NEW PERSPECTIVES

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Internship post: energi PR
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Practice makes perfect

 

Charzie and part of the energi team on National Ice Cream Day

Charzie and part of the energi team on National Ice Cream Day

 

Author: Charzie Abendanio

This summer I had the opportunity to intern at energi PR, a mid-size agency with offices in Toronto and Montreal. During my internship I was able to learn under professionals with extensive backgrounds in healthcare, travel and consumer public relations.

My experience at energi was not out of the ordinary from what other interns go through. I exercised practical and writing skills being taught in classrooms today, such as pitching to the media, blog writing and developing content for social media platforms.

The basic and most important attributes every student should have and develop, in my opinion, aren’t always tangible, new or revolutionary. They are basic concepts that need to be worked on daily with an opportunity to continuously improve them. Knowing your way around the areas I’ve listed below helped me accomplish the tasks and assignments given to me at my internship. Once my internship came to an end, I can say apart from the practical skills, I also learned many life skills which I will continue to use in school and in my future public relations career.

 

Charzie and the energi team at the Toronto Food Truck Alley on King

Charzie and the energi team at the Toronto Food Truck Alley on King

 

1. Practice your researching skills

I’ll be the first to admit my researching skills aren’t the greatest and I have a difficult time navigating the Internet to find the right information. I believe this is due to how much information is out there to filter through. One way to develop this skill is to research your own interests and hobbies, teaching you how to determine what good information is versus the most helpful.

2. Practice asking questions

In an ever changing industry like public relations you need to have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. If you are not asking questions you aren’t learning. In the summer I head the word “deck” almost every day and didn’t know what it meant. When I finally asked and learned it means a PowerPoint slideshow I realized there are many nuances in public relations I will come across in my career and may not understand them until I put aside my insecurities and pride to ask.

3. Practice your interpersonal skills

Three months may not be a long time but it is long enough to leave a lasting impression. When I first arrived at energi I wanted to get through the three months by doing my work and completing what was expected from me. I never realized I would work with people I continue to speak with to this day. The ability to listen and following direction, and work well in a team is a reflection of your personality. This leads me to my last and most important point.

4. Practice being you

The person who knows you the most is you! Being honest with yourself helps you become self-aware and contributes to your confidence. My second week I was asked to stand in front of everyone in the boardroom to discuss where I see myself in the industry and what I expected to take from my time at energi. I was so nervous but it gave me the ability to evaluate exactly what kind of PR practitioner I want to be while considering the steps I need to reach my goal.

Take a moment to evaluate yourself and discover your strengths and weaknesses. It can be a process but it allows you to explore who you are and helps direct you to where you want to be.

Charzie Abendanio is CPRS Toronto’s Vice President on the Student Steering Committee. She is a third year student in Humber’s Bachelor of Public Relations program. Find her on:

Twitter: @charziecastillo
LinkedIn

**We are always looking for student submissions! If you would like to contribute to the new student blog, please email Arden at cprsstudents@gmail.com.

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Recruiting interns this year? Know the law.
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Join us for a webinar (view webinar here) with the Ministry of Labour’s Shana Katz, Regional Program Co-ordinator, Employment Standards Program on November 6, 2014 to discuss the sections of the Employment Standards Act that apply to an internship from 12 noon to 12:45 p.m. 

 

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Where are they now? – Nicholas Cahill
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Where are they now? Past Student Steering Committee Members tell us their story

Our new series explores the lives of past Student Steering Committee members. Stay tuned for more!

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Nicholas Cahill
Centennial College Certificate of Corporate Communications and Public Relations

What did you do on the CPRS SSC?

I was a representative for Centennial College. I had the opportunity to lead a group of students on Passport to PR, and provided support in various roles for 360 and Building Media Relationships

What post-secondary education did you take?

I took a Certificate in Corporate Communications and Public Relations from Centennial College (congratulations to Donna Lindell and Barry Waite on their recent promotions!)

