Sheffield Senior Engagement Leader John McCormack speaks with a Medill Student at the Northwestern University Career Fair

On April 4, John McCormack and Nick Padiak attended Northwestern University’s career fair, sponsored by the Medill School of Journalism.

John and Nick met more than 30 job seekers ranging from freshman undergraduates to seasoned alums, from fields of study as diverse as engineering, communications, design and filmmaking.

Nick is an alumnus of Medill and saw a couple of former professors, who were kind enough to steer their best students toward the Sheffield table, opening their eyes to possibilities of journalistic storytelling in the field of marketing.

“It was really great being back on campus, feeling that collegiate atmosphere again. We met some really great candidates and it was a lot of fun telling them about the opportunities that Sheffield offers. Obviously, we’ve got people at Sheffield from really diverse backgrounds and we are looking for those young, well-rounded, intellectual go-getters who may feel like they don’t have bright job prospects after graduation.” – Nick

Thank you to Jim O’Brien and Elizabeth Hunter from Medill Career Services for their help in facilitating our presence and ensuring that we got the most out of the day.

Founded in 2007 and accredited by ACICS in 2011, Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy in Downtown Chicago provides a two-year, career-focused alternative to traditional four-year media arts colleges with programs in five disciplines: Film + Broadcast, Recording Arts, Animation + Visual Effects, Game + Interactive Media, and Design + Visual Communication.

Recently, John McCormack visited Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy to tour the school’s facilities, learn more about the curriculum, and see firsthand how Tribeca’s students are learning to become animators, video producers, game designers, and much more.

After the tour, John shared three takeaways from his visit and thoughts on how digital media arts students are preparing to become professional storytellers.

1) It’s important to give students access to real tools and real work.

One of the things that Tribeca Flashpoint does is give their students opportunities to contribute to real projects so that they gain practical experience that they can apply to a post-graduate job. To that end, the school offers access to a variety of professional equipment. “They have pretty much everything,” said McCormack. “It’s really amazing to see how students use all of that equipment to tell great stories.”

2) It’s important to treat college work like a real job.

Another thing John noticed while touring Tribeca Flashpoint was that students treated their education like a real job – because the school structures its programs to be like one. “They set very high standards for their students,” said McCormack. “For an employer like Sheffield, that’s important because we’re looking for interns and employees that can hit the ground running and contribute at a high level right away.”

3) It’s important to prepare for the future.

One thing that Tribeca Flashpoint and Sheffield share in common is a penchant for looking to the future. In Sheffield’s case, we’re always looking at how storytelling is evolving and the best way to tell stories for our clients. Tribeca also looks to the future, in terms of how its curriculum and resources need to change to reflect the realities of digital media production. Here, there is an interesting intersection between our organizations. “At Sheffield, we’re always looking at how we can use emerging technologies to help our clients capture and share great stories,” said McCormack. “In fact, that will be an important part of the Sheffield Institute Summer Capstone project.”

Do you want to be an all-star graphic designer? These four tips can help.

At Sheffield, we’re dedicated to helping companies tell unique stories with a distinct visual style, which is why we’re very lucky to have a talented and creative graphic design team. One of our designers is Joan Bueta, who recently served as the judge for the Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago Capstone/Senior Project review. Joan was selected as the judge for the portfolio review because she was one of the top graduates in her class at the Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago. (Another one of our designers, Chris Okenka, has also served as judge in the past.)

After judging the show, I caught up with Joan to get her insights on what made certain students stand out from others. She had four tips to share.

1) Creativity is key - Being unique and innovative was one of the biggest things that Joan was looking for during the review. “As a professional designer, your work has to catch people’s attention,” said Joan. “If it’s not creative, then it’s easy to overlook. Designers need to always think outside of the ordinary and always ask the question ‘What if?’ which could lead you to endless possibilities.”

2) Pay attention to details – Attention to detail is an extremely important skill for a designer to have. During the show, Joan says she saw typos in posters. “Posters are big. If you can’t spot a typo in a poster , then that’s a poor reflection of your work,” Joan explained. She also said that clean and concise designs tend to stand out over others. According to Joan, “The details are what set the good designers apart from the great designers. You have to ask yourself, ‘Would I want to frame this?’”

3) Presentation matters – When Joan was evaluating portfolios, she was also evaluating the designers themselves. “The way you dress, your manners, whether you maintain eye contact…that’s all important,” said Joan. “It’s a reflection of your professionalism and whether you are ready for a real career in design.”

Joan also explained that the way designers talked about their work was important. “It’s one thing to design it, but you also have to be able to explain it,” said Joan. “A client needs to understand why you made certain decisions and how it supports their goals for the piece.”

4) Be open to criticism – The most important piece of advice that Joan has for graphic design students is to be open to criticism. “Take the opportunity while you’re in school to learn from professionals and really listen to what they have to say,” said Joan. As Joan’s former teacher always told her, and continues to tell current students, “if you don’t want to learn how to improve, then you might as well keep working at Starbucks, because you’re not going to be a successful designer.”

[Image via Flickr user filmvanalledag]

What happens after you graduate college? It’s a question that many students face every spring as their college careers come to an end and the specter of the “real world” looms ominously just around the corner. For many college students, finding a post-graduate career is an incredibly difficult prospect, and one that hasn’t improved as the economy continues its long, slow climb out of recession.

In years past, a bachelor’s degree was a key prerequisite to finding a great and fulfilling job. Now, however, it seems like an undergraduate degree doesn’t hold the same value that it once did, leaving many students, especially liberal arts majors, concerned about how their degree will pay off in the long run.

