This week I finished two job fairs as the team lead. I have two more next week! At the 100 Mile House, I found one of the most notable job fair stories of the entire tour. Dustin is a job seeker that drove one hour from Williams Lake to the 100 Mile House to attend our job fair on Thursday. He had applied to Tolko two months ago and has been following up periodically, but has not gotten the response he wanted. He said he spoke to many representatives on the phone, but none were able to give him a status on his application. At the job fair, he saw that Tolko was there and followed up on his application. The human resources representative recalled seeing his application and said that Dustin’s persistence and his interest for the job was the reason that they immediately scheduled him an interview for next week. Dustin said that he thinks job fairs are a great idea because it allows job seekers to have that face-to-face interaction with someone from the company, instead of having to research information for hours online or speaking to numerous representatives on the phone before getting an answer. He said that he is in great support for the job fairs and thinks that it is definitely something that should be continued.

At the job fair, I had my first TV interview with Shaw TV Williams Lake. With radio interviews, I had to be cautious about the speed I am talking at, the clarity of my voice, and avoiding “like” and “umm.” With TV interviews, I had to be aware of those PLUS I had to worry about my visual presentation. I felt extremely nervous and I hope to get more exposure to the TV to practice these skills. Another responsibility I have taken initiative for is media monitoring. I am frequently the one that is interviewed by the media, so it made sense if I was the one to gather the media interviews. This involved visiting the media outlet’s website and searching for the information there, as well as contacting the reporter to send over a copy if it is not available on the website. Pace Group does not intend on reproducing these materials, but rather is keeping it for their file to show our client.    

After being away for almost a month now, the team was happy to have found comforting food at the Red Rock Grill. The restaurant had friendly staff that made great suggestions to delicious meals and dessert. We all agreed that the warm ambiance and the preparation of the food made our experience there the closest we had ever felt to home and home-cooked meals. Below is a photo of a sectioned off part of the restaurant, that reminds me of a classic dining room. We came back to the restaurant twice in the time we were at the 100 Mile House, so we have claimed this as “our spot.”  
 
Throughout the duration of the tour, the team has been taking turns being a team lead. This week and next week is my turn. On top of setting up and taking down the fair, and assisting job seekers during the fair, the team lead has more responsibilities. I am to keep track of time sheets and expense reports, but most importantly, I am responsible for communicating with the Government Communications and Public Engagement, who manages social media accounts and promotional material to advertise the job fairs. Before each fair, I send the representative, Hidé, a photo of the Sprinter van in the new city. This will be used on our social media accounts to advertise the job fairs. I am also supposed to take photos during the job fair and send those to him. Throughout the day, I speak to Hidé via e-mail or the company Blackberry to send him updates about the fair. I relay any news from him to the rest of the team to keep them informed and up to date.

At the end of the day, the team lead is responsible for using all the comments and questions from the fair to write a Community Report. This summarizes the event, takes note of the good news, and requires us to think of ways to improve future job fairs. We also recorded the number of attendees, any special guests, and the amount of collateral or swag that was given out that day. I love writing, so I enjoyed doing these Community Reports. My co-workers and the coordinator for the week (Jocelyn) pointed out that although this report requires professional writing, I have managed to do that but have added a creative spin to it. Thirteen community reports were written before me, and my goal was to make mine unique and find things that have not been said before. I’m glad that the team noticed that about my work.  

We are currently in Barriere, about an hour away from Kamloops. This is the first town where we did not have cellphone service. Half of the team is on the Fido/Rogers network, and their services do not extend to Barriere. Richard and Jocelyn were on the Bell and Telus network and their phones worked perfectly. This was one of the things that the team struggled with because it hindered our ability to communicate with each other and it prevented me from having a conference call with Hidé. Luckily, we all had smart phones and our laptops on us, so we were able to communicate via iMessage and WhatsAp. 
 
This week was again as eventful as the previous weeks. Our Vernon fair was another one of our busy ones. Job seekers began to line up outside the doors at around 10am and were eagerly waiting with their resumes. Our exhibitors had crowds of people wanting to hear what they had to say. Devon Energy had attendees lined up in an orderly fashion because each wanted to speak to a representative personally.
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Job seekers are lined up with resumes in their hands at the Vernon job fair
In terms of free time, it was Richard’s birthday on Monday. I suggested going to the Last Drop in Revelstoke because that was where my snowboarding instructor had taken me. We were surprised to see that the bar offered one free chicken wing to a birthday celebrant for every year that he or she has been alive for. Richard turned 41, so we were happy to have gotten some wings that he kindly shared with us. A funny story about the wings was that we had asked for a few of each flavor of wings, but the chef misinterpreted this and decided to mix all the flavours in one sauce and then put them on all of the wings. It tasted interesting, but free wings is delicious no matter what. 