What did you enjoy most about being on the SSC?

The events were obviously great — I particularly liked Passport to PR and 360— but it was also great to meet people from different schools. PR is a growing industry, but it is also a small world — It’s virtually guaranteed I’ll be working with people I met while working with the SSC at some point in my career.

The fact is, the CPRS events are a showcase for up-and-coming talent in PR. The people who seek out networking and professional development events are typically the people that will bring that level of dedication and focus to their careers once they move on. So you know when you’re at a CPRS event you are in amongst the cream of the crop.

Where do you work now and what do you do?

After completing an internship in Content Strategy at Deloitte as part of my program, I transitioned to a permanent role as a coordinator in the marketing delivery group. My role consists mainly of managing the finer details of events and marketing communications collateral.

How do you think CPRS helped advance your career or readied you for your current position?

In addition to creating a low-stress environment to develop networking skills, CPRS provided me with leadership opportunities and access to veterans in the business. I’ve made connections with established professionals across industries, and those connections have served me well. When you’re part of a pool of people who are all graduating at the same time with the same credentials, putting a face to a name, shaking a hand and establishing a presence are crucial to getting a leg up when applying for full time positions.

Please tell us something interesting or random about yourself

I am probably the tallest person you’ve ever met.

Find me on:

Twitter: @CahillNi
LinkedIn

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Student Steering Committee Profile: Matisse
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Meet your 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee!

Over the next few months, we will be posting profiles of CPRS Toronto’s 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee Student Representatives. Stay tuned for more!

Matisse

Matisse Hamel-Nelis, Student Rep
Durham College, Public Relations Fast-Tracked

Welcome to the new student blog where we students will be giving our tips and tricks for success while sharing our experiences as we navigate our studies and break into the PR world. This is my first year being part of CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee, but I have been a member of the organization since my first year of study.

Where are you from?

I live in Oshawa, Ont., but have lived all over the Toronto area.

What are you most excited for this year?

The Passport to PR event and opportunities to network with other students and industry professionals are what excite me most about this upcoming year.

Have you interned anywhere?

I have been working in the Communications and Marketing department at Durham College as a communications assistant for five months – learning the ins-and-outs of internal and external communications for a post-secondary institution.

What is your dream job?

My dream job would be working in communications for a college or university. The idea of helping build and maintain a school’s image while creating unique campaigns is something that fits perfectly with my love of public relations.

What do you do outside of school?

Outside the classroom and work I’m involved with the Children’s Wish Foundation, the Society of Media, Art & Design, and the Experience DC campaign at Durham College, which has given 15 students the chance to share their college experience through social media for the 2014-2015 academic year.

Tell us something random about yourself

I’m in love with minions from the movie Despicable Me. It’s a bit of a running joke now amongst my friends and family that whenever a holiday comes up, at least one person will add to the minion pile I have.

Find me on:

Twitter: @matissesays
LinkedIn
Personal blog: www.matissehamel.com

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Student Steering Committee Profile: Jessica Chong
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Meet your 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee!

Over the next few months, we will be posting profiles of CPRS Toronto’s 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee Student Representatives. Stay tuned for more!

Jessica

Jessica Chong, Student Rep
Centennial College, Post-graduate Certificate in Corporate Communications and Public Relations, BA (Honours)

This is my first year involved with CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee and I couldn’t be more excited for all the events ahead. This past year, I’ve worn many hats working at a bi-weekly newspaper to a PR agency.

Where are you from?

I’m from the suburbs, but I’ve always called downtown Toronto my second home.

What are you most excited for this year?

I’m excited to encourage as many of my peers to come out to this year’s events as possible, especially Building Media Relationships. As someone who worked as a student journalist, on the other side of the fence, it will definitely be an intriguing conversation to witness.

Have you interned anywhere?

This past summer, I interned at ROI Relations, a Toronto-based lifestyle agency. Before that I spent two summers at State Farm Canada.

