Power Girls

As Hilary already mentioned, summer is here! For me summer has always been a time of transition. One transition has been transferring from my part time Communications job at PWGSC to a full time summer job as Marketing Assistant at Canadian Heritage!  I already love this ministry as I am an Arts/Culture enthusiast and I find it very refreshing to come into a creative environment everyday.

 I am going to be spending my summer promoting the Virtual Museum of Canada, using social media. My first reaction being: “Okay… I do this for fun so why not get paid for it!” I am excited to further Digg into the fascinating world of social media and I have already Stumbled Upon a few social communities that I was missing out on.

 A big part of my job involves posting comments on blogs and using social bookmarking sites as well as social networking sites like Twitter to promote our Canadian museums. I also contact website administrators to ask them to add various Canadian museum links to their page so they can too help promote our Canadian culture. Another project I am about to start is the creation Google ad words to promote exhibitions (this is something I am very excited about).

 However, I do know that I still have a lot to learn. For example, I am new to Marketing and I am realizing that it is a different world from Communications. Marketing is all about promoting and creating a buzz with the use of products such as banners, websites and kiosks  while Communications involves a lots more writing and consultations (in government anyway). Although I am studying in Communications, a lot of the knowledge that i have gained throughout my past 3 years of University can be easily be applied to the Marketing world, so I guess these two fields are not so different after all.

I hope that you are making the most of your summer, as it is a time to learn valuable experience and skills; whether you are working, doing summer school or volunteering at a local organization.

Hey everyone!

Well, another co-op work term has come and gone for me. Time to pack it in, and head back to school for the summer (school…in the summer…i know..)

I have to say that I had an amazing experience on this co-op. I was able to do things that I had never done before, and I gained a ton of valuable skills!

I was also able to meet a great friend (Dominique) who I have so much in common with, and I know will be my friend for life!

I’m kind of anxious to get back to school, and apply everything that I’ve learned this semester to my courses. One course in particular that I’m excited about is my Social Media seminar. I will make sure to fill you in on how it goes!  Media Relations is another course that I think will be very useful/interesting. I’m also taking a PR and Fundraising course…wow, thinking about it, maybe school in the summer won’t be too bad after all!

Of course, I’ll always make time for camping…and beaches..

This summer I’ll also be on the job hunt for my next co-op, starting in September. Fingers still crossed for Montreal!

Until next time…hope you are all enjoying the beginning of your summer!

Hilary

Hello Everyone!

Wow, it’s been a while since my last post…maybe more than a while. I’ll admit, things got busy! I promise to make it up to you with some “valuable” information.

Value Village. Second hand clothing. Gross, you say? Wouldn’t touch those clothes with a ten foot pole? Wouldn’t step inside that store if your life depended on it? THINK AGAIN! HAVE AN OPEN MIND!

Note how our tagline is “Making our way to the top: Two PR Students.. key word there being STUDENTS! Not Two PR Professionals or Two Top notch PR Executives working in a high rise in downtown Toronto …. understand what I’m saying? I’m sure many of you reading these posts are students yourselves, or WERE students at one point back in the day, in which case… you know our sorrows. SCHOOL IS EXPENSIVE! So is living, paying rent, getting groceries, and somehow maintaining a social life.

As PR students, we are required to look professional a lot of the time. Whether it’s for a group presentation, solo presentation, a speech delivery, or the biggest one…a CO-OP INTERVIEW! And once we land that co-op position… we have 4 months ahead of us where we will be required to dress ’smart’ and ‘professional’. dressing that way comes with a price tag….but it doesn’t have to be an expensive one!

How I wish I could stroll into Club Monaco, Banana Republic, Gucci (ok, maybe getting ahead of myself) and pick out tons of fabulous suits and heels….but those days are not a reality for me (yet!) so for now… what do I rely on to get me through the changing seasons, and changing co-op positions?

…Value Village!

Students, take note! You CAN look smart, head to toe…for under $15! I’m telling you.. let’s review what I’m wearing today, for instance; Black high waisted skirt $3.99; lace tank top $1.99; Knitted shrug $3.99; Pearl Necklace $.099…ALL from Value Village!

If that’s not dressing smart, then I don’t know what is.

I’ve embraced Value Village, and have learned to love it for what it is. A HUGE store, filled with one-of-a-kind pieces that make my wardrobe AMAZING. And I’m not ashamed to admit it.

Impress your employer by looking great, impress yourself by knowing how much you paid.

LONG LIVE VALUE VILLAGE!

What are your thoughts on dressing up for work? Any other work attire tips?

Hilary

A couple weeks ago I got to shadow the people in media monitoring and media relations. First I met the women from media monitoring. When monitoring media it is important to get an early start (the women whom I was shadowing starts her workday at 5 am!). This is because it is their job to inform others on what is being said in the media about the organisation. The person who is monitoring searches for news content in the internal as well as in some external databases for relevant information concerning the organisation. After reading these articles she then sends off a media report which includes the pieces she judges as most important.

This made me think. Social media is becoming a large part of what other people are reading; businesses, organisations and even reporters write content on their blogs about important issues. The increased popularity of social media creates an extension to the media monitor’s job. They need to be able to track what is being said on blogs, forums and RSS feed.

After my lunch break I made my way to media relations. Luckily, I was shadowing them on a busy day so I got to see the extent of this demanding job. The people that work in media relations are responsible of interacting with the media. Yet not only do they act as an intermediate between the organisation and the media, they also act as constants toward the journalist by providing them with advice on the clarity of their question. In addition, they have to know first hand who would be the best person to answer each question. Once all the necessary information to answer the question is gathered it is then passed on to strategic communications, this team carefully constructs each question by paying attention to even the smallest details. At the end of the day a media report is sent out to let the communications team know what questions have been asked by the media.

