Sounds great, doesn’t it…well, it has it’s disappointments. Five months ago, my job search came to dismal disappointment with no opportunities or even interviews in sight. I admit that I may not have had a great deal of experience, but for someone who had just graduated, I had an excellent resume.  Nevertheless, I found myself at the door of a temp agency.  They loved my resume and sent me to a job interview the very next week.  I found out at the interview that the job was only for 4 weeks.  Normally, I would have never agreed to take it, but I needed the experience and the corporate culture of the company was very much inline with what I was looking for.

After the four weeks, they asked me to stay on for another week, than another week, and now it has been almost 4 months that I’ve worked for this organization.  And I should add that they are absolutely a wonderful organization to work for. Despite being hired as an “event coordinator” they have given me the opportunity to utilize my skills by writing articles, creating panels, helping with the communications department and so much more.

So what is the problem, you are asking yourself…the problem is the temp agency.  They had originally told me that I would only be under contract with them for the first three months of joining any company.  Now, they are stating that it is in fact for the first 600 hours that I work for the company.  They are taking $10 / hr for every hour that I work.  That is 30% of what I’m making.

I can’t see the justice in paying a temp agency nearly $6,000 for doing nothing at all.  In fact, when they sent me for the interview, they did not confirm the interview time with the organization, so I ended up looking like a fool when I should up.  It took a few minutes and a number of phone calls to reveal that my incompetant agency had made the mistake. To date, they have not provided me with a copy of the contract, they do not answer my questions properly when I call and I feel like I’m a prisoner to these people.

Take it from me, you are better off networking and finding a job on your own as appose to trusting such companies.  If you have been following the news in the last month or so, you know that the government is now looking into these agencies and their conduct.  Hopefully laws regulating their actions will be implemented in the near future, until than, keep away!!!

]]> http://namini.wordpress.com/2008/12/28/update/feed/ 0 namini http://namini.wordpress.com/2008/06/23/job-searching/ http://namini.wordpress.com/2008/06/23/job-searching/#comments Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:42:23 +0000 namini http://namini.wordpress.com/?p=75 ]]> Alas, the day has come.  It’s time to look for a permanent, full-time employment. Easier said than done…I know.

Deciding you want a career in Communications / PR – Alarm clock rings

Getting admitted into the program – getting out of bed

Finding an internship – washing your face and getting dressed

Finishing your internship – taking your last sip of the coffee and picking up your keys

Finding a job – walking out the door

It seems that this career gets more exciting as it progresses. On Monday, the OPP held a press conference to announce the introduction of the new OPP plane. It will be used on 400 series highways to ensure the safety of the public through air surveillance.

Despite numerous campaigns, amendments in the law and deterrents, people continue to drive at high speeds which result in injury and death. The OPP plane is an efficient tool to get these people off the roads.

The exciting part of the conference for me was the dignitaries that were present. Commissioner Julian Fantino and Premier Dalton McGuinty, both of whom were very polite and friendly people, announced the introduction of the plane. Almost every news channel was present.

I have posted the photographs I took at the event on the side panel. Feel free to look at them and let me know what you think. I’m presently trying to perfect my photography techniques for a rainy day where they will come in handy.

As Communicators and PR experts you know that that day will be coming sooner than later. lol

If you’ve gone through the gruelling experience of researching the best internship for your skill set and personality; created a strategic plan in approach the organization; attained an interview; and finally began, you would know that it is not easy.

Luckily, I went through it and survived.  Better yet, I absolutely love it.

I am interning at the communications department of the OPP, where I have been able to work on proposals, events, research and so much more.  I have implemented almost every skill I’ve attained in school.

Previous to starting, I was told that government pace would be slow and boring.  Contrary to that belief, it has been one project after another.  I’m in my third week and possibly on my ninth assignment.  I will admit that there is a great deal of red tape and approval necessary; however, you will discover that you will always be busy.

I will keep you all posted on how the world on Corporate Communications and PR is treating me.

It was very intriguing to see the event unfold from the perspective of the host rather than the viewer.  The team started crossing off their checklists from early morning at headquarters, than preceded to the location of the conference where everyone (including the multimedia crew, paramedics, administrative staff and so forth) helped to set up. 

CTV, CBC, Global and a few cultural newspapers arrived moments before the 1 p.m. start time.  I always assumed that the media arrived much in advance to set up their cameras and stands, but to my surprise it took these professionals seconds to pull out their cameras and begin filming.

The event went very smoothly.  The special guests arrived on time, the speakers where informative and the paramedics doing the demonstrations where great.

The most interesting part was seeing what footage the media chose to air.  It’s not always what you would think they should use, but the lack of control is an aspect of press conferences that PR professionals must embrace.

I have never seen nor heard any organization refer to communication as an art and a science.  However, for those of us studying it or working in the field, there is no question that logic, pattern, formulas and mathematical statistics are just as important as the language, the visuals and the medium used.

 I have added Delta Media to the list of Canadian PR firms because it shows intuition and understanding of what our profession requires.

I finally did my last one today and I hope this will be the end of them for sometime. However, for those of you who are still going through the interview process, I’ve come along some very helpful hints. Please check the page titled “Interview Hints”.

Also, remember that if you are still in school there are a number of resources you can tap into. The school’s internal websites often have sections on how to prepare. There are always interview specialists on campus to help you prepare resumes, cover letters, do mock interviews and to go over details of the specific job you are applying for.

Good luck everybody!!!

Two global firms that look really interesting to me are Edelman and The Hoffman Agency.  If your interested in traveling outside of North America these companies are perfect for you.

What has stunned me is the number of different branches within each sector.  For example in my search for Canadian pr agencies, I discovered that different firms adhere to different clients: financial institutes, cosmetic, technology based, travel organizations and so forth.

The one thing they have in common is the services they provide such as publicity, events, media coverage and web associated services.

I guess the conclusion I came up with is that as pr specialists we can use our skills in almost any industry we like.  The important thing to remember is that we need to target our basic skills to the specific industry that we want to work in.  The same technique that you use to promote Olay will not be adequate for promoting Rogers.

William Mill’s Agency is based out of Atlanta, however, they are a national organization which means you may be required to travel across the United States.  If you love traveling like I do, this company seems like a really nice deal.