Company: Canadian Tire

Position: automotive marketing, category analyst; business development analyst

Employed: since 2003

Where did you go to school? What program did you attend?
I went to Wilfred Laurier. I graduated with a degree in Honours Bachelor of Business Administration with the co-op option. I graduated in August 2003 and took a few months off to travel.

How did you find your current position?
Laurier has a really good grad recruitment program and has very reputable companies that post with them each year. I worked with the grad recruitment program and was able to interview on campus. I secured this job approximately one year in prior to graduation. Canadian Tire has a set amount of positions they hire for each year. Some are in advertising, some in marketing, some in finance. My first choice was a marketing position. This is a dual marketing/buying position.

Tell us a bit about your responsibilities.
In automotive I'm responsible for an approximately $70 million business. This includes buying new products for that business, planning advertising, sourcing new products, designing flyer advertisements, creation of demomercials for particular featured products, pricing of programs, logistics, creative thinking of new product opportunities and negotiating with various vendors to get the best possible prices for our customers.

How do you feel your job makes a difference?
I can walk into any Canadian Tire store and see what I'm doing. I see my product on display. I see the merchandising product designs we've made for the stores. I see new products coming in. I watch TV and see commercials I've had a first hand in helping create. Also, through analysis of sales, I can see all of my hard work contributing to the bottom line.

What skills have you learned through your work experience?
I think my analytical skills have really improved. I remember when I was in university I did not enjoy the financial aspect of marketing. Now I realize how important numbers really are. I am more focused on this so that we can remain competitive in the industry. Also, my negotiating skills have definitely improved when working with our suppliers.

Is there one accomplishment you are particularly proud of?
So far I've worked on my first demomerical, which was Canadian Tire specific for an exclusive product. I worked on this opportunity for about seven months. My efforts were focused on quality engineering, making the commercial, sourcing the product, and introducing it to stores. I'm definitely proud of that. I would say that is one of the first projects I've seen through from start to finish.

What advice do you have for students looking to land their first job?
When I first received this job offer with Canadian Tire I said to myself, ÔÇÿThis isn't exactly what I'm looking for.' I wanted a job in marketing, with a retailer or consumer products company. I've found a lot of people are looking for that dream job they could see themselves working at for the rest of their lives. They should look at their first position as a stepping-stone to something further. I took this position and I've learned more than I thought I ever would in one year. Now I can take that experience and either apply it in this position or somewhere else. jp
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