What is your dream job?

My dream job would be at a large, global agency – a role that’s always challenging. I see public relations as a way to combine the best of storytelling and creativity.

What do you do outside of school?

Outside of school, I work a part-time job, scour the latest lifestyle blogs and blog myself at www.tostylewithgrace.com. I also keep up interests in photography and graphic design in my spare time.

Tell us something random about yourself

I love travel and new adventures – When I was 18, I studied abroad for a year and traveled to southwest England’s Jurassic Coast on a spontaneous solo photography trip that took seven hours.

Find me on:

Twitter: @jessica_gracec
LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/jessicagracechong/

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Industry post: Five time management lessons from PR agency life
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Time management lessons from the agency life

 

Clock

 

Author: Cole Douglas

When working in the PR world one discovers that the phrase “time is money” couldn’t be more true. This proves to be even more relevant in the PR agency sector where you are charging for your services, sometimes in six-minute intervals.

Through participating in various PR agency internships I have learned the true secret to success is effective time management. I have decided to share five time management tips I have learned over the years that will lead you to success in any industry you decide to pursue.

1. Multitasking

This may sound obvious, especially in our technology-advanced generation, but couldn’t be more true. Being a successful multitasker will allow you to accomplish the various projects that come your way on time and on budget. If you are able to jump from writing a news release for a client one minute then having to adjust gears and compose an event critical path for another without hesitation, you will be successful. So next time you are on hold for a client’s product delivery, consider taking that 20-minute hold time to add to your other client’s Twitter editorial calendar.

2. Read it a second time

When you receive an urgent email or task, the first reaction is to delve right into the challenge. However, many people find themselves missing critical aspects of the project halfway through completion due to not reading the details. Make sure you take the extra five minutes to read through the task a second or third time and make note of all critical aspects. Once everything is accounted for you can drive full-steam ahead to success.

3. Budget for interruptions

No matter how effective you are at planning and executing your daily schedule remember that things come up. Taking the time to budget for even an hour of interruptions will help you stay on schedule for the day. And most times when you don’t end up having any pressing interruptions, you feel ahead of schedule.

4. Use your calendar

Your work calendar will become your best friend. Having clearly set activity times in your calendar will help you stay on track with your daily initiatives. I always found the 15 minute reminder alarm provided me adequate time to switch gears from one task to another.

5. Relax

At the end of the day with time sensitive projects, the best thing is to relax. Nothing will cut into your time more than a mind that is frozen with panic. Sometimes things can be a little overwhelming, but always remember that there is 24 hours in a day and anything is possible. Keeping a clear and stress-free mind will allow you to focus clearly and be more effective.

Time management is a constantly developing skill especially with the many tools appearing each day in our ever-developing industry. I hope that you will find at least one of these tips beneficial to you and provide another tool to add to your PR toolkit. What else would you add to the list?

 

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Cole Douglas is CPRS Toronto’s VP, External on the Student Steering Committee. He is a fourth year student in Humber’s Bachelor of Public Relations program. Find him on:

Twitter: @coledouglas7
LinkedIn

**We are always looking for student submissions! If you would like to contribute to the new student blog, please email Arden at cprsstudents@gmail.com.

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Where are they now? – Maria-Teresa Andreacchi
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Where are they now? Past Student Steering Committee Members tell us their story

Our new series explores the lives of past Student Steering Committee members. Stay tuned for more!

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MARIA-TERESA ANDREACCHI
Centennial College Certificate of Corporate Communications and Public Relations, Bed, BA (honors)

I sat at the back of the class, quiet in nature, waiting for the presentation to begin. I wasn’t sure what this presentation would be about or the importance of my attendance, but I knew I had to give it a try. That moment, attending the presentation, was one of the best career moves I made. Half way through the CPRS Student President’s speech, I knew I had to be a part of it. That night I wrote my application and three weeks later I received an acceptance letter.

