Kaylie: Windsor Star Article

Young voice for world of finance

Job interviews used to be staid, formal affairs but for a credit union trying to reach out to a demographic of 17-25 year-olds who are used to using social media, blogs and videos to gather information, all that has changed.

Kaylie Dame, a 23-year-old from Kingsville, is one of three finalists in a competition staged by United Communities Credit Union and Libro Financial Group to find a spokesperson whose task for the next 12 months will be to attract younger members and provide them with financial literacy.

From 'mash-up-style' twohour intensive job interviews to blogs, videos and American Idol-style voting campaigns, Dame has seen it all over the past few months as she's worked her way into a position to grab that job.

"It's already changed my life no matter what happens," said Dame, who until a year ago was studying forensic science at the University of Windsor. "It's opened my eyes to what I'm truly passionate about. I love working with people and this has convinced me it's what I want to do with my life."

It's the second year for the competition which attracted entrants from across the province.

"We're trying to reach a younger demographic and they don't want to hear from a guy in a blue suit," said Liz Arkinstall, manager of community relations for the credit union's local operations. "We're looking for a youthful spokesperson who can speak to young people about financial literacy and how our services can help them. We recognize that younger people are not visiting our branches so, if we're going to attract them as clients, we have to take our message to them."

Dame entered the competition last year and reached the final nine but the experience convinced her that a future in business and communications was more to her liking. Dame said she realized she wasn't fully prepared when she entered a year ago but came back this year with a better understanding of what was required.

"Last year, I had to make a sales pitch about an orange pylon and it caught me totally by surprise," she said, laughing. "But I learned from it and came back stronger this year."

Currently taking a break from school, Dame is busy writing blogs, shooting her own video and visiting area events, talking to anybody who'll listen about credit unions and financial literacy.

It's been a crash course in communications, marketing and consumerism as Dame and her rivals have participated in mock radio interviews, written on-the-spot blogs about specific subjects and developed instant advertising campaigns for a variety of products.

"You can call it what you want, but it's still essentially a job interview but in a much different form," said Dame. "They want to see how you interact with different people, how you react under pressure and how you think on your feet."

The voting portion of the competition closes Monday with the judging process beginning once all the videos, blogs and presentations are completed. A final decision is expected before the middle of June. The successful applicant will earn a 12-month contract to highlight the credit unions' services, visit high schools, festivals and events and produce a series of blogs and videos.

For more information and voting opportunities, visit myunited.ca.

© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star

+ Original article