Advice to the future post-grads at Sheridan

Since this is my final blog post, I wanted to write a couple pieces of advice for the new batch of post-graduates that are starting in September. I truly had no idea what to expect on my first day at Sheridan, so I thought some tidbits of wisdom may help the young whippersnappers of 2015. 

Firstly, learn how to organize yourself. You're gonna get bombarded with assignments and projects (that are so much fun!..), and if you don't have a way to organize everything you may start to slowly lose your mind (trust me, it'll happen). Make sure you have a 'To Do' list with assignments listed by priority and a calendar with all your due dates! You really don't want to have that feeling of blood rushing to your face when a prof asks for an assignment that you completely forgot about..

Secondly, be open-minded. You'll be working on many different projects with many very different people. Being open to other's ideas and perspectives will only help you build great ideas. 

Thirdly, take advantage of every opportunity you can. Whether it's a career development session or an advertising competition, try to immerse yourself as much as possible. You'll make new friends and have experiences that will help you find a job when you're done the program. 

Fourthly, take your studies seriously. You're in this program for a reason... to get a job. If you half-ass your assignments you'll be wasting your time and money, and that is just a silly thing to do now isn't it.

Fifthly(?), sass Colin Robey as much as humanely possible. He'll probably be your program coordinator and he loves it when people make fun of Media or don't laugh at his jokes. Doing these things will secure you as a fanTASTic student in his books. 

Sixthly(?), have a great time! Taking this program was the best decision of my life. The classes are excellent and the profs are super personable and willing to help you in any way possible (not to mention, they know what they're talking about).

That's all the advice I have for now. I hope this post helps you make the decision to come to Sheridan for the Advertising: Account Management program and enjoy it while you're here! 

Cheers!

Coping with life without summer holidays

My school career is almost over. I have a little less than a month left of classes, and then I will pass through the invisible protection of school and into the real world... which is terrifying. As students, I think we get so used to the protective bubble that university and college provide. We don't have to determine what career we want to enter or pay off our student loans quite yet.. it's a fantastic place to be! But all things great must come to an end, and that's why I'm writing this blog post now.

This is an ode to the 4 months of summer that I used to have free from school or any major responsibilities... a reflection of the days that ended at 1pm because classes ended early that day... a ballad to the professors that would give project extensions so our weekends could be relaxing and fun.

I've never surfed in my life, but it seemed fitting.

The thing about school is that those four months after classes finished served as a reset button. You finished those eight months of hard-work, and maybe you'll try some new courses next semester, or even change your major!! (lord knows, I have). The thing is.. you knew that school was in the near future, but you could worry about it later. Now, those days are over. There's no such thing as 'summer holidays' or 'march break' or even 'christmas break' because this is real life now, kid.

By no means is this blog post a complaint about not having as many vacation days as I did as a student.. it just means that things are changing, and it's time to step up and rise with the challenge of the real world. What does that challenge entail exactly? No idea.

What I do know is this: these past few months have been the most exciting of my life, but also the most stressful. The phrase 'so what are you going to do when you're done school' is almost a daily question you have to answer, and the panic you feel when you can't answer is quite palpable. Thankfully, I've been able to find a career in a field that I love, and have actually landed a position at an agency that I respect and am excited to be a part of. But still... I have been preparing to enter the 'real world' for 5 years now, and it still seems like something just out of reach. I guess in a couple of months I feel finally know what all the hubbub is all about.

Check out the Advertising: Account Management program at Sheridan College.

'Like' us on Facebook for more information here.

The Importance of Fit

If there is one thing that all human resources people will tell you that they look for in potential candidates, it is this: you must fit in. In this way, the advertising industry is pretty unique, I think. Obviously, your hard skills are required to get you into the interview, but after that it's all about your personality and if you will fit in nicely with the team. This could be verrryy very daunting, because they're essentially saying that you may have the skills to do the job but, meh, we don't really like you all that much. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but still not far from the truth!

