Episode 7: Networking it - Centennial public relations students speak out

Robin: Hello and welcome to episode 7 of Centennial College’s Career Resilience podcast series! My name is Robin and I will host and participate in Operation NetWORK IT’s one and only podcast episode, “Networking it: Centennial public relations students speak out.” Featured in this episode are Christine Dyal, Sia Papadopoulos and Anya-Kaye Parkes, a.k.a my teammates behind Operation NetWORKIT.

Over the past two weeks, we have pulled off Operation NetWORK IT, our campaign to raise awareness of the network gap and provide students with the resources, tips and stories to inspire them to start networking. To put it simply, the network gap is the disparity between those who have connections and those who don’t. Various factors affect the size of people’s networks, such as race, socioeconomic background, gender and more. The network gap widens the already existing inequalities present in our society. In order to stop, and reverse, these inequalities, awareness has to be raised of the resources and methods to help students start networking.

For the first part of this podcast, we will all introduce ourselves, explain our backgrounds and talk about our own experiences with the troubles we have had with networking. We all have our own unique experiences and perspectives on this issue. So why don’t we all introduce ourselves?

Christine: Well, hi everyone! My name is Christine Dyal, and I am currently studying public relations and corporate communications at Centennial College, along with these very lovely ladies. Before coming into this program, I studied marketing at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus and I graduated with a BBA in 2020…still a little sad that I didn’t really get a formal graduation ceremony, and it looks like we probably won’t get one this year either but hopefully soon we’ll get one.

So I started working as a teaching assistant at a private tutoring service when I was 16 and I absolutely loved it so much so that I was working there for almost 6 years, but I knew that at a certain point that I could not stay there forever so I had to broaden my horizons and try to find other opportunities to branch out essentially. But unfortunately, that kind of happened when the pandemic and lockdowns started and so it was a little difficult to not only find work but to also build my network since I’ve only had really one job in my life.

So that was one of the main reasons why I decided to pursue a post-graduate certificate at Centennial because I knew that there would be opportunities for me to develop my skills and also learn new ones along the way, so that I can be better prepared for this upcoming competitive job market once the pandemic is over.

Sia: Hi! My name is Sia Papadopoulos. I am also enrolled in the public relations and corporate communications grad program here at Centennial. Just over a year ago I completed my BA in communication studies at York University and was quite eager to expand my knowledge in the PR industry.

I am actually a first-generation post-secondary student so I was initially a bit naive in thinking that my degree would land me a job. Due to my quiet and shy nature in university, I hardly made any professional connections and never really attended a networking event. Thankfully my confidence and personality has evolved over the year and I actually entered this program to expand my network.

Networking is a huge topic for me and this campaign was near and dear to my heart because I had nearly zero knowledge about networking and how crucial it really was for my career. Since I didn’t have that much guidance at home in regard to my post-secondary education, I thought my degree would be enough and I was very wrong. I was brand new to the concept of the network gap and learning more about the statistics surrounding the networking gap, and the unemployment rate and its connections to networking made me really passionate about this campaign.

Anya-Kaye: Well hello hello everyone, my name is Anya-Kaye Parkes, but people call me AK. So I join Christine, Sia and Robin in the public relations and corporate communications program, and what a ride. Well, having quite a few years on my colleagues here, it’s been quite some time since I graduated from York University with an honours degree in communication studies and political science. I’ve always had a passion for media and communications and I do have the degree to support that. However, having industry experience is where I fall short and this is where I believe networking would have made a difference in putting me where I needed to be and where I wanted to be. I do have many years of work experience and If I did have any connections through networking it was definitely the wrong network. With that being said I learned that it is important that when you seek networking opportunities you get specific. If you are interested in photography which I am as well then connect with people in that field.

Robin: So I introduced myself at the beginning of the podcast, but again my name is Robin and I am a 23-year-old student at Centennial College studying public relations. I am also an immigrant to Canada, having come here at the tender age of three, with no family connections in this country. And I’ve always been a bit of a wishy-washy person when it comes to what I wanted to do. As a kid, I wanted to be everything from an artist to an athlete to a pharmacist. In high school, I excelled in art, English, drama and history and so I decided to study something in the vein of liberal arts more specifically history and political science in university, with the vague notion that I would find my “true passion” and career path along the way. I never really did and I learned a lot, and had some fun experiences volunteering, but I never really figured out what I wanted to do. I decided to study public relations because I personally really enjoy being a behind-the-scenes kind of person, helping and connecting people, plus I can take advantage of the strong writing and research skills I have learned throughout university.

So our campaign was a huge success thanks to our partners at CivicAction and Centennial’s career services and we’d like to thank them for their cooperation and hard work. We are releasing this podcast to conclude our campaign and also give our thoughts to the planning and execution of the campaign. We are, after all, students of public relations who are just learning the ropes on how to execute public relations campaigns. Operation NetWORK IT was essentially homework for us! Can you guys give some feedback on your thoughts around the whole process of planning and executing our campaign?

