MPC & PCAA News – Summer 2017
By Vivi Tsoukalas, MPC2017
Let the job searching begin!
On April 25 2017, ProCom and the PCAA hosted an event called “Panel Talks: How do I get a job!” At this event alumni were invited to chat with current students about what steps they could take to get their careers started after graduation.
The panel was made up of MPC alumni who were joined by current graduate and undergraduate ProCom students for a lively discussion. Students posed questions to alumni regarding what they could do to stand out in the communication industry and land a position in the near future.
The alumni panelists provided their own experiences, offering students realistic expectations for the future. Here are some pieces of advice that stood out throughout the evening:
- The requirement for number of years of experience stated in a job posting should never discourage you from applying. Your skills can make you the perfect candidate, not your years of experience.
- Your resume should use the exact words from a job description. Employers want to know you have the exact skills they are searching for.
- Listening to your supervisors and peers is imperative to being successful in the workplace.
- When writing your resume, state both quantitative and qualitative results that you accomplished in your career to demonstrate what you are capable of.
- You have the skills to succeed in any communication role and you should feel confident in your abilities.
The event gave attendees some tangible advice to incorporate into their career development. Thank you to all alumni, staff, and students for attending the event. It was a great success!
MPC Accomplishments
Over the last few months many MPC alumni have received recognition for their accomplishments in their careers.
In March, three MPC alumni working at Ryerson University received the Julia Hanigsberg Make Your Mark Staff Award. This award is given to Ryerson employees for their efforts in client service, community engagement, innovation, and/or sustainability.
Emily MacIntosh (MPC2013) received the award as a member of the Take Our Kids to Work Day committee. This opportunity provides children of Ryerson employees a chance to explore careers at Ryerson.
Jiwon Bang (MPC2012) and Lee Chapman (MPC2014) were recognized for their involvement with the Ryerson University Lifeline Syria Challenge (RULSC). RULSC’s goal is to create 75 teams to sponsor 75 Syrian refugee families to come to Canada. So far they have assisted 15 families.
It was recently announced that Jacky Au Duong’s (MPC2014) major research paper (MRP) has been published in the open access peer-reviewed journal First Monday. You can read Jacky’s publication online here.
Most recently it was announced that Abigail Gamble (MPC2011) and Nicola Brown (MPC2014) have been awarded the G. Raymond Chang Outstanding Volunteer Award. Both alumnae continue to be very involved in the Ryerson and ProCom communities post-graduation. The award ceremony will take place on June 20 2017.
Congratulations to all the successful MPC alumni! It is great to see the many accomplishments from alumni and we look forward to learning more as time goes on.
PCAA welcomes ProCom BAs at the Spring Social
At the PCAA Spring Social at Page One on March 23, the association officially welcomed the first ProCom undergraduate cohort to the alumni family.
The event provided the new BA alumni an opportunity mix and mingle with alumni from the MPC and discover what it is like to be a part of this growing alumni community and diverse professional network.
Guest speaker Kareem Perez, Account Director at 6S Marketing, talked to attendees about what the content and digital marketing industry is like today. Throughout the evening he answered a wide range of questions about the current state of content marketing and how it fits under the broader umbrella of digital marketing.
Kareem explained that: “Content marketing is a strategy that focuses on creating and sharing relevant material (whether it be in videos, blogs, social media posts, news articles, etc.) with your target audience…The important thing is to keep the attention of your audience within the wide scope of technology.”
Kareem ended his discussion with some key pieces of advice for those entering the content marketing industry. “Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and build your strategies around those ideas; let your voice be heard by communicating your ideas and asking for clarification when needed; and focus on becoming an expert in a field you enjoy.”
The discussion provided some great advice for soon-to-be alumni about a career in digital and content marketing, and many students were eager to network with Kareem one-on-one after his talk.
You can see photo highlights from the event on the PCAA Facebook page.
Thank you to all attendees, and welcome to the alumni family, undergrads!