Hill + Knowlton Strategies

  [Figure 1]
On Wednesday, October 31st 2012, Mohawk Public Relations students had the privilege of traveling to Toronto to experience firsthand what walking into an award winning Public Relations firm feels like.  This firm along with winning the 2012 Agency of the Year award and 2012 Best Place to Work award has also received an Order of Excellence reflecting the level of expectations one has to have of their work and of themselves to be part of such a successful firm.  This Public Relations firm is none other than Hill + Knowlton Strategies.

We signed in at the festively decorated front desk [see Figure 1] as we entered the modern contemporary lobby fitted with a mounted television screen displaying an ongoing news channel.  The introductory environment alone shows visitors Hill + Knowlton’s commitment to staying up to date and informed [see Figure 2].
[Figure 2] 
We were invited into the boardroom for a casual yet professional presentation lead by Chrystal Boudreau, Talent Acquisition.  Boudreau shared her role within the firm and expressed her interest in Human Resources.  At Hill + Knowlton professional development is a key resource and ambitions are supported by the firm as an asset.  Hill and Knowlton pride themselves as a having a diverse wealth of knowledge.
Mary and Kelsey joined Chrystal to provide testimonials of their job searching experience and their perspectives on working at Hill + Knowlton [see Figure 3].  Mary as a senior consultant started her career in not-for-profit doing fundraising and found herself looking for something that provided a variety of challenges.  Kelsey shared her unique and creative way of getting noticed when applying for jobs.  She left plants with a card that provided a link to a website where her talents could be showcased and stick out from her competition.
 [Figure 3 from left to right Mary, Chrystal, Kelsey.]

The class was invited to be active participants in the presentation.  We were prompted to tweet and even developed the course of the presentation by sharing what we were interested in knowing.  This collaborative style allowed us to feel our input was valued and we were encouraged to ask questions.  We were given a brief history lesson about the parent company, WPP, and then an inside look of what new PR practitioners are to expect when hired at Hill + Knowlton.  A few of their clients include Bell Canada, West Jet, and 20th Century Fox.
The following list displays some of the practices executed at Hill + Knowlton:
-          Advocacy
-          Business to Business communication
-          Social and digital communication
-          Public affairs
-          Sponsorship activation
-          Events
-          Product launches
-          Executive visibility
-          Media strategy
-          Media training
-          Practical and academic agency (encourages learning)

The visit was an invaluable experience and on behalf of Mohawk College I would like to thank Chrystal, Mary and Kelsey for their efforts in welcoming our class and sharing their personal and professional experiences.  I can only speak for myself but I am certain others will agree that Hill + Knowlton Strategies is a firm I professionally aspire to be a part of.

-Sadie Wolfe-

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