Miss Bachelor of Arts with Honours

So long, after four years of study cramming and lots and lots and lots of money, I HAVE OFFICIALLY GRADUATED!! =D

I had my convocation last Thursday. I was kinda stressed because it was the only day of the week that rained and was cold. I was just wearing a dress and a regalia. Thought a fall convocation wouldn't be that bad. I thought it would be nice and sunny, not too hot, not too cold, and nice to take pictures with the fall leaves. The ceremony wasn't bad. Thought it would be way too long, but time passed by really quickly (considering that many did not attend convocation). I was sad I was separated from my friend who also took Communications and French. But I was close to another Communications friend and some classmates I never really cared about. Then there was this girl who liked to point the obvious. It is kind of ironic she's graduating and she didn't seem very bright. The other guy next to me said she might be drunk. I would not be surprised. After it ended, I took a few photos with my friend, my mom (who came all the way to Costa Rica to see me graduate) and my boyfriend. I wanted to get some refreshments at the reception, but it was too crazy, I could barely get any food (mostly thanks to this lady who spent the time of her life picking cherry tomatoes one by one and never thought about moving). After that, me, my mom and my boyfriend went to a restaurant to celebrate. It was nice. Wish my dad was there, he would be very proud. But he didn't come with my mom and decided to stay taking care of his business (although he said he wanted to compensate me by giving me some ca$h. yay!)

Now after graduation, I was hoping job finding were A LOT easier. Ideally I would just finish university and then I will have a job. Unfortunetly, it is not my case. It is super hard, harder than I thought it would be. Seems like companies almost don't hire you for your degree but for your past experiences. This comes hard on me since I am competing with a lot of Canadians who start working at age 15 or 16. In Costa Rica most people don't work until they are like 18. Disadvantage for me there. Also, many students to part-time jobs while studying. Me, my parents told me to focus on my studies instead. You mean, I could have gained a lot of experience? Um, yeah. I should have also gone to college, where they give you internships in the last semester. College is more hands-on what you want to do. Not essay writing and reading at university. Although graduating from a prestiged university is good too. Can't underestimate the things I have learned in these past four years. Guess I could take experiences I have had at university, either working or volunteering and transfering them to the work force. Another disadvantage I have is that here Canadian people have connections, like friends and families, and I don't. Or barely don't.

What I can still do it to give my best, to not give up, and bring up my passion. Many might have the skills, but not too many have the passion, ammirite? I can also do a lot of research on the industries and companies I would like to work at. By the way, I heard Mad Men is about advertising? Might have to start watching a new show!

Bye bye full-time student, hello full-time job hunter....

Small girl with big ambitions

Job hunting is more exhausting than I could ever imagine. Right now I am a full-time job hunter. It is a very discouraging process and it takes so much time and effort. I have invested a lot of time in crafting resumes and cover letters according to the company I am applying to. It feels like a waste of time when those places you applied to never get back to you.

So far I have been looking for jobs almost non-stop. I have applied to couple places like Staples, Ikea, HMV, Shoppers Drugmart, GAP, Swiss Chalet, Air Canada, TD Bank, Scotiabank, Pulp&Fiber, Safeway Tours, and a few others. And so far I have only got two replies from them.

I applied for a job as a receptionist at some office. I was refered to it by a friend's friend. That person made sure I know it was a very boring job, yet I still applied to it. I went to the interview that lasted over an hour and the interviewer spoke more than I did. Needless to say, I got the job, but I declined it because I felt like the job wasn't really right for me. I mean, yeah, I can perform all the duties but I feel like if you don't enjoy the job, you will not give your greatest performance, which is what they really need. Don't get me wrong, I would love to work as a receptionist in a big company and whatnot. Just the environment around, the people I work with, and the type of company weren't really what I am looking for.

Couple weeks ago, I spoke to a guy, graduated from University and has a job in a marketing firm. He said, "don't take just any job. My experience is that people undervalue themselves, sometimes people can do better than that". And that's what I did with that job. My mom, however, thinks the opposite. She thinks I must take any job available. Doesn't matter if they don't pay well, it's boring, work long hours, etc. As long as it is a legit job that pays, I should take it.

