FreshGigs.ca Team | FreshGigs.ca - Part 15

Author Archives: FreshGigs.ca Team

Digital Strategist: Job Description

Digital-Strategist-Job-Descriptions
Image of designer hand working and smart phone from Shutterstock.

According to quora.com, a Digital Strategist works within an organization to identify unmet needs, goals, opportunities and challenges of all departments and aspects of the business. Then they create and oversee the execution of a plan through specific initiatives to meet the objectives of the strategy. The Digital Marketing Specialist will also help cross-functional teams develop and evolve ideas to bring together brand goals, retailer objectives and consumer needs.

In an interview with Marketing magazine, Brett McDonald, a digital strategist for Zulu Alpha Kilo in Toronto thinks that the definition of role “could change depending on whom you ask Continue reading →

New Look And Feel & Jobs Go Mobile

Jobs on Mobile
The new FreshGigs.ca is here.

You’ve likely noticed FreshGigs.ca has a new design. And the changes we’ve made to the site aren’t only cosmetic.

Whether you’re on your desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile – the new FreshGigs.ca site was developed with responsive design to fit your device of choice.

It’s now easier than ever to check the latest job postings on the go.

You’ll also notice that the FreshGigs.ca blog has been updated. So say goodbye to unpleasant finger gestures, pinches and pulls on your mobile. Every article is now easier to read and will fit any size screen.

It doesn’t end there. We have several upcoming improvements in the works at FreshGigs.ca. So stay tuned.

In the meantime, we welcome your feedback, and if you happen to find any issues, we’d love to hear from you. Just shoot us an email here.

Keep it fresh.

The FreshGigs.ca Team

4 Mistakes People Make When Dressing for a Job Interview

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When I was 11 I wore a white tuxedo and a red bow tie to a family event and felt like I could strike up a conversation with anyone, but wearing bold colours isn’t always the way to stand out. In fact, it’s one of the biggest mistakes people make when dressing for a job interview.

According to Michael Nguyen, owner of Garrison Bespoke, when dressing for a face-to-face job interview with a potential boss, there are four things you should avoid. Don’t fall prey to these common wardrobe mistakes:

1)  Dressing too boldly. Vibrant patterns and colours that reflect your personality can define your style and become your signature look (we recently made an incredible Gatsby-style pink dinner jacket for a client) but an interview is not the setting for it. Avoid distracting patterns and bright colours and stick with a charcoal grey or navy suit and a tie that’s easy on the eyes. You want the interviewer to be focused on what you’re saying, not what you’re wearing.

2)  Showing excessive cleavage. Yes, this applies to men as much as women. Button up!

3)  Wearing a monochromatic outfit. A dark shirt with a dark suit is too evening specific. You want to look crisp and professional, not like you’re dressed for a wedding reception. The contrast between a light-coloured shirt and a darker suit is a classic look and a good choice for an interview.

Dont-1

4)  Wearing jeans. Regardless of your industry, jeans are too casual for an interview. If you land the job and the office culture is to wear denim on Fridays, great. But let that be a conversation for after you’ve signed on the dotted line.

photo credit: Mike Paul

Junior Graphic Designer: Job Description

what-is-a-junior-graphic-designer

Junior Graphic Designers are often young students fresh out of college or who are finishing up their degree and are employed through an internship. Junior designers usually require mentorship through a majority of their duties.

Designers in this position will often be considered “junior” for up to two years or longer to begin to build a portfolio.

A Junior Graphic Designer will lay out pages, draw logos, redraw logos, rework text, perform color corrections and overall take on the basic duties that help them get to know the ins and outs of graphic design. A junior designer will often work on multiple aspects of one project but will take on only one or two tasks at a time.

In general, Junior Graphic Designers have a degree in graphic design and have zero to two years’ experience. Designers in this position will often be considered “junior” for up to two years or longer to begin to build a portfolio. However, designers don’t necessarily need to move on from this position during their career.