Christine: Growing up, I would say that I’d say that I was a pretty shy kid. I never really made a lot of noise and, along with a lot of other people, presentations were my ultimate fear. I also always had a really small group of friends and now when I’m looking back at that, I definitely stayed in my comfort zone a lot, which has unfortunately, stayed with me, even up till now. So, I would definitely say that this campaign has opened my eyes on the networking gap and the very serious issue of wage scarring.

So before the initial client presentation, I had absolutely no idea what the networking gap was and actually had to search it up afterwards. And.after finding out what it was, I realized that the gap was also affecting me in a sense because I had only worked one job thus far, my network was quite weak, and I tend to stay in my comfort zone. So, I definitely tried to channel those uncertainties about my future to the campaign because I knew there would most likely be others in a similar situation.

Sia: Yeah, so similar to Christine and like I mentioned earlier executing this campaign was so exhilarating for me because I had a strong personal connection to the content we were sharing. Although we created this campaign for other Centennial students, a lot of the content we created relates specifically to my situation right now. Learning about things like mentorship has actually pushed me to start putting myself in what I would deem as “uncomfortable situations” and connect with more professionals on LinkedIn.

And of course as a PR professional, aspiring PR professional, the planning and execution of this campaign was a really great learning experience for me.

So what about you AK?

Anya-Kaye: Well, college and university, completely different experiences. Everything in university was theoretical for me, but we were never in a situation where we had to apply our learnings to the real world, so not only this campaign, but the experience in the entire program is brand new to me. As the saying goes, you know, “you learn something new every day” and I can say that no matter how old you are or where you are in life, there are always opportunities to learn and grow. So campaign NetWORK IT was definitely a learning experience. Executing a campaign with a different age group, different personalities, different work ethic and being able to bring this campaign together showed me the true essence of teamwork. So learning about the network gap was like an aha moment for me because it made me realize how many things can affect your success without you even knowing it. So I think it’s very important that youth are aware of this gap so that they can prevent themselves from falling victim to its effects which could be as simple as losing confidence to as big as you know, what we said, wage scarring.

Robin: So similar with Christine I would say that I was a really shy kid growing up and I had a really small group of friends and I hated public speaking you know and getting out of my comfort zone. And this campaign was great because it forced me out of that zone, I had to do it and in the end, when I did get out of that comfort zone I didn’t hate it- it was fine. In fact I ended up enjoying the experience! I love collaborating with people and speaking to Alice from career services was an especially memorable part of the campaign. I loved her energy and enthusiasm, it was honestly really infectious and very refreshing for me.

So throughout the course of our campaign, we did a lot of research into unemployment and the network gap and everything around it. So I would like to ask you guys: what was the most shocking part of the research. What really stood out to you and gave you like, this is a big problem moment. In addition, were there any resources that stood out to you in particular as being especially useful or helpful?

Christine: Well for me, while we were doing research I found a lot of different statistics. One of the shocking ones we found, I believe it was from LinkedIn, and that was approximately 70 percent of jobs that were not publicly posted and that almost 80 percent or upwards of 80 available positions were filled through networking. So, that was extremely alarming for me because I always had that idea that the jobs I saw posted online, or you know, in the newspaper or something like that, were the only ones available, and if I wanted a job, I would have pick from that selection. So, to see that there were so many other jobs available, and the ones that were shown online was just the tip of the iceberg I was curious to find out what made the other jobs less accessible essentially, so that’s something I thought was really interesting.

Sia: Like Christine, I was really struck by the statistic that 70% of jobs are not posted publicly. But also, I found that the statistic that says “where you live, where you go to school and where you work can give you twelve times greater advantage in accessing opportunity.” I think that was extremely alarming. We found that throughout our research in this campaign that one of the ways to combat this statistic and the statistic on the rising youth unemployment rate is through networking.

So If we can prepare students and youth with the tools and resources needed to make long-lasting professional connections and networks we can slowly start to bridge this gap. So we have acknowledged prior that this isn't only a youth problem, but employers definitely have a part to play in bridging this gap. The resource that stood out to me the most was CivicAction’s, YouthConnect. We were able to give a few tips to start to prepare students to expand their networks, but YouthConnect touches upon more areas than we were able to in our short two weeks. They prepare youth, through free skill-building events and online learning that touches on for example, mock interview exercises, or building your LinkedIn profile and how to translate skills with little job experience. So I really enjoyed learning about that resource and I think it’s really important to share that one to other students as well.

Anya-Kaye: So this isn’t necessarily a stat although this topic comes with stats, but back to the whole network gap term- like I never heard of it and its effects are actually quite disappointing to say the least, I mean I wish I knew about it earlier because I think it would have made a difference in my approach during and after university, therefore possibly preventing myself from being a part of the statistic. However, I’m definitely with Christine with regards to jobs that are not posted, but I think there is an operative word missing which is “good”. You know, there are many jobs that are out there, many jobs that are posted, but I think the stat should say 70 percent- I know I can’t but you know, it should say 70 percent of the good jobs are not publicly posted. I mean It’s easy to find a customer service call centre type job however not everyone is comfortable staying in those types of positions and you know, they may post entry level jobs but having an honours degree and having the Centennial certificate I would think we are all above that. So a lot of the I guess intermediate level jobs or the quote on quote good jobs are not out there.