I also got a couple phone calls wanting to schedule an interview from some companies. However, those companies are the "pyramid scheme" kind of type. Like, they hire you to pay you for commision - that means the more you sell, the more you make. But if you cannot sell, you make no money. So you refer the selling products to friends and family of yours. If they don't want it, they could refer you to THEIR friends and family. And goes on. A lot of people would consider it as a "scam". However, few of these companies are legit, but the layout of the business will screw you up. A lot of people pay to these companies (like certifications, lessons, security deposit of products, etc) before you even make money. My dad says "it is NOT a job if YOU have to pay the money. They should be the ones paying you money", which is totally true. I mean, those kind of companies pretty much target high school students, people with not much education, people in desperate need of money, and people who do not have knowledge about those companies. Luckily I do my research online before going to interview.

But I feel like I am working under pressure here because my parents want me to get a full-time job 9no matter what kind of job) for a full year so I can apply for Permanent Residence. For me, it is not like that. I want a job I like and feel like I can do. Feel comfortable doing for more than a year. I can't take just ANY kind of job, right? Like if they hire me as a garbage pick-up person for a year, doesn't mean I can go to that level (no offense, these people work really hard everyday). I am a recent graduate geez!

Hence the title of my blog: small girl with big ambitions. I want to end up eventually as a creative director in a big ad agency. Maybe I can work from copywriter to art director, and work from there up. I want my job to enhance my creativity. Make me do creative stuff like make slogans, direct a video, create posters, etc. Everyday would be different for me, and I don't have to put up with the mundane and routine. Everyday the same thing.

I would also like to open a cupcake store or a bakery because I love baking and making cupcakes. Make a store for kids. Those make a whole bunch of money! Take the example of McDonalds or Chuck E Cheese, or something like that. Attracting kids means attracting their parents. Good business! MY IDEA! lol.

Maybe I wanna work for Air Canada, I feel like they have great customer service. Working with international people and with a very well known company. I gotta take advantage of my multilingual skills in good use ;)

Yes! I wanna be Bigger and Better!!!!

....but I guess I have to start somewhere. anybody hiring?

10 Presentation Tactics for Ad Agency New Business by Steve Jobs

I found this online and I find it very interesting. It doesn't necesarily apply for ad agency, but for presentations in class or general presentations to a public. I'm posting the points here:


Here are his 10 Ways to Sell Your Ideas the Steve Jobs Way:

Plan your presentation with pen and paper.

1. Begin by storyboarding your presentation. Steve Jobs will initially spend his preparation time brainstorming, sketching and whiteboarding before he every opens PowerPoint. All of the elements of the story that he wants to tell are thought through, elements are planned and collected before the slides are created.
2. Create a single sentence description for every service/idea. Concise enough to fit in a 140-character Twitter post. An example, for the introduction of the MacBook Air in January, 2008, Jobs said that is it simply, “The world’s thinnest notebook.”
3. Create a villain that allows the audience to rally around the hero—you and your product/service. A “villain” doesn’t necessarily have to be a direct competitor. It can be a problem in need of a solution.
4. Focus on benefits. Your audience only care about how your service will improve their lives. Make the connection for your prospective clients. Don’t make them make that mental leap leaving them to figure it out for themselves.
5. Stick to the rule of three for presentations. Almost every Jobs presentation is divided into three parts. You might have twenty points to make about your service, but your audience is only capable of retaining three or four points in short term memory. Give them too many points and they’ll forget everything you’ve said.
6. Sell dreams, not your services. Steve Jobs doesn’tsell computers. He sells the promise of a better world. When Jobs introduced the iPod in 2001, he said, “In our own small way we’re going to make the world a better place.” Where most people see the iPod as a music player, Jobs sees it as tool to enrich people’s lives.
7. Create visual slides. There are no bullet points in Steve Jobs presentations. Instead he relies on photographs and images. When Steve Jobs unveiled the Macbook Air, Apple’s ultra-thin notebook computer, he showed a slide of the computer fitting inside a manila inter-office envelope. Keep the presentation that simple.
8. Make numbers meaningful. Jobs always puts large numbers into a context that’s relevant to his audience. The bigger the number, the more important it is to find analogies or comparisons that make the data relevant to your audience.
9. Use plain English. Jobs’s language is remarkably simple. He rarely, if ever, will use the jargon that clouds most presentations—terms like “best of breed” or “synergy.” His language is simple, clear and direct.
10. Practice, practice, practice. Steve Jobs spends hours rehearsing every facet of his presentation. Every slide is written like a piece of poetry, every presentation staged like a theatrical experience. Yes, Steve Jobs makes a presentation look effortless but that polish comes after hours and hours of grueling practice.

