To quote Charles Darwin; “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” So, the time has come for me to say with mixed feelings that I am leaving my position with Thornley Fallis.

I have learnt so much in the year I have been a part of this office and organization, about my career but also about myself. I want to keep this short and sweet, so here are just a few of the lessons I’ll take away.

• Be honest, with others and with yourself. Even when it’s hard to stand up and take accountability, it goes far in this world and will be recognized by the people who count.
• Never be afraid to admit when you are wrong or that you need help. None of us has the answer to everything, and being part of a team means sharing and exchanging strengths.
• Laugh. Life is about making connections and enjoying yourself. Take the time to get to know your coworkers, and share a smile once in a while. Even if it means someone completely covers your office with candies when you are away as a joke.

You can follow my exploits at www.BoardroomBlogette.ca, or JennOuellette on Twitter.

I suppose there is nothing left to say, so, play me out Shirley!

Jennifer

(Note: This post has been edited and cross-posted from my personal blog.)

It’s been three month’s since I dove head first into PR agency life, and I have to say it turns out I’m a pretty good swimmer! There is some good, some bad, but nothing sums it up better than slightly misquoting one of my favorite films; “Thornley Fallis, I think that this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”

One of the things I have had to get used to is learning to negotiate a new work/life balance. I rarely leave at 5:00pm, and when I do I usually take home work with me or access it remotely. I’ve become a bit of a hermit, and have had more than one phone call/email/tweet from friends asking where I am and if I am still alive. But on the flip side, I have really started to appreciate that time I do spend with people I care about, something as simple as going to see a movie becomes so much more enjoyable than before when I had a lot more free time and took it for granted.

I think that as long as you are doing something you love and that interests you everything else will fall into place. I get invited out to some pretty nifty Toronto events such as Thirsty Thursdays and Third Tuesday, and have been able to coordinate some really great media interviews and press coverage for some of our clients to date. It’s a great feeling, and I can’t wait to see where I am in another three months, let alone after a few years of their mentoring combined with trial by fire opportunities for me to prove myself!

To all you account coordinators out there, I hope you’re having as great a time as I am!
(And remember, when a good book and a bubble bath fails to calm you after a long stressful day a glass of dry red wine might just do the trick…)

It’s what you learn after you know it all, that counts.
– John Wooden, Hall of Fame Basketball coach.

Time flies when you’re having fun! It’s been a whole year since my first day with Thornley Fallis, and what a year it’s been: Fantastic clients, great colleagues, a world of new connections and one heck of a learning curve. So, instead of offering a boring recap of my year, I’d like to offer up a few key-learning points I’ve picked up during my last 12 months as an Account Coordinator at TF:

1)     Whatever you think you know, you’re wrong. Okay, maybe not completely, but in some cases, we may think we know a lot – but don’t have the experience to back it up yet. When I began at TF, I thought I knew quite a bit. I thought it would be an easy transition. But it was harder than I thought, and as soon as I realized how much I didn’t know, that’s when I really started learn.

2) Always be open to constructive feedback. Sometimes it’s tough just starting a career. Like I said, you might think you know quite a bit already. It’s easy to get anxious about receiving what you perceive to be negative feedback. The key thing to remember is that more often than not, it actually isn’t negative – it’s meant to be constructive. Always try to look for the learning opportunities in the feedback you’re given.

3) Ask questions. The only way you’re going to really gain knowledge and experience is by asking how to do things better. If you think something is good and ask a senior colleague to look at it only to receive it bleeding all over the page, ask for an explanation why so that you can do better next time.

4) Don’t be afraid. Okay, I think this is a really difficult one for all young professionals and I know personally I’ve struggled with it too, but it’s a key learning opportunity. In public relations and especially in social media, there are times when decisions need to be made, responses need to be drafted and approvals given in a very short time frame. Look at it as an opportunity to offer your opinions, show your talent, and try your best. Right or wrong, your efforts will be noticed and you’ll learn from it one way or the other.

5) Hard work does not go unnoticed. In the agency world, we put in long hours sometimes. We juggle various clients from all different industries with varying levels of involvement. Commitment to your clients and to your colleagues is incredibly important. By instilling a sense of pride in the work that you produce and the time you put into it, others will notice and show their appreciation as well.

So there you have it, my top 5 learning points after one whole year with Thornley Fallis. Now, please don’t assume I’m saying that I’ve mastered all of these points. I’m not totally there yet, but I think recognizing the need to learn them is a step in the right direction. I whole-heartedly admit that I still have a lot to learn – and I’m looking forward to it!

It’s been a little over one month since my first day working at TFC, and so I thought it would be a great chance to reflect on my impression of agency life so far.