I think it's completely understandable that if you don't fit in with the company you may not get the job. These people are going to working long days with you.. and if they can't stand you, it could be detrimental to the team dynamic they've fostered for years. Now, there are some ways to get past this 'they don't like me that much' problem.

oh :(

You can research the company, find out what they stand for and see if you would naturally be a good fit with them. What kind of content do they produce? Are they kinda funny or more of a serious and strict agency? Is it a fun work environment? All of these questions can be answered with a quick Google search, and can be especially valuable in the interview. Showing that your passionate about the same things they are is a sure way to stand out from the competition and land you that job. If you find that you can really connect with the agency and believe in the message they want to communicate, both you and the agency will benefit. Also, if you find that you don't really fit in, who cares? It's an agency that might not share the same values or interests as you, and you're probably better off not working there in the first place. 

I think that in order to see if you will truly be a good fit, you have to do some introspective thinking; 'what do I believe in, what type of team do I want to be a part of, what are my values, what is my work ethic like, what is my personality like' are all questions that have to be answered before you even go into an interview. By understanding yourself, you'll be more confident in the interview and be able to be honest with both yourself and the hiring staff, which will turn the interview into a conversation. Also, you won't have to put on a fake smile and exaggerate your own skills to impress them... you're honesty and self-reflection will.

What Brands Can Learn From Bands

I am currently in the process of interviewing for internship positions so that I can get my foot into the door of the advertising industry. One common question the interviewer may ask is to give them your own unique thoughts about the industry (ie. where it's been, where it's going), which can be really tricky for a post-graduate student without years of experience. So, as I practice for my interviews, I try to come up with that one insightful opinion that will show the interviewer that I can think critically about the field (which is actually really hard). I really didn't want to come up with something that is already well known (ie. the growth of digital) or beat around the bush for 5 minutes and hope that they lose interest and ask me a new question. So, I tried to relate my answer to my own experience and how I perceive the advertising out there today. Since I'm pretty much obsessed with music and music culture, I thought this would be my natural starting point.

I started really paying attention to my favourite band's social media pages and the content they are posting, and it dawned on me-- brands and advertising agencies can learn so much from bands. Have you seen the levels of engagement and interaction between a band and its fans?! It's ridiculous... people don't think of it, and maybe bands don't mean it intentionally, but they are advertising! They're posting content about their tour dates, or new merch they have in store and people eat it up because they are genuinely interested in supporting the band. A band's music is their product, and this product is intertwined so naturally with the band's image and personality that we don't see it as such. A band is a perfect example of a 'pull' strategy, and it happens so naturally that people don't realize that a band is a business.

It's true...

I think that bands are so successful in their interaction with fans because, for example, their social media pages have such an authentic and humanistic quality to them. They are just a group of people playing music for a living, playing wicked shows and having great experiences that we all want to be a part of. Their posts don't sound like a business.. they sound like a person, which is something all brands can take advantage of. We can all recognize when a company makes a post that sounds like Microsoft Sam and Siri's child, and it creates this wall between the company and consumer. If brands want to really reflect a genuine quality, and create content that is meaningful and relatable, they need to look no further than their favourite bands.

Learning How To Get A Grip

So, there I was. Standing with my team in front of 12 industry executives waiting for our campaign to unfold before them. You know that feeling when you have no saliva in your mouth and can barely remember how to talk? Now, imagine having that for 45 minutes while higher ups of your dream agency judge the hell out of your pitch. Why would anyone freely choose to have this happen to them?

Before I answer that, let me give you some context...

About a month ago, I signed up for the Grip Limited Juicer competition-- an annual advertising competition offered by Grip Limited to every college and university in Ontario. I wanted a bit more real-life advertising experience, so I decided to be a part of the Sheridan team. We were equipped with a brief, a real-life challenge to solve, and a deadline. I have never really thrown together an actual advertising campaign, so I really thought I was in over my head. Luckily, there was a lot of seasoned-advertising-competition veterans that provided leadership and made the experience pretty cool.

Fast forward a couple weeks. We had our big idea, research, consumer insights, a budget, media considerations and a strategic plan. All that was left was the presentation.