Portfolio? What portfolio?

Just in case you don't know, my future plan is to get into an advertising agency in Toronto, and to be specific I want to be an arts director / creative director.

A problem I have encountered, which also applies to some people I know, is that in the hiring process they require a portfolio. Now, what the heck is a portfolio? What does it look like? What do I put in there? I dont' know if I did well research on Internet, but I have rarely came across any creative director portfolio. Yes, there are plenty of websites of them showing off their work, but how does a physical portfolio looks like? Adveritisng people have been telling me that a portfolio is almost a requirement, yet they don't tell me what it's supposed to look like. How am I supposed to start building one if I don't have anything to compare it with?

Another problem, beside NOT knowing what a portfolio looks like, is what kind of material I can put in. You see, at York they don't teach you how to build a portfolio, nor they give you an assignment to design an advertisement. All I do at York is read about communication theories and write extensive essays about them. But how am I supposed to gain experience?

Thank goodness that becoming a VP Communications for McLaughlin last year, it was probably one of the wisest decisions I have made to start my future. If it wasn't because I was VP Communications, I would have no experience building websites, or designing flyers/posters to put around campus. I wouldn't know where else to grab that opportunity.

A lot of these kind of jobs require past experience doing similar stuff, but how am I going to get experience if nobody hires me to do that kind of job?! How am I supposed to learn how to operate Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash, Java, etc? I have to do it all by myself. I taught myself how to use photoshop, and now I'm teaching myself how to use InDesign. I also had to take an elective course that taught me about the basics of HTML and CSS. Another good decision. Ugh, Communications at York isn't as useful as I thought it was gonna be. I should have applied to a college in the first place, maybe I would have gained more experience.

One of my friends applied to the Creative Advertising program at Humber, and they required a portfolio. Of course she didn't have a portfolio because nothing she did at York required her to make any kind of that work.

How do advertising people expect me to have super amazing 10 pieces of work (the just 'ok' ones don't count) before I start the job and right after graduation? This is frustrating >:G

Closest thing I have found on Internet

My name is katie and I am full-time unemployed

Just after I finished my exams I started to send my resumes and to apply to jobs like crazy because I really needed a job for the summer - because I am becoming poor. The more time I spend sending resumes, the more money I spend and the less income I get. I have possibly applied to at least 15 job postings, and only one got back to me asking for an interview, which I went but they sent me an email saying that they were not able to offer me a job at this time. Maybe I was not doing enough. Maybe I have been making a lot of common mistakes like not sending a personalized resume, sending a generic cover letter, not doing follow up, etc.

But now, I have decided to give up on job searching for the summer. Instead, I am not only going to enjoy my last chance of sleeping in and sleeping as much as I want, but I am also going to do lots of research, learning new skills and things, building up a great resume, learning about the advertising industry, setting up my own portfolio, etc. I am going to prepare myself for the outside war. I'm gonna put that saddle on that horse and get ready for the ride. Buckle my seatbelt, because it's going to be a bumpy ride.

This is how I am preparing for the summer:
- I am going to start getting a list of advertising companies that I would like to work for, and research them about what they do, who the people are, and maybe send emails and ask them questions about the company.

