Marketing & Creative Jobs in Canada Blog - Part 63

Heavy-Hitting Management & Innovation Conference Coming to Toronto: Ticket Giveaway

Imagine for a moment what it would be like to get in a room with five of the world’s leading visionaries in the areas of innovation and management…

What would it be like to learn the latest strategies and insights from people like the legendary Jack Welch, Sir Ken Robinson, and Cynthia Montgomery.

Now snap out of your trance and stop imagining…

Because on November 20th this opportunity becomes a reality at the Art of Management Conference in Toronto.

AND, we have a free ticket to giveaway. More about that below…

Date and Venue
On Tuesday, November 20, 2012 from 8:45AM – 5:00PM you’ll learn from some of the best in the industry.

The event will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Center.

Speakers

  • Jack Welch – Former CEO of GE and Bestselling Author
  • Sir Ken Robinson – Author of The Element
  • Simon Sinek – Author of Start With Why
  • Cynthia Montgomery – Harvard Professor and Author of The Strategist
  • Charles Duhigg – Author of The Power of Habit

Free Ticket Giveaway
A general pass to the event is $399 and we have one free ticket up for offer. Here’s how you can enter to win:

Simply tell us in the comments below what you are most looking forward to at this event? What excites you and why you want to attend?

That’s it. It’s that simple. On November 9th we’ll pick one person based on the comments received and will announce the winner on that day.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Susan Hallsworth on winning the ticket for this event. For everyone else you can still receive $50 off the ticket price by using the registration link below…

Discount on Registration and Full Details
If you’d prefer to register for the event without entering the contest you can still enjoy $50 off general admission. Simply use the code ‘FRESH’ and head on over to the Art of Management website for full details and to get your ticket. Conference details and registration

Reach 2012 Event in Calgary and Toronto: Ticket Giveaway

If you’re interested in learning the latest marketing trends, strategies and best practices to leverage media you’ll want to check out the Financial Post Reach 2012 Conference.

We’ve also secured a special discount for the FreshGigs.ca community PLUS have a couple of Free tickets to giveaway. More about that below…

Dates & Locations
The conference is held in 3 cities – Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto. We had a chance to attend the event in Vancouver on September 27th. This was a quality event. From the people, speakers, networking and even the catering and venue – the Financial Post team and SOHO – know how to hold a great event.

Calgary – November 28, 2012
The Calgary event will be held at the Epcor Centre’s Jack Singer Concert Hall on November 28th.

Toronto – February, 2013
The date and venue for the Toronto event will be announced soon. We’ll also have a free ticket to giveaway for the Toronto event available and will let you know. So stay tuned…
Continue reading

10 Tips To Get A Job At An Ad Agency

There are some obvious and not so obvious things you can do to get a leg up on the competition when you are searching for a new job in an advertising agency. I’ve pulled together some of the most important tips and insights for your reading pleasure.

Make a serious effort with each application. Tailor your cover letter and resume to match the role that you are applying for.

1. KNOW THE AGENCY’S WORK
There’s a certain amount of sleuthing that you should undertake before sitting down to your first interview. Research the agency that you’ll be interviewing at. Who are their clients? What sort of work has the agency done? Have they won awards? Which ones and when? Knowing this will show that you are interested, informed, and passionate – it could also quite possibly give you a leg-up on the competition.

2. TAILOR EACH COVER LETTER & RESUME
Make a serious effort with each application. Tailor your cover letter and resume to match the role that you are applying for. Use the agency’s name in your cover letter body copy. Tell them why you want to work for them, what you like about the agency, and why you feel you would be the perfect fit. Be sure to include relevant experience on your resume, and get rid of any superfluous content that doesn’t apply.

3. HAVE AN UP-TO-DATE PORTFOLIO ONLINE
Jennifer Kim, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist at Blast Radius, Toronto shares this advice for those applying for a creative role:

“A portfolio will speak volumes over anything else. It will showcase your abilities infinitely better than just a resume or CV alone. When we hire for any creative position, we always ask for a link to a candidate’s online portfolio. If you want a job in digital, you need to know digital. If you are just starting out and don’t have much work experience, even a portfolio which showcases personal projects/work is a good way to show off your potential. Just make sure you don’t put work that you are not proud of or work that doesn’t showcase your skills in the best light just to fill your portfolio… better to have a portfolio with a few pieces of great work, rather than a portfolio filled with mediocre work.”

4. CLEAN UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACT
It’s 2012. Don’t be surprised if the first thing people do is Google you when you apply for a job. If there are photos of you dressed in some freaky Halloween costume, after one too many beer bong hits scattered all over the internet, it might be time to clean up your social media act.

GOOGLE: Find out what shows up when someone Googles you. Have your friends do a search for you as well because Google tailors results based on your previous searches.

