Taking it all in a stride: Tanya Wymer on success

by Alana DaSilva, Corporate Communications ‘09

Tanya Wymer, Corporate Communications Manager at Novo Nordisk, feels a good balance of technical training, attitude, and being open to opportunity will help you succeed.

The skills Wymer acquired in the Corporate Communications and PR program at Centennial College gave her the confidence to do the technical aspect of her job. “I have more confidence just fiddling with things,” says Wymer explaining how courses like Design and Layout enabled her to do a task that most others in the company couldn’t do.

She adds that her degree was not enough for her to “hit the ground running.” The program enabled her to walk into her first job knowing what they were telling her to do and understanding why she was doing it. “I didn’t have that context before.”

Being open to opportunity was also an advantage for Wymer. “I didn’t rule anything out,” she says. “Be open to opportunities and don’t try to wedge yourself into things.” Wymer jokes of taking a Daoist approach to her career by believing that if you leave yourself open it will come to you, and if you “try to rush into things, and force yourself in, it’s never going to be the right thing.”

She advises being patient. “You can’t get there right away, but you can get there really fast” if you stand out and find something that’s a right fit for you. Wymer suggests finding what sets you apart from everyone else, because everyone will have the same type of portfolio. “What’s different is you and what you bring to it.”

Wymer feels a good attitude is also fundamental to one’s success. When she started at Novo Nordisk she says she was immediately impressed by how happy and interested the employees were about their jobs. She recalls her time at Cancer Care Ontario she found that “no one had that passion” and for her that was the difference. “These are people who care about people; they want to do the right thing and they’re going to do it.”

Even at Edelman, Wymer found it very important to have the right attitude. She recalls a particular moment of great achievement when she was given the hardest project to work on. It was no easy task because it was extremely technical, very niche, and a lot to learn.

But her hard work and perseverance to succeed resulted in her turning the $100,000 business to a quarter-million dollar business in just two years. “That was maybe two and half years into my career and I was able to grow that. And that’s what made me stand out,” says Wymer.

When she started out, she never imagined the path her career has taken, yet where she is now is where she wants to be.

“Be open to anything, Wymer advised, don’t box yourself in to just one kind of job, and know that it takes time to get there.”

Inside PR 100th podcast live at Centennial!

Terry Fallis and David Jones, hosts of the Inside PR podcast, recorded their 100th show live with students in the Centennial Corporate Communications & PR program on February 25. The duo explored social media, the job market and other PR issues with the students.

You can hear the show by visiting Inside PR .

Recent grad enjoying job in film publicity

By: Sarah Fimiani, Corporate Communications & PR ‘09

Rachael Schelew, Account Coordinator for Media Profile, tributes her ‘eye for detail’ to Centennial College’s Corporate Communications and Public Relations program.Graduating from Centennial in 2006, Schelew was prepared to thrive in the world of public relations due to the hands-on learning experience she attained. “

One of the major skills I acquired is my attention to details—even my co-workers recognize how precise I am. I feel like Centennial really helped me to develop a healthy paranoia to looking over my work,” says Schelew.

Her career began to unfold when she interned at Buena Vista Home Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company. Shortly after a four-month internship, she landed her current position at Media Profile.

Before Schelew’s training in public relations she never expected to be where she is today. “I always knew I wanted a career in entertainment and media relations, I just never knew it had a name,” explains Schelew.

At Media Profile, Schelew’s main account is Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. “I distribute press releases to the print and broadcast media for DVD titles being released in Canada. Later, I compile the coverage and it is presented to the client,” says Schelew.

“For me, client satisfaction is the most rewarding aspect of my job. When I get a media hits for my client’s, I know they will be satisfied—and so will I.”

Working for a public relations agency allows Schelew to be creative and work with a variety of clients. “Some advice I can offer to someone who is seeking a career in corporate communications and public relations is to determine what interests you and not give up on your dream.”

New mayor, new challenges: Andrea Gonsalves

by Kate Raven, Communications & PR ‘08

Municipal government was the last place Andrea Gonsalves thought she would end up.

When searching out an internship at the end of Centennial’s Corporate Communications program in 1997, Gonsalves was afraid the position with Metro Toronto Works would leave her licking envelopes and filing documents - and she wasn’t alone.

“Everybody wanted Ernst and Young. It was glamourous, and they kept you on after the internship was over,” she says. “With the City, I kind of felt I was taking my last option.”

But 10 years later, she doesn’t regret her decision. Now a Senior Communications Co-ordinator for the City of Toronto, Gonsalves has worked with several divisions, including Solid Waste Management, the Office of Emergency Management and, most recently, Toronto Water. The variety of work available initially surprised her; “it didn’t come across like it would offer all of this,” she says.

Part of this variety stems from the unique challenges presented by government work, one of the most prominent being the frequently changing leadership. “Every time we get a new mayor, they pick the deck up, shuffle it and lay the cards out differently,” she says.

