I had a crazy week. So much happened that it's impossible to really cite everything in one entry. But i'll tell you some of the highlights.

Interview #1: HP
I had an interview with Hewitt Packard, in their rebates division in the beginning of the week. The job was not really for me, buti thought i still should go and see what they have to say.

It was all confirmed, when i realized that although the title was "Consumer Promotions Analyst", it was more about processing channel parnter rebates and building a database.

I received the offer, but decided to decline it because it was just too boring and i'd have the attitude to want to leave the second i got there... bad news eh? Also it's only a 3-month contract, and they didn't even look at my resume to see if i was qualified for the job.. i think almost anyone could do this job, and seeing that the interview was 15 mins, it didn't take them long to realize that i could do it :)

Presentation
I also had a presentation for the web project that i've been working for. It went pretty well, and it was exciting to get up ther and present to a group. It's been awhile since I've stood up in front of an audience before, and I was reminded why I love it!! It's invigorating!

Interview #2
This one was for a job out in Kitchener... Yes, I know, KITCHENER! Not my no.1 choice, however the job looked great and it wouldn't hurt to at least apply. The interviews went well, and in fact last week I had a second interview with the VP marketing.

The major issue was relocating. Do I honestly want to live in waterloo for the rest of my life? Although it sounds oh so enticing, I think no. I had a good talk with them about it, and they're looking for a long term investment, looking for someone to add to the family. She was telling me not hing short term like a couple of years.. And to me, a couple of years seems like a pretty long term to start!! I'm not looking to start a family or anything in Waterloo, so it looks like this job isn't for me.

Arugh. I was close though, and if they were based in Toronto I would be a prime candidate for them. Ah well.

Interview #3
This was THE job. WOW. It was for a division of a Global Advertising Agency, J. Walter Thompson called the Social Marketing Group. Basically, this division provides a boutique of integrated marketing communications services to non-profit and charitable clients. They are also working with global organizations such as the UN / UNESCO, to help kickstart social change.

The interview was one of the most difficult one I've had. It was a shotgun of three interviews in a row, all asking quite intellectual and political questions. They didn't even question my technical skills and assumed that I could do it. They were asking me social questions. Here's an idea of some the questions and answers in point form which I gave:

Interviewer: "What social issues do you feel are most important to you today?"

Me: AIDS in Africa, Sustainable Development in the "third" worlds, homelessness, Environmental pollution, Corporate Social Responsibility (transparency, governance)

Interviewer: "Many people say that the U.S. And Canada are very different, and some say they're much alike. I would like to hear your views on this"

Me: "As much as we would like to polarize ourselves from the U.S. (and at times define ourselves solely as 'NOT American!'), we are in fact very much similar to our neighbours, especially b/c of our economic dependence and political "follow the leader" stance. E.g. We followed the US supplied the guns to the Indonesian regime, despite our knowledge of the genocide committed by them on the East Timorese, and did this b/c we thought Indonesia was the next Japan for business development. Sure, we may be building schools and helping the country now, but we still turned a blind eye in the name of business a few decades earlier.

However, we are showing more political independence from the South by taking a public stance against the war on Iraq and gay marriage for example. So it's a start, but we've got far to go."

Interviewer: "So you took social theory in university. Tell me what social theories would help us find ways for social change"

Me: - Symbolic Interactionalist theory (showing to public that we CAN make a individual change, and dissolve the cesspool of complacency inherent in our society) and Marxist theory (let's not get into that, to spare you!)

So that's a snapshot. Crazy eh? There was NOTHING about marketing, or my skills.

The final interviewer basically said that they were looking for someone with the intellectual capacity for the position, and that this is no regular advertising job.

But reality set in, and I'm in fact a month or 2 late. They were 99.99% ready to give someone else an offer before they saw me. They only saw me as a favour to an amazing contact of mine who put in a good word for me. But they said that they were impressed, and I "would be put on file" as the cliché goes.

Even though I was rejected, I now feel totally filled up and feel that my skills can one day be put to a good cause. I love the creative and strategic aspect of advertising, but my morals consistently conflict with it, for example selling useless products to children or "hope in a bottle" for ageing women. This position utilizes my marketing communications skills to a good cause, for the sake of social change, NOT solely profit. WOW.

So I have something to aim for in a few years. May be I'll get there in 5 years, may be as soon as next year. One this is for sure, I'm not going to lose this contact info and I will keep a eye every week on the department to watch as it explodes in growth. I just can't miss the bus again.. Wow.

A break from the mess.. But not from the head
I also went to see the premiere of a movie called The Corporation, detailing the rise and dominence of the Corporation on our world; on our earth, or economy, our work, and our minds. It was showing at the Bloor cinema to a packed crowd. That showed to me how much interest there is in such a film, which is hoping to spread the same sort of awareness that Manufacturing Consent did for Chomsky.

About an hour and 45 mins into the show, something crazy happened. Part of the ceiling started to fall! It was just dry wall, but still, it hit someone on the head. (She was ok). And so the fire department and police came, and the rest of the film was cancelled. There was still 45 mins left, but I understood the safety concerns, and we do have a complementary ticket. Apparently it reopened for the late "dark side of the rainbow", so the excitement of the stoners waiting in line! :)

So it has been an eventful week (and I'm only highlighting some of the main parts!). I don't think I'll have one as crazy as that for a while..

Take care

RE

"eat drink and be merry"