Ad Club Student Day 2020

On March 6th I attended Ad Club's Student Day. Naturally I need to say what a blessing it was to attend Ad Club this year.

The talks and panelists were nothing but incredibly informative and illuminated what us students should expect going into this industry. Shoutout to all the students in my program that came out on Thursday!

I want this article to focus on the main insights and my major takeaways from the day's activities. Before we begin, I want to show my gratitude to all the staff that worked and volunteered to make this day happen, from the sponsors, and partners, to the Student Day Engagement Team, to the security, and the A/V techs! THANK YOU! We all appreciate you for making the day possible.

The first talk focused on one simple rule "Be Nice or Leave" a theme that was later explained by the Student Day Director, Ian McDonald. The panel was hosted by the witty Boris Cho (Sponsorship Lead). The panelists emphasized how important diversity, and inclusion is. As well as, how we need to speak up about mental health in the workplace.

Also highlighting genuine sponsorship compared to mandatory inclusion, in the form of the Pride flag slapped onto a logo and calling it a day. However, many of the panelists agreed that consumers are smart and are seeing passed the fakeness.

The general take away is that diversity matters because we all have different stories and perspectives, and therefore they need to be represented. You never know what other, different, creative ideas someone has!

I appreciate having this panel first because it gave us newbies a reality check of the industry and how we can use nabs, coworkers, and other mental health events as support. This industry is nothing without people who care about themselves and get along with each other.

The second panel consisted of a full Q&A section for us to ask any questions we have. The theme was "From All Walks of Life" and it centered on our questions to media industry leaders! I really enjoyed this panel, because we got to ask our burning questions. It was hosted by the sophisticated Caitlin Neve (Student Day Vice Chair). The questions consisted of how to deal with how much the industry changes, how to trust brands on different platforms, how something like health (Coronavirus) affects brands, and how to stand out in a resume or interview?

I have to bring up Alastair Taylor's now iconic mic-drop- "Remember everyone matters!"

The final panel was extremely important and valuable to us! We got to hear directly from HR staff. Hosted by Ian McDonald, we gained true insight by understanding what they look for in new applicants.

My main takeaways-

- DO RESEARCH! Look people up on social media, beyond LinkedIn.

- Show them that you are the answer to the problem.

- Don't bother applying if you're not qualified.

- Info interviews are a great benefit!

- Don't apply to more than one position to a company.

- Be authentic. Be confident. Be comfortable.

- Go work for a place that aligns with your values! (Fit is everything)

- Don't be afraid to ask about salary.

- Seek to understand ambiguity.

- GIVE, GIVE, GET- you need to build equity!

- Build your personal brand.

- Don't apply everywhere, makes you seem desperate.

- Be creative with your "virtual handshake."

I enjoyed my time at the day's events, learned a lot more than I thought I would, and made some meaningful connections. Even reconnected with some acquaintances from other networking events! Again, thank you. I will definitely be attending next year.

#AdClub #StudentDay2020 #networking