How do u think blogs are changing the relationship between organisations and the media?

Dominique

I had a great day at work yesterday. My managers have done me a kind deed and are sending me off to spend the day with other Communication Branches. I work in Business Communications, mostly I write press releases and backgrounders, media lines and manage the issues management reports. I love what I do but it is nice to see what the other teams in my sector do.

Yesterday I was whisked away to Corporate Communications. I ended up spending the day shadowing my fellow blogger Hilary. Her job over in Corporate is to prepare the internal newsletter that goes out to all the employees in our ministry. How exciting! I was there on the day the newsletter gets sent out, so I got to take part in all the last minute preparations.

Thanks for the great day Hilary, I have leaned so much from you! Maybe we can set something up so that I can show you what we do in Business Comm.

Have you ever spent a day at work in someone else’s shoes? Tell us your story!

Dominique

Recently, I’ve realized the importance of making an online presence for yourself. ( I know, how late AM I on clueing into that!?)

That’s why Dom and I decided to start this blog. We were really eager to give it a try, and I have to say that I’m quite enjoying it!

Aside from starting this blog, we’ve also each started a Twitter account, joined PROpen Mic, got a LinkedIn profile and have been commenting on other blogs whenever we can.  Anything else out there?? Just let us know, and we’ll join!

Since joining all of these online sources, I have been connecting with people in the PR field all around the world!  I’ve been told over and over again that one of the most important things you can do when trying to make it in the PR world, is to make connections.  A recent blog post on PRGirlz stated that there are statistics that say 85% of all jobs are not advertised… that’s a pretty substantial figure!

I’m not saying to go out and join every online forum imaginable (Dom and I are the exception you could say…) But what I’m saying is to give at least one of these a try, and see how it works out for you! All it takes is joining that one forum and meeting that one person…and you could be on your way to starting an exciting new job, meeting interesting new people and possibly moving to a whole new place!

I’m getting excited just thinking about it.

Any other forums out there we should know about?

Bye for now!

Hilary

Back when the end of high school was approaching, the students in my graduating class were getting ready to take the next big step towards their future. Choosing a program is a difficult task that many students stress over. However, I had never second guessed my choice; I had made up my mind that Communications was for me. I remember when I was in the 11th grade; I snuck into the University recruitment presentations meant for the seniors. As I flipped through the pamphlet of offered programs, I was so excited that I found a program that combined all my interests.

What is so fascinating about Communications you ask? First of all, Communications is a program with an unlimited choice of career paths. I wanted to do it all Journalism, Advertising, PR… It wasn’t until I got further into my undergraduate studies that I realized that Public Relations was best suited for me. Starting my first PR job with the government helped confirm this.  And still the options are limitless, topics vary from travel to health and nutrition, services range from strategic consultations to event planning and also one can choose to work in a private agency or a public organization. I like the idea that I can work in the same field and never get bored or feel stuck.
I think that the reason so many people aren’t aware of what PR actually is, is because it`s such a broad field with so many aspects to it.

What is it that got you interested in PR?

Dominique

The way my program is set up, each student is required to complete three co-op placements (paid!). I think this is such a great set up.

Currently, as I said in my introduction, I’m on my second co-op placement working in Ottawa with the Federal Government. I feel like I really lucked out with this position because I actually get to be creative! (in Government…that’s not always easy) I’m in charge of the internal newsletter here that goes out to 14,000 employees each week, and I get to write articles and profile pieces that are featured in the newsletter.

That being said, actually going through the co-op job search process is not that easy, which is a good thing because it teachesstudents that it’s not that easy to get a job in the “real world”. I had to go through 4 interviews before I landed this job! You can’t help but become a little bit discouraged after so many tries. I  know some of my friends in the program who have gone through as many as 10 interviews!

For my next co-op placement, I want to try something different. I want to do my own job search, and get a placement in an area where I can see myself working after graduation. My dream would be to have that placement be at a PR Agency in Montreal (my favorite city EVER). It will be a challenge, because I know most PR agencies there are French, but I’m sure I can find a place that would accept an English speaking student, who is willing to learn!!

I’m envious of Dom, because she’s bilingual! …Hey Dom…what do you think about starting up some French lessons for me??

Maybe someday Dom and I will start up our own bilingual Agency! Right Dom?

xoxo Hil

I guess we first want to start off by saying…hello world!
This is our first time ever blogging, and we’re excited to get started! For the past few weeks we’ve been following different PR blogs- particularly PR Girlz- We love how we learned so much about women working in the world of PR.
Now for our introductions:
Power Girls is composed of 2 students pursuing their in communications.
Power Girl #1:
HI. My name is Hilary, and I’m taking a Bachelors of Public Relations at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, NS. Currently, I’m doing my second co-op placement in Ottawa for the Federal Government. It’s my first time ever being in Ottawa…and so far, so good! (COLD but good). MY ultimate goal is to someday work for an agency. Also, I love to run.
Power Girl #2:
Hi, my name is Dominique. The world of communications is one of my greatest passions; conveniently I am doing my studies in this field in our Nations Capital. I am also working for the Government of Canada. This is where Hilary and I met, one quiet morning on the Communications Sector floor a co worker introduced us and we quickly realized that we have a lot in common, especially our interest for PR.
I have been familiar with the blogoshere for sometime; some of my summers were spent reading about other people’s lives (I grew up in a small town… very small). I also think that a blog can be used to a PR practitioner’s advantage. Also and I have learned a lot by reading the blogs of those whom are currently where I aspire to be. So I guess in a way I hope that by sharing my experiences, other communication students can learn something from me.
We hope you enjoy reading our blog and following us on our journey as PR students trying to make it in PR world!
xoxo Hil & Dom