Robin: For me, it was like I always implicitly knew that the network gap was a thing, and it’s something that I always had a lot of anxiety around growing up, thinking about how do you get a job? How does the process work? And I remember being a university student, scrolling through my university’s online jobs board. I would just be clicking on the links to all of these jobs and I would have no idea where to even start, because a lot of them required referrals and letters of recommendations from professors and I don’t really know my professors. I don’t really know what they would write about me. So, learning about the network gap through this campaign really helped me put things in perspective. It gave that phenomenon a name for me and seeing the statistics about it really confirmed that my anxieties are real and that I was right to be worried about it. Like everyone else, the fact that 70 percent of jobs are not posted publicly really stood out to me in that you really think that all the jobs are posted publicly and everyone is given equal opportunity to apply, but the sad reality is that’s often not the case. For me another big statistic was that you are more likely to get a job at a company if you are given a referral from someone at the company- I think the exact number is that you’re nine times more likely which is huge- it’s a huge effect and one that we can’t ignore.

My favourite resource was probably everything on hirecentennial, which is the website that acts as the central hub where career services gathers all of their available resources so that’s where you can make a drop-in appointment for example with career counselling. It has resources like tips on things like how to do an interview well, how to dress for an interview. It also has links to external sites like biginterview, which is a site where you can practice your interviews and if you have your webcam on it can actually analyze your face and give you feedback, for example if you’re making enough eye contact. I like technology so I found this website really cool.

I think we can all agree that we learned a lot in the past year. We are the first, and hopefully last, cohort that will have had to have online schooling for an entire year due to a pandemic situation. With the program’s finish line in sight, what do you guys hope to accomplish in the future? And, what piece of advice would you give to yourself who is starting school back in September 2020?

Christine: Yes I definitely agree with everything you just mentioned Robin, and I guess the advice I could give myself,or anyone that is considering going back to school similar to what I did, is to approach every situation with enthusiasm and to put in your best effort no matter what you do. So, as I mentioned, I only really had one job in my life thus far and never really did many job interviews. So, when we were required to send out resumes for the whole job interview thing for our field placements, I was incredibly nervous and kind of made myself believe that the organization I really wanted, would never pick me. But I knew that I needed to give myself my best shot essentially and kind of already believe that I already secured the job, which helped to put me in that right mindset so that I could go into that interview and do the best that I could and I eventually I did get the position, so all is well. And I think this advice would also apply to networking, so definitely approach all opportunities with enthusiasm and be excited for the very many meaningful connections you’re about to make, or you will make in your future and try your best to give it your best effort.

Sia: Yeah so I am definitely looking forward to gaining more experience in the PR industry after this program. So I’m looking forward to internships and available jobs. I’m also looking forward to, like Christine said, making connections.

I think the advice I would give is to be genuine and intentional when networking. Although we know, and we have stated that connections get you jobs, be careful doing this insincerely. It can look quite obvious your purpose behind networking when you're aimlessly messaging or connecting to a lot of people without intent. So be intentional about who you are reaching out to, and know that their knowledge in whatever industry you’re seeking, is valuable. So whether that single connection lands you a job or not, networking is such a great way for you to expand your knowledge and learn more from professionals.

Anya-Kaye: Yeah, well I will answer backwards here Robin. The advice I'd give to myself is like Nike, just do it! You know, whatever you feel you need to get done in order to be successful just do it. Don’t procrastinate, because time flies. And also that it is okay to depend on others which in this case is networking. You know I always felt that if I worked hard enough I didn’t need anyone and if I fail I fail, but you know there is nothing wrong with a helping hand in those times of failure and you can get that helping hand through networking and building connections. Not to say that hard work goes out the door. With regards to accomplishments in the future I hope to just finally settle in where I always thought I belong, in the field of communications.

Robin: Thanks so much for the advice guys. This concludes our podcast which is episode seven of Centennial College’s Career Resilience series, and by extension, Operation NetWORK IT! Thanks so much for tuning in. Whether you go on to use CivicAction’s CivicMatch program, drop in for career service’s one on one career counseling sessions, or simply learn more about what the network gap is, I hope you took away something valuable from our campaign. We would like to thank once again career services, in particular Alice Hsiung, and CivicAction for their collaboration with us throughout the campaign.

Christine: Yes, thank you so much for listening and participating in this campaign. I hope that you all were able to draw some similarities from our experiences with networking and know that you are not alone.

Sia: And don’t worry if you are hearing this after our campaign has concluded, you can also go back on @launchyourcareer and use the tips to guide your networking this summer.

Anya-Kaye: Thank you all for joining us on this journey and this incredible learning experience. We hope that after this you can share your knowledge about the network gap and help those who have been affected to overcome its adversities. Thank you for the team for the great work and hope that with our understanding of the gap we now know who to get a handle on the direction of our career paths. So I wish all my teammates, and every one in the audience, great success and don’t forget to NetWORK It!