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.”
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