 

Ready to hire a Graphic Designer? Post a job with Canada’s top marketing and creative job board now.

Looking for a job in design? Check out our listings.

Communications Specialist: Job Description

 A note to readers: This post was totally revamped for relevancy on March 10th, 2017.
smartphone, laptop, typing stockphoto


An intro from Mark Evans, Author of Storytelling for Startups; Startup Marketing Consultant at markevans.ca

A Communication Specialist is an integral part of creating and delivering information, both inside and outside of a company. In a fast-moving marketing landscape, a communication specialist needs to be agile, flexible, strategic and tactical. In my experience, they need to have a strong grasp of strategic goals, as well

Mark Evans, author and consultant at markevans.ca

as the ability to tactically execute. In other words, they need to look at the big picture while taking care of day-to-day operations. A Communications Specialist also needs to be open to learning skills to stay effective and relevant. They need to be looking for new tools, services and ways to be more productive and efficient.


Recommended Skills

The following are skills and past experience to look for in a Communications Specialist, dependent on the role the person will play in your company. You’ll want to taper the list to provide a concise description of the position.

As a job seeker, aim to use these phrases as keywords when describing your previous roles and experience, and use the following list as a starting point to round out your skills.

  • Editing
  • Public Relations
  • Corporate Communications
  • Marketing Communications
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Copywriting
  • Project Management
  • Technical Writing
  • Research
  • SEO
  • Web design
  • Graphics design
  • Advertising

Portfolios are especially important in Communications roles: ask to see writing samples in different mediums (press releases, blog content, announcements, emails, etc.) to get an idea of the person’s style, affect, and flexibility.

An Entry-level employee (Coordinator) will typically have 1-2 years’ experience in a similar role, whereas a Mid-level employee will have 2-5 years’ experience, and a Senior generally 5+ years. Executives and Upper-level Management roles (Communications Directors) will likely have 10+ years’ experience, dependent on the size of the company and what their role will involve.

Education

Communications professionals generally have a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, or a related field. They also may also have a Marketing background, specializing in communications through their career choices.

As a job seeker, utilize MOOCs and online courses from sites like lynda.com, kahnacademy.com and coursera.org to add to your education and enhance your career opportunities.

Payscale

The median salary for a Communications Specialist in Canada is $53,533 as of 2017, according to Payscale.com. This varies from $40,533 – $71,605 dependent on experience level and skill set.

Questions to Ask When Hiring for a Communications Specialist

  • What do you see as your strengths?
  • What do you see as the position’s responsibilities?
  • How will you establish strategic and tactical priorities?
  • How do you determine the success of your work?

 

Ready to hire a Communications Specialist? Post a job with Canada’s top marketing and creative job board now.

Looking for a job in Communications? Check out our listings.

4 Tips for Dressing for (Job Interview) Success

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The clothes don’t make the man (or the woman), but they definitely play a role in his or her success. Michael Nguyen, owner of Garrison Bespoke, shares four rules to live by when dressing for an interview:

1)  Wear a suit.  It’s the most flattering garment a person can wear.

2)  Wear clothes that fit you. Nothing makes you look more put together than clothing that complements your body shape. This is as true for women as it is for men – good tailoring is not a male-only art. It’s amazing what happens to your posture and confidence when your clothing is perfectly tailored.

Do-33)  Polish your shoes. Poorly kept shoes make an otherwise professional outfit appear sloppy.

4)  Iron your garments. A freshly-ironed shirt is a must for men, but steamed or ironed garments are equally as important for women. You may be very well-prepared for the actual interview, but a wrinkled wardrobe will suggest otherwise.

