Media Coverage: Young Job Applicants Make Their Pitch Online

THE RECORD, KITCHENER — Two Kitchener job applicants need your help after Libro Financial Group and United Communities Credit Union chose to let online voters decide who they should hire as their young people’s spokesperson for Southwestern Ontario.

As part of an online contest over the last two weeks, both Keith Reinhart and Jacqueline Ninaber have been posting videos, blogs, Facebook messages and tweets in the hope of convincing voters that they should be hired as the financial companies’ next spokesperson.

The contest, dubbed the Young and Free Ontario campaign, set out earlier this month to find a spokesperson between the ages of 18 and 25 who could discuss the financial needs and problems of young people across the province. Entrants had to submit a 30-second video as well as a blog post explaining why they fit the job, and employees at Libro and the credit union whittled the 50 applications down to a final three.

The winner will be determined by an online vote, with Ninaber and Reinhart facing off against the third applicant, Kim Cox of Essex, Ont., until the ballot boxes close July 26.

While the Kitchener applicants said they can’t wait for the results to come out next week, both Ninaber and Reinhart said the experience has been fun, as the two Conestoga College graduates have continued to plead their cases on websites like YouTube and Twitter.

Reinhart, a 21-year-old Conestoga television broadcast graduate, described himself as outgoing, saying his ability to understand what students are going through makes him a strong candidate for the spokesperson job.

“I haven’t worked at a financial institution or anything like that, but since I’m 21, I think I can relate to others really well,” he said. “When people have problems or questions about their finances, I know what they’re going through, and I really just see myself as being easy to relate to.”

Ninaber, 22, is a graduate from Conestoga’s public relations program, and is hoping her creativity and four years of work experience at a local bank will give her the edge in the online ballot.

“I think having that financial background, I know the different ways to spend and save and have some tips and tricks to make sure people don’t get into debt and save for school and other future goals,” she said.

The year-long spokesperson job will see the winner of the contest tour the province talking to 18- to 25-year-olds about money, while posting feedback using video and social media online. The position also comes with a $30,000 salary, laptop, iPhone, high definition video camera and the use of a car for the duration of the contract.

Libro communications specialist Krista Wydeven said the company hopes the contest will give them a connection to youth other financial institutions often lack.

“We think that [youth] is an area that is getting overlooked in the financial world,” she said, “Everyone knows that teaching money is better done earlier than later, so it’s an important age group to reach out to because they are just moving out of their homes, getting out from under their parents’ wings, and starting to look at post-secondary school and their careers.”

The winner of the contest could start work as early as mid-August, and will work primarily from home when they’re not on tour.

The contest website features each of the finalists’ video submissions, and includes the email ballot so those interested can help pick a winner. Voters can log on to www.youngfreeontario.com for more information and to see the online posts from Ninaber and Reinhart.

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