While these changes don’t always have consequences for communications, current mayor David Miller’s most recent budget cuts were felt acutely by Gonsalves’s section. She was forced to scrap the printing and production of Water Watch, a household newsletter typically distributed to all City residents twice a year, and cut an advertising campaign about drinking water quality from the year’s plans.

To overcome this hurdle, Gonsalves engaged her ingenuity. Because city councillors communicate with their constituents on a regular basis, she used their communication vehicles to get her message out. “Stories that would have gone into Water Watch are reconceptualized as pieces for councillors’ newsletters. They’re happy to get the content,” she says.

Gonsalves also places even more emphasis on media relations, using it to supplement Toronto Water’s direct messaging. “Almost everything we do, we communicate to the media. Getting an article in the Star is almost as good as advertising,” she says.

In view of the division’s changing communications needs, Gonsalves relies heavily on a skill learned at Centennial: writing communications plans. “I write a new one about eight times a year,” she says. And while she’s happy to have the skill, she regrets not seeing its full value while in school. “I wish, instead of seeing them as a hindrance, I’d seen them as the strategic tool they are.”

Though she admits that working for the government has its ups and downs, Gonsalves is satisfied with the challenges and variety it provides - and the favourable work-life balance it affords. “I know it’s really rare,” she says, “but I might start and end my career with the same employer.”

It’s all in the writing: Marnie Hill

by Joe Chawla, Corporate Communications & PR ‘08

For IBM’s Senior Executive Communications Consultant, Marnie Hill, writing is everything. Hill graduated from Centennial’s corporate communications program in 1984 and says it was one of the most important skills she learned. “If you don’t have the writing or editing skills you’re going to have a really tough time. You can learn everything else, but you need to have solid writing and editing.”

Hill started working with IBM while in school; 23 years later she’s still there. “The environment at IBM was a right fit for me. It fit what my goals were, the job challenged me, and it gave me opportunities.” But it hasn’t been easy. She’s overcome the hurdle of being a non-technical person working in a technical sector. “The tech industry is full of acronyms. There would be people sitting around me and they would be speaking English, yet I had no idea what they were talking about.”

Thanks to her college training, Hill has been able to translate IBM’s techno-jargon into understandable information for her readers. “That’s what the hands-on program at Centennial gives you; the ability to walk into an organization and hit the ground running.”

Currently, Hill manages internal and executive communications for two vice-presidents. She prepares them for meetings with clients and staff, sets up events, and helps define corporate strategy. It’s a lot of work, but she thrives on it. “I still feel surprised and amazed every day when I walk into work that I get paid to do the job I do.”

She says her training, professionalism and self-directed, independent work ethic have earned her a spot at the corporate table. It’s an achievement she believes possible for anyone who really wants it. “You have to earn it. You need to demonstrate knowledge and professionalism, and that you should be there.” Hill offers up some advice for students and communicators to help in their career.

1. Treat your career as a business. You are the CEO of YOU.
2. Find yourself a good mentor.
3. Always be professional.
4. Be a team player.
5. Keep your work and life in balance.

Hill also recommends communicators stay abreast of changes going on in the communications world. “Invest in yourself; know where the market is going and what the trends and skills are to keep current. The communications field is wide open and more than ever we have a chance to play an effective role.” It’s just some simple advice from a non-technical giant.

Paul Keable: one step ahead of the crowd

by Natasha Carr, Corporate Communications & PR ‘08

Paul Keable, Vice President of Consumers Wellness Division, Manning Selvage & Lee, built his career on standing out from the competition by going the extra mile.

Keable, who graduated from the Corporate Communications and Public Relations program in 2000, says he has set himself apart from the crowd to gain a competitive advantage.

“How can I differentiate myself from everyone? What else can I do? What extra value to the equation can I add? asks Keable. Agencies are always looking for help so why not volunteer?”

Throughout his career he has operated on looking outside the box in search of job opportunities to help him grow as a communications professional and as an individual eager to learn new things.

“I didn’t put a set career path in place in terms of job title. Learning and working with really great clients – that’s what I always strive to do. I want to work with clients who challenge me to do better,” he says.

He finds his job more than gratifying working for an agency.

“There’s a great myth about agency life that it’s about working you to the bone from dawn to dusk. I don’t believe that’s true in my career. There’s a lot to learn in the beginning of your career and I am now seven years out from graduation and still learn every day,” says Keable.

But the opportunity to learn new things is just the beginning for Keable.

“I see our industry growing in terms of responsibility and impact on the bottom line for a lot of our clients.”

Although Keable loves his job, he says there are days when things can be challenging.

“Not everything is a home run – you’re spending a lot of your day ensuring you’re reaching the right people with your message. What people expect and what they ask for are sometimes not the necessarily the same thing,” says Keable.

But he says the future is bright for new communicators prepared to work hard, volunteer and network in the field.

“Keep your eyes and ears open. Opportunity is everywhere, but it doesn’t always have a sign on the door saying ‘knock here.’ You have to sort of shake the tree and see what falls down,” says Keable.