I was pleasantly surprised (and a bit overwhelmed) at how fast I was thrown into working on projects. My first day felt like; here is your office, here is the kitchen, here are your supplies and this is how we track time (that’s another matter in itself). And then, I basically got straight to work! This past month I have had the opportunity to do a number of different tasks;

• Writing pitches
• Doing research into locations for upcoming venues
• Working on media lists
• Media monitoring

Since I work on consumer, health and food clients there has been a fairly good variety and I’m really enjoying it.

I don’t think I would be able to manage all of the different tasks and files on my desk if I wasn’t an organized and structured person who loves a bit of chaos thrown into her life. I stay organized by keeping a spreadsheet where I list tasks that need to be done, and the deadline I need to have it completed by. This way I can start my morning by planning my day based on what deadlines are quickly creeping up on me. (And trust me, they can creep up quickly!)

In all, I’m very happy with my experience so far. I think the best part is that I feel like I’m a part of a great team, and am really looking forward to continuing to learn and grow in my role here.

Any advice on what I should look out for in the coming months?

(…Or in my case, just reading and writing.)

I thought that I would make my first official post about education, since I have just finished my degree at York University.  Just remember, this is only my experience and there are lots of different ways to get where you want in PR.

My degree was in Communications Studies, and I took English as a minor. I think that writing, close reading and research skills are very important to a job in PR and that taking English classes was a great way to practice and develop these abilities. (Especially when you are writing a few 15-25 page research papers in your final year.)

But before that I took a year off from school to work abroad, which was great experience and a chance to meet people while working in another country (England). I did a number of general office tasks, but also worked specifically on proposals for new business as a part of a marketing team. This is where my research, writing and computer formatting skills came into play.

Near the end of my degree I volunteered with Walk Now for Autism, and it was another great experience. Some of the responsibilities I had were helping with donation mail out letters, and assisting with fundraising events. I had never realized before how much attention to detail and organization went into planning one event! Organization was very important to keep track of large lists of contacts and people who had previously donated. Then there was around this time a brief stint as a freelance fashion writer, where I did store reviews and spotlights. My passion for writing was a great asset, and I was able to add to my portfolio this way at my own pace.

During my first actual PR job, I worked to promote baseball clinics on behalf of Kelly Gruber. The clinics were being held in St. John’s Newfoundland, but I was working out of Toronto. So the time difference and making contacts over there was a challenge, but I learnt a lot and had a great mentor throughout the entire process. I think with any learning experience, having great people to support and teach you are invaluable.

When I graduated I looked into the course offered by Seneca and considered it, but for me personally I felt fairly prepared by my course work and experience to date to try working firsthand in an agency. Of course, internships and specialized courses are a great way to gain experience and I think they are worth exploring. And that’s about sums up how I came to work with Thornley Fallis!

So, what are your plans for a future in PR?

Or, if you currently work in PR, how did you get into the field?

A Day In the Life…

Okay, so I know the title of this post is “A day in the life”… but honestly each day here can be so different. In PR you have to expect the unexpected. Working on the agency side, you have to do some serious juggling because different clients want different things…usually all at the same time!
But wait, there’s good news! Because before you know it you can go from an inexperienced graduate… to balancing the demands of the job…to showing someone else the ropes!

And with that as a lead-in, here is a quick rundown of some of the things I have done in my first 8 months as a PR Account Coordinator.

Media Monitoring: Something that is a constant in my day. I use things like FPInfomart, Cision and Google News to see if there were mentions of our clients, and sometimes their competitors, in the media.

Media Lists: Another staple in my Account Coordinator life. Oh media lists! Having a running list of targeted journalists, editors and reporters is a necessity for pitching.  That said, creating a media list is not the most exciting of tasks, and sometimes they can take a while, but they are definitely important.

Podcast Production: Once a week, I get to do my own little project. I produce a podcast and vidcast for one of our clients.  I take an audio or video file, add in music to the right places, edit it, cut out the mistakes, adjust the audio levels and just make it sound great.  I then upload it online and enter in all the important information and finally, publish it. I really look forward to this because I get to pop on my headphones and create something, all on my own, from start to finish.

Pitching: Pitching, for those who don’t know, is basically calling up a news publication and (gently) persuading them to run a story on one of our clients. This is something I have mentioned in previous entries and it is something that I have just started to get comfortable with.  I don’t do it very often, but when I do, even though it can be nerve-wracking, it can also be very rewarding. It’s a great feeling knowing you were the one who got a client in the paper.

Brainstorming Sessions:  I really like these sessions because 1) You get to see how creative and intelligent the people you work with are and 2) You get to contribute ideas of your own to new projects.  As an account coordinator, a lot of time is spent working at a computer, so this is a time when you really get to let loose, bond with coworkers and express your opinions….even if you’re the smallest one on the company totem pole!

There are, of course, other things I have gotten to do, like participate in a video shoot and help out with a contest, but generally, the things I mentioned above are what my days usually consist of.

