Internship Tips and Tricks

As you all know I recently rounded up my Internship with Bell Media. It was interesting, hectic and productive because I got to gain hard skills as it relates to the profession. So I thought I should give advice or tips to new graduates that are about to undertake their internships.

1. Always be punctual, courteous  and dress properly.

2.  Set learning objectives for yourself from the moment you start your Internship; so you have something you are working towards.

3. If you don’t like media monitoring, better learn to love it because it’s going to be your best friend for the next couple of months.

4.  Whenever you are in doubt ask questions. Do not be scared to ask questions.

5.  Don’t work hard, work smart: Always have your daily to-do lists and reminders with priorities for the day it helps you stay organised.

6.  If you are not too busy, always offer to help.

7. Try to come out of your shell in other wards feel free to relate with your colleagues either by contributing to issues and voice out your opinion during brainstorms and meetings.

8. Don’t feel bad when your work is corrected, nobody is perfect and besides you are here to learn.

9. Be flexible: The entertainment industry is fast paced and things change and you have to adapt and change with the time.

10. Network: Try to network not just amongst your team members but also other members of staff in other departments.

11. Try to keep a weekly log of every task you are asked to do during your internship. It will help you look back and see if you were able to achieve your initial learning objectives. Besides it will also help you when you are putting together your resume.

12. Endeavour to follow the protocols put in place while sending out internal or external memos.

13. Lastly, enjoy your internship.

      Best of Luck!

Do’s and Don’ts for Public Relation Graduates while preparing for Interviews

       

You might be wondering, what do I know about interviews? But I tell you I have had my own fair share of interviews. So I can tell you a thing or two when it comes to preparing for interviews. These are my top five rules one should observe when preparing for interviews.

 

1. Copy- edit your work: Proofread all materials in your portfolio to make sure it is error free. This can be difficult to do especially if you are applying for several job placements at the same time. But you need to avoid any mistakes especially with your cover letters and resume because you could lose the opportunity of been called for an interview just from having a cover letter or resume with typos. Trust me I am talking from experience.
2. Dress properly: Make sure to always dress in a professional manner when going for interviews because their first impression is usually gotten from your physical outlook. So dress the way you want to be addressed. So if you want to be taken seriously, dress appropriately.
3. Research the company: Try as much as possible to research the company you are interested in and especially when you have been scheduled for an interview. Make sure to know their visions, goals and clients. In other wards try as much as possible to learn what they are about before the interview. It shows you did your homework and at the end of the day it pays off on the day of your interview.
4. Don’t stick to only one type of company: Try as much as possible to interview in several companies before you accept anyone because you never know until you go. You might think you already know what you want but there have been some situations were individuals find themselves in organizations completely different from their passion but at the end of the day they fall in love with those jobs.
5. Don’t always look at the Pay. Most times young people are quick to reject job opportunities without remuneration. This is quite understandable, but there are some situations where you can overlook pay and take up some jobs because in the long run you will gain valuable hands-on experience that you wouldn’t have learned elsewhere.

Good luck in your next Interview!!!

AfroFest 2014

Sometime last month I volunteered at a Festival called the Mudhati Festival of drums where I met some other volunteers, some from China, another Canada as well as Congo. Over the course of the festival I became really close to two ladies. One was called Solange and the other Vanity. Solange and I began calling ourselves “twinnies” over the course of the festival because we discovered that we both shared the same date of birth which is 24^th of March and both of us are also studying Public Relations. Really cool isn’t it? Basically she was the one that told me about the AfroFest. After she spoke so highly of it. I made up my mind there and then that when the time came I was going to go. 

                                                      

AfroFest is held annually since 1989, AfroFest is a showcase of a rich and diverse African culture. With organized fun and educational activities for youth and children and the whole family. AfroFest is the biggest African music event of the summer.

                                                                                                            

The day eventually came last week Saturday and Sunday and I was present. I must say it was a great event. It was an event filled with Illustrious African Canadians who were excelling in their fields, as well as renowned musicians and producers who came all the way from Africa to grace this great occasion. I had the pleasure of meeting an award winning producer who came all the way from Ghana.

Before I forget there were also food vendors who offered a wide variety of African delicacies such as jollof rice, stew, plantain, boiled corns, suya, buns and lots more and there were lots of drinks and alcohol as well.

