Interview with the experts: Agency vs Corporate
Written by: Harumi Kavassaki, Graphic Designer, York University
You have completed at least your first year in a PR program, and it is time to start thinking about internship or job options. There are a number of things to consider before deciding if you’re more of an agency person, or a corporate person. There are advantages and disadvantages for both, and it will all depend on what you’re looking for.
I had a chance to speak to four communications professionals and gained a lot of insight from all of them. Although I spoke to each of them separately, I’ll share my conversation with two of them in this blog.
What is your current role and specific tasks?
Gus: I’m an Associate with Integrated Media at Weber Shandwick. My role is mostly related to media relations with traditional digital media plus social media work, dealing with relationships with media, media pitching, influencer work, media reporting, and a lot more.
Sav: I look after all stakeholder relations, community engagement, social media, website management, and overall aspects of marketing and communications for a reputed university in New Brunswick.
Do you work with one specific industry?
Gus: No. Our agency has cross-teams that work on a variety of projects and industries.
Sav: I work specifically for the civil engineering department and the research centre, however, I still have a wide range of day to day activities.
Do you think knowledge of the field you’re working in is necessary?
Gus: Not really. It is important to leverage whatever resources there might be from the vendor, and there is always an expert that you can learn from. Every day or week is a different project and client, and it is motivating that when I know very little about the industry, there is an opportunity to learn a lot about it.
Sav: It is definitely an asset but not something you can’t learn while being on ground. Having a supportive team is important, and once you’re in you can learn as you navigate your way through it. I say that for my last experience in the Institute of Design, as well as for my current position.
Have you worked in a corporation/agency before? How do you compare your two experiences?
Gus: I have not worked in a corporation before. I really enjoy the agency work so far, especially the pace and the exposure, it keeps me moving in the job and I learn something new everyday. Also, it’s not always obvious what the work is going to be, or what kind of work the client wants to do. I assume that the cross vertica branding in an agency wouldn’t be the same on a client side job.
Sav: Yes, I have experience working in both agencies and corporations. Agency life is more fast paced, and you get to work with lots of brands, speak to different kinds of media, write in different styles, all at the same time. It is also very competitive because other agencies are doing the same thing, so there is this hush of doing better. I think a major point is the balance of how much competition you want. Right now I can 100% invest myself in the brand, and it makes me fulfil my professional pursuit because I’m focused on one brand, and I can see immediate results. In agency, you may not get to see the results as much.
Have you ever had to work on something that you didn’t agree with or that would go against your personal values? Was there an opportunity to abstain from doing this work, or delegating to someone else?
Gus: Not really. I’ve had clients where for personal alignments of values I have opted to work with/absent and these are conversations that happen in any agency. I have not heard stories of agencies that force people to do work on what they don’t believe in.
Sav: I’ve always worked in organisations that support good causes and I’ve never had to do something that I didn’t agree with. That is why I like to do research about organizations before applying for a job, and I want to make sure I will be valued.
At the end of the day, it all depends on what you’re looking for to begin your career. I hope this blog gives you some insights and helpful tips to get started on your job search!
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