the afternoon, you start on value-added projects. Sometimes I have to go back and change my work, since my mind works better in the afternoon. Sometimes, you get an important and huge data request, or sometimes you get told that an urgent task has to be completed first.

My work-life balance is fantastic. When I start working on my next rotation, my commute might be 25 minutes and my transit downtown is free too! It’s usually 8-5 PM, and it’s very possible to have a work-life balance. Because my commute is short, I find time to make acquaintances, join sports leagues, and work-out, which is a great use of my time to take care of myself.

3. What appealed to you about this particular organization?

Head Office

Suncor has numerous offices, and I worked in a non-downtown office in Calgary. There are usually multiple headquarters, such as one in Mississauga and Montreal. This is the same for Suncor.

My current office (pre-COVID) is a standard office environment, and my next rotation is set to be in a downtown office in Calgary. Since COVID-19 began, I’ve primarily worked from home in Calgary.

Suncor Energy

There’s a lot of things I like about Suncor Energy. For example, it’s common for people to stay in the organization for multiple years, with up to 40+ years in the organization. The company genuinely tries to develop its employees from within, and build up the talent and skills from the organization. You meet individuals who have stayed in the organization for some time.

Additionally, Suncor does care about its employees, for instance, our top priority is safety, and with Suncor, because we run mines and many sites for oil extraction, it affects every aspect of the organization. People are willing to collaborate and help you out; for example, I’ve sent emails about confusing concepts and support, and they will genuinely help you. This applies to others in other offices too, and the environment is collaborative. Even after COVID-19, when we migrated more to Microsoft Teams, the migration has been positive!

My Move to Calgary from GTA

Within a few days of receiving my job offer, I was contacted by someone from Suncor who helped me organize my move to Calgary. My entire move was covered by Suncor, such as my personal belongings, and they assisted with that. I did not have to pay anything for the move to Calgary.

The relocation was amazing, and I’m very happy about that.

They provided me with corporate housing for a few months, and then real estate assistance to help me find a place in the area, and I am thankful for the support.

Challenges and Advice for Relocation

When I moved to Calgary for my Suncor role, I had a few months to mentally prepare for the move, so it wasn’t too bad for me.

When moving to a new city, Calgary is a great city and I recommend people research the city before moving in. When it comes to relocation, it might be challenging if you don’t do preparation. Most companies will find ways to support you in the relocation process, but it’s up to you to take the initiative to prepare yourself.

For example, when I moved to Calgary and wanted to develop some social connections, I had to find and commit to networking groups (i.e. sports leagues) in order to find acquaintances and develop relationships. I find that this is something important once you graduate, this is important to find ways to make acquaintances.

In terms of advice, I think relocation is a great opportunity! If it’s someone you know, you can reconnect and stay in touch with them digitally. Sometimes, you can find an opportunity or a city that is better suited to you.

For example with Calgary, I had significantly more free time because I was able to utilize this time to network, exercise or play tennis and explore new interests. It makes sense to consider moving out because most companies (like Suncor) provide great relocation support. Relocation can have an emotional impact, so it’s best to keep the mindset that it takes time to establish yourself in a city or a new environment.

4. What aspects of your job do you enjoy? What keeps you up at night?

I love the level of independence, and there is a lot of support from upper management to help me grow. For example, my manager will be there and available to help me, along with other members of my team. It was a great environment for learning in!

What keeps me up at night:

When I first began the role, I had to figure out what was useful, and how to add value to the organization. For example, when doing value-added projects, as a new grad hire, I know absolutely nothing versus someone who’s been in the role for 15 years.

As a new grad, you have to figure out how to help out. For example, in business school, I’ve done case competitions where I am supposed to know everything but in reality, you really do not know everything, and you’re not supposed to! You learn many aspects from actually doing the job.

It’s more about “How can I work with others in my team to add value?” and work with others to justify your solutions and projects.

