AMA Toronto’s Career Accelerator program helps young marketing professionals further their career with the help of an experienced marketing professional. Inspired by the success of Mentor Exchange, this program is specifically designed to meet the needs of junior marketing professionals looking to move up the ladder in their careers, and runs from April to January of each year, with applications and matching taking place between February to April.
With the 2022 Career Accelerator program coming to a close, we interviewed some of the mentees about their experiences in the program and what they have learned over the course of the program.
What originally drew you to the AMA Toronto Career Accelerator program?
Maggie Bolt, Marketing Manager at Forum Ventures
I was looking for a mentorship program to help me grow in leadership ability and gain new skills. I also wanted to connect with other like-minded marketers and hear about different career paths people can have in the field. I also loved the many different networking opportunities.
Jagriti Malhotra, Assistant Marketing Manager at JSS Inc. Canada
I joined AMA Toronto as a volunteer and in the process got to know about all the benefits of the Career Accelerator. I truly believe AMA Toronto as an organization has a lot to offer especially for new marketers in Canada and mentorship programs are a great way to get involved.
Milind Poswal, Marketing Analyst at Intact Financial Corporation
As a newcomer in Canada and an MBA candidate, I was actively looking for guidance to help build my professional network and navigate my way through the challenges faced while looking for the first job after graduation. The Career Accelerator program caught my attention because it offered what I was looking for by pairing me with a Senior Leader in the Marketing function, which was my target.
How has your Career Accelerator mentor helped you achieve your professional goals over the past year?
Maggie Bolt
Recently, when I was contemplating a job change, my mentor helped me weigh the pros and cons of each role and determine the type of role that would fulfill my longer-term personal and professional goals. She was there for emotional support, talking through ideas, and acted like a much-needed objective third party!
Jagriti Malhotra
My mentor, Ildiko, was very generous in sharing her time and knowledge with me. She helped me gain more clarity about my next career moves and helped me get introduced to the right people for more exposure.
Milind Poswal
My biggest professional goal was to find the right full-time opportunity after completing the MBA program. My mentor, Jessica Zuckier played a major role in helping me achieve that goal by taking time out of her busy schedule and providing her guidance on multiple areas such as the kind of roles to target based on my experience and passion, ways I can strengthen my application, how to build and grow my professional network, and resources I can leverage to upskill myself. Her passion for mentoring was also reflected by the time she dedicated outside our sessions in helping me achieve my goals.
What are some key takeaways that you learned from your mentor and this experience overall?
Maggie Bolt
You don’t have to be siloed into one aspect of marketing forever – go out and try new opportunities. If you’re interested in a different job function, try to work cross-functionally with other departments within the company to gain diverse experience and cross-train your skills.
Jagriti Malhotra
I learnt mentorship is a two way street and you reap what you sow. It’s a mentee’s job to get the most out of the experience. My mentor was able to provide me both soft and hard skill knowledge. I learnt a lot about the intricacies of product marketing and how to best negotiate monetary aspects of the salary.
Milind Poswal
Be yourself: This may sound cliché but Jessica made me realise how this quality was a 20% solution to 80% of the problems I faced during my job interviews.
Decreasing the turnaround time: Job hunting is a daunting process where you often face unfavourable events (including but not limited to job rejections). Jessica kept me motivated throughout this journey and conditioned my morale to the extent that my downtime after such events reduced significantly, helping me channel my energy towards productivity and increasing my efficiency.
What is 1 reason why you would recommend Career Accelerator to someone else?
Maggie Bolt
Great network of professionals, fun events and so many great resources!
Jagriti Malhotra
I think it’s a great way to get guidance if you are a new immigrant in Canada or just new to marketing. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking to gain knowledge on a particular topic or understanding their next best career move.
Milind Poswal
Career Accelerator mentors are highly experienced senior level marketing leaders who are very dedicated towards helping the Career Accelerator program and its mentees. Their experience and expertise can be a highly valuable resource to help you achieve your professional goals.
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The next Career Accelerator cohort will open enrolment in February! Sign up to stay up to date on information sessions and enrolment details.
AMA Toronto’s Leadership Excellence Programs
For over a decade, AMA Toronto has developed the gold standard for leadership excellence programming for marketers and advertising professionals in North America. The programs are designed for both individuals and employers seeking to develop the leadership potential for themselves or their teams. From junior professionals to senior executives, AMA Toronto’s Leadership Excellence suite offers development programs designed for each step in one’s career.
