Browsing Tag

careers

Behind The Books: Kelsey Miller

Kelsey Miller

Name: Kelsey Miller

Best Known For: Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting And Got A Life (2016)

Education: Film & Television, Boston University

Employment: Senior Features Writer, Refinery29

Professional role models: David Sedaris & Tina Fey

How did spending years in therapy help you write a memoir?

The work I did (and still do) in therapy enabled me to grow up and live my life, without which there would be no memoir. I also never would have been able to write about my problems and difficulties without first sorting through them and working my ass off so that they weren’t the controlling force of my life. It’s a lot more complicated than this, but the short version is that I went into therapy feeling like one big problem — I was composed of trauma and disorder and dysfunctional experiences. Therapy doesn’t erase those things but it helped me realize that I’m not simply the sum total of my [problems]. Those things are in me and a part of me, but I don’t have to sit around and wait to be fixed and perfect in order to move forward with my life. I always thought you had to be All Better with a capital B in order to write a reflective memoir. Nope. You just get on with your life and your goals, issues or not.

Do you think your theatre training has helped you become a better storyteller?

Man, I sure hope so. I’d like to think my parents’ investment in a decade’s worth of theatre training paid off somehow. I’d always enjoyed storytelling and have huge admiration for good storytellers. (My mom and dad are both incredibly funny and I used to wish I could crack up a dinner table the way they could.) I haven’t done theatre in ages, but there are certain lessons that will always be with me: finding your intention in a scene, showing and not telling, etc. Those are all good instincts for writers as well.

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January 7, 2016 by

Networking With Janet Kestin And Nancy Vonk

Nancy Vonk

Nancy Vonk

The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty was discussed repeatedly in high school and university, so when I learned that Ogilvy’s former co-chief creative officers who were responsible for the work were speaking at a Women of Influence event, I couldn’t resist. On Wednesday night, Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin shared how women can get ahead by speaking up and networking at a Women of Influence event.

In the age of personal branding, I was surprised when they said that women are taught it’s wrong to talk about themselves. Whether it’s at a networking event or an interview, it’s beneficial to have an elevator pitch ready and be a good storyteller when you have the opportunity to talk about your life and career.

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December 17, 2015 by

Indeed Launches Ads In Canada

Indeed

Photo Source: Strategy

There are many channels through which job seekers can find their next opportunity and Indeed’s search engine for job postings ranks at the top. It’s an easy to use and efficient resource that has helped me discover many openings.

Indeed is currently focusing on global expansion and therefore decided to produce more ads like last year’s ‘How The World Works’ video, which aired in Australia, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S.  The ads were made by Mullen Lowe, and Mediacom is handling the media buy.

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October 9, 2015 by

Career Lessons From Mia Pearson

Hot On The Street - Women of Influence - Mia Pearson and Sarah Prince

On Tuesday night, professional women gathered at One King West to hear Mia Pearson, co-founder of communications agency North Strategic, speak at a Women of Influence event. From cocktails at the beginning to the keynote speech to the networking session, the two-hour-long event was run very efficiently. After working in leadership positions at a few of the country’s most reputable agencies, Mia had a lot of advice on entrepreneurship to dispense, which she eloquently shared with the group.

1) Find a niche where you can excel, ensure that you have something valuable to offer and then become the best in your field.

One of Mia’s first managers discouraged her from specializing in tech PR, but she disagreed with his advice because she recognized that specializing could lead to huge career opportunities. In the end, she co-founded High Road Communications, an agency that specializes in tech PR and Omnicom eventually acquired it. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur, Mia said you should always look for growth opportunities. She emphasized that big ideas can come from any level, reminding the audience that you don’t need to be the co-founder to think big. If you work hard within your niche, then you can become famous for your work.

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September 16, 2015 by

Ten Thousand Coffees Chat With Lisa Kimmel

Lisa Kimmel - Edelman

From early morning meetings to late night client dinners, Edelman Canada’s President Lisa Kimmel is a busy woman. Thankfully she took time out of her schedule to talk to young professionals for a Ten Thousand Coffees group chat.

Here are some takeaways from our conversation:

  1. No matter how hectic your job, it’s important to make time for yourself so you can stay healthy. Lisa exercises 3-4 times/week and appreciates the alone time.
  2. In an agency environment like Edelman, a good PR professional is highly adaptable, reflexive, flexible, solution-oriented, collaborative, curious and able to deal with overwhelming client responsibilities.
  3. A few of the most important skills for a PR professional are sales, public speaking and critical thinking.
  4. Effective internal communication, something I was particularly interested in learning about, involves honesty, transparency and frequent discussions. An account executive should understand the strategic plan for the entire agency and open communication makes this possible.
  5. Employment engagement is an essential priority. Lisa advises employers to recognize that employees are your best advocates, so equip them with the right tools to talk about your company at a party.
  6. An effective employee engagement program invites contributions from employees at junior and senior levels so management can gather insights for operations.
  7. Media companies like Facebook and Twitter sometimes eliminate clients’ agencies as the middleman and go straight to presenting solutions to clients. This is an obvious threat to agencies who want to be involved in all campaigns, so some agencies like Edelman are starting to partner with media companies like The Globe and Mail to present solutions to clients based on joint capabilities.
  8. Lisa understands the value of information interviews, but young people should realize that she’s inundated with requests. Tell a story in your email invitation to capture her attention because too many people say, “I’m passionate about public relations and want to meet with you over coffee.” If and when you are awarded an information interview, make sure you come prepared. Know your elevator pitch and research the senior employee’s company.
  9. For job interviews, ensure that you can articulate your point of view on the industry. Do enough research so that you can confidently predict future trends and think about your portfolio so you can describe the work you’re most proud of doing.
  10. Young professionals without a family should take advantage of opportunities to work abroad, such as landing a job within your agency’s international network.
June 22, 2015 by