It is crazy to reflect back and see how fast this semester has gone by. I started off this semester will limited knowledge regarding networking for my desired field and had only connected with a few people with similar interests. I had begun applying for internships and felt a bit discouraged as it is a new field, and I did not know many people in the industry. I now am able to confidently say that I know more information about networking and the importance of it and I have been hired for my dream internship. Additionally, I am able to enter my new career with connections in all types of industries of marketing that I would have never had without the help of this course and program.
Networking can be scary!
It was something I tried to avoid because it put me outside of my comfort zone, but it was something I knew I had to do. Given the state of employment during Covid, I really had to try to connect and push myself in order to land an internship.
When reflecting on what I learned, a few key points pop out to me.
1) What I learned from Cathy McKnight and Caroline Berryman: You are going to have different roles, and you are going move around from different positions and that is ok.
Constantly, students are asked “So what do you want to do for your job?” and I have always felt limited as if once I choose the job, it will be something I have to stick with for the rest of my life. I think that is because you don’t want to fail, and sometimes you can view a change as a failure but that is not the case.
You need to be adaptable because industries are always changing. You can’t limit yourself to one specific position because you never know what is coming to you in the future.
2) What I learned from Blair Roebuck: Every role you do helps you with a new role in the future. Put yourself out there because you never know what could come from a meeting or coffee chat
As everything is virtual, it can be even more frustrating and intimidating to put yourself out there in terms on networking. It is very scary to message someone you do not know and ask to meet to learn about their field and career. However, something that became very apparent to me was that everyone does it and to not be intimidated.
The job market is competitive, especially right now, and in order to stand out, you must be unique and do things that set you apart from other candidates.
3) What I learned from Santo Ligotti: Find your confidence and create your own opportunities.
Something that I found very important that Santo brought up was to create your own opportunities. He got his current job through connecting with the CEO, not through LinkedIn or a hiring site. He networked, was able to secure a meeting with the CEO, and from there they created a position for him that wasn’t a position prior.
This idea goes along with the other two points of putting yourself out there when it comes to networking, be flexible and be confident in your own skills and knowledge. Santo emphasized that entering a new industry is very intimidating and you often doubt your skills and knowledge with the position you are up against. But like he said, it is important to believe in your efforts and know that you will do the job well and successfully.
Apart from connecting and networking with each speaker we had every lecture, I networked myself on LinkedIn. I met with a girl in the PR industry that had recently completed her internship for a Toronto firm. Although it was initially scary to put myself out there, I was so grateful to be able to meet with her and ask her questions as she had so much knowledge about the industry and what I should expect going into my internship,
Additionally, to learn further about the PR Industry, which was what I wanted to get hired into, I joined a few LinkedIn PR groups of individuals that work and intern for PR agencies. It’s great to be a part of it as they share hiring opportunities, insights about the industry and is overall a way to learn and ask questions.
I am so grateful that I was hired in to complete my internship at Talk Shop Media PR firm in Toronto for the upcoming 3 month summer internship. It is truly my dream job and everything that I learned in this course, and the past 2 semesters, has helped me get to where I am now.
I want to thank Professor Wendy Greenwood as she was able to make all these industry connections happen by allowing us to hear from different speakers each week in our lectures. It was very educational and interesting to hear different perspectives on the industry, and it is something that I will take into my new career with.
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