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.
Intern Diary: Rebellious Public Relations
By Maria Alonso
This summer, I accepted an internship offer at Rebellious PR, a full-service PR agency that focuses on amplifying the stories of diverse companies. Even though I have a few weeks left to complete the program, I can proudly say that I have learned a lot and I am thankful for the connections I have made thus far.
I originally found out about Rebellious PR while scrolling through Instagram. After browsing through their neatly crafted Instagram feed, I checked out their website podcast, I was instantly intrigued and felt a sense of inspiration. The internship program was not announced yet, but as soon as it was, I immediately applied without hesitation. Fast forward to one month after applying, I received an email from Vice President, Rachel informing me that I was selected for the internship program (I was so excited that I called my boyfriend right away to share the great news!).
From day one, everyone was very welcoming and willing to help. All the interns were grouped with several publicists, an account manager, and a“buddy” to have check-ins with.
The internship program is set up with weekly lectures that provide interns with real-world PR knowledge by not only teaching PR basics, and how to directly implement them with the clients of Rebellious. Examples of what interns learn and implement include:
Media lists management for several clients
Research clients/ projects
Press Release writing
Media Pitching
Monitoring of news/ trends
Fostering relationships with journalists
My schedule at Rebellious consists of working on assigned tasks from 10:00 A.M until 2:00 P.M., except for Wednesdays when I attend virtual lectures for an hour (10:00 A.M until 11:00 A.M). My tasks include assignments from the bulleted list amongst check-ins with the team. However, I will emphasize doing research for the latest trends and keeping up with the news in addition to writing press releases and media list building as I very much enjoy doing this.
Something very rewarding is when those who have been at Rebellious for years, compliment and celebrate the work of the interns. This is not to say that there is no feedback, because there is. I believe that something that has helped me grow as an incoming public relations professional is direct feedback and celebration of accomplishments. Feedback plays a direct role in the success of the individual and the company.
The best part of being an intern at Rebellious PR is the diverse and welcoming community; one where being othered is not an issue. I often was stressed about finding an internship that I loved, but now I am very fortunate that I get to work alongside super rad PR pros who embrace their authenticity while growing and upholding the brand of Rebellious. My internship at Rebellious has been one of the highlights of my summer.
As someone who has obtained a few internships throughout college, I feel that I can safely provide some tips. The three pieces of advice I would give anyone seeking an internship in public relations is to hone your researching skills (keep up with trends/news!), improve your writing, and learn how to network (you might be able to get an internship offer that is not posted on the internet).
A bonus tip: Don’t overthink it, you will find an internship.