I also got to see Silverstar and Sunpeaks resort this week. They both had cute villages, but I would have to say that Sunpeaks is by far my favourite resort. I had a very productive snowboarding day because I got better with my turns, consistently got off the chair lifts properly, and even learned how to use the platter lifts. I guess I enjoyed Sun Peaks because it was a productive day, with falling again kept to a minimal. The village has many stores and restaurants that kept me occupied in the times that I was exhausted from snowboarding. 
This weekend marks the halfway point of our trip. I admit, I enjoyed the scenic drives, seeing different cities, and snowboarding at some of the best resorts in the province. However, I am now starting to get a little homesick. Travelling is great, but I have never taken a vacation for longer than three weeks, so at this point I am feeling like I want to go home. I am lucky to have such great friends and family who I have been in contact with on a regular basis. I spent the weekend Skyping, Facebook messaging, and talking to them.
 
The Fair
Our job fairs are still going great. At the Kimberly fair, one of the high schools brought sixty of their students in to explore different careers. At Castlegar, our venue was Selkirk College. We had students from the college that were looking for jobs after they graduate, but we also had two high schools that drove one to two hours to attend the fair. In addition to the students, locals sought employment as well. The venue was packed all day!

The Team
After being with the team in such close quarters for three weeks, we have gotten to know each other quite well. An activity that we all enjoy playing is Settler’s of Catan. It is a board game that is quite complicated to explain, which gave me a bad impression of the game at first. However, after playing it I have grown quite fond of it. It is one of the things that brought the team together. My favourite story is how Adam and I are practically twins now. We have been riding in the same vehicle for two weeks and have spent hours on the road talking to pass the time. Our taste in music overlaps and we actually had an Aerosmith and Queen sing-along at one point. We are practically the same person because we order the same meals. At the Castlegar fair, Theo and Richard spoke to Adam and I separately about an interesting story and apparently we both responded the exact same way, word for word. If you do not find this funny, I guess this is one of our team inside jokes. Despite a ten year age gap, I am glad that I am getting along with the team.

Free Time
In the times that I was not working, I kept myself busy by enjoying what the city has to offer. Last weekend, I spent my day off snowboarding at Red Mountain in Rossland. A few days ago, I snowboarded at Kymberly and yesterday I had a great time snowboarding at Revelstoke. I haven’t snowboarded in almost two years, so I decide to take lessons to refresh my memory. Revelstoke is a great resort and the employees are so friendly. My instructor, Dave, was the best. I picked up on the skills quickly, and he kept my falling to a minimal. He caught me at the end of the day still practicing, and was nice enough to invite me to hangout with him and his friends for dinner and drinks. They are way more experienced snowboarders than I am, and told me crazy stories about the tricks they can do and the injuries they’ve gotten. It was inspiring to hear and I wish I could be as good as them one day. Luckily, I brought my board on the trip, so I can practice at these nice mountains.    
 
Last week we had job fairs in Hope and Osoyoos. I had been to Hope once when I was little, but do not remember much about it. It is a great place, surrounded by beautiful mountains. We had a team bonding activity, which involved 5-pin bowling and playing pool. I surprised the team by winning two games of 5-pin bowling. Unfortunately, the entire team played pool terribly. The best part about Hope was a coffee shop called the Blue Moose. There they had delicious cakes and made great drinks. I ordered a red symphony, which was rooibos tea, with white chocolate, vanilla, honey, whipped cream, and cinnamon sprinkles. It tasted amazing!

Osoyoos is probably one of my favourite cities we have visited so far. Our hotel was along the Osoyoos Lake, and I enjoyed walking by the water and over a bridge every day that we were there. In my free time, I went with Adam to NK’MIP (pronounced as inkameep) because the lady from the hotel gave me a free coupon for a vineyard tour. That was my first wine tasting, and I have to admit iced wine is now at the top of my favourite drinks list. During the tasting, I learned that to produce iced wine, the grapes must thrive in a temperature of about -8°C for five consecutive days before they are picked. When the grapes are squeezed, they only release about one or two drops of juice because it is so concentrated. I enjoyed the iced wine so much because of its sweetness, but a bottle costs $60. I now regret not buying a bottle, but I guess I’ll just have to come back in the summer! 
 