Mills joins Bev Oda’s team

The Hill Times, the “insider” newspaper read by all the movers and shakers on Parliament Hill, included a brief story about Amy Mills, the new policy adviser to International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda. The Dec. 3 edition noted that Amy, 28, graduated from Centennial’s Corporate Communications program and arrived in Ottawa in early 2003 to work for Joe Clark, Peter MacKay and eventually Stephen Harper. As policy adviser, Amy will be liaising closely with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), which distributes money to worthy aid projects overseas.

Health Communications: A grad’s perspective

by Rhonda Bowen, Corporate Communications & PR ‘08

For many, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) represents one of Canada’s most significant documented health crises. For Nadia Radovini, Communications Advisor at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, it was a career experience like no other.

“SARS was one of the most intense crisis communications situations anyone could go through,” she says of the respiratory illness which was first reported in Canada in March 2003 and which, worldwide, killed 800 people. “It was overwhelming for even the most seasoned professional.”

Radovini’s up-close view of this particular crisis is due to the fact that Sunnybrook was the main hospital handling the outbreak. She notes that, during the emergency period, there was pressure not only on the doctors and hospital medical staff, but also on the communications staff.

“We handled the media relations and internal communications around SARS and that was quite the process,” she says. “We helped coordinate rallies to support staff and organized forums to communicate what was happening. Things could have gone either way with the rumour mill. People needed to be informed.”

Media Relations in particular was an area which became increasingly complex. “When we were quarantined we weren’t allowed to let any media inside the hospital,” she says. “Until that point we had tons of media coming in. Now we had to think about how we could proactively help the media report on things.”

This need led them to find creative ways to communicate with the media, such as producing their own B-roll hospital footage. It ensured that media received current information on what was happening.

As a graduate of Centennial’s Corporate Communication and Public Relations program, Radovini notes that the skills she acquired have been a significant aid in her career. “The writing and analytical skills, trying to figure out what your audience needs to know, as well as knowing what to ask the specialists – I find that everything I learned at Centennial makes up my hands-on public relations skills.”

Despite the SARS health crisis and the looming possibilities of future health emergencies, she has not wavered in her enthusiasm towards health communications. She maintains that she has always felt pulled in this direction. Her volunteer and work experience at Credit Valley Hospital, as well as her internship at the Canadian Hearing Society, all attest to this.

“I always knew I wanted to do something that had meaning to it,” she explains. “I wanted to do something I felt good about at the end of the day.”

She encourages current students to use the program to their advantage. “It’s one of the best intensive programs there is in public relations in Toronto.”

Recent grad already sounds like a pro

by Karin Archer, Corporate Communications & PR ‘08

Catherine Patterson is walking the walk just shy of six months after completing Centennial’s Corporate Communications and Public Relations program.

The 24-year-old proves that students shouldn’t be worried about getting a job.

“There are so many jobs and so much room for growth,” says Patterson. “Do not worry, just be confident.”

Patterson has been the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada since the summer. The organization is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for prostate cancer.

“I feel like I am making a difference. I like the fact that it’s a not-for-profit. I like that we’re not putting money in our own pocket.”

Patterson originally thought that she would end up in a corporate setting.

“Corporate tends to be stable and there is a lot of opportunity to rise within a company. It can turn into a really great career, not just a job. But not-for-profit turned out to be what I thought corporate would be – room to grow. It is everything I was looking for and I like the aspect of giving back.”

Patterson is responsible for a wide range of duties, from fielding calls to organizing the bi-monthly e-newsletter to creating promotional material. She touches upon every skill she obtained at Centennial, but says the writing classes prepared her the most.

“They taught me how to have a really good eye for detail. It’s important when you hand something to the media that they pay attention to the message rather than the mistakes.”

Patterson, a history and art history major from the University of Toronto, did her internship at the Bata Shoe Museum. She was able to combine her communications training from Centennial with her degree, giving her an appreciation for the historical and artistic elements at the museum. She published articles in the newsletter and pitched a new exhibit to Breakfast Television that was picked up.

“The Bata Shoe Museum ended up being a really good fit. I had a real internship that gave me real, hands-on experience; something I believe was a major factor in helping me land a job.”

Patterson hopes she is always satisfied with her career and is building up her little black book of media contacts. She eventually wants to be in a managerial role and would be pleased if it was at the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada.

“You have to be great with people and you have to be willing to budge in your thoughts,” Patterson advises Corporate Communications students. “Don’t get discouraged because it will work out in the end. If it doesn’t, it’s a lesson learned.”

Defining Public Relations

Is there a definitive definition for the term Public Relations? No, there isn’t. For decades, practitioners have agonized over the need for some clarity on the issue. Every new PR textbook that rolls off the presses spends a chapter wringing its hands over the dilemma, then solves the problem by coining another new definition for PR.

Check out the recent blog posting by Geoff Livingston, author of the recently published Now Is Gone, to read more about the inconclusive debate on defining PR.