- Since I want to be a creative director or art director or copywriter, I need to research on people who are employed as such and ask about their jobs, learn skills they require when hiring, read online articles about their duties, their role in the company, etc. I am also going to learn InDesign, Dreamwaver, Illustrator, PHP, Flash, Quarkxpress, more than basics of HTML and CSS, etc. Time permits.

- I also wanna learn new hobbies. I want to get a bike so I can bike to downtown and get some work out. Plus it is enjoyable if I wanna get to nice places like the beaches.

- I bought this set of CD's to learn German. I have always wanted to learn German, and this is my chance to do it. If I have more time I would also like to learn Italian. I love learning new languages.

- I want to get out more, meet new people, talk to them and learn new things from them. Make new friendships and build relationships with them.

- I am going to the library and check out more books since they have so much material about things I wanna know

- I am going to take advantage of the job searching workshops that the Career Centre offers.

- I am also going to start a notebook where I write notes about getting jobs and job related stuff, like interviews, etc. articles I read from the Yahoo! HotJobs website, because I have been addicted to them lately. I am going to start recording the jobs I apply to and get some prints of my resumes.

So you see, this summer is going to be all about learning. I have such a thirst for knowledge and I really want to be prepared to what comes. And I know it is all going to be worth it in the end.

The cup

Couple weeks ago, during a networking event, I got to talk - well more like hear- to a guy from Ogilvy One, Rex. He was giving a lot of advices to get into the advertising industry, how to get started, and what the industry is like. What I liked about him was that he was giving actual useful information, unlike another guy talking about hunting sharks. Don't get me wrong, I love to hear about everything, even shark hunting, but networking events is more for getting useful information. But anyways, he kinda gave me a homework. He told me that to be successful you have to be able to sell yourself, give reasons why you are good, do research, sell him the cup that was sitting on the table.

It's been a while since, because I have so much school work to do and I did not get to actually do what he told me until recently when I am done with all school work. So I got my hands on that little homework. He probably does not expect me to actually do it, but let's surprise him, shall we? ;)

Now, most of you do not know the miracle of the existance of a tall glass cup. Most of you have probably seen people drinking from it: water, juice, cocktails, wine, etc.

But you can alsways be a little bit more creative than that and use the cup to store other things. And, if you are a money saver like me, you could use anything as a storage. Do you ever have huge amounts of pennies, dimes, and change like I do? You are the kind who like to pay with bills and big changes like loonies and toonies, maybe quarters. Right, what if I told you that you can use the cup to store change? so that your wallet doesnt get so fat.

Still not impressed? How about your little cousin who just got a new fish and doesnt know where to put it? The bag it comes from is probably not as stable after all. Why not put it in a cup? so it can swim happily and your little cousin can still watch him swim?

Well, maybe the cup is not roomy enough for a big fish, and it is not good enough to keep your little cousin happy. How about making a musical instrument out of it and make noise to distract him from crying? let's call this music instrument - a maraca! It's so easy to make: 1) put some rice in it 2) put a plastic cover on top 3) put a lid around it to seal it 4) shake it like a polaroid picture!

A cup not only makes little kids happy, but also adults. Believe it or not, it is a great quick tool for architects, designers, mathematicians, artists, etc. Why not? it is a quick tool if you need to draw circles. Who havent had that need, ever?

It is also great for moms, especially if they have pots, flowers, or gardens.

Oooooor....if you like mom's home-made cookies, let her know about this great tool. I am sure you will both appreciate it.

You are a guy? No problem! This cup can fix all your problems in the house! leaking fixed = no water on the floor = no accidents = no yelling = no problems.


And since they are no problems in the house, you can grab a beer with couple of your friends, hang out, watch some tv, play some beer pong....Excellent way to have a good time.

After this, I don't know what you would do without this cup. What can you NOT do with this cup? This cup is basically always there when you need it the most. Easy use for everybody. Get your cup, live an easier life. All your problems will be solved with just a cling on the cup!