This week we were on the Island and had three job fairs in Saanich, Parksville and Campbell River. The weather out there was always great because the sun managed to make an appearance every single day. This allowed me to have nice walks along the water in the afternoons or whenever I am not working. Being away from the Lower Mainland was great because it gave the team a chance to bond. We have developed a habit of going for lunch and dinner together, which allowed me to learn more about my teammates and the coordinator for this week, Kristina. In terms of skills, a reporter from the Campbell River Mirror interviewed me this week. It wasn’t as nerve wracking as a radio interview because my voice wasn’t being recorded on a live show. Speaking to a reporter face-to-face also allowed me to see his facial expressions and go into more detail about the fair.

I am now back in the Lower Mainland and staying on residence because it is more convenient for our travel to Hope on Monday. I hardly noticed that I was gone, but it is great to be back and seeing familiar faces again. 
 
After completing four job fairs in the past two weeks, our team played on our strengths to develop a fast and efficient way to set up. Generally, the two men would handle the heavy items and set them up, while Theo and I work on display items that have intricate pieces to them. Our system is great because we have established our roles and this avoids miscommunication of two people doing the same task. Jocelyn said that of all the tours that Pace Group has done, we have been the fastest in setting up and tearing down. We have been allotted four hours for setup, but we have managed to complete this within an hour and a half. Each venue is a little different and we have encountered problems, like the loading zone being placed in an inconvenient location that will delay our routine or there are venue restrictions that may cause us to re-do our floor plan. However, our setup is improving each time we do it. Hopefully we can complete it within one hour by the end of the tour!

The job fair itself is also coming together. We discover more features on the Work BC and BC Jobs Plan websites at each fair to better assist job seekers, and the team is feeling more comfortable about our roles. A few success stories have also come out of the fair. Job seekers eagerly come to the fair with resumes and the outcome is that a few of our exhibitors have conducted interviews on site and have even hired some people on the spot. Other exhibitors were happy that they received a pleasant stack of resumes to review.

It has been great starting the tour in the Lower Mainland because it will ensure that we are prepared for the long haul of traveling. We are able to get any spare design pieces from Exhibitree and any equipment or other resources from the Pace Group office before we leave. I am excited to board the ferry early in the morning tomorrow and head over to the island for a week. It will be a great preview of what travelling will be like, and it gives us a better understanding of what we should prepare for in the long haul of travelling. I have not been away from my friends or family for an extended period of time, so I spent the weekend hanging out with them one last time. I don’t feel sad about it now, but I am sure I will get home sick at some point in the trip. Right now, I am looking forward to this experience! 
 
The BC Jobs Plan tour started on Tuesday in Pitt Meadows, and was followed by another job fair in Port Moody on Thursday. It felt great to finally apply what we had learned in training. It was a bit of a struggle trying to remember how to assemble all the display items at first, but I slowly began to remember once I was handling the items. The job fair itself is an interesting experience. Each job seeker that came in had a unique story to share. There were some high school students looking for a part time job, some immigrants looking to seek employment services and programs, adults in their 40s considering a career change, and mature workers that are interested in going back into the work force. I enjoyed hearing about each person’s experience because it exposed me to careers I had never heard of and different methods of job searching.

What do the job fairs offer?
From my experience in job searching, I found it effective to tap into my network of friends, family, previous co-workers, and career centres. I strongly encouraged the job seekers to visit a nearby Work BC office which provides services like career exploration, job search workshops, and help on resumes, cover letters and interview preparation. Employer expectations are constantly changing, so it is best to seek advice from career center professionals. I also used our iPads to show job seekers how to navigate the Work BC website, which has a job bank (updated on a daily basis) of over 7,000 employment opportunities for the entire province, career exploration tools (aptitude test, career profiles, and a job trend tracker), and job seeking advice. In addition to promoting Work BC services, I informed visitors that in the next ten years, 43% of the jobs in British Columbia will require trade or technical skills. Resources were available at our welcome desk for more information.

