[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/david_sherrard.jpg” caption=”David Sherrard with his Mitsubishi Outlander.”]

In his final year at the DeGroote School of Business, then commerce student David Sherrard didn't take the typical route in his job search. He went beyond the standard resume and cover letter and instead developed an innovative new experiential advertising campaign for the new Mitsubishi Lancer.

Sherrard was a contestant in Canada's Next Top Ad Exec, a national competition hosted at DeGroote that challenged undergraduate business students from across the country to develop a marketing campaign for Mitsubishi.

Now in its second year, Canada's Next Top Ad Exec gives students unprecedented access to top executives in the advertising industry, an extraordinary opportunity to test their marketing talents on a real world project, and, potentially, a very real reward — a new 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer.

This year's competition is open to 160,000 undergraduate and MBA students.

Now a marketing analyst with Mitsubishi, Sherrard credits the competition with landing him his first job.

“Canada's Next Top Ad Exec provided me with the perfect platform to combine my education with my interests and to craft a marketing campaign for the Mitsubishi Lancer,” he explains. “Without this opportunity, I likely wouldn't have been on Mitsubishi's radar when they were looking for a new marketing analyst last spring.”

A lifelong interest in cars drove Sherrard to the auto industry. As he is still early in his career, he is looking forward to exploring roles within the sales and marketing area. Ultimately, his goal is to be the director of product strategy for a car company.

“The most satisfying part of my job is the ability to apply my education and training to an industry and products I'm passionate about,” he says.

Mitsubishi is the fastest growing car company in Canada with almost a 50 per cent growth from 2006 to 2007. And the company plans on continuing that increase over the next few years, so Sherrard sees many opportunities ahead. And he has advice to fellow students looking for their first job.

“When I was looking for my first job, I limited my search almost exclusively to marketing roles within the auto industry. I knew where I wanted to be and I was motivated to get there. I'd strongly encourage students to look for positions where they can apply what they've learned to something they're truly passionate about.”

To register for this year's Canada's Next Top Ad Exec, visit www.topadexec.com.