Dolan’s First Year At Sidi.io

The Journey 

I started my journey in becoming a marketing professional in Grade 11 when I took my first marketing class. I was instantly intrigued and craved more knowledge on the subject matter. 

From there, I continued taking more business classes until it was time to make my program selection for College/University. After weighing the options, and some deep thinking, I decided to continue exploring the world of marketing through Algonquin College’s Advertising and Marketing Communications Management Program. 

I have to admit though, my first couple weeks I questioned if this was the program for me. After much deliberation, and once we finally started getting into the weeds, boy was I glad I stuck to it. I was in love with my program! It had the nicest people, great friends and extremely thoughtful, knowledgeable professors. 

From digital marketing tactics to the elements of design, branding, advertising and more, I left having gained so much knowledge during my time there. Come year three, you have to finish an internship- my first real-world exposure to the world of marketing. It was great and I enjoyed my time at Mitel but there was no room for me there once my internship had ended. Once my internship was over, that was it, I graduated. 

My three years spent at Algonquin went so fast it was hard to believe I had really graduated come Convocation day. 

The Struggle 

After graduation, I was thrust into the world of job hunting! I built a cover letter I was proud of, and resume highlighting my skills. Now it was time to get out there and apply! 

I applied to just about every entry-level marketing/advertising job posting available. At one point, I reached well over 1,000 applications sent to employers. It wasn’t enough though.  Even with internship experience, it was proven to be challenging finding work in my field of study. 

After a year and a half on my job search and lots of interviews and job fairs, I had no luck. I even got convinced by a salesman to go to a job fair that turned out to be an MLM scheme prying on those in desperate need of work. Needless to say, I had no interest in such a thing (I know a scam when I see one.)

I did not give up hope though! I continued on my job search, made changes to my resume, my cover letter and kept on the hunt for a start in my career. 

The Introduction

After a couple of months, I caught wind of an up-and-coming company called Riaz Sidi Performance Marketing. I had heard of Riaz – the now President of Sidi.io through friends through Algonquin who had interned with him.

Then I did my research on the company and it excited me. I figured I would try something new instead of the same old same old job application so I messaged Riaz through LinkedIn directly. I was pleasantly surprised to hear back from him where we organized a time to meet for an interview. 

When it came time for the interview my first impression of Riaz was that he was quite confident and knowledgeable. We talked about the business and what he does and it solidified my interest in pursuing a career with the company. 

From there, I  had a second interview which I aced with a nice sample campaign presentation. 

What I learned from this interview process was to really go above and beyond. This is a showcase of what you can do. Show off your skills and let them shine for those who do not know what you’re all about! Give it your best, and give it you’re all! 

Right after the interview, I was offered the “Performance Marketing Specialist” job on the spot.  

Learning On The Job

Sure I learned a lot of theory at school but I was going into the real world now. I had the creative skills and marketing/advertising theory from school. I didn’t ever really apply these skills and knowledge before from real clients with real money. It was a lot to process but I was up for the challenge. 

I really had to set my ego aside and learn by doing. Riaz has been doing this for years, so I had a great opportunity to learn from the best. That’s just what I did. I learned a lot through trial and error and getting valuable industry-leading insight and feedback into how I can improve. 

As time went on and I was starting to get more work under my belt I began improving quick. I was tasked with building regular blog posts for various clients, blogs for Riaz Sidi Performance Marketing/Sidi.io. I even started building whitepapers for our clients in need of giving their target market valuable information about the benefits of their offerings. 

My Experience

I can honestly say that this is the best job I’ve ever had. Interacting with the team has been so great since I signed on. Coming into the job I was a little anxious as I was unsure as to what to expect. With the helpful support of Riaz and knowing I have someone in my corner at work really plays a big role in looking forward to work every day.

I learned I was able to go to Riaz with any questions I may have or any problems I may have run into. Working at Sidi.io has made it clear that the company values its employees and does all it can to support their continued growth and career development. 

Working at Sidi.io for well over a year now has taught me more about advertising, and more specifically digital marketing than I ever thought possible. This is a company that values personal growth and invests and makes training a priority is extremely helpful.

Sure you learn a bit about the world of marketing at school but once you’re really here (marketing) you’d be surprised how much you learn just by doing your job each day. It really is an industry that is always growing, always evolving and with continuous training, you feel like you’re ahead of the curve. 

What I Enjoy Most About Work

There’s a lot about the job I like, but my favorite has to be helping people. When you see leads coming in that are sure to help a client it gives you a great sense of accomplishment.

For example, seeing leads coming in for a recruitment campaign you worked hard on is quite rewarding. You know you’re helping the company fill a needed job role so they can grow their business. What’s even more rewarding is that you’re helping real people who are qualified to find work right in your hometown. 

Another thing I love is building campaigns. As a creative person, it’s amazing having the creative freedom to write your own copy, design your own ads and then see the ad live online. Nothing is quite like it, it’s amazing seeing your work live in the real world that is visible to thousands upon thousands of people from all over the world. 

It’s also really gratifying to be recognized for the hard work you put it. Too often in this world, people go unrecognized for their efforts, their blood sweat and tears to help their employer generate revenue. 

At Sidi.io these efforts are recognized. It’s amazing how far a “great job” can go for employee moral. Unfortunately, this is not something I heard much at some previous jobs. So it’s really refreshing to get this positive feedback! 

Not only is their great feedback but the company also values you as a person. Things like prescriptions, medical costs and dental are things that Sidi.io helps its employees with. All employees here have health spending accounts that help with these costs. This way you’re not scrambling for extra cash to cover your prescriptions and other medical expenses. 

In conclusion, I would highly recommend anyone to apply to Sidi.io. Whether you’re looking for work, or even an internship working at this company has done wonders for career progression.