Author Archives: Neil Wadhwa

3 Things Every Intern Needs to Do

Advice for Interns

You’re an intern! Probably not the best for your wallet, but the internship itself is worth its weight in gold. As an existing student (or recent grad), the internship you’re in right now can be the jumping off point for your entire career—but only if you play your cards right.

Yes, it would be great if the company offered you a full-time position towards the end of your internship, but nothing is guaranteed, and you can’t assume as much. Some companies simply don’t have the finances to create a paid position, beyond the small stipend you’re already receiving, others don’t have the workload to justify adding a new position, while in some cases you might be doing the internship though your school and it’s understood that the position won’t be extended to full-time upon completion. What you can do, however, is use your time as an intern to learn and grow from everyone around you, and maybe—just maybe—perform so well that you almost force the hand of your company to create a position to keep you around.

A company will always look at your character and personality when considering adding you on full-time.

Here are three things you should be doing to make the most of your internship (and show the company why it needs to hire you):

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3 Reasons Why You Need to Stop Eating Lunch at Your Desk

Neil Wadhwa

Stop Eating Lunch at Your Desk

Yes, you. Stop eating lunch at your desk. You’re in front of the computer all day and your mind needs a break.

The best way to learn about the people you work with—on both a personal and professional level—is to eat lunch with them, or even just chat over a cup of coffee. From a purely productive standpoint, eating lunch away from your desk helps you do more by doing less. Working or browsing the internet while eating may seem productive, but you’re doing more damage to your work (and yourself) than good.

Here’s why it’s better that you eat and snack away from your desk during the day:

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The 9 to 5: Carolyn McNeillie, Digital Marketing Manager at House of Anansi

Neil Wadhwa

Welcome to The 9 To 5, our ongoing series where we highlight and interview creative professionals doing great things. Today’s profile is on Carolyn McNeillie, Digital Marketing Manager at House of Anansi.

1. What’s it like to work in an office surrounded by books and book-lovers?

I’ll never forget the morning of my first day of work. It was May, so it was just starting to become warm, and I came in early (probably the first and last time I’ve been early for anything.) The office was still nearly empty and the light was streaming in, and the path I walked through to get to my desk was lined on both sides with books—ones that I’d read and loved, ones that I had wanted to read, ones that I hadn’t seen before. I don’t know how to describe the way I felt about it except that I knew I had found a place I wanted to be a part of.

You can’t truly have a bad day, working in a place like this. All you have to do is to look at the books on the shelves and the kindred spirits in the other desks and you remember why it’s all worth it.

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Yes, Creativity Can Be Taught

Neil Wadhwa

FreshGigs Can Creativity Be Taught

Creativity is a curious thing. It’s a quality that some people just seem to have, while others sigh in discontent and express out loud, “I wish I was more creative.” But those who do appear creative, and who work in creative fields, don’t wish—they do. Every artist, every photographer, every chef, every writer had (and has) to put in thousands of hours of hard work to make a living out of their creative passions. Working in a creative field doesn’t happen out of nowhere—like any other job or hobby, it requires training, education, application, and, of course, deep-rooted interest.

If you’ve ever wished to become more creative, here’s what you need to know: creativity isn’t in a safe that only a select few people know the combination to. Yes, creativity can be taught.

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The 9 to 5: Curtis Wolowich, Creative Director at Agency59

Neil Wadhwa

The 9 to 5 - Curtis Wolowich Agency59

Welcome to The 9 To 5, our ongoing series where we highlight and interview creative professionals doing great things. Today’s profile is on Curtis Wolowich, Creative Director at Agency59.

1. When did you know you wanted to become a creative director?

I didn’t really—at a certain point in my career I realized there was nowhere else to go but up. I did know, though, at a young age that I wanted to be an art director. I loved drawing and just knew that I wanted to keep doing that.

2. What’s on your typical “to-do” list for a day at the office?

It really varies. Mondays start with an all team status with both creative and accounts running through all of priorities of the week. This meeting gives everyone insight into all the work that is with the creative team so we can identify any capacity issues and try and sort them out before they have any impact on the work.

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How To Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

Neil Wadhwa

A fear of public speaking, known as Glossophobia, is the #1 phobia in the world—10% of people suffer from a genuine fear of pubic speaking, while 80% experience some form of anxiety before speaking. And why wouldn’t Glossophobia be #1? Standing up in front of a room full of strangers or executives and giving a speech doesn’t happen everyday. But when it does, all eyes are on you and you need to deliver.

