& That's A Wrap!

In just under one month, I will be able to say & that's a wrap to my college career. I can't believe how quickly this moment has come. It comes to me with a great deal of excitement because I have realized I have been in school for about 21 years of my life... 21 long years my friends. From elementary to high school to university to my post grad. The haul has been long, at times tedious, but mostly extremely rewarding. As I look back, on this past year, it has been quite intense. This post is dedicated to what I have learned in the past eight months in college. The funny thing is is that I have learned more in eight months at Sheridan then in the other 20 years I've spent at other institutions. No that is by no means a jab to previous schooling because I have found every experience that I had an opportunity to learn, extremely valuable. But one thing is for sure, I can say that Sheridan College has taught me invaluable skills related EXACTLY to what I want to do in my advertising career. Of course, I learned all the technical skills I will encounter in the positions I am now suitable for. And of course, there are a million other things I plan to learn while I'm on the job, but I feel confident in my postgrad education. Besides technical skills, I also learned a lot from my teachers and peers. They have taught me a lot about myself and those lessons are the MOST valuable that I will carry with me everywhere I go.

First off, I want to thank every teacher I've had: Doug, Ana Maria, Tina, Annie, Colin, Yvonne, Maureen & Iryna. You have all offered me your expertise to soak up and have prepared me for what I will encounter. I came into this program unsure of anything advertising, and now I feel more confident then ever to apply what you have taught me in the real world. You all have tested me in some way; whether it be mentally (on a test), my organizational skills (by giving me a thousands projects;) or physically (by making me walk up so many damn stairs to your class). Each of you have played a paramount role in who I will become in the advertising industry and for that I am forever grateful.

Another group I must thank is my peers. I came to Sheridan with seven other post grad students, all from different walks of life, and all of which have been great teachers to me as well. Whether they knew it or not, they have also played such a big role in who I will be as an advertising professional. So thank you, to each and every one of you, for you in some way, have affected me in a positive light. Whether it be teaching me a new skill when I was frustrated on photoshop, always willing to lend a hand when I felt overwhelmed, for making me laugh, for sharing your personal experiences with me, for celebrating successes with me, and the list goes on and on. I am forever grateful to have shared these experiences with you. A quote I liked to live by is "Be the one who has an understanding and forgiving heart, the one who sees the best in people. Leave people better than you found them". I guess what I'm trying to say here is that you all have left me better then when I started. <3

WAH..But I'm not a Sales Woman!

At the beginning of this semester, my instructor in my Professional Sales class, who by the way is actually so awesome, told us we had an assignment that coincides with the Oakville Beaver. My first thought is, okay that's pretty cool that we get to work with an actual newspaper to gain some real world experience. That was until I found out that we were expected to sell advertising space in a special Convocation Sheridan issue in the newspaper, to prospective clients. My second thought, "ugh but I'm not a saleswoman. I hate selling people sh!t". That right there is straight up honesty, I had no desire to call clients to sell anything. I don't like being sold to, so why would I want to do it to someone else?

Luckily, this is an assignment for school, so my hand was forced to make some calls. My partner and I gathered at my house to review the facts about what we were selling and then we split the list and started calling the client list we received from our rep at the Oakville Beaver we were assigned to work with. Not going to lie, my heart was racing the first few calls. A lot goes through your head. The person could reject me or not be interested. Then it hit me...so what?! That's the worst thing that could happen is that they aren't interested? Then my motto in life would come into play, "ON to the next one". These sales calls were not life or death and ended up being pretty fun. I say fun because I finally made a few sales and that my friends, that actually felt really good! I sold the highest priced advertising spot with my first client! That was a win for me and my partner! I guess what I took from this whole experience is that doing things that make you uncomfortable forces you to grow as a person and can end up giving you some earned confidence. I have a new found respect for people in sales and realize the hard ass work it can be to be successful. I think I'll change that title to, "I CAN be a sales woman, if I want to".

Lesson Learned--> Do something that challenges you and puts you out of your comfort zone. That is the only way we can grow. 

Until Next Time!

M

Nailed It!

After reading this post, I want you to come out of your next interview being able to say "NAILED IT"! My last post spoke of the art that is networking and I also briefly mentioned my interview at Simon Pure. That being said, I figured I’d write a few interviewing tips that I found helpful to help me prepare. Like I stated before, networking comes with practice and through practice you will be able to engage in meaningful conversations that will elicit potential business relationships. Another fine art in the advertising industry is your ability to interview well. Interviewing to many, is a scary process. I mean the spotlight is solely focused on you and you need to be okay with that. You need to be a good salesman to your potential employer and sell yourself. It can be hard to do for many because many of us don’t necessarily enjoy talking about how great we are. But I think if it comes from a genuine place as to why you’re so awesome, why WOULDN’T you tell them all the things that make you so wonderful?!

         Here’s a few tips for you to help you nail your next interview:

#1. Research the company. Knowledge is power and knowing about the company you could be working for only shows that you took the initiative to look them up and now you can give them the authentic reasons why you want to work for the woman/man sitting in front of you. Being able to demonstrate how your personal values align with that of the company only exhibits how great of a fit you are. Plus if they ask you questions, you don’t want to draw a blank here.

#2.  Practice some possible questions ahead of time. I know what you’re thinking, why would I tell you to almost fabricate a script? No that’s not what I’m saying. I think it’s a solid idea to practice potential questions only because sometimes let’s face it, nerves get the best of us and we can struggle to answer. If you have an idea of the main points you want them to know about you, it can only help you be ready and smoothly answer anything they ask.

#3. Be Authentic. This one’s simple. Be YOU. Don’t be a mould of who you think they want you to be. At the end of the day, you want to be able to be yourself in all aspects of your life and you are pretty damn' awesome!

#4. Bring a hard copy of your resume or portfolio. In case they didn’t print one off you have one available. Also your portfolio displays your best work, which is a key self selling feature. So show off your proudest work.

#5. Ask questions and bring a note pad. Writing down information they give you so you don’t forget only makes you look very into the interview and that you hold it as highly important. Asking questions shows you have a mind of your own and you’re interested in an unanswered aspect of the company.  

& last one.. drum roll please…

#6. Breathe. Don’t sweat it too much. Know you are a capable human being and this isn’t life or death. The person in front of you is just that.. A PERSON.

Hope those tips help you!

M