Journal 1 – MARK 1024

Last Thursday, my classmates and I had the opportunity to hear from GBC Alumni Asta Schouten (Social Media and Brand Strategist), Natasha Burtenshaw-deVries (Digital Marketing Specialist), and Jordan Veenstra (Social Media Coordinator) about their experiences at George Brown College and in the digital marketing field.

As an aspiring digital marketer, it was important for me to hear what they had to say about the field, as well as what they liked (or disliked) about their jobs. Asta Schouten shared her journey from being a graphic designer to now working in brand and social media strategy. As well, she also shared some tips on how to craft resumes and prepare for interviews:

• Design your resume
• “Pull words” from the job description
• Referrals go a long way
• Take advantage of LinkedIn Learning to gain basic graphic design skills

“If you can hit 75% of what the job poster is looking for, you should go for it. If you are a good fit they are likely to let you learn on the job.” -Asta Schouten

Next, we heard from Jordan Veenstra and Natasha Burtenshaw-deVries. Notably, both of them are graduates from the Digital Media Marketing program! As a postgrad student currently taking that program, I really wanted to hear how they managed to land a job and what tips they could give for a future jobseeker like myself.

While they both graduated from the same program, they work in very different settings; Jordan works for a large marketing agency while Natasha works in a smaller agency. In a larger marketing agency, you work in teams, assigned multiple accounts and are given larger budgets. On the other hand, working in smaller agencies means you are working with a tightly-knit team (or in some cases independently) to serve your clients. Natasha mentioned that she was initially hired as an assistant and was promoted 2 months later to handle the SEO all on her own. As a newbie in digital marketing, I’d prefer working for a larger agency first so that I may work in teams (with peers that I can look up to as mentors) and gain experience working on a variety of accounts.

Marketing During the Pandemic

It was interesting to hear how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their jobs. Like many of us, they were all working from home and had to make adjustments like setting up a home office, getting the right equipment, etc. But there were many challenges as well with panellists mentioning reduced workload, layoffs, and even budget cuts as a result of the pandemic.

Tips for the future!

All panellists highlighted the importance of skill-building and networking. As future digital marketers, we should expect ourselves to be constantly learning (whether it be new software, platforms, techniques). Google Adwords and Facebook Blueprint were just some of the certifications the panellists strongly recommended us to complete.

“Its not about what you know, but who you know.”

Given the current pandemic-stricken state of the world, it is going to be tough finding a job quickly without establishing connections in the industry. As an introvert, I will need to “get myself out there” and continue networking with my peers to help with my impending job search.