Some notable companies
The fairs start at 11am and end at 6pm. People of all ages are welcome to attend this free event and receive help from us, as well as get an opportunity to network with companies across all job sectors and post-secondary institutions. Work BC is scheduled to attend all our fairs and provide career advice to those who are already at the job fair. They encourage job seekers to maintain a relationship with them by frequently visiting their office. STEP, short for Skilled Trades Employment Program, will also be attending almost all of our job fairs. Their presence is important because they can assist the people interested in getting into the trades by telling them where to get trained and then later connect them with one of their partner companies in the BC Construction Association. Sprott Shaw College will also be at several of our fairs to provide information to those looking to further their education. In addition, other exhibitors will be present at the fairs and these will vary depending on the area and the popular industry within that community.

This week, our team was featured on The Pitt Meadow Times to inform the community about the job fair. I was also interviewed by CKPM FM, the tri-cities radio station. I had volunteered to do the interview because I wanted to apply what I learned from training immediately, but I felt quite nervous during this interview because it was my very first interaction with the media. I survived the interview, and I asked for feedback from my coordinators. They said I did fine. However, I would like to gain confidence in this aspect of public relations because it is new to me. I plan to work on this skill for the remainder of the job fairs.  

My goal for this work term
I would like to make the most out of this co-op term, so my goal is to work on my communication skills. Most people have told me that I am friendly, approachable, and far from being shy. Upon meeting my roommate on residence, I remember talking to her for four hours because I almost never run out of topics to talk about. These are excellent traits; however, communication isn’t just about being able to carry a conversation. It is about being able to get messages across clearly and concisely. From my media training, I realized how important key messages are when speaking to the media, but I also realized its importance in the public relations industry. PR workers and clients are busy people and they often would prefer a message that was direct to the point, rather than adding “fluff” of politeness or introduction. I am interested in being able to distinguish between conversational communication and professional communication. My goal also means being confident in public speaking, by realizing that it is better to pause and gather my thoughts rather than fill the silence with “like” and “umm.” By the end of this term, I would like to communicate confidently, clearly, and concisely. 
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The team was featured in The Pitt Meadow Times to promote the BC Jobs Plan tour
 
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My uniform
This morning we received media training. Despite having quite an eventful first week, learning how to drive a 3-tonne truck and setting up an exhibit, I enjoyed media training the most. In my classes, I learn about communication issues and topics, and have practiced my writing skills on a periodic basis. However, we hardly get practical training on speaking effectively to the media, writing news releases, and developing great public speaking skills. Today, I was introduced to those things. I learned that it is important to choose a few key messages when speaking to the media, I was exposed to news releases, and I was given a list of things to be aware of while speaking (fiddling, saying “umm”, and eye contact). It was a brief training, but it made me consider enrolling in a public relations program after I finish my undergraduate degree. We had finished our training, and ended the day by receiving our uniforms. Next week we are expected to be prepared and knowledgeable of the job fair resources because our first fair will be on Tuesday.

 
The morning was again spent at the office to get trained by the event coordinators, Kristina, Jocelyn, Devon, and Shivani. One of these coordinators will accompany us at each job fair. Today’s training allowed me to learn more about each one of them. For instance, Kristina graduated from the University of Victoria with a degree in English and decided to continue her studies by earning a certificate in public relations. Almost immediately she got a job at Pace Group and absolutely loved it. Jocelyn recently graduated from the University of Northern British Columbia and landed a job at Pace Group shortly after. Like me, she is also a Canucks fan. Shivani completed a psychology degree at the University of British Columbia, but developed an interest in public relations after gaining marketing experience at one of her jobs. I enjoyed hearing about their stories because I learned how each of them got into the public relations industry.

In the afternoon, we drove out to the Exhibitree office in Delta for exhibit set-up training. We learned how to set up the pipe and drapes to section each booth off. We also learned how to assemble four iPad media display stands, one interactive TV display stand, one mall display, one trades show display, and one counter. It almost felt like assembling Ikea furniture without the instruction manual. It was a lot of information to absorb, but I’m sure that after doing the same set-up 23 times, I will eventually be an expert on the assembly of these display items. We also practiced loading all the cases onto the truck. That part was like Tetris because there were so many cases that needed to be packed on. We also got to see the Sprinter van that has been branded with the BC Jobs Plan design. It is larger than a normal van, and is about ten feet tall and twelve to fourteen feet long. I have only ever driven a car, so I am excited to not only gain public relation skills, but also learn how to drive large vans and trucks.
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We learned everything we needed to know to set the fair up like this

Stephanie Munez