As a current student of George Brown College, I was happy to take Digital Media As a current student of George Brown College, I was happy to take Digital Media Marketing course with Wendy Greenwood. Wendy invited speakers who have years of experience in digital media marketing industry, and each of the speaker explained one digital media marketing strategy using their own experience and understandings. This course gave me a chance to deeply understand digital media marketing strategy such as Loyalty Marketing, Influencer Marketing, B2B Marketing strategy, Public Sector Marketing, Performance Marketing and so on. Wendy also invited some alumni of George Brown College to share their industry experience and knowledge with us.
The speaker that inspired me the most is Ashley Walsh. She is the Account Director of North Strategic, she has been working in social and digital media for over a decade. She has been with North Strategic/Publicis Groupe since 2018, working as a social media and influencer lead for clients such as American Express, Sobeys, and Samsung. She introduced Influencer Marketing and it’s potential in today’s world.
According to this presentation hosted by Ashley Walsh, I got to know influencer marketing is a game changer for brands marketing during pandemic. With the rise of the attention economy, we see a new form of exchange where brands seek and attain customer attention by producing appealing, entertaining content. Influencers who share your values and embody your brand can be more beneficial to work with as it is better to reach a smaller group that are likely to buy your product or engage with your brand, as opposed to thousands of people who don’t match your target audience. Influencer marketing became a very efficient and important strategy for a company to promote their brand. And soon, what I learned from this presentation really did help me to find a job.
How did I grow my Network and Resources via LinkedIn
This semester is my last semester as a student in George Brown College, so at the beginning of the semester, I realized that I need to build my network and find resources to help me in finding me a job. Thanks to the course “Content Marketing” that I’ve taken in last semester, which teach me how to polish my LinkedIn page and grow my connections.
Here are some tips about polishing your own LinkedIn page.
- Upload a Profile Photo. Profile photo is an opportunity to convey your personal brand, it’s your first chance to communicate that you are friendly, likeable, and trustworthy.
- Tell your Career Story in the About section. This is not the place for a dry list of past job titles, especially if you are seeking a full time position. It’s also a missed opportunity as a recalculator to leave this section blank.
- Make sure your profile is complete Don’t leave large areas of your profile blank such as your career summary. You want to ensure your skills are fully showcased.
- Volume of Connections. Don’t be shy to connect with others. I sent connect requests to my classmates, former colleagues and professors of my university. More connections means your profile have more chance to be viewed.
Next step is to find job opportunities. I set alerts about “digital media marketing jobs” and “human resource management jobs”(which was my former job), and actively submit my resume when new job opportunities available.
How did I got my jobs
After several times of failed interviews, I got an offer about an unpaid Human Resources internship role at GAOTek. I accepted this offer, because I think I can learn about how to work and collaborate with colleagues from this job. But I didn’t stop here, as it is an internship with only requires me to work 20 hours a week, I realized that I can find another part-time job which is closely related to Digital Media Marketing.
I joined an LinkedIn Group called “Jobs in Toronto for Chinese”, and actively looking for someone who is an recruiter or hiring. Also, I connected some group members to grow my network.
Several days later, I got an in-Mail from Joe, who owns a staffing company in Toronto. He told me that he launched a new project this year, and need someone who speak Chinese and has background in both digital media marketing and human resource. In this role, I need to promote the company in social media such as Facebook, YouTube, WeChat and Chinese social media such as Weibo and RED. I need to write a plan to prove my ability to get this job. Thanks to the course “Digital Media Marketing” and Ashley Walsh, who give me a chance to get a comprehensive understanding about Influencer Marketing, I was able to write a step-to-step Influencer Marketing plan to promote Joe’s company in Social Media, and made two presentations including Social Media Platform analysis, brand positioning, content topic list, and bidding strategies. Joe was very satisfied with my plan and he offered me a part-time position for now.
Here’s what I learned during job hunting:
- If you want to kick start your career in a new industry, don’t give up your past experience that was in different industries. Maybe there is a position that need having experience across multiple industries and you will be the top candidate of that position.
- Joining a group is a great way to grow your network, it gives you the opportunity to strengthen connection with like-minded individuals. Share your skills, experiences to the group and you may find a job waiting for you.
- Always be prepared and don’t afraid being failed. Difficulties will make future success sweeter. I was rejected tens of times before I got my first job, focus on what I can control, and learn not to worry too much about things that are out of control.