On November 4, the AdClub of Toronto welcomed over 350+ attendees to the fourth annual Student Day event. Attendees virtually tuned in from across Canada including recent grads, students, industry professionals, and community members looking for a career in the Canadian advertising, marketing, and media industry.
Finding and landing a new job today can be complex and take time, especially when networking opportunities at the moment are virtual and existing industry contacts may be limited. This year, Student Day highlighted how diverse and unique career journeys can be and how candidates can navigate their way into our industry.
Two panels provided their POV on practical tips and tricks to help get your foot in the door and network successfully. The first panel included inspiring peer success stories of colleagues who have recently graduated from school and are in newly hired roles. Panel two hosted a group of M2T Collective professionals who gave advice from their experience of hiring and interviewing candidates. Key takeaways that came out of the discussion included:
Connect with people and start a conversation that is direct and specific to what you need help with
Be authentic and tell your own unique story
Find the right person to be your mentor and networking support system
Do your homework in advance and be ready for a live/virtual chat and interview
In an interview, it is okay to take time to answer questions and compose yourself
If you do not understand something, ask questions
Ask great questions that are relevant
Leverage LinkedIn as a tool in many ways including:
Target people in sectors and roles that you are interested in pursuing
Personalize your message and be relevant to the recipient
Use 2nd connections on LinkedIn to expand your network
Go to your school’s LinkedIn page to cross-reference people who completed the same program as you
Thank you to all our sponsors including: M2T Collective, M&K Media, LinkedIn, Pinterest, The Message & Spotify
A recording of the event can be viewed HERE
We look forward to seeing you all at the next AdClub Student Day and to continue to help support and stay connected through the advertising community.
Date Published: December 5, 2021
Author: Jill McDonald