Marketing & Creative Jobs in Canada Blog - Part 58

Cool and Crazy Workplace Perks

Cool-Perks-at-Job

Do you appreciate perks that are crazy, fun and outrageous? Or would you prefer that the company you work for spend its employee retention money on great perks that make your life outside of the workplace easier? Read on, and then tell us what matters to you.

Perks Defined

The term perks is slang for the original word perquisites, which are privileges granted to employees in addition to their salaries and benefits. ‘True’ perks  have little or no cash value or tax implications and may include large and small luxuries such as a company car, vacations, reserved parking space, and spacious offices.

Nearly one-third of employers (32 percent) reported that top performers left their organizations in 2012, and 39 percent are concerned that they’ll lose top talent in 2013

Why Perks Matter

Companies trying to build and sustain highly profitable businesses want to motivate good employees to stay. However, nearly one-third of employers (32 percent) reported that top performers left their organizations in 2012, and 39 percent are concerned that they’ll lose top talent in 2013, according to a recent survey of 2,611 hiring managers and human resource professionals and 3,991 workers (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) by CareerBuilder. While most workers (66 percent) stated that they are generally satisfied with their jobs, one in four (25 percent) said they will change jobs in 2013 or 2014. Continue reading →

Digital Strategy Conference: Vancouver

dsc_logo_4c_vert

At the Digital Strategy Conference you will get 3-days of educational sessions delivered by industry leaders and learn the essentials of digital strategy.

Here is a summary of what you will learn:

  • Digital strategy definition and models
  • How-to assess digital maturity
  • Data strategy fundamentals
  • Performance measurement and digital analytics essentials
  • Content, mobile / multiscreen and social strategy
  • Making sense of paid media
  • Case studies and applied learning through exercises and check lists

There are two locations: Vancouver on April 23-25 and Ottawa on June 3-5.

Digital Strategy Conference VancouverThe Vancouver event will be held at:
UBC Robson Square
800 Robson Street
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
V6Z 3B7

Full details on the speakers, agenda and registration can be found at:
http://www.digitalstrategyconference.com/vancouver/2013/

We’ll be posting additional details on the Ottawa event soon.

 

How To Stay Energized At Your Job Throughout The Day

Energy-at-Work

I suppose you could say that I’m consistently inconsistent when it comes to my energy levels. I have not got it down to a science… yet. Some days I’d rather skip the gym, go home and eat a box of Kraft dinner and watch ‘My Strange Addiction’. Other days, I’m on fire, methodically crossing tasks off my list, making it to the gym, calling my parents, dinner with friends and then knocking out a few blog posts in between, all with a bounce in my step.

I decided to reach out to some of my busiest, most high-energy friends to ask them how they deal with careers, social lives, and school, all while maintaining their energy levels.

Every hour or so I stand up and walk around, even if it is just around the university campus, just so that I can keep myself energized.

Raul Pacheco (you may know him as @Hummingbird604) professor, researcher, educator and consultant in environmental politics and policy, shared his top five ways of staying energized:

  1. Coffee: you can’t imagine how much I rely on caffeine! The first thing I do is I wake up, I start brewing a pot of coffee and I begin writing. As an academic I have to write research articles, slides for lectures, etc. So I keep myself caffeinated.
  2. Short walks: Every hour or so I stand up and walk around, even if it is just around the university campus, just so that I can keep myself energized.
  3. Healthy snacks: I bring fruit, yogurt and vegetables with me to campus so that I can keep a good enough content of sugar in my blood. I eat every 2-3 hours, small portions!
  4. Pre-planning: what makes me stay on top of things is that I pre-plan what I am doing. I live by my Google Calendar!
  5. Scheduling breaks: complete breaks from my work are also included in my schedule, and this includes hanging out with friends, my parents, eating healthy lunches and dinners, and the odd martini! (I personally prefer an even martini, like two, four, six…)

My friend John Tino works in the emergency room at Vancouver General Hospital and in his spare time is going to school to become a lawyer specializing in biomedical ethics and health. (No biggie, right?) So how does John manage to juggle one of the most stressful careers and law school? Here are his secret weapons: Continue reading →

Why a Resume Isn’t Enough Anymore and What To Do About It

Resume-Writing-Tips

Resumé: ‘a brief account of one’s professional or work experience and qualifications, often submitted with an employment application’

The resumé is an integral part of today’s business world and absolutely an expectation of anyone seeking employment. The resumé-writing industry itself is chock full of self-help books, interactive seminars, and courses in schools all over the world. A resumé is non-negotiable. But it wasn’t always this way, and I believe it won’t always be this way either.

From the days of Leonardo da Vinci to broadband Internet access today, the resumé has grown and evolved. With the new medium of the Internet, the resumé stands to change again.

From the days of Leonardo da Vinci to broadband Internet access today, the resumé has grown and evolved. With the new medium of the Internet, the resumé stands to change again.

A Brief History of the Resumé

  • Leonardo da Vinci wrote the first recorded resumé in 1482.
  • The word resumé was first used to describe a letter of introduction.
  • In the early 1900’s resumés were a very informal and non-required process.
  • In the 1940’s resumés included height, age, weight, marital status, and religion.
  • The 1950’s saw resumés become expected in the workplace.
  • The 1970’s saw more professionally designed and sales oriented resumés.
  • The 1990’s saw the Internet, Monster.com, and email change the resumé landscape.

