After six weeks of learning about PR in the SFU PR Program, I felt like I had a solid ‘tool kit’ to prepare for my practicum at Elettra. In class, we learned a little bit of everything from media kits, pitching, and social media for PR, but there is only so much you can learn in a classroom. The practicum component of the course is a chance to give that newly developed ‘tool kit’ a try, and taking advantage of the opportunities that come with it, whether the opportunity is presented to you directly or not.  When I started my practicum with Elettra, I had no idea how many opportunities would come my way.

Direct Opportunities: The first day of any practicum or job is always nerve-wracking, so it was nice to find out that on my first day of Elettra I was given a list of smaller and lower priority tasks. These tasks were a direct opportunity to show my capability, even if it was on a small scale. In my perspective, every task that you are assigned is an opportunity to do well.

Indirect Opportunities: Your practicum is what you make of your practicum. Yes, your supervisor will assign you tasks, but you also have the opportunity to find ways to go above and beyond those. For instance, my supervisors gave the team a brief overview on an upcoming project and let us know that there would be a brainstorm for ideas later on that day. Even though this was not “assigned”, I took advantage of some extra time I had, and did a mini brainstorm on my own. I essentially prepared a little pitch for my idea, anticipated problems and prepared answers for those problems. When I presented this to my supervisors at the brainstorm that day, they invited me to not only be part of the project but they also asked me if I would like to be hired on after my practicum to complete the campaign! This was a bit of a ‘aha’ moment for me, because I realized how initiative can help you make the best of your practicum and how you have the power to form your own opportunities.

Reflection: The SFU PR program really helped me to start thinking from a PR perspective and gave me a little more confidence with the skills I had developed. My experience at Elettra was a fantastic way to learn in a supportive environment, a chance to try out my skills in assigned tasks, and a chance to take advantage of some really great opportunities.

Beyond the Article: If you would like to see the campaign I helped with, take a look at Vancity Buzz’s page and the Harbour Centre website’s contest page.

By Natalie Pope Natalie never considered public relations as a career option, but upon investigation she realized it was a perfect fit.  Natalie is currently enrolled in the SFU PR Certificate and has joined Elettra Communications to complete the 3-week practicum component of the course.

For the longest time PR was a mystery to me. But as a recent SFU Communications and English graduate, I learned that Public Relations is an area that many students in my field enter. As graduation approached, I began to chat with communications professionals from IABC  and through various Vancouver events. I didn’t know what my career path would be but I did know that I love working with people, writing, social media, and events. After a lot of thought and self-reflection, I realized that PR was something that might indeed by a fit for me.

I decided to act on this realization and enrolled in the SFU PR certificate program. Because of the program, I’ve learned relevant and hands-on skills that are integral to being a professional communicator. I also met many exceptional individuals including the industry-professional instructors and my classmates who will be the future of PR, I’m sure.

The SFU English Department held an event called “What can you do with your English Degree?”, where SFU English Alumni spoke about their current profession. Simone was one of the speakers at the panel and she spoke passionately about how Elettra makes a point of finding meaningful opportunities that the team feels strongly about. This was something I was immediately drawn to and it was even more appealing when I found out how passionate Elettra is about providing exceptional learning opportunities for their interns or practicum students. Again, this was music to my ears.

I am thrilled that Elettra Communications is part of my PR journey. So far, my journey into PR has been a path of discovery, and I look forward to continue learning and discovering during my time here!

Beyond the Article:

• Connect with Natalie on Twitter or LinkedIn
• Want to hear more about Natalie's career journey? She has written about it for the SFU Online Learning Community