Last week, Deanne left a comment on PRGirlz asking some advice about landing PR gigs. I started to comment and then said to myself, “Self – this would make an excellent blog post next Monday”. Here I am.

And, let me stress, what is written below is just my opinion. There is a wonderful team of folks here at TFC that have different ideas about this process. It’s all good.

I wandered into PR in an unconventional fashion. In the early 90s, while at university in Montreal, I started my career in PR unwittingly as the mouthpiece external coordinator for the Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students Society (SACOMSS). At the time, sexual assault was a really hot issue on campus and in downtown Montreal; I was one of the few English spokespeople on the subject in the city at the time. This meant that I had to deliver the SACOMMS message to a variety of stakeholder groups from students to McGill University’s administration to the local police. I managed to piss off people in all areas on the one hand. On the other hand, we raised our profile in a hurry, gaining the respect of survivors, the community and media.

My experience was unique, without doubt. That said, once I decided to become a PR practitioner, I had to find a way to package my skills and experience in a way that would be palatable to prospective employers. It’s harder that you would think.

I sit on the opposite side of the table nowadays and review CVs and conduct interviews for our group at TFC. I have some ideas about breaking in that I hope can come in handy.

• Consume the media. Yep. Buy into it hook, line and sinker. You need to know how media works and what reporters/ editors/ producers want. You should understand who owns what outlet and how that makes an impact on coverage. Read everything you can. Develop intelligent opinions about the reporters/ outlets. Understand the news process.
• Research your target audience. There are many PR agencies in Toronto, and to the uneducated, they may seem similar. The thing is, they aren’t. And, as an applicant, you should educate yourself about the firm as much as possible. If you want a job at TFC, for example, you should know a bit about what we do, who we are, and what it is that we do that is different. If the principals have blogs or podcasts, review them.
• Create an interesting portfolio. Honestly, I am impressed by people who travel, do volunteer work and can make a case for what it taught them, and why they are a better person for doing that work. In PR, you do everything from the mundane to the glamorous at all levels. Don’t be afraid to translate your experience in an interesting way to the PR world.
• Proofread your CV and cover letter. I am blown away by the number of resumes that we receive that have typos. I’d say that you should have a text version of your CV along with an RTF version on hand at all times, properly formatted.
• If you get a call for an interview, dress the part, act the part and be the part. Come with a list of questions beyond payscale and benefits. Make me understand why I should hire you.

All that said, we are looking for a coordinator to work with Michael O’Connor Clarke, me and our consumer/ tech/ entertainment team. If you think you’ve got the skills, then please email me at mmj at thornleyfallis dot com.