They were also some people who came around to sell already made African batik and Ankara alongside some African artifacts and body decorations.

I really enjoyed myself because I met new set of people in Toronto. The event also left me feeling nostalgic as I got to listen to a large number of African tunes and performances, by the way Nigerian music dominated that day. And there were two Nigerian musicians who came for the event and his name was Freddie Osagie and Asiko Afrobeat Ensemble. There were also other performances from some people from Congo, Ethiopia and other East African and West African countries.

I met many young ladies of colour that day who talked about skin care routine for our skin type as well as transitioning to natural hair. I now know some of the advantages of going natural - the fact that you have a healthier and better looking hair. But I don’t know if I can be committed to taking care of my natural hair because it’s a lot of work. But am seriously thinking of it because processed hair does not thrive well in this Canadian weather but am also scared because I might have to do the big chop and start growing my hair all over again.Anyway, I will save that discussion for another day.

Overall I really had a great time am now looking forward to the biggest festival in North America which is the Caribana and that is the festival for the people from the Caribbean Islands…I can’t wait!!!

World Cup Fever

I am not a die-hard football fan but whenever the World Cup begins and my country “Nigeria” qualifies I can’t help but support my team as it’s a natural patriotic act of solidarity.

It is just amazing how the World Cup brings people together. At first I was skeptical about how the World Cup vibe in Canada would be. With their football team not qualifying for the World Cup and all. But it has been amazing how things have turned out since the competition began.

It has been fascinating how the World Cup spirit has taken over. At every street corner you will find flags of different nationalities and big- sized footballs hanging from windows of grocery shops as well as sports bars been filled with various supporters of football teams. With their faces beautifully painted in the colours of their team while cheering their team during a game and the  massive street parties that take place after a win.

Another outstanding aspect of this year’s World Cup it’s the rather unpredictable turn it has taken. Whereby the undefeated champions Spain fell through just at the beginning of the championship totally debunking the myth believed by critics that the games are rigged.  

                

I am excited about the games and seriously rooting for my team the “Super Eagles.”

At the end of the day, may the best team win!

For more information on the FIFA World Cup 2014 been hosted by Brazil visit: http://espn.go.com/watchespn/

If you get caught up in the fever in Canada, here are links to some sports bar you can go to http://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_best_sports_bars_in_toronto/

Are you for real or fake???

               
                                 
                                               

In recent times, some people argue that most individuals act fake or are not genuine. This is because they feel that people put forth an unreal personae when dealing with other individuals. This characteristics is often associated with female folk.

Can people always be themselves? By this I mean the normal state at which you perform your daily  activities portraying no “fakeness”? My answer to that question is No. Am sure you are wondering why I said so and I will explain it to you in a bit.

The reason I say so, is because as human beings we are flexible and can act in different ways because we are not programmed robots. Oftentimes our mood influences our behaviour. Sometimes when am not happy I withdraw within myself and can often be lost in deep thought, it even gets to the extent where it affects the way I dress, the way I speak or even the way I relate to people.

This could also be the reason why “selfies” are popular these days. This is because we can put our best foot forward and show our best side in the form of pictures before we go on to upload them on Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In situations like a first date between strangers, neither of them puts up his/ her true personality. And that’s only logical because they are trying to give a good impression, so that the other person would be interested in going on second date with them.

It even gets down to the way we eat, most of us eat in a more classy way when eating in the public places. This is partly because we know people are watching us. When in the comfort of our homes we tend to eat with reckless abandon. I know most people can relate with this point because it is true …lols

My second point goes with a question, can you act like you usually do around your friends in an interview in a corporate environment? I guess your answer is as good as mine which is in the negative because you cannot converse with an executive as if he or she is a buddy of yours, unless you are not interested in getting the job.

Lastly, if you are always honest. You might not have a lot of friends because there is the saying that “the truth is bitter.” If truly you are genuine and you tell your friends the truth in all situations then you might lose friends who cannot handle criticism. There are situations when engaging in casual conversation with a friend and your friend might say a joke and it might not be funny but you laugh anyway, or they have a bad hygiene issue and you don’t want to hurt their feeling so you keep it to yourself. All because you don’t want to appear self-serving. Anyway the bottom line is that you can’t always be in your regular state of being. 

If you guys agree with me leave a comment and give examples of occasions when you had to put forth a different personae but if you don’t agree with me. Leave your reasons in the comment box below!

