Alexandre Jacques

I learned that people love transparency – they love when you’re yourself.

What made you choose the John Molson School of Business?

I started off at CEGEP Champlain - Saint Lawrence in health sciences. I had a semester off and had a change in my path. I tried commerce at Université Laval but I knew I wanted to stay in English so I talked to a friend who was at the John Molson School and it got me very interested. I was in Quebec City and made the move to Montreal to study at the John Molson School of Business.

What has your experience been like so far?

It was a different type of vibe compared to Quebe City especially since we’re downtown. I was isolated the first few months, but that was a chance for me to explore Montreal on my own. Around my third month in town, a friend of mine mentioned the Concordia Real Estate Club (CREC) and that there were spots open. Now it’s my second year in CREC and being involved in the university is what got me out of that bubble of isolation when I first arrived. That made the transition to Montreal a lot easier.

How did you decide to get involved in the Concordia Real Estate Club (CREC)?

Real estate has always been an interest of mine so when my friend sent me an email saying there were some spots open and that they were starting interviews soon, I decided to get involved.

I started off as director of events with an amazing events team. My goal wasn’t really to move forward in CREC but a lot of people saw potential for me to become VP so I was like all right let’s try it. Throughout the year, I learned to speak with people and really have fun with people and so networking became something natural. I’ve learned to have fun at networking events and not be scared of the real estate professionals like I was at the beginning of my experience.

Having that leadership position – it's a lot of work. You have to take care of your directors but I’m ready for the work and I put myself in a position where I can delegate.

I learned that people love transparency – they love when you’re yourself so you don’t need to try to be someone serious. I’m a goofy guy and people don’t care about that. If you stay professional and friendly with everyone, you won’t drain your battery like you would if you were trying to be someone you’re not. Be yourself, have fun, meet the people you want to meet.

Confidence-wise, it comes from the work that I put into it by becoming VP and before when I was director of events. I would go to see the contacts at the hotels, speak face to face so they could explain to us the venue for 30 to 45 minutes. Trying to hold a conversation for 45 minutes – not a lot of people can do that – that helped me a lot.

Especially this summer, in May, one thing I really wanted to do was go to conferences and networking events to meet new people for CREC and for personal endeavors too. By going to these events more and more and meeting people, you don’t necessarily lose the stress but you don’t think about it anymore. Through repetition, it becomes muscle memory and that's where the confidence comes from.

It translated well into the Projet Trident for the run. The first thing was to present the project and not be afraid to meet new people. We had to reach out to a lot of companies for potential sponsorship. You go and present the project and see if they like it. It’s a philanthropic project, and many people are interested in that, so we’re blessed to have a large company of runners invested in that with us. One of my goals I shared during my interview for the VP External role was a focus on human connection. At CREC, we try to meet as many of our contacts in person as possible so we can speak together instead of emailing. It’s a priority for us to bring that human touch that we’re missing nowadays.

What’s the most rewarding thing about serving as VP External for CREC?

The biggest reward is about having the chance to develop a nice relationship with the contacts from companies on behalf of CREC. One thing that a lot of the companies said when I went out to meet with them is that they weren’t used to people coming to their office to meet with them personally and they really appreciated that. That’s a comment I cherish.

Why do you think it’s important to get involved in extracurriculars during your time at university?

It builds a big connection of people who are equally driven as you. CREC is filled with amazing people who like to grind, to work hard but at the same time to have fun too. You get together as a group and you build a nice community by doing that and you build your confidence as well. My confidence was building through hard work and speaking with sponsors, speaking with students, speaking with anybody that came to our events – it all adds up.

What’s a piece of advice you’d give to first-year students at the John Molson School of Business?

If you’re first year, definitely go to the Welcome Week Clubs Fair put on by the Concordia Student Union. Even if you don’t end up joining a club, the people you meet at this fair could become your new friends. It’s a great place to network and meet people. I’m still in touch with the people I met at the fair. It’s all about building that little base, that little friend group that likes to participate at university events and after that it goes up exponentially.