The Interview

Hey everyone!

I'm posting this morning from Sault Ste. Marie, my hometown, and it is blowing snow. I really shouldn't have expected much less. Why am I not in Oakville? It's reading week at Sheridan College and finally time for a little bit of a break. We've had such a busy week with assignments, tests and meetings that we all will enjoy the time off to catch up and take a breath. For some great advice about time management, check out another student, Alexandra Marinaccio's, blog post this week!

What I forgot to mention about this busy week is that I had my first big interview with an advertising agency! I had been looking forward to that day ever since they asked me to come in after a phone interview. Built up with nerves and excitement I finally met with two account supervisors (both of which were extremely genuine and easy to talk to) at the agency and began the interview. What I was really happy about was that it was much less formal than the interviews that I had previously experienced. It felt more like a pleasant conversation than a structured interview.

What questions were asked? Well, at an interview it is not unlikely that they will ask "So, tell us a little bit about yourself". This does not necessarily mean that you are professing your admirable qualities one after the other. They want to know a little bit about you as a person, perhaps where you're from, how you got there, where you went to school, etc. Your background is part of what builds character, and interviewers want to make sure that you would be a good fit for their company. Perhaps they will even make a connection or have similarities to where you grew up or where you did your undergrad! This will always spark a little extra conversation, and that is always a plus. You will also be asked about how you got interested in advertising. Always have a detailed and enthusiastic answer to this question. This shouldn't be too hard if you love the Sheridan Advertising Account Management program like I do. However, I explained how my interest came straight from high school (I mention this in my first blog post!). It gives the interview more substance and believe it or not, will set you apart from every other applicant.

The other piece of advice that I will give you is to always have done your research about whatever company you are being interviewed by. No matter what type of interview it is, formal or not, the question that will always come up is, "So what got you interested in our company? What is your favourite ad that we've done?". Nothing would be more embarrassing if you couldn't answer either question. I am assuming that this advice will come to you as common sense, and that's what is so great about interviews. We all get so nervous and sometimes even unable to speak, but the reality is whoever is interviewing us are just PEOPLE. They are not monsters who are out to make you feel embarrassed or hurt you. They simply want to get to know you regarding things that may not be on your resume. If you are genuine, interested, passionate and an overall good person, that will shine through to your potential employers and you will have an equal, if not better, chance at landing the job. What I will say, is to not get discouraged if you do not get the job. A lot of the times, each and every applicant will have done just as well as you, and it all comes down to who is a better fit for the company. You will never know what exactly made them pick someone else over you, and you cannot feel down about yourself for this. I am currently waiting on that email or phone call stating whether or not I got the internship, and although I believe it went really well, there is the same chance that someone else made a better connection.

I didn't want to use this post to tell you every single question an ad agency will ask you, because I would assume that all of you have heard them all. The hypothetical conflict question, the "weaknesses" question (which they did not ask me), and the simple question asking you to outline your strengths. The truth is, every interview will be different. All you can do is go to the interview enthusiastic, kind, and extremely interested in the job position. Be prepared to be confident in who you are and to show your skill levels in an interesting way. Communication skills is key, and remember that they are just people, nothing different than speaking to say, your parents friends or a teacher/colleague. It will require professionalism of course, but like I said, they aren't aliens from another planet and only want to find a suitable person for the job position. Oh, and never mention interest in another company directly, only interest in the whole field in general.

I was lucky enough, to like I said, have a slightly informal interview. It was of longer length, say 45-50 minutes, but it felt more of like a deep and detailed conversation with some very smart and experienced individuals. It was extremely informative and only increased my interest in this fast paced industry! My last piece of advice is to ASK QUESTIONS. There is nothing that shows your interest in the company and position quite like asking questions does. It tells the interviewers that you want to know more. Ask them about what the job position entails, what will your duties be, etc. Ask them what makes a successful intern. In general, anything you are curious about in regards to the company and its work environment will not only give you a feel for what the company will be like to work for, it will show that you are truly invested and serious about working there.

So, when it comes to the time were you have some interviews lined up, keep these few points in mind (from my perspective!)

1. Do your research
2. Tell them about yourself (where you're from, your education, interests etc).
3. Be confident, INTERESTED, professional, genuine and enthusiastic.
4. Ask questions

I hope this helps everyone! I will also tell you that attending Sheridan College has allowed me to gain essential interview and communication skills in a way that increased my confidence immensely. So don't worry too much, and always think of an interview as a (professional)conversation more or less :)

Thanks for reading this week.

Sincerely,

Ashleigh