I step into the agency, and my heart is pounding. I'm in classic freak-out mode, thinking of everything that could possibly go wrong. Will I stumble over my words? or forget the crucial information I am supposed to present? Will I let down my team? Will I mess up and ruin my whole career?! I know self-destructing right before a presentation isn't a 100% fantastic strategy, so I tried to cool my jets. My team walks to the front of the room, and we start our pitch. The next 45 minutes was pretty much a complete blur. If you asked me what I said during the presentation, I probably couldn't tell you. But, we got through it. It was over.

Although we didn't win the competition, I was proud of everyone on my team. We all came together to create a campaign that we were proud of, and I'm happy that I was a part of it. We came up with a unique idea and saw it to completion, which is all I wanted to do.

I've only been in advertising for about 7 months now, but having the opportunity to present my own ideas to industry professionals was something I never thought I'd be able to do. I'm an introverted person, but I took a step out of my comfort zone and tried to provide something of value to both my team and the agency. Even though it was a top-ten most-nervous moment in my life, I would do it again in a heartbeat... even if it's beating dangerously high.

I highly recommend checking out Grip if you're interested in an opportunity like this!

Networking Night 2015!

During this past week, the post-graduates in the Advertising Account Management program were lucky enough to attend a networking night at Sheridan, where past grads mingled and discussed the advertising industry with students. It was pretty cool to be able to speak to the recent grads in an informal setting, and have the ability to speak candidly about their jobs and their paths. I also think that the willingness of these past Sheridan students to take time out of their busy schedules to speak to us speaks volumes about how much they enjoyed both the professors and program here at Sheridan. The one thing I took away from Networking Night is that people in the industry want to help you.. they understand the challenges of breaking into a new industry, and they are genuinely interested in helping you on your way. I've never really experienced that before (especially when trying to get a job) which makes me want to work harder to earn the help that I'm getting.

What a bunch of beautiful post-grads!

The whole event was a type of speed-dating, where past-grads sat in a group with current students and got to know each other and their position in the industry. As an introverted person I was pretty much a zombie by the end of it, but it lead to some great contacts and opportunities! Everyone was really nice and open to any questions we had!

Here's a small clip of Matthew Tower, the SAA Communications Lead, speaking about the event: 

More information about the event and other industry opportunities available through the post-graduate account management program can be found here. 

Looking for a job in advertising? Here's some advice.

Many of us are at a point in our lives when we are starting to send out our resumes and cover letters, hoping desperately to get an entry-level position in the advertising industry. Many different people will give you very different strategies on how to get your foot in the door, (which may cause a bit of confusion) because there is no single strategy of landing a job. Different agencies have different cultures with various human resources directors who look for different qualities in a prospective employee. This is where the stress starts to seep in. But, luckily, there are a few universal things you can (read: should probably) do if you want to stand out amongst other applicants and get your first industry job!

Now, take this advice with a grain of salt since I'm still a student and am currently going through a job-search of my own. But, all of the following advice comes from my experiences talking to profs and industry professionals from Sheridan College.

Here's what you should do when trying to land a job:

1. Talk to people! Talk to people from agencies you want to work at. Take them out for coffee and pick their brain about the industry. If you show passion and excitement for advertising they will be that much more likely to mention your name when the next entry-level job opens up.

2. Brand yourself! Figure out what your personal brand is and stick to it. Understand who you are, what you can offer an agency and where you see your career going. The confidence you show in your own personal brand will definitely reflect in an interview.

3. Get to know the industry! Research everything you can and keep up to date with the advertising world. Having a point of view on the industry will show that you are passionate and not only care about getting a job, but are interested and curious about the industry you are trying to enter.

4. Don't ask for a job! When contacting potential agencies, understand that getting a job is a process. If you say that you want a position in the first email you send, chances are that email is getting sent straight to the trash.

5. Follow up! If you speak with an agency rep or talk over the phone, make sure you send a thank you note. Their time is very valuable, and showing that you are grateful for the time they spent with you, you will stand out amongst those who didn't. Make sure you follow up within 24 hours!

6. Be 10 minutes early!

That's all I have for now. If you follow these rules, it will only help you in your job-search. Good Luck!