I had a chance to hover around Toronto's Revival nightclub last night to watch some 130 ad grads bare their professional souls to big-name CDs. (I say hover, but at six-and-a-half feet tall, I'm sure I stuck out like a typo on a outdoor ad)
It was my first Portfolio Night, and I was pretty impressed, not to mention jealous.
As a student journalist, the only face-to-face interaction I had with working journalists was with my instructors. I worked an internship or two, sure, but nothing like this.
I can't think of an industry other than advertising that affords its rookies this kind of opportunity: practice job interviews with the people who will eventually administer a real interview.
And after talking with a few of them, I realized the students themselves seemed to really appreciate what an opportunity the night was, acting completely against my expectations.
Beer flowed, people laughed, pictures were taken of Bob.
That said, it's clearly hard work for the CDs. Shari Balga from DDB (which sponsors the event) pointed out that most CDs come in after a full day's work, then sit through hours of book review while diplomatically assessing flaws... all with only a handful of 10-minute breaks.
And because a few CDs failed to show, most of those who signed up stuck around after hours to make sure everyone saw three CDs.
...not that the CDs aren't getting something out of it as well. Many of the ones I spoke with said they planned to interview one or two of the young 'uns again for internships.
I'm curious to know how many agencies were actively recruiting last night. If you lined up interviews as a result of last night's meetings, drop me a line or comment on this post. - Jeromy Lloyd
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