Alum Ayesha Narang: Don’t let applying for jobs consume your entire life

New College and Arts and Science alum Ayesha Narang found her post-graduation job without submitting a formal application, instead relying on building connections to cut through the noise.

Narang walked across the stage in June to cap off her A&S degree and her time at U of T. She is now entering the workforce as a social media community manager at Tag, a marketing production agency under the umbrella of the international advertising and public relations company Dentsu.

Narang found the role, went to the company’s LinkedIn page and sent a connection request to people working on their social media team stating her interest and relevant experience. She got a response from Tag’s director of social media asking for her resume.

“From there, it was smooth sailing,” says Narang. “She sent my resume to the recruiter, and I started interviewing.”

Narang earned her bachelor of science with a double major in psychology and cognitive science, as well as a certificate in business management. She is already drawing lessons from her studies and applying them to her work.

“I feel like my educational background has prepared me well to leverage social media for the powerful tool it can be, in a unique but ethical manner,” Narang says.

Learning about psychology and business gave Narang insight into human behaviour and she’s been translating that into business goals, shaping client and customer attitudes with language, humour and tone.

“I feel that my cognitive science major gave me a thorough understanding of the human mind and customers’ wants and needs beyond what they put down on paper,” she says.

At U of T, Narang also worked as a marketing lead on the Women’s Student Association and the Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence Student Association. She says the experience helped set her up for success in the world of design.

“Marketing and social media are both about telling a story.”

Narang joined the student organizations thinking they’d look good on a resume but found deeper value. She attended events, organized conferences and created promotional materials. These experiences helped instill confidence and new skillsets.

“Both associations were so crucial to forming a community and giving me a place of belonging,” Narang says.

After graduating, she felt anxious to set herself on a career path as soon as possible. It wasn’t sustainable for her and Narang’s advice to other students and new grads is to practice good job-hunting hygiene: see your friends, go for a walk, don’t spend all day applying for jobs.

“If you’re not taking care of yourself, no one else will,” she says.

When sending applications, Narang encourages a more thoughtful and targeted approach that emphasizes what is best for the individual.

“In a saturated and competitive job market like this, employers are going to be able to pick out people who are passionate about what they’re applying to,” Narang says, adding that reaching out via LinkedIn proved to be a good way to cut through the numerous faceless applicants.

“Even if most of your cold messages get ignored, it’s just that one that you need to make a difference,” she says. “With how competitive the job market is, making personal connections is what will set you apart.”

Originally published on September 10, 2025 by U of T Arts and Science on LinkedIn
All photo credits: Kemeisha McDonald