This fundamental issue drove Sheffield Marketing Partners Account Executive Nick Padiak to produce a documentary film entitled A Generation Lost in Space: Overeducated and Underemployed in America. While a graduate student at Northwestern University, Padiak set out to understand why college students with great degrees were finding it difficult to find great work. The result was a compelling and powerful documentary that is still as relevant today as it was when Nick produced it two years ago.

Earlier this week, we shared three lessons for Liberal Arts majors on how they can use their unique skills in a business context. In this special podcast, Sheffield Senior Account Executive Amanda Schuneman speaks with Padiak about his documentary and the way that he has turned his liberal arts degree into a rewarding career in the marketing industry. Listen to the podcast using the media player below.

Recently, John Severance and John McCormack, two leaders from Sheffield Marketing Partners, were invited to speak to students from Notre Dame University’s College of Arts and Letters. The focus of the discussion was on how students studying liberal arts can transition into a successful career in marketing after graduation.

Together, John and John shared three lessons about the value of a liberal arts education.

1) A Liberal Arts Degree is Valuable

For many Liberal Arts students, there is a fear that their narrow field of study can limit their post-graduate career options. For instance, an English Literature major may feel that he or she is only fit for post-graduate work. Likewise, a History major might think that teaching or law school are the only options for a history degree. This is actually far from reality. Many of the skills that Liberal Arts majors develop over the course of their studies perfectly prepare them for success in the world of business, particularly in the field of marketing. In fact, Sheffield Marketing Partners was founded by Liberal Arts majors.

2) You Have to Market Your Skills

Liberal Arts degrees are valuable in the world of business, so long as students understand how their academic skills translate into business contexts. That means emphasizing your practical skills. An English Literature major will likely be a very strong writer and communicator. That’s an extremely valuable skill for marketers. Likewise, a History major will probably have good researching skills, which can also be very useful in a marketing context.

3) Find an Internship That Values Your Skills

Of course, marketing your practical marketing skills is easier when you are working in a marketing internship. That’s where Sheffield comes into play. The Sheffield Institute has an eight-week long summer internship program called the Summer Scholars Program. It’s a perfect place for Liberal Arts majors to see how the marketing world operates and gain practical experience working with their peers on a valuable project. To apply to the Sheffield Summer Scholars Program, click here.

[Image via martie1swart]

Jeremy Lin's improbable success offers a lesson for everyone - especially interns.

[Image via the AP]

On February 1st, John McCormack, Senior Engagement Leader for the Sheffield Institute, attended the University of Notre Dame’s 2012 Winter Career Fair.

John went to the event to meet with current Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College students to recruit candidates for the 2012 Sheffield Institute Summer Scholars Program and to see what kinds of skills new grads are bringing into the marketplace.

He came away impressed.

Quoting John,

“The experience was amazing. The Notre Dame students I spoke with are truly unique and have a lot of drive and ambition. I was impressed by how confident and polished they were for a young age.”

John also mentioned that some of the best meetings he had were with students who seemed natural in their conversation “instead of using the typical ‘I’m looking for a job, your company rocks’ lingo.”

Notre Dame has always had a strong reputation for academic excellence and for developing capable, career-ready graduates, which makes Notre Dame students a natural fit for the Sheffield Scholars Program.

For a recap of the Career Fair, check out this video from the University of Notre Dame Career Center.

The following article is a powerful example of the meaning of words. To be a leader, Coack K needs to be sure his players understand and follow him. His words either move them or they don’t. This article in the WSJ shows a few powerful examples of what it means to him to be an effective and efficient communicator.

Check out the article here.

In 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia burned up on re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere because of a hole in its wing. All seven crew members died in the accident.

Engineers discovered the problem while the shuttle was still in orbit and quickly put together assessments of the damage. They presented their assessments using PowerPoint slides.

Like many organizations and businesses, NASA was extremely reliant upon slide presentations. In this case, it contributed to a fatal error, according to Yale professor emeritus Edward Tufte.

As a data analysis consultant for NASA following the Columbia accident, Tufte analyzed the reports and research produced during those days the shuttle was in orbit and determined that the way the information was presented in the slides minimized the threats to the shuttle. Tufte concluded that written technical reports were the best way to present critical information like that related to the Columbia mission.

The Columbia shuttle case is an extreme instance of how our reliance upon slide software like PowerPoint can actually hinder a presentation instead of helping it, but there is still a lesson to be learned. As Tufte relates in a column in Wired magazine, PowerPoint is meant to compliment a presentation, not be the presentation.

From the time we were children we have learned through stories. We may have learned the importance of hard work listening to our grandfather telling stories about how he worked as a young man to provide for his family. We may have learned the value of treasuring good health listening to a friend share a story about her struggles with a serious illness.

We also learn through stories in business. In a column in Forbes magazine Harvard Business School professor John Kotter writes about the importance of business leaders recognizing the power of stories.

“It is important that executives ask themselves these questions: What are the stories that define us in light of our customers, employees and shareholders? And are these the stories we want to tell – and have others tell about us?” Kotter wrote.

Demonstrating the power of a story, he recalled a well-known one of Chrysler head Lee Iacocca paying himself a salary of $1 while asking his employees “for sacrifices that ultimately turned around and saved the company.” Many people can recall hearing that story and they may have never owned a Chrysler or worked for Iacocca. It is a story that sticks.

In this age of information overload, stories have the power to catch someone’s attention and influence outcomes. What are your stories? How can you use your stories to cut through business jargon and data excess to make your company more successful? What really explains why you compete, struggle and win?