The Year 1ne's

In his Year 1ne, Spencer’s been working at Simplistics, a custom web and app design and development company, where he wears many hats as Digital Project Manager from managing internal operations and projects to client service. 

Some of the things that Spencer and Blair discuss include how getting an unexpected referral changed his job search journey; the importance of doing research by reading job descriptions to help position yourself when you’re ready to apply; and, why it’s important to be honest in a job interview about what you don’t know.

• Connect with Spencer Jeffries on LinkedIn
• Connect with Blair Smith on LinkedIn
• Check out The Year 1ne’s show website for guest information, past episodes and show notes

In his Year 1ne, Aja Jones has been working in community management and content marketing at Landscape Management Network (LMN), a B2B SaaS software company for the landscaping industry.

Some of the things that Aja and Blair discuss include how saying “Yes!” to opportunities got him to where he wants to be–without him knowing he wanted to get there, what content marketing is and how to do it; and, how being confident in yourself and what you do doesn’t mean being arrogant. Oh yeah...there’s also the time he worked at Drake’s mansion and was a stand-in–or fake Drake–when filming a music video. 

• Connect with Aja Jones on LinkedIn
• Connect with Blair Smith on LinkedIn
• Check out The Year 1ne’s show website for guest information, past episodes and show notes

In her Year 1ne, Hannah’s been building Clementine Digital, her B2B digital marketing company that partners with small business clients as their trusted marketing department.

Some of the things that Hannah and Blair discuss include why small cities and towns are a great place to start a business–specifically one that provides marketing consulting services, the importance of self-awareness–and listening to the voice that says be yourself–as a driver for the entrepreneurial spirit, and how to grow a business without doing any advertising or promotion.

• Connect with Hannah Pybus on LinkedIn 
• Connect with Blair Smith on LinkedIn 
• Check out The Year 1ne’s show website for guest information, past episodes and show notes

In his Year 1ne, AK Seifeddine has had four different "month one's" in his role at M2T Collective, a full-time job that’s structured like a one-year marketing communication and media-focused training program with four rotations: brand, media agency, online platform/publisher and technology organizations. 

Some of the things that AK and Blair discuss include what it’s like to have multiple year one’s when you move to different countries, the reality of working in an advertising agency; and how being relatable is essential when trying to meet new people (call it “networking” if you must). 

• Connect with AK Seifeddine on LinkedIn 
• Connect with Blair Smith on LinkedIn 
• Check out The Year 1ne’s show website for guest information, past episodes and show notes

In his Year 1ne, Masoud Farsi has been working in digital marketing at Feeding Canadian Kids, a charity that’s working to fill the dinner gap by providing healthy meals to hungry children.

Some of the things that Masoud and Blair discuss include what it’s like to work as a marketing team of 1 in a charity organization, how not knowing what he wanted to do was important for Masoud’s job search; and, why a mindset of “Enjoying what you’re doing, rather than doing what you enjoy” can be important for your career. 

• Connect with Masoud Farsi on LinkedIn
• Connect with Blair Smith on LinkedIn
• Check out The Year 1ne’s show website for guest information, past episodes and show notes

There’s a lot to deal with when you’re starting your career...Figuring yourself out. Meeting people. Searching for work. Getting hired. It’s a challenging game to play. 

Hey folks, I’m Blair Smith, the founder of Year 1ne and host of the Year 1ne’s show. And I’ve played this game multiple times during my career. I’ve been bruised–losing hit points. I’ve had to restart. But I always powered up–and made it to the next level. I’ve gained lots of experience points along the way. And now I’m with you as you play the game.

In each episode, I welcome a guest who’s working in their first year (or so) in marketing. You’ll learn about different entry-level marketing roles, get walkthroughs of what year one is really like, along with ideas and tips for your job search. It’s a fresh mix of personal marketing, job search and career guidance to help you figure it out. 

Our goal for Year 1ne is to make you more confident in the game. 

So…are you ready to press start? Let’s play!