*update*: Sonya Malcolm is a Communications Specialist
Sonya Malcolm works as a Communications Coordinator for Aon, a large insurance brokerage company.
“My main responsibilities are writing and developing ad copy, brochures, website content and other marketing material. I also occasionally plan conferences and events,” says Sonya, who is also a graduate of Sheridan College’s Corporate Communications program.
“The biggest challenge in this position is juggling a number of projects and meeting tight deadlines. Marinating attention to detail and accuracy under these conditions can be tough. However, when a project is seen through to successful completion, this position can be quite rewarding.”
Among the characteristics that would make a successful communications coordinator, Sonya lists writing and research skills, organizational skills, multi-tasking skills, creativity, as well as diplomacy and a willingness to work as part of a team.
Sonya, who was also Communications Coordinator for Hamilton Health Sciences before her current position, participated in an internship as part of her Sheridan College program. She was then hired by the organization she interned with. But before choosing her post-graduate program at Sheridan, she did her research at the UTM Career Centre.
“I participated in the Extern program, which allowed me to discover that the communications field existed and that it would be a good fit for me. I believe that having a degree in English has been a huge asset in obtaining jobs that are primarily based on writing. Highlighting the unique skills that an English degree provides have helped me in job interviews and in my resume,” she says.
“Students majoring in English should know that their degree, whether standing alone or with another major, is incredibly valuable. The ability to analyze information and express it clearly is a rare commodity, and if you can write well and meet tight deadlines there will always be a job out there for you.”
Sonya volunteers on the Communications Committee of Habitat for Humanity, Toronto and is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators. If she could do anything differently, she would have combined an English major with another major in the social sciences.
“My eventual aim is to work in communications for the government or an international NGO and I think a second major in Sociology or Political Science would be helpful in that regard,” she says.