Tips for the first job

A few days back I had the opportunity to attend an online seminar by JENNIFER MELTON. She is working at Saatchi& Saatchi and they reopened their office after covid in last May. Jen had been in Toronto for the last 11 years. From her session, I got really useful insights which will definitely help me. I will be sharing my reflection on Jen’s presentation.

So, as Jen mentioned she was also as confused as me about what exactly to do. But she had a very strong working history in past years, which is totally inspiring. Jen said that she got her unpaid internship in a boutique for 2 months which led to her full-time role. As an international student, this information was very helpful and gave me the motivation to search for more jobs. For now, I’m also searching for an internship in digital marketing, doesn't matter paid or unpaid but like Jen, I can also get a full-time role.

Her initial stage was like mine. She applies everywhere. She gave few recommendations for finding my first job. Considering the current situation of recession there are a lot of applicants. So, for this, she said my resume should be easy to read and should match the job role. And people like me who had no prior experience in the particular field are more afraid but for this, she gave a good tip, and it is to connect people. Reaching out to people is not an easy task but after listening to Jen I’m encouraged and it can turn in a positive way for me. She also recommended one thing that to do what’s best for me, and this tip is related to one of my previous jobs, back in India in 2019 I joined an airline ground handling company, but it didn’t turn out what I was thinking of and I had a contract of one year and I cannot pull back. Eventually, because of covid the company had to lay off me and got out of it.

The another recommendation Jen gave was to take notes and ask for feedback, which I personally found very crucial for my first job role. She said that taking notes while meeting or discussing something at the workplace will help me at the end of the day to recall what was going on throughout the day I can learn from those notes. I don’t have a habit of taking notes but, from now I will make sure to write down important things. And the other tip, asking for feedback. For me, feedback is something that helps me to improve each and everything because not only in my professional or academic life I also seek feedback in my personal life. Even if I do something at my home I ask my home mates how is it and all.

Jen also advised to learn as much as possible and find a mentor who can teach me hard as well as soft skills. But I have to be more practical by myself as I have to start from an entry-level role. Jen also mentioned setting a target or goal with my senior to review my performance, so from this, I may be in a position where the person does regular check-ups. Sometimes I have to take the initiative to reach out to them and highlight what is my goal. By doing this there will be my progress record monthly or yearly. Also, I have to be updated to industry trends like websites, social media, or news. Being updated to all this I will be a step ahead from the team.

Jennifer Melto’s presentation gave me a lot of tips to stand out of the ring in the current job market. This session is definitely going to help me grow. A big thanks to Prof. Wendy Greenwood that she gave me this opportunity.