Resumés are now flown around the world millions of times a day, delivered in mailboxes, inboxes, online job sites like FreshGigs.ca, company websites, and in person. Resumés are truly a staple of the job economy. Continue reading →

Could Justin Timberlake Be Your Boss? The Life of Art Directors and Creative Directors

Justin-As-Creative-Director

Probably not. Although he was recently named creative director for Bud Light Platinum but that doesn’t mean you’ll ever receive creative direction from him.

Justin Timberlake is a brand ambassador so he will never be calling you into his office to bat round creative ideas over 100-year-old scotch.

However, since it’s about the journey remember that life in an advertising agency is very different than life in other industries.

Creative careers in advertising are often glamorized in Hollywood so it’s important to separate fact from fiction when choosing to pursue a career in the agency world. What might look like an over-paid and over-jazzed job as an art director in a Hollywood blockbuster might surprise you in real life.

While Creative Directors are seen as the rock stars of the agency, they can’t do the job alone. It takes a creative powerhouse to help develop and execute the creative vision. An art director is one of the most important roles on that team.

While the creative director leads the charge in an agency, the art director is responsible for helping to bring his vision to life.  So if you aspire to creative director one day, the role of art director (AD) is a great step to achieving that dream. However, since it’s about the journey remember that life in an advertising agency is very different than life in other industries. Continue reading →

Do You Love Your Job? INFOGRAPHIC

Recently over 5000 Canadian professionals responded to a FreshGigs.ca survey that looked at what people really think about their job.

Take a look at the infographic below we created with the results from that survey. Let us know what you think in the comments and please help us spread the word by using the share buttons above or the ‘click to tweet’ below.

“Love Your Job? Compare With Other Canadians: Infographic” Click to Tweet

Do You Love Your Job Infographic

(Click the image to view it at full size)

Embed this infographic: Copy the code in the box below and paste it into your own website 
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6 Tips to Become a Better Writer

6-tips-copywriting

It is very difficult to be a good writer. And the main problem with writing is that everyone can do it. We can all write stories, articles, papers and, more recently it seems, texts and tweets. We accept that not all of us can become a competitive gymnast, for example. But because of the fact that we can all write, many of us are under the delusion that we are good writers.

Writing well is a skill. Sure, it takes talent, but don’t make the mistake of confusing talent with skill. Talent is a gift. Skill is something you attain after hours and hours of working at your craft. Writing is no different. If you desire to be a good writer, you must work at it. And this brings us to the first sure-fire way to become a better writer.

I made writing a habit. For 30 days I wrote 1,000 words per day. Some days the content I wrote was bad. Some days it was awful. And some days it was surprisingly good.

1. Write More

Much more. You don’t see a competitive bodybuilder working out 2, maybe 3 times a week, do you? If someone dreams of becoming a competitive bodybuilder, they are in the gym for hours a day, 4-6 days a week, putting in the time.

Writing is no different. If you aspire to be a great writer, you must make writing a habit. And this habit won’t be like the flossing habit you promised your dentist you would make. (Seriously, can you remember the last time you flossed?)

Learn the writing habit. Make writing so important that it’s front of mind throughout your day. Get up 30 minutes before you normally do and get in some writing. I used to aspire to be a better writer. I thought, ‘one day I’d love to write a book.’ After several years, I realized that the ‘one day’ I was dreaming about was simply that – a dream. Continue reading →

Examples of Awesome Company Culture

Company-Culture-Canada1

“Examples of Awesome Company Culture” Click to share and ReTweet

What defines an awesome company culture? A company where employees can answer yes to the following questions:

  1. Do you look forward to going to work every day?
  2. Does your company have great perks and benefits that you value?
  3. Does your company have a clear understanding of the business priorities?
  4. Do you have an opportunity for growth and advancement?
  5. Do you feel like the work you do is valued?

Of course, not every employee in a company will answer yes to all of these questions, but companies with awesome cultures strive to create an environment in which most of their employees feel as if they could answer yes to most or all of these questions.

We have people who are so passionate about their jobs they want to work all day

Do such work places exist? Yes. Two newspapers, as well as creative firm Penna, Powers, Bryan and Haynes, surveyed satisfied workers by asking them to respond to the prompt, “I love my job because….” The answers given can be summarized in the reasons identified above.

Award-winning examples:

One company that has consistently won awards for cultivating an awesome company culture is The Great Little Box Company (GLBC). In 2012, the Richmond, BC, company was recognized by Waterstone Human Capital as one of Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures. It was also listed in the Globe and Mail as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2013. Continue reading →

Leadership & Innovation Conference Coming to Vancouver

ArtOfLeadershipVancouver

On April 11th, 2013 thousands of professionals from across Canada will gather in Vancouver to discover the ideas and trends shaping the future of leadership.

This one day conference features 5 Internationally renowned bestselling authors and business icons, who will share an exciting blend of cutting edge thinking and real world experience on today’s most critical leadership issues.

Through this special offer, you and your colleagues can take advantage of our preferred pricing and SAVE $50 off the regular price by using promo code FRESH online.

PLUS – When you register 3 or more people, you’ll save an ADDITIONAL $50 off for a total savings of $100 per pass!

Don’t miss out on your chance to gain a competitive advantage and network with over 1,500 of Canada’s most influential leaders.

Registration and full details available here