Written by: Laik Sweeney, University of Guelph-Humber Public Relations student and Internal Vice President, Student Steering Committee
CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee recently hosted Virtual Passport to PR—one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. While Passport to PR is traditionally an in-person visit to agencies and organizations in Toronto, it had to be adapted to the new normal of the virtual world.
The online event featured nine organizations with various professionals to speak to the best and brightest PR students, giving them the opportunity to connect and learn about some of the top workplaces in Toronto. The three-day event took place over Nov. 25 to Nov. 27, where students logged into Zoom to learn from and talk to 18 different speakers from nine organizations about their companies, work history and, of course, how the pandemic has affected businesses across the GTA.
If you missed the event, here are our top takeaways from each organization:
Day 1
- Learn how to write concisely and proofread your work. Writing is a learned skill, so keep practicing and improving.
- Be adaptable. You should be flexible to change your work and writing depending on the client and manager.
- Craft’s start-up mentality allows them to be quick, nimble and agile with results.
- Become a news junkie early. News and media monitoring is critical in entry-level jobs.
- Learn to pivot (check out their podcast on the topic).
- Top qualities of students and interns: be curious, have a do-anything attitude, be organized and flexible.
- Don’t be scared to learn new things. Different skills complement one another. If you specialize in something but want to try another job function, just ask!
- Starting your career agency-side is beneficial because you’re exposed to many things all at once. You get to learn what you like and don’t like faster than working brand-side.
- Work culture is essential. Having a fun workplace not only makes you happy but increases work performance.
Day 2
- Be proactive! It makes you stand out when you’re confident and recognize how you can help your manager.
- Trust is more important for brands now than ever before. The Edelman Trust Barometer can help you gauge trust in various industries.
- Find ways to facilitate connections online. Learn from those in the industry during school or while interning to advance your knowledge.
- Be versatile. Be ready to take on any challenge that may arise.
- Be a self-starter and be willing to learn and grow within your role.
- Be organized! Finding an organization method that works for you is crucial. Whether it’s writing things down or adding to your google calendar, you need to stay on task.
- Be nice to everyone because the industry is small and you will have to work with your competitors.
- Running a business and being an entrepreneur means sacrifice.
- Be passionate. Interns who are passionate stand out against the rest.
Day 3
- Say yes to every opportunity. You will learn what you love to do when you try out new things.
- Ask questions, and don’t be afraid to put your hand up.
- Veritas is not a “one size fits all” agency, so you can learn and grow at your own pace.
- If you want people to get engaged, you need to learn about the conversion funnel.
- Digital is playing a more prominent role in public affairs and advocacy sectors.
- Public affairs is the collaboration between slow and fast public relations practices.
- Don’t follow trends. Set them.
- Every campaign is different and unique but will have key pillars (e.g. media relations, influencers, ad campaign) to creating a brand moment.
- Be eager to learn.
As mentioned by our speakers, relationships are an essential part of their job. Networking, especially as a student, is crucial and Passport to PR gave attendees the opportunity to interact with agencies all over Toronto. Networking opportunities like Passport to PR make these connections that will help students land their dream jobs and connect employers with the most passionate and ambitious students. While networking virtually can be difficult, the SSC is proud to help facilitate the connections between students and professionals.
CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee thanks all the participating organizations for taking the time to speak to future PR practitioners. Thank you to Craft Public Relations, Apex PR/ Ruckus Digital, Weber Shandwick, Edelman, MLSE, Rock-it Promotions, Veritas Communications, NATIONAL PR and NKPR—without whom none of this would be possible.
If any students missed out on Passport to PR this year, you will have another chance to attend in 2021! Follow the SSC on Instagram and Twitter for updates.