Intern Diaries: Not Your Average Workplace: My Experience Interning at GCI Canada

By Parul Yaduv, Public Relations & Communications Intern at GCI Canada

Confidence starts with believing in yourself and knowing that you were brought on to a great team for a reason. When I began my research into the Canadian PR & communications job market, - I wasn’t looking for any typical agency setting where I was expected to hit coffee runs, move boxes across the office, and pass along urgent phone calls to our managers. During one of my many coffee chats throughout the Humber Public Relations postgraduate program, I was intrigued by the healthcare communications space and had the pleasure to connect with one of the Senior Vice Presidents at GCI Canada, Alissa Von Bargen. 

Throughout the resourceful coffee chat, I gained understanding of the PR internship position at GCI and was pleased to learn that the integrated agency promotes a work culture of continuous growth and personal development no matter your job title. This meant that I could connect with anyone who inspired me across the agency and its partners, BCW Group and GCI Group, within the WPP network. They also had access to world-class communicators, mentorship – and best of all there would be an opportunity to expand my skills and become my professional best. This was the perfect package of working for a small but well-rounded agency along with the perks of a global network.

Projects I worked on during my internship:

Since the very day of being onboarded at GCI Canada, I became an integral part of the team. I immersed myself in practical situations that best reflected the real world and supported a roster of innovative Healthcare clients such as Hologic, Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Seagen. My team has given me that opportunity to dive into firsthand experience of agency work: building media lists from scratch, pitching press releases, using a range of PR tools, writing media releases and researching on various client campaigns. I’ve also had the opportunity to participate in professional development sessions on best business practices, GCI’s DEI committee and the company’s social media committee work. 

I haven’t done any coffee runs, moved boxes, or played email middleman. Instead, I am an integral part of the GCI Canada team, putting my lessons from the classroom to work and growing my skills as a rising PR professional.

I can guarantee that your internship experience will only be rewarding and valuable if you take chances, ask questions, and seek challenges. Whether it is as simple as “are those learning development sessions for junior level employees or for everyone?'', or as daunting as asking your team if you can learn more about some of the additional projects for clients. I looked for the chance to broaden my experience and show that I was willing to take on new tasks.

My day-to-day schedule as an intern:

An agency setting usually can be a busy and an overwhelming workplace. We tend to manage multiple clients and multiple projects every day. That means no two days are the same. And that’s been my experience at GCI Canada. Literally! There have been times when I woke up in the morning after a campaign launch to a full inbox, calendar stuffed with meetings, each account with action items for the end of the day but I can still look at this busy schedule of mine and say I’ll be OK. I am armed not only with the trust of my teams but the understanding that, even though I’ve been given opportunities to manage tasks on my own, someone is available to jump in if I need help, no matter what the task.

The highlights of my experience this far:

There have been multiple fun and incredible learning highlights throughout my time and some still going on at GCI Canada. If I had to pick one, I would say working on business development opportunities and being trusted with the responsibility despite being the youngest on the team.

Moreover, the office culture includes the end of summer, fall or winter activities, occasional team learning, a fully stocked fridge & snack corner, and cozy couches placed conveniently around the office. The environment easily makes it possible to stay relaxed and productive. Not to mention, the family-like atmosphere also makes it conducive to collaborating with others in the office because it’s easy to work with people that you enjoy being around.

Nothing beats first-hand experience:

I enjoy learning, growing, and working with a wide range of people every day. Moreover, with incredible opportunities now coming up in the PR and Comms industry; the whole process of establishing relations, interacting with the audience, and creating a contact point between the client and the target audience is incredibly rewarding. As a creative professional with the ever-evolving nature of our industry which is agile, multidisciplinary, and insights-driven - the choices are wide and there are opportunities to take the lead.

During my time at Humber College, I was immersed in practical situations that best reflected the real world; however , there is so much more to learn beyond our PR textbooks. GCI Canada has given me the opportunity to receive firsthand experience of the work I will dive into after graduation.