Aside from meeting and working along side a group of incredible young PR professionals, the CPRS student committee gave me the opportunity to expand myself professionally. As a CPRS student committee member I was exposed to an array of opportunities. I helped execute several events, built my professional network and was exposed to the best in the industry. When I wasn’t helping run our student led events, I was liaising CPRS information to my Centennial colleagues.

My fondest memories of the CPRS student committee are networking, hosting professional development sessions and making a new group of friends. The CPRS committee gave me experiences that are invaluable. On a resume “CPRS student committee” may seem like a small addition, but to prospective employers those three words scream: dedicated, committed and eager.

Being exposed to the CPRS student committee motivated me to work harder and pursue my dreams. If I wasn’t exposed to that, I may not be where I am today. While PR is a tough industry to break into, hard work and dedication has set me aside.

I now work as digital marketing assistant and social media expert for Meridian, Ontario’s largest credit union. My days are split between three departments: digital marketing, digital banking and brand marketing. While my time is largely spent managing our social channels and developing content, I also help develop and execute large corporate projects. In the past four months at Meridian I’ve taught several members of the Senior Leadership team how to use social media, collaborated with other departments to gain over $16,000 in extra social media budget and helped jumpstart the CEO on Twitter.

But Meridian isn’t my only job. Half way through my Centennial year, I decided to pursue blogging full time. I’m happy to say that Fashion. Food. Flair. is now a recognized blog that has recently embarked on several paid collaborations. My days are long and the hours are insane but I wouldn’t change one second of it. If there’s one thing working on the CPRS student committee taught me it’s this: When an opportunity comes, take it, because you never know where it might take you.

Find me on:

Twitter: @mariateresa89
LinkedIn: http://lnkd.in/bDV2bm9
Blog: www.fashionfoodflair.com

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President’s Message
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Please give us just 10 minutes

There are 525,600 minutes in a year.  We need just 10 of those minutes to help us know how we are doing in our efforts to serve you, a valued member of CPRS Toronto.

Over those half million  minutes we produce weekly newsletters, plan and deliver professional development sessions, share information via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, host networking events and organize award programs such as the CEO of the Year and Achieving Excellence in Communication (ACE).   All by volunteers who are committed to helping you and your career.

I know you are busy, but giving us your opinion now will help us shape our programming for the coming year. Your board is committed to continuous improvement, but we know we need reliable research to base our decisions.  If you haven’t already, please take our membership survey now.  We want to hear from you.  Thank you.

Annual Open House

Join us for an enjoyable evening when members from all levels come together to meet and mingle on October 15from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. at The Bedford Academy, Second Floor, 36 Prince Arthur Avenue (St. George Station TTC).

World PR Forum will come to Toronto in 2016

Last week CPRS members everywhere (and especially here in Toronto) were delighted to hear the PR World Forum will be in Toronto in 2016. Your Toronto board provided a letter of endorsement as part of CPRS national’s bid and we will continue to support them in their efforts.

Mentoring Circles expanding

With the success of our mentoring circles over the past year, we have decided to add new circles in the coming weeks.  Please watch our website for ways to join these rewarding groups.

Take care and have a great week!

Maryjane Martin, APR

President, CPRS Toronto

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Student Steering Committee Profile: Charzie Abendanio, Vice President
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Meet your 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee!

Stay tuned for our next series when we introduce our student representatives from PR programs around the GTA!

Charzie

Charzie Abendanio, Vice President
Humber College, Bachelor of Public Relations, Third Year

As the new vice president of the CPRS Toronto’s Student Steering Committee, I am thrilled to share my passion for PR and I am looking forward to working with my fellow executives to help bring PR students, from all over Toronto, to learn from one another and grow together as budding PR practitioners. I’ve been a member of CPRS since my first year at Humber and have also volunteered my time to the ACE Awards and the CEO Award of Excellence.

Where are you from?

I’ve grown up in Toronto and have fallen in love with this city. I can’t imagine where else I would live.

Do you have any other post-secondary education?