Public speaking comes naturally to the fortunate few. For most other people, however, public speaking is a nerve-wracking experience, in which the day of the presentation (or interview) is preceded by sleepless nights and stress-eating.

It’s tempting to try to write down your whole speech in a Word document and then try to memorize each sentence, but this leads to dull presentations, and is a root cause of glossophobia.

No matter how much you’re afraid of public speaking, it’s a necessary skill that you need to master. Rising up the ranks in your company is often accompanied with an expectation that you’ll need to manage a team of people, meet with clients and potential clients, or even be able to speak to the media—all of which require a level of comfort with public speaking.

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Here’s Why Your Best Thinking Occurs in the Shower

Neil Wadhwa

Here’s Why Your Best Thinking Occurs in the Shower - FreshGigs

You’ve tried coming up with a solution to that problem in the boardroom, at your desk, in a coffee shop, at the library, and even in your kitchen, but keep coming up empty handed. And then… eureka! You’ve got it! The solution came to you in… the shower.

The shower seems to be a magical zone where you can get clean and generate a seemingly endless number of ideas. And then you grab a towel and… your ideas vanish. (This is why I do all my work in the shower).

When your mind is given the opportunity to roam freely, and is given ample time to do so, the more connections it can make, leading to more ideas and more solutions.

Why is this the case? Why do ideas disappear when you step out of the shower (or don’t seem as feasible), and why do ideas come in an endless stream while you’re in the shower to begin with? As Nick Stockton explains in the article What’s Up With That: Your Best Thinking Seems to Happen in the Shower, aimless engagement during an activity, such as having a shower, or taking a walk or long drive, is a catalyst for free association.

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Why You Need to Keep Your Intentions Private

Neil Wadhwa

It makes sense to want to broadcast your goals and plans to your close friends and family. Plan on going to the gym every morning? Want to finish that 500-page book? Telling your friends and family should seemingly act as motivation to help you get things done—people know about your plans, and now it’s up to you to follow up and fulfill your plans.

But not so fast.

The simple act of telling people your plans makes you feel like you’ve already accomplished your goals—even if you haven’t started.

“Tests done since 1933 show that people who talk about their intentions are less likely to make them happen,” says Derek Sivers, author of Shut up! Announcing your plans makes you less motivated to accomplish them.

“Announcing your plans to others satisfies your self-identity just enough that you’re less motivated to do the hard work needed.”

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The 9 to 5: Katie Hudson, Marketing Manager at Demac Media

Neil Wadhwa

Katie Hudson for FreshGigs

Welcome to The 9 To 5, our ongoing series where we highlight and interview creative professionals doing great things. Today’s profile is on Katie Hudson, Marketing Manager at Demac Media and founder of whyirun.co.

1. When did you first know you wanted a career in marketing?

It’s funny because originally, I was in the accounting stream at Laurier. During my time there I was a Laurier Ambassador (part of a team that gives tours to prospective students), and one day a Dad of a potential student on the tour came up to me at the end of it and said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you’re heading down the wrong career path. You have way too much personality and energy to be an accountant”.

Now it wasn’t because of this comment that I made the switch later on, but looking back it’s funny that even he knew accounting wasn’t the right fit for me! I ended up switching out of the accounting stream in my third year, and instead took a variety of courses (finance, marketing, etc) in my fourth year to finish with a general specialization with an international focus.

After graduating I worked abroad for one year in Medellín, Colombia for a consulting firm as a Market Intelligence Analyst. This was sort of a cross between a marketing role and accounting – meaning, it was marketing but with numbers. I jumped right in. I really liked how everything I was doing was trackable and quantifiable. This was my first taste into digital marketing, and I think it was during my time as an analyst, I realized that this was the kind of industry I wanted to be in.

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Humble Beginnings: The Early Lives of Billionaires [Infographic]

Neil Wadhwa

First Jobs of Billionaires - A FreshGigs Infographic

Where did today’s richest and most influential people get started? In some cases, it was the common path of flipping burgers behind the grill at a McDonalds. In other cases, like Charles Schwab, who picked walnuts and sold them at the local market, the entrepreneurial spirit could be spotted at an early age. But there’s one thing that could be said for everyone on this list: nothing was given, everything was earned.

View the infographic below, and be sure to click on it to view a bigger size.

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