As a student and job-seeker my main goal was to find out what a typical day looked like working at an agency. But the answers I always got were “PR is not a 9-5 job” and “There is no typical day in PR”.
I could not agree more.
I think a lot of people see PR as something that is exciting and non-stop 24/7. It’s not, but really, what is?  In the end though, it’s the less exciting periods that help you realize how lucky you are when you do finally get to do the exciting stuff that’s worth writing home (or…just blogging) about. When you win a new client, get a story in the paper, when your event comes to fruition or when that small contribution you made to a project you thought didn’t matter at all gained you so much appreciation from your coworkers, that’s when you know it’s worth it.

I cannot believe it’s been nearly 6 months since I started as an Account Coordinator with Thornley Fallis. But since there hasn’t been any rift in the time/space continuum that I know of, I must accept that it is so. Normally, I wouldn’t even remember such milestones, except here are TFC, we are required to have a 6 month review. There are some forms to complete and I will need to have a chat with my supervisor: the lovely and talented, social media ‘guru’, and British import extrodinaire – Dave Fleet. (Yes, I’m kissing up   The basis of our chat will be about my goals.

Goals, uh…

I have to say, after a fair bit of personal reflection the past few months, I realize that I have very few goals at this time in my life. If I think of goals I used to have, I realize that I’ve actually met quite a few of them: Graduate university, get accepted to a Master’s program, get a job in the communications field, learn more about social media and the list goes on. While this has been extremely rewarding and I’m pleased with my accomplishments, I’m starting to wonder though, what do I do now?

I feel as though I’m at a very interesting point in my career. I need to start thinking about what do I want to accomplish in the long term.  To be honest, I have never really been a person who looked at things long-term, and well, the mindset of a student doesn’t always allow for long term goals. Most of the time it was: Complete assignment next week, pass exams at the end of the term, get a summer job, move back to TO and do it all over again. But now that I haven’t been a student for a few years, I’m thinking it might be time to start taking myself seriously as a young professional. After all, it’s difficult to achieve your goals if you don’t sit down and figure out what it is you want.

But how exactly do I do that?

Suggestions are more than welcome here! I’m pretty sure I’m not the only young professional out there who is feeling some pressure to become more goal-oriented. How do you define your goals? Please feel free to share your thoughts.

My First Impressions of PR and Social Media

Many of you have asked me some really great questions on Public Relations and social media from the perspective of a new PR practitioner. I will try and answer them now as best I can and give some insight into my first impressions of the PR world.

The transition from school to the workforce

I totally understand the fear of leaving school and entering the PR workforce. I was especially nervous making this transition because my background wasn’t even in PR and I had not had any experience with social media. The biggest thing I found was that there is truly nothing more valuable than actual hands-on experience. Even though you may have a degree, that doesn’t mean that you have learned everything there is to know about working in PR, or any field for that matter. I also found that people are always willing to help, which makes the transition a lot easier. And it doesn’t hurt that I work with some of the most creative and intelligent people in the industry! Yes, being a psychology student and then transitioning to working as an Account Coordinator at a PR firm was a little tricky. But I wouldn’t worry too much about the transition because I think you’ll find that if you have the right attitude and are willing to dive in head-first and learn everything there is to know, the transition will be a much easier one.

What I’ve found the toughest so far and how I’ve overcome it

Throughout the learning process that was starting this job, I have found a couple things to be a bit challenging. But I think the biggest thing that I struggled with and still struggle with is media pitching. This was something I didn’t start until recently because it honestly made me a little nervous! Even after my first couple attempts I still felt pretty lost. Right now I am actually in the process of resolving this issue. I decided to talk to someone about it. I asked if maybe I could sit in with someone and watch them pitch or perhaps have a colleague set up a work shop on the subject. There are a lot of things you might find difficult in your first PR job and the point is to ALWAYS ask questions and think of ways to make things easier on yourself. I’m sure that by having a workshop on pitching and seeing how another person does it, I will improve my skills and I’ll feel a lot more comfortable.

My thoughts on all this social media stuff

Social media was something that I never thought I would be interested in. However, a couple weeks into my job when I found myself passionately discussing it while out for dinner one night, I realized I might be slightly fascinated by it. It may seem overwhelming because there are so many ways to engage in the social media world… maybe too many! For some people, they are able to participate in many forms of social media easily and effectively. For me, I have chosen a couple tools to focus on. Social media started out as something I participated in as a job requirement but then quickly grew into a major part of my daily life. Reading and commenting on blogs and podcasts that you find interesting is a great way to start interacting with others in the PR and social media worlds (if you’d like some suggestions let me know).  Also, you don’t have to have your own blog, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts are a good step in creating your online presence, not to mention they are easy to create and maintain. In terms of staying engaged with twitter, I post things about my daily life, PR specific stuff or simply things I find interesting. The point of social media is to share and discuss, so find the tools you like best and contribute as much as you can to them.  And if you really feel like you don’t know anything about social media, I suggest going over to Common Craft and watching their videos .They discuss everything from Wiki’s to RSS to Twitter, all “in plain English”.