FACEBOOK: Update your Facebook security settings. Only share things with your approved friends list, and never post anything that you wouldn’t want your mom to see. Continue reading

Dragon of Private Business in Canada

On November 8th, MNP LLP, one of Canada’s largest chartered accounting firms, is hosting an evening of discussion exploring private enterprise in Canada…and guess who’s coming? (…Did the picture give it away?) That’s right, one other than the self-described “Mr. Wonderful” Kevin O’Leary from Dragon’s Den.

Starting at 4:30pm the event will be held at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Downtown Vancouver.

The event has plenty of time scheduled for networking and checking out the exhibits before the presentations and keynote address begins.

For full details on the event and to get early-bird pricing before October 30th, head on over to http://mnpevents.ca

Cross-Media Goes Canada Style

We just found out about a great conference happening in Vancouver October 24-26. ‘Merging Media 2012‘ brings together thought leaders and professionals from across industries.

The conference is called…

The Premiere Canadian
Cross-Media Showcase.”

Whether you’re in marketing, branding, social media, advertising, design, film/television, mobile, or technology (to name a few disciplines) this looks to be a power-packed event.

You can register for one or two days of this conference. There is a pre-conference on the 24th that will cover some exciting topics and on the final day things go Dragon’s Den style, with a “Pitch 360 Competition.”

A Great Lineup of Speakers including:

  • Alfredo Tan, Facebook Canada
  • Jonathan Carrigan, CBC/Radio-Canada
  • Jeremy Butteriss, Google Canada
  • Allen DeBevoise, Machinima Inc
  • Jocelyn Hamilton, Corus Entertainment
  • And a seriously good list of many others!

Full details and registration are available online here:
http://mergingmedia.ca/

How To Summon Creativity & Slap “Status Quo” In The Face

“I’m just not creative.  Leave creativity to artists or musicians”

Are you one of these people?  People who feel that creativity is limited to the lottery of the gene pool?

The truth is we all have the ability to be creative.  Creativity is a muscle.  You simply have to know how to flex it.

How we try to be creative

There are endless ways people try and induce creativity.

  • Drugs
  • Exercise
  • Eating better (or worse)
  • Endless research

among many, many others.  The problem with this is that these do enhance creativity.

To a point.

I fully agree that the more clarity you have from eating better and exercising will help you be more creative.  It also goes without saying that a high amount of experience in very different fields (online marketing, violin playing, Mandarin speaking and windsurfing, for example) will only help creativity.

How is this done?  It sounds counter intuitive, but the best way to enhance creativity is to constrain yourself.

The problem is that this approach is inconsistent.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.  So how does one solve the problem of inconsistent creativity?  What is present when creativity is rolling?  What’s missing when you can’t be creative for the life of you?

The problem of choice

A major block to creative work is the problem of too much choice.  With the internet giving us answers in seconds and businesses catering to our every obscure need, creativity seems to be less important than it was in the past.  Solutions to our problems are seconds away, so it doesn’t make sense to try and be creative. Continue reading

How to be More Creative at Work

I sat down to write today, but couldn’t find the words. So instead, I began cleaning out my closets and purging old clothes that I haven’t worn in a year. An hour later, I was moving my couch and sweeping underneath, then dusting my TV, and putting on clean bedding.

It was then that I remembered I needed a clean, uncluttered environment to help me think creatively.

This applies to my house and also to my desk at work. I often find that when my desk is cluttered, so is my mind.  A little cleaning, organizing, and some quick feng shui helps my creativity flow much easier. And other things that need to be accomplished no longer distract me. Out of sight, out of mind.

After thirteen years in the advertising and marketing game, I’ve come to recognize the important factors necessary for my personal creative process. I need to remove all the obstacles. Clear the clutter. Turn off the television. Log out of Facebook and Twitter. And just focus my attention to get ‘er done.

It’s a funny thing, creativity. It can sneak up on you when you least expect it, or disappear right when you need it most. I decided to reach out to my network to find out what makes them feel more creative on the job. Everyone I spoke with seemed to have different methods of unlocking and super-charging their creativity.

Doug Bramah, Creative Director in Toronto, and Mark Busse, owner of Industrial Brand both gave similar insights; that heading out of the office and finding a change of scenery is the best way to reunite with your creativity.

Most agencies have these open work environments; they’re noisy and there’s a lot of distraction. Sometimes that stifles the creative process.

Says Bramah.

Parks, coffee shops, restaurants – just changing where you do your work can make a big impact.”

But not all of us can come and go as we please. Continue reading

Fresh Canadian Creative & Marketing Jobs Oct 6th, 2012

Manager, Creative Content & Catalogue Development in Richmond Hill, Ontario with Ash City Worldwide

Account Manager in North Vancouver with Porcaro Communications

Web Developer/Designer in Vancouver (Company Confidential)

Marketing & Communications Coordinator in Vancouver with Alzheimer Society of B.C.

Graphic Designer in Abbotsford, BC with Relevention Marketing

Mobile Advertising Specialist in Vancouver, BC with AirG

Graphic/Communications Designer in Vancouver with 1-800-GOT-JUNK?

Web Designer in Mississauga, ON with Trapeze Software Inc.