MEMBERS BLOG

Written by Sarah Lasagna

Before CPRS Toronto’s virtual career development event on July 22, I sat down with guest speaker Nina Kalos EVP and General Manager at Veritas Communications, to gain insight into her career history, lessons learned and what advice she has for PR professionals searching for their dream job.

After completing a Bachelor of Business Administration from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 2007, Nina pursued a master’s degree in International Public Relations at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK.

Armed with a strong educational background in public relations, Nina set her sight on landing her first job in the field and started working in the UK at McCann Erickson Communications House.

After a year working and learning at McCann Erickson Communications House, Nina knew she was ready for the next phase of her career and moved back to Toronto where she worked at Hill & Knowlton Strategies. Nina then moved onto Citizen Relations, working her way up to Senior Account Manager.

Finally, in 2013, Nina joined the Veritas Communications team as a Director and held several roles before landing her current role as EVP  and General Manager.

Through her many roles over the years, Nina has been influenced by countless peers, who have shared excellent career advice, but the advice that stands out to her the most is from her father who told her, “if you love what you do, then it won’t feel like work.”

As a PR practitioner, Nina finds it is easy to work since she loves her job as a storyteller, connecting people and telling stories.

“I feel really lucky that I work somewhere where it’s not work for me,” Nina said. “I love my team. I love my clients. I feel like I can do something that comes naturally to me and that every day I get to do what I love doing.”

Nina then offered up advice to the next generation of PR practitioners with this statement, “Never say no to opportunities.” At the beginning of her career, and continuing to this day, Nina welcomes new opportunities and is always learning.

Fittingly, when asked about common mistakes entry-level applicants make, Nina was quick to suggest the word ‘mistake’ is too negative; there are no mistakes, only lessons, as everyone is learning at their own pace. To improve, junior PR practitioners should spend more time on research and telling their story.

Here’s some additional advice Nina shared:

Tell your story to the hiring manager

Keep in mind that every hiring manager has different preferences. Nina explains that you should be able to authentically tell a hiring manger a story about why you want to work in PR.  Additionally, she suggests researching an agency’s clients in advance to make sure you understand and align with its values.

Include extracurriculars on your resume

Regardless of how extensive your work experience is, your resume should reflect your knowledge. Nina notes that even if you lack professional work experience, but have experience from a school club, these are transferable skills that can be demonstrated on your resume.

Do not compare yourself to others

Everyone moves at their own pace so there is no set guideline for how fast someone in an entry-level position can jump in two to five years. Keeping this in mind, for managers, Nina advises that since there is no employee template and that everyone moves at their own pace, do not compare your employees to each other.

Take advantage of your connections

Nina also notes that many entry-level applicants do not network enough especially during this pandemic. As communications professionals, Nina describes that since PR is in the business of people, do not underestimate just how far people can help you in your career!

Network, network, network!

Amid COVID-19, Nina recommends aspiring PR practitioners stay agile and adapt to the changing world. Do not be afraid to email people and join networking events even if they might be weird or awkward. Nina suggests staying in contact and to not put networking on hold just because of COVID-19.

Join CPRS Toronto on July 22, where Nina Kalos will offer up many more career insights.

Written by: Manasi Sohoni, Student Volunteer 

Showing kindness, and going the extra mile, is Roxanne Cramer’s advice for a successful career in the communications industry. 

On July 22, Roxanne will join CPRS Toronto’s career development event as a guest speaker. Before the event, I had the pleasure of interviewing this Toronto-based career guru who has more than 25 years of industry knowledge as a recruiter. She has supported companies with hiring in the fields of communications, public affairs, marketing, investor relations and social media. Roxanne converted her passion for recruitment into an incredible opportunity for herself when she started CCC academy in 2012, a premier career coaching academy.

As an entry-level public relations professional, myself, I asked her what philosophy she follows while recruiting. Her reply was simple,“I would never place a client in a company that they would regret being in or place a client with a company or person I am not familiar with.”

With such vast experience in recruiting, Roxanne has seen many different hiring trends throughout the years. From the time people used to mail their resumes to faxing them to emailing them to now when online interviews have taken precedent, she knows the industry inside out. Roxanne enjoys career coaching immensely; her favourite part is seeing communicators succeed and get promoted in their jobs. 

She further mentioned, “Communicators don’t believe they can be CEOs, but when they do, it is pretty amazing, they start to think of communications as an integral part of their business.”

Wishing to be a CEO in the communications industry myself someday, I wanted to understand what specific skills will help me achieve this. When asked this, the answer came easily to Roxanne. She feels that good writing skills play an integral part in the communications industry and has been a recurring element that recruiters look for. 

Hearing the eagerness in my voice about this topic, she shared a piece of advice that has helped her become the entrepreneur she is today:

“Always remember business is business. I know sometimes emotions get in the way but try to look at it from a business perspective and then do what is right in your heart.” 

While talking to her, it’s easy to see she loves what she does. Her passion for her own career is reflected in the guidance she provides to her clients.  

To learn more about Roxanne’s best practices, tips and examples on how to land a job during this “new normal” era, join CPRS Toronto’s virtual Career Development event on July 22.

Maintaining high performance at an organization depends on the productivity, creativity, dedication and inventiveness of its employees. How employees perform can be directly influenced positively or negatively, by how they are communicated to, developed and engaged. Productivity, organizational strategies and costs can be increased or reduced depending on an employee’s commitment, ability and attitude, which in-turn is built and enhanced with strategic internal and organizational communication. Essentially, employee relations and communications are at the centre of influence over organizational health and success.

Internal Communicators need to maintain an ethical, transparent, equal and consistent methodology of employee relations, to create an environment of trust, security and integrity, where employees can flourish. The result is employees who have enhanced ability, skills, commitment and attitude that lead to the successful completion of organizational goals.

Erica Silver, MA, APR