Surprise someone Today

                                                   

Last week Thursday, I decided go on a two-hour trip with a friend to North Baltimore, Ontario. In order to surprise a mutual friend on his birthday as a way of appreciating him for how good he has been to us since we arrived Canada. 

The following Saturday (his birthday), we needed to get him out of the house for a long time so we could get the place set up without him suspecting anything. So we connived with his son to keep him in town for a little longer than normal, since they were only supposed to go to church and return home after two hours, but we needed about four hours to get things set for the party. Thankfully, his son Noah was able to do just what we asked him to.

So when they were out of sight, we got to bake the birthday cake and iced it, prepared his favorite dishes and decorated the house so it was ready for a birthday party. This took us approximately four hours on the dot. Later in the day, when he came back home, we surprised him and sang happy birthday songs to him, we also made him blow out a candle on his birthday and told him to make a wish, then we presented our gifts. I was the DJ of the event where I thrilled the group with mostly Nigerian musicals, we all danced and made merry. Later on we sat down to eat. At the end of the day the celebrant was really excited and appreciated our gifts and he said our gifts were exactly what he needed at the time.

After all this, it dawned on me that people love surprises because it shows that someone cares about them. No matter how little it is, it’s the thought that counts. Everyone should try to be nice to people, this can be done by simply saying hello to someone with a smile on your face, giving someone a hug, complimenting someone or offering to buy the individual a drink or food.

You never can tell how far a simple kind gesture can go in making someone’s day. If there is one thing I know it’s the fact that this world is a small place. You can never tell when next you will be the one in need of a kind gesture, and you could stumble upon an individual who you had offered assistance to in the past and the person would definitely want to do something nice for you in return.

I challenge you guys to go out there today and do something nice for someone.

Beautiful Nature

                                        
                                                   A remarkable view of Niagara Falls


A few of my course mates and I recently went on a road trip to two major cities and three major water falls; The Tews falls, Webster falls and Niagara falls. Of all the water falls the most outstanding was the Niagara Falls. 

Upon arrival at the city of Niagara the rain started falling but that didn't deter us as we went into the one of the shops at the Niagara Falls and purchased rain coats and proceeded to the falls.

I have to tell you it was an incredible sight to behold, I haven’t seen anything as beautiful as that in a while. It made me believe in God the more. No wonder it is among the Seven Wonders of Canada.Everyone should go visit the breathtaking Niagara Falls even if it just once in their lifetime as it was indeed a great experience for me. In fact, I am planning to visit again the next time around I hope to spend the weekend.

For the love of Shoes!

I have always loved shoes for the earliest part of my life but things changed when I turned 15 years old and had to buy shoes for senior year in high school. I discovered that shopping for shoes for people with big feet was a herculean task especially in Nigeria. This was partly because we did not have a wide array of designer shoe shops to choose from like is the case in foreign countries. I often found that I would spend basically the whole day in the market trying to get a nice pair of shoes that would fit me. Most times whoever accompanied me will be so sick and tired of walking around all day and often ended up vowing never to accompany me again.

There were occasions when I would go shoe shopping and go back home empty handed because no shoe was a right fit. Subsequently shoe sections were my least favourite shopping destination. During my travail I found out that an average lady’s shoe size was a size six or eight. Unfortunately mine was a 10 for flats and 11 or 12 for a high heels. Although been a big size also had its good side because I know myself, if I were to have been two sizes smaller I would have been a shoe addict.

That is why recently when I came across this article about ladies getting reconstructive plastic surgery in order to fit into designer shoes grabbed my attention because it affects my directly.For more information click on this link https://shine.yahoo.com/fashion/modern-cinderellas--women-are-having-surgery-to-make-designer-shoes-fit-211107332.html

On a more constructive note is having big feet a deformity? No one should carry out a surgical operation just because it’s trendy to have a small size feet and besides it is an expensive procedure. Feet are a unique part of one’s body I feel are there to compensate for your body weight and should be appreciated and properly taken care of. It could also look good when you get the right shoe size for your feet. I advocate that one appreciates the feet God has given them. But, if you have the money and you feel that you genuinely have a low self-esteem because you have big feet, then you can go ahead and get a surgery as for me I have learnt to live with and appreciate mine.

