My beginnings at Middle

The beginning of your professional life, finding your first “adult” job, favouring practice over theory, sending countless resumes and cover letters, looking for new offers at every hour of the day, hoping, being disappointed, sometimes succeeding. Yes, adult life is scary. It means responsibilities, obligations, stress, successes and failures. But you still have to make it, and when you go from being a student to being an adult, it’s really night and day.

As a young French woman who arrived in Montreal in 2015, I would like to share with you a little piece of my story, a part of my life that has been a source of anxiety but from which I have grown.

As I already told you, I arrived in the City of 100 bell towers in August 2015, my head full of dreams and my stomach full of butterflies. The beginning of a great story. I originally came here to study criminology at the Université de Montréal, and you’ll understand it quite quickly: I didn’t stick to the original plan. I chose to explore the world around me and satisfy my endless curiosity by graduating with a B.A. in anthropology and psychology, which I completed with a Certificate in advertising this April. Yes, my path has not been the most linear, but that is what makes it valuable, and I like to think that its strength is its uniqueness.

I decided to add an internship as a Marketing Communications Manager at Le Baroudeur, a Montreal startup (think of it as the icing on the cake of my curiosity). I managed the social networks, the website, the online store and did some design work from February to July. In other words: I dived right in, and I loved it.

I started my job search at the end of April. More than fifty applications were sent with a glimmer of hope each time (because you never know). Very few answers came back, most of them being a simple no. This led to a loss of conviction and optimism, lots of second thoughts, flirting with the idea of accepting any job that would take me while waiting for the right one. Let’s face it, the arrival of our companion Covid did not make my job hunt any easier.

Then, in the sea of ads, a unicorn appeared on my screen, suggested as a job offer that might suit me. It was infused with enthusiasm, happiness and girl power. I found myself applying for the Social Media Manager and Content Creator position at Middle and I knew it was it (well I was mostly hoping at that point). In the ad, it said that a major asset was loving unicorns and small dogs. Because I follow a dozen of adorable puppies on Instagram, it started to feel more and more like the job offer was written for me specifically. My new mission was to write a cover letter that would make them want to hire me as badly as I wanted to work there. So, armed with inspiration and coffee, I wrote. (And don’t tell them, but this letter was the one I had the most fun writing). 

So I responded to this ad the same day it was published: June 11th. That evening I received an email from Rebecca saying they were interested in my profile and that I was invited to do a video conference interview. I was thrilled.

The interview took place a few days later with Rebecca and Gabrielle. Many questions about me, my skills and preferences that showed a clear mutual interest. I left full of optimism, hoping they felt the same way. On June 22nd, I took the next step: writing a Facebook post about a current client and a blog post (in French and English of course). I was very happy.

I sent my essays on June 25th and waited again, always with our friend Hope. The next day, the 26t,h came with good news: the girls liked what I wrote and I was invited to the final interview: what a great way to celebrate my 23rd birthday! (Yes, it was my birthday!) Exhilarating!

I made an appointment for this new meeting which took place in person. On June 30th, both stressed and excited, I left for Maison Notman to meet this beautiful team, composed of Rebecca, Gabrielle, Karelle and the new guy: Monsieur. I discovered exactly what I had imagined when I read the job offer: enthusiasm and optimism floating in the meeting room, mixed with laughter. The purpose of the meeting was to see if I would be a good fit with the team. I came out of it even more pleasantly surprised than the previous times (and it was a challenge!). The next day, Rebecca called me at 5:30pm: I was hired! Happiness!  

I officially started my position as Social Media Manager and Content Creator at Middle on July 6th, 2020. I can’t hide the fact that I’m more than proud of it.

In my advertising classes, my professors talked about agencies as a very dynamic world, with no routine, which allowed for personal and professional growth. For many students (including me), the idea of working in an agency quickly became a goal. Many strategists, art directors and copywriters came to talk about their experiences and how much they were growing. They contributed to that ideal we saw in class, those dream jobs we all hoped to get one day.

Want to know a little secret? I did it. I got my dream job. And it’s just the beginning.