Michael Nguyen is the owner of Garrison Bespoke, a luxury menswear boutique in Toronto’s Financial District that creates custom garments to help clients make their mark. For more information, visit www.garrisonbespoke.com.

photo credit: Mike Paul

Intermediate Graphic Designer: Job Description

Job-Descriptions-Intermediate-Graphic-Designer

Intermediate Graphic Designers fall between the junior and senior designers and usually already have a professional portfolio. As an intermediate designer, a person will be an integral part of larger campaigns and will often take on smaller projects independently.

Graphic Designers are responsible for the design through production of marketing materials, branding campaigns, websites and so on.

This position generally has the freedom to take on design briefs and implement them, from concept to completion, but will still be overseen creatively by a Senior Graphic Designer. Intermediate Graphic Designers are responsible for the design through production of marketing materials, branding campaigns, websites and so on. In addition, they will be introduced to limited interaction with clients under the supervision of senior staff.

In general, an Intermediate Graphic Designer will have a degree in graphic design and two-plus years of related experience.

 

Ready to hire a Graphic Designer? Post a job with Canada’s top marketing and creative job board now.

Looking for a job in design? Check out our listings.

Is Content Marketing Just Digital Clutter?

Content-Marketing

Content marketing is on the lips of, well, everyone.  Brands are being pushed harder than ever to create and share digital content. But how much is too much? Some would argue there’s no such thing. With a veritable ocean of tweets, posts and blogs out there, information doesn’t float for long, even if it’s interesting. Getting information in front of consumers must be a continual process.

So does a brand go for content quantity or quality? According to Mitch Joel, in his blog post The New Face Of Content Marketing, wine guru and master content marketer, Gary Vaynerchuck, thinks the question should actually be why not both? He has vowed to “triple down” on the content he shares across his many platforms, including twitter, books, a video podcast, his own social media marketing agency and more. Not everybody loves his plan, prompting the term “digital clutter” to be thrown into the mix. Prophecies are flying that this strategy will create a total information overload.

By pumping out valuable content, he is giving his followers what they want, they are lapping it up and his brand continues to grow.

But will a lot of digital content send your audience running for the hills? Not if you are producing quality valuable information. And what is valuable? Simply, it’s not spam. You are not selling “stuff,” like the thousands of other digital messages consumers are bombarded with on a daily basis. According to the Content Marketing Institute, you’re giving your audience something that they can really use (everyone likes free information they can use as their own) – something that they will actually think about and that might even affect their behavior.

That’s not to say that pumping out scads of content is always going to get results. But if you offer something of substance, frequent posts have a better chance to garner attention. It’s the hit ‘em hard and hit ‘em often approach …  which just happens to build your brand. Take Vaynerchuck. People like him; they want to hear from him. By pumping out valuable content, he is giving his followers what they want, they are lapping it up and his brand continues to grow.

The key to the whole thing is knowing your audience – knowing who they are, what they want and when they are most receptive to content. Smart content marketers will continually analyze that formula and tweak it for the best results, relates Joel. And, if it’s not working, change it … when it comes to digital content marketing, sticking with the wrong strategy in hopes it will work one day is precious brand-building time wasted.

 

Art Director: Job Description

Job-Descriptions-Art-Director

An Art Director establishes the conceptual themes and style direction for all staff on a project, such as advertising, product packaging, print media, movies and more. Art Directors general have the authority to choose vendors and have the final creative say in the absence of a Creative Director.

Art Directors are usually required to have three to five years’ experience in their field before moving into a leadership position.

Art Directors will act as the main liaison between clients and the design team and must be able to understand a client’s needs and translate that into a creative concept. They also often work closely on project schedules and budgets.

The position requires strong graphic design, people management and collaboration skills. A solid understanding of marketing and advertising principles is also important.

In general, a degree in fine arts and graphic design is preferred for the Art Director position, but experience and a strong portfolio are also acceptable in lieu of education. Art Directors are usually required to have three to five years’ experience in their field before moving into a leadership position.

 

Ready to hire an Art Director? Post a job with Canada’s top marketing and creative job board now.

Looking for a creative job? Check out our listings.