At the end of the day, I competed under the “digital strategy” category for some case competitions, but you have to be in the role or field to truly know if your idea works. With that being said, you don’t have the industry knowledge, and you have to have a learning mindset to quickly figure out how things work.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

5. What would the ideal candidate look like? Describe any relevant skills, experiences, traits, etc.

For the ideal candidate, it’s expected to enter an industry with lots of intricate knowledge, and everyone knows more than you! A great candidate has a learning mindset and knows how to add value to the organization, despite people knowing more than you.

An essential part of the job search is reaching out and collaborating with people, everyone has been incredibly willing to help me understand new information and new perspectives, and it is up to the candidate to take the initiative to learn more! There is a difference between knowing just enough for your role only, and knowing more about the industry and how things work.

Lastly, ask great questions, especially when you’re visiting the actual locations (i.e. sites like gas stations where the point of sale transactions are happening).

6. What did the application/interview process look like for you? How did you get your foot in the door?

Application Process

I applied online through their job posting. Because I am from the Greater Toronto Area, it’s more difficult to network when the employers are in Calgary.

They contacted me a few days later to conduct a video interview, where I had to answer questions on the screen. Then, we did a 1:1, 90-minute interview with an HR representative and your future manager. If you are closer to the Calgary offices, I’ve heard people were called to the office to conduct the interview.

When it came to the 30-minute video interview, because there wasn’t much networking opportunity, just be honest and do your best to prepare, and practice your answers (without appearing robotic). For example, all candidates who apply to Suncor should know about their emphasis on safety, which is a great talking point.

7. How did you stand out in the application process?

Make sure you are well-prepared, have comprehensive answers that follow the STAR method, and you should be ready for any question that they ask you. For my interview questions, there weren’t any major surprises in the interview, because I had taken my time to prepare my answers, reflect on myself, and my strengths and weaknesses.

While I do recommend being prepared, it is possible to be a bit too prepared - make sure that you do research and prepare your STAR answers, but don't overdo it.

For the interview itself, the most difficult question I was asked about process improvements, and how you would improve processes in the past. It was hard to get into detail about this, and any work experience is relevant like when I did Customer Service experience from Home Depot, I tapped into those experiences to explain my answer.

8. Looking back, was there anything you could have improved during your application process, or mistakes that you noticed other applicants had made?

I researched old aspects of the companies that were not too relevant and didn’t help me stand out in the interview. I am happy I had prepared but I went too far.

Looking at other people who applied for other leadership programs, I know they can answer questions, also but they become flustered. It’s normal, you need to breathe and re-calibrate your answers and focus. It’s a common mistake that may cost you a position - people who don’t know how to calm down and refocus. At the end of the day, the interviewers want to help you out and see if you’re a great candidate, to see you at your best. If you need to take a breather to refocus, that’s fine too, it helps everyone.

I think keeping this positive mindset in the back of your mind is essential - if you start losing focus, remember to breathe!

9. Were there any surprises in your job search experience or things you wished you had known earlier?

The #1 thing, for someone who took longer in the job search, I got some offers that I had turned down. It’s difficult to see your friends find great jobs at your school and get full-time offers early.

At the end of the day, it’s not a race! You can take your time. Thankfully, I ended up starting at the same time as everyone else and started working for a company I liked and a city that I like.

Generally, I learned in the job search that it can be difficult to say “No” to offers when you don’t have many of them. But if you think and evaluate it, there is no shame in waiting as well. This depends on your financial situation and other considerations, but I do recommend people to think deeply about their fit with the role and to not just say “Yes” immediately to the first offers you get.

10. What advice would you give to someone who wants to break into your role/program?

1. Take your time, research, network and reach out to people.

• If you ask regular people in positions where you want to be in, they’ll be likely to find time to chat about their experiences and find opportunities to stand out (i.e. research, groups, etc.)

• The most useful coffee chat was about an individual who worked in the sports-marketing firm, and what he personally developed. He gave me recommendations on fields and groups to pursue if I wanted to go into the industry.

• Even if you don’t end up in the industry, you learn a lot that would be useful to help you navigate the job search.

2. LinkedIn In a role like mine, where networking events aren’t necessarily in the GTA, LinkedIn is great to reach out to people who are in similar roles like this one.

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