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. 

Next Generation Day 2015

Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to be a part of Next Generation Day 2015 as part of Advertising Week in Toronto. We began our day at TIFF Bell Lightbox, where we listened to panelists speak about their experiences in the advertising industry. One panel consisted of industry people with over 15+ years experience, and the second consisted of individuals with <5 years. Both panels were extremely insightful and gave prospective ad people an idea of what agencies are looking for throughout the hiring process and how to stand out amongst the crowd.

After the panel presentation, students left for their assigned agency visit, where we were given a guided tour of the office as well as Q&A with key personnel. I was fortunate enough to visit Sid Lee, which is found in the distillery district in Toronto, and it was probably the coolest work environment I've ever seen. The tour really gave us a better understanding of the culture offered and demystified the moving parts of an ad agency. After the tour, we actually worked with a copywriter and art director on an ongoing agency project. They gave us a brief, and split up into teams to solve the problem that the agency was having. This was an invaluable experience, since it gave us an opportunity to solve a real problem at an agency!

After the tour, we had a social at a bar in Toronto, where students from colleges all over Ontario were able to meet and network, which was one of my favourite parts of the day. Overall, I had a great time at Next Generation Day, and would recommend it to any prospective advertising student looking for more information on the industry!

PS: If I could give one tip to advertising students who didn't have the chance to go to Next Generation day, it is this: know who you are, and what your personal brand is. The panelists all agree that this one thing is critical if you want to get into the ad industry!

This opportunity was offered to me through the Advertising: Account Management program at Sheridan College!

Networking Night at Sheridan College

The advertising program at Sheridan College was fortunate enough to host a networking night for graduating students last night as part of their Career Development series. 30 or so agencies and companies from around the GTA were kind enough to send representatives to speak with prospective students looking for entry-level positions. I spoke with many reps over the course of a couple hours and gained some insight into the different types of agencies out there and the qualities that they look for in future employees. Even though none of my dream-job agencies were at the event, it was great to get experience speaking with individuals in the advertising industry! You can get a really good idea of what type of jobs are available and the specific culture that individual agencies try to foster within 10 minutes of speaking to the reps.

As a bit of an introverted person, having events like this available is priceless. They allow you to strengthen your communication skills and get industry-relevant information in a no-pressure environment. Overall, I think the whole night was a success. I already got a couple emails from the reps outlining potential internship positions, which is a step in the right direction. I kinda regret not taking more free food though, but I digress.

Interested in something like this?

Advertising: Account Management program at Sheridan College.

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