So those are my first impressions of PR and social media. I’d love to hear your thoughts! And for any other newcomers to PR and social media, what have your first impressions been?

Well, I thought since so many PR students are popping up and asking questions, it might be a good time to offer a little advice about getting noticed by employers. Janna mentioned her experience in her last post and I recently engaged in a similar conversation over on Martin Waxman’s blog.

While I will not claim to be an expert by any means, I did work as a student employment counselor for a few years, so I think I can likely offer some sound advice – mostly generic, but I think it’s easily applicable to looking for a job in public relations. If you’re looking for more information about job searching in the PR industry, my personal favorite blog resource is Lindsay Olson.

1)    Do your research. This is two fold –

• Know who to address your application to. Do not address it Dear Sir/Madame, or To Whom It May Concern. I was always told – it concerns no one. Make the phone call and find out who it needs to be sent to. WORST case scenario: For a large corporation with a big, fancy HR department, try Dear Hiring Manager.

• Research the company in depth – the more you know the better. It can be beneficial to be able to name some clients they work with, the number of employees in the company, or how long they’ve been operating. You never know when you might be able to drop an interesting comment into an interview question response.

2)    Be just a little bit different. Make yourself stand out -  having been on the job seeker and the hiring side, I think it’s important to show your creativity and professionalism. Create your own personal logo for your cover letters, make your own business cards and make sure you’re noticeable online. Google yourself – employers will too.

3)    Have an online presence. I’m not suggesting you run out and start a blog if you’re not interested in that kind of thing. But consider setting up a LinkedIn profile, start a Twitter account (follow me @kerribirtch) and either clean up or update the settings on your Facebook page. Oh, and jobseeker101 tip – create an email address that is just your name – Qtpie03@hotmail.com might have been ‘cute’ in high school, but remember that you’re a professional now.

4)    Make connections. This is probably the biggest, most important thing of all. There is statistic out there that says 85% of all jobs are not advertised. This means you need to be visible and be vocal. Get to know people in the industry you want to be in – attend networking and professional development events and actually talk to people. Don’t be shy, but have something to say. Here are a few suggestions from Workopolis.com on networking. If you’re looking at an agency that is into social media, read blogs AND comment, follow them on Twitter. If they keep seeing you and hearing from you (in a non-harassing way of course) they’ll remember you when they see your resume.

So that’s my two cents – what do you think? Any more suggestions – I’m sure there are lots out there!

How I Got Here

Wow!  I am so thrilled to have received such great feedback on my very first blog post.  Thanks to everyone who commented! I was so nervous to start blogging and all of you have reassured me that it was DEFINITELY the right thing to do.

Before I begin my post I just wanted to wish fellow PR Girl Kerri a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Now on to the post. I’m really excited about sharing my thoughts and experiences, but I wanted to do it properly, so I thought I would do a 3 part “series”  about how I got here, my first impressions of PR and social media, and what I do day to day.

So, here’s How I got here:

As I said in my last post, in my third year of studying psychology and behavioural science, I decided to make the switch into marketing.

That summer I was lucky enough to get an internship in the marketing department of a financial planning and corporate finance company and at the beginning of the school year, I made the switch into marketing.

The internship was good work experience, but I felt like I didn’t get a chance to learn about the industry. It was only after a couple weeks in classes that I really knew I was in the right field. I loved my classes, I loved the work we got to do and I loved that I was actually good at it!

I thought about it, but I didn’t apply to any post-graduate programs. I decided I would jump right into the working world, get some experience and then perhaps, later in my career explore the option of doing a Masters.

Although I applied to both advertising and PR companies, I was always more drawn to Public Relations.

I knew that a lot of people were simply sending out resumes and cover letters, but I wanted to do something more to stand out. I decided to make a website for myself highlighting my experience, background and school accomplishments.  It worked! I was offered an interview at Thornley Fallis. Even though I had no idea what social media was, they liked that I had done something different that showed I was in tune with the idea of supplementing traditional communications with online channels.

So, in my case, I didn’t have any PR experience, nor did I know what social media was.

That said, although all PR agencies are different and some do not focus quite as much on social media, I do think it’s important to have at least some social media knowledge as a PR student. You don’t have to have your own blog or 500 followers on twitter, but having an online presence (that isn’t just facebook), can only be an asset to you.

And the fact that you’re reading this blog means you’re already ahead of the game!

I definitely want to talk more about social media tools and establishing an online presence… and I will in my next post on my first impressions of PR and social media.

And keep the questions coming!