I started my post-secondary education at the University of Toronto and completed a full year of studying psychology, philosophy and poetry. I will always have a passion for the arts but I stepped back from school for several years and stumbled upon the world of PR and have never looked back.

What are you most excited for this year?

I’m honestly excited for everything. I was able to attend the Building Media Relations event last year and admired the ability that the SSC has to unite PR students together. I can’t wait to do the same this year in all our events.

Have you interned anywhere?

As the last semester was approaching in my second year I really wanted to have an internship to gain some experience. I landed an internship at energi PR, a mid-size agency located downtown. It was a great experience which gave me the opportunity to learn from individuals in the industry and I think everyone should try to get one even if it’s not required.

What is your dream job?

My dream job would be to work for a car brand such as Honda. I think it would be amazing to contribute to such an industry that the whole world recognizes.

What do you do outside of school?

Besides school and volunteering for CPRS, I have a part time job which I balance with doing yoga and spending time with my six year old Yorkie named Yuki. (She is probably the cutest Yorkie in the world! Check out my Instagram @charziecastillo to see for yourself!)

Tell us something random about yourself

I’ve owned about 11 cars in the last six years so you can say I’m a bit of a car enthusiast, and I love being a spectator during the Honda Indy and local track events in Ontario.

Find me on:

Twitter: @charziecastillo
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/charzieabendanio

 

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Student Steering Committee Profile: Katie Fraser, Vice President, Logistics
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Meet your 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee!

Over the next few weeks, we will be posting profiles of CPRS Toronto’s 2014/2015 Student Steering Committee. Stay tuned for more!

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Katie Fraser, VP Logistics
Humber College, Bachelor of Public Relations, Fourth Year

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Canadian Public Relations Society Student Steering Committee. I’m so excited to be representing you for my third year with the committee as the Vice President of Logistics. I’m originally from Bowmanville, Ontario and moved to Toronto for school in 2011. Although I love the city life, my country roots still grow strong.

What do you enjoy most about being on the SSC?

To be honest, it’s the people. Whether I’m meeting first year public relations students or professionals who have been in the industry for many years, I can always learn something new. Everyone I’ve met through the SSC has taught me a thing or two about our industry, and I can guarantee our connections this year will be no different.

What are you most excited for this year?

This year I’m most excited to read our new blog. This is a new venture for the SSC and I have a feeling it’s going to be a success. The variety of writers we have working on this blog will ensure that all our readers will be able to take away something useful.

What event did you enjoy the most last year?

The event that I enjoyed most last year would be Passport to PR. Attending and planning this massive event took a lot of organization, and I couldn’t have been more proud of our committee and the generous hosts. After the event, the committee received such positive feedback and we will be sure to use those suggestions to make 2014’s event even better!

Have you interned anywhere?

This summer I was fortunate enough to intern at Camp Oochigeas, a camp for children affected by childhood cancer. I’ve been involved with Ooch for nine years now, as my journey with the organization has evolved from being a camper, to volunteer and now a staff member. This opportunity was more than I could have ever asked for as it combined my passions for public relations, non-profits and camp.

What is your dream job?

I’ve always said that my dream job would be somewhere I made a difference in the lives of others. I have such a passion for working with non-profit organizations, especially with those that help individuals affected by cancer. I would also want a job that unites event planning and public relations.

What do you do outside of school?

Outside of school and work for CPRS, I love to see movies and watch baseball. During my free time you’ll find me at the Rogers Centre or at Cineplex (both of which I will be eating popcorn). I have a patriotic love for the Toronto Blue Jays and a secret love for the Baltimore Orioles.

Tell us something random about yourself

Saying that I’m horse crazy would be an understatement. I took lessons through many of my younger years, and I now find every reason to wrap myself in equestrian culture. From my fashion style to my browser history, you should know that I’m all about that the horseback riding lifestyle.

Find me on:

Twitter: @fraser_kate
LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/katiefraser21

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