In all my time spent over the last three months writing personalized cover letters, tailoring resume’s, and filling out contact forms across over 40 different applications for digital marketing related internships in Toronto, I have had absolutely nothing to show for it now.  No callbacks. No Interviews. No requests for an aptitude assessment. Nada. Zip. Zero.

In its place was lots and lots of “unfortunately, we have decided to pursue other candidates” and “we wish you the best of luck in your ongoing job search and career development.”

There is a silver lining though, an important lesson learned though the multiple rejection letters that flooded my inbox.  The lesson being that just submitting a job application and hoping for the best can no longer be associated with any possible prospect for success, or at least that is what it felt like for me.   That in order to have just a chance at getting the position you want, to get your cover letter seen and your skills recognized amongst that vast swaths of potential applicants, networking is the only answer.   The marking seminar at George Brown affirmed that maxim for me in a visceral way that won’t be forgotten.  

The only way to get ahead in the end for me, wasn’t really the contents on my resume but who you know and who you can make an impression with.  It does make some logical sense after all, every application is a faceless giant question mark that I’m sure blends together in time.   How can a hiring manager really trust the contents of what they are seeing on a resume, how does one choose from a list of potential applicants to interview that all kind-of sort-of sound familiar to each other.  The answer seems to be by getting help from a trustworthy source, someone within the organization who may recommend or forward the application of a person who they think could be a good fit for the position. 

I did end up attending several interviews for digital marketing related internships at different companies, where all were achieved through networking.  I received and accepted an amazing internship offer from one of those companies, one I’m very excited to begin my newly pivoted career journey with!  The networking that was critical for this position was achieved by engaging with a speaker from our George Brown Seminar Series class named Amanda Lee from The Aber Group, demonstrating that the class isn’t just about hearing the stories and experiences of veteran marketers, but can also be an opportunity to demonstrate your own capabilities, and by extension your ability to make an impression and network with the speakers themselves.

My main takeaway form Amanda’s presentation was that for the first time, she was able a describe the role of a Digital Marketing Intern in 2024, with the kinds of tasks that would be expected of them and how they could contribute when integrated into the team structure at The Aber Group.  This really grounded the position for myself for the first time, where I could visualize what working in a professional marketing agency environment would actually be like… and now I will get the chance to find out if that visualization for correct firsthand!

I was asked by a fellow classmate for some advice with networking with speakers from the George Brown Marketing Seminar series class once they had heard that the networking opportunities formed through the class could in fact turn into internship opportunities too, so I decided to list the strategies I would implement in every class with he hope of standing out and opening the door to further conversation with the speaker.

1.  It is really hard to make a lasting impression if the person you are trying to connect with can’t even see you in the first place.  Turning your webcam on for the duration of the speaker’s presentation is vital for standing out.  The vast majority of students in the class seem to leave their webcams off throughout the presentation, which is fine I’m sure if your objective is to just be there and get the grade, but if you are actually trying to make an impression a little more effort is required.
2. Make sure your voice and ideas are heard as well.  Every student gets a chance to participate in the case study presentation, make sure you are one of those that is involved in presenting your solution.  Beyond the case presentation, asking a question is probably an even more effective way to single yourself out within the class as it turns this virtual auditorium full of people into a one-on-one conversation for just a brief moment.
3. Lastly utilizing LinkedIn to send the guest speaker a connection request with a personalized comment (you get a couple of free ones a month) containing a compliment on their presentation and a leading question to chat further.

To finish off this blog post with some concluding remarks, I have personally really enjoyed the Seminar Series class at George Brown, beyond just networking I have gleaned some important insights from those marketers that have been walking the walk for many years before me.  I have a feeling some of those lessons and sentiments will remain with me long after the final class is concluded.