Hot Topic

I never knew eating on tubes was such a taboo until I came across this bizarre Facebook group with over 25, 000 members “Women Who Eat on Tubes.” This ludicrous group captures pictures of unsuspecting women in London who eat on tubes and then posts them on its Facebook page stating the exact subway line, time and location where the photograph was taken.

I am not one who loves eating on tubes but sometimes you are so busy that the only opportunity you have to eat is when you are on transit. I would guess that is the reason these women have been eating on the tubes. However, it seems the Facebook group has something else on its mind when they see women eating on tubes, it seems they see it as Wildlife photography and as such describe it as Art. As was stated by the founder of the group Tony Burke who insisted that his project was not offensive or misogynistic. I personally think that is a lame excuse to cover up his act since he has witnessed the backlash his group has received from feminists and the media.

This all started in 2011, although the site made headlines last week after journalist Sophie Wilkinson wrote a story describing how she felt "hurt and humiliated" after a man took her photo while she ate her lunch on the tube, and posted it on the Facebook page.

"I'd like to know the name of her finishing school," read a comment under her image.

 "I was the butt of a joke without my knowledge, in front of thousands of strangers. I'd been 'stranger-shamed'" she responded.

In less than a week, Lucy Brisbane McKay and Alexis Calvas had planned last week’s protest, which had garnered almost 500 attendees on the Facebook event.

Armed with a wicker picnic basket and a vintage suitcase filled with bananas, the pair passed out the fruit to protesters, both female and male, in the tube carriage.

While some munched on humble sandwiches and steadied themselves by holding onto the carriage poles, other hungry activists sat with full-spreads of sushi with signs reading "I eat on the tube" propped up against them. At each station, people would join the group with their lunch in hand. The aim of the protest was to eat on the tubes and show the jovial nature of eating on tubes.

Apart from the fact that it is an unfair, sexist and an invasion of privacy meted out against innocent women, this practice is also downright stupid. And that is why I am happy about the protest that took place last week to stop this wrong doing. I know you can’t stop people from acting insane, but I think there can be strict rules or measures put in place in order to stop this inhumane act. If possible I would like Facebook to finally put an end to this group.

What do you guys think?

My extracurricular activities

I am proud to say that I have gotten through the toughest terrain in the Corporate Communications and Public relations (C.C.P.R) program which was last month (February). Where we had to start a blog, write a communicator report, track a Journalist, present a start- up proposal, rebrand a company(LCD)  and lots more in total we had roughly 15 assignments and I survived. That is not to say there are no more assignments. It is just that the work load has reduced a bit so there is little time to explore and mingle in this beautiful city and so I will be giving you an overview of all of the beautiful places I have visited so far in Toronto.

My first major outing was the Comi con at the Toronto Metro centre, this activity wasn’t even planned. I had gone to a married friend’s house for brunch and her son wanted to attend the Toronto Comi com festival and I was invited to come along which I gladly accepted, because it was a great opportunity to get to know the city of Toronto a little more. At first I had the impression that it was a kid event. But when I got there I was surprised to see adults all dressed up in their favorite comic costumes, in fact they outnumbered the kids in attendance.

Some Executive Producers of these Comi con were in attendance and there were signage stands. I got to socialize and take pictures with some of them. Over all it was a nice gathering and I enjoyed it.

 

 

CN tower

The next day my friend Gbenga and I decided to go to one of Canada’s great tourist sites the CN tower and Ripley’s Aquarium, I thought why not use one stone and kill two birds, besides they were both within a walking distance from each other both located in downtown Toronto. So I saw the tallest free standing structure in the western hemisphere from there we headed to the Aquarium.

There was a large number of people standing outside in the cold waiting to get into the Aquarium. This gave me nostalgic memories and made me remember Nigeria, because most times back home we had to queue for almost everything. Eventually we got in after we paid our ticket fee of $30 + taxes.

Initially I felt the fee was exorbitant, but by the time I saw all the wonderful sea creatures like starfish, sharks the aquarium had to offer, I say it was worth it. Although I couldn’t stay as long as I wanted as I got in late at about 4:00pm and the Aquarium closed about 6:00 pm that day. I plan to revisit the Aquarium some other time.

I can’t end this without attaching these lovely pictures of the Aquarium. Ripley’s Aquarium is definitely a go-to destination for tourists.

 

Me in the shark tank at Ripley's Aquarium