Month: July 2018

Member Spotlight: Rachel Brown

Alyssa Born Leave a comment

Name: Rachel Brown
Position/Company: Public Relations Specialist, Albany State University
Location: Albany, Ga
Education: Public Relations and Integrated Media double major, Columbus State University
Social Media Handle: @rachelbrownpr

How and when did you first become interested in PR and communications?
My sophomore year of college as an Integrated Media major, I had to take Introduction to Public Relations. I fell in love with the field while learning about tactics and strategy to help people or brands come together.

How did you find internships/jobs?
I had three internships and I found them thought the Department of Communication at Columbus State. Business’s in the area reach out to departments and professors all the time and it is so smart to ask your college about what is available.

As for jobs, PRSA offers a job search that is easy to use and the options are endless.

What was the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced in your career? How did you overcome it?
Going from a small firm working in tourism to higher education, I had to really change my focus. The audience got bigger, the communication channels changed and I had to learn how to balance fun and corporate strategies.

I read blogs and did research on higher education public relations to understand what other universities are doing and how I could makes positive changes within my department. Also, immersing myself into the history and culture. That is important in our field because we are speaking for that brand.

What has been the most valuable thing you have learned through classes or experience?
Set objectives and evaluate everything. You won’t be able to know how well something is working if you are not measuring the results.

What has been the best piece of advice you have received?
It is better to undersell and over perform than to oversell and under perform.

Do you have any advice for future PR pros?
Get a mentor.  Never stop learning: There are countless ways to learn after you graduate with webinars, text books, blogs, twitter chats and more! Intern in different settings before you choose what type of company you would like work at. Never post on social about what’s trending until you have done the proper research. Get an AP Style Guide and study it like a religion.

What do you think is the best benefit of PRSA and the New Pros section?
My favorite benefit of PRSA is the conferences. It’s the perfect way to network and learn. Use the tools that PRSA has available to you to further your professional development.

Is there anything you wish you would have known before starting your career?
Project management and organization skills are a must. There are times I am working on over 30 projects at once, whether they are big or small and without organization the little things get lost in the details. The little things are important.

Tell us a little-known fact about yourself.
I name my animals after Disney Characters.

If you are interested in being featured, or interested in nominating someone to be featured as a part of our #MemberSpotlight, please complete the following form.

 

Member Spotlight: Emma Finkbeiner

Alyssa Born Leave a comment

Name: Emma Finkbeiner
Position/Company: Integrated Marketing Coordinator, Chicago Cubs
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Education: Public Relations & Journalism, BS, Northern Michigan University
Public Relations & Advertising, MA, DePaul University
Social Media Handle: @efink101

How and when did you first become interested in PR and communications?
My freshman year of college I declared a communications major. I enjoyed my classes but was feeling unsure of what a career with a communications degree looked like. My adviser at NMU suggested I consider switching to pubic relations and showed me the variety of career paths it offered. Not only that, he introduced me to PRSSA as well, which helped me further understand the profession, and I got involved right away.

How did you find internships/jobs?
Primarily through networking. By getting involved in PRSSA and taking on leadership roles, I was able to travel to events all over the country and meet so many people. I would say all of my internships and jobs have been touched in some way by a connection I made through PRSSA, whether this person wrote me a recommendation, worked for the organization or just told me about the opportunity.

What was the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced in your career? How did you overcome it?
My biggest challenge so far was moving into a marketing function with my background being primarily public relations and journalism. However, my master’s degree helped me to grow my knowledge while I started this position and my skills were definitely transferrable. I also wasn’t afraid to ask a lot of questions and took time to expand my skillset by diving in when opportunities to work on something I wasn’t yet an expert in presented themselves.

What has been the most valuable thing you have learned through classes or experience?
Both my classes and professional experience taught me how to work in teams and how to become a creative problem solver. My classes were primarily project based, allowing me to work with teams of fellow students to take a client challenge and turn it into an opportunity. In my professional experience, I have always collaborated with others.

What has been the best piece of advice you have received?
Not to take things personally, to be resilient and to never stop learning.

Do you have any advice for future PR pros?
I value hard work tremendously and have always been willing to go the extra mile, but work-life balance is so important. Bring your best self to work every day, but remember that you are a human being and take time to do things in your personal life that you enjoy.

What do you think is the best benefit of PRSA and the New Pros section?
The supportive network of professionals. Most of my mentors I met through PRSA and I also really value all of the things I have learned from my peers in the New Pros section. Whether you’re looking for a new job, navigating the transition from student to professional or are just looking for a group of like-minded people, PRSA and PRSA New Pros provides that and so much more.

Is there anything you wish you would have known before starting your career?
I really only wish I had known about this industry sooner! I loved participating in high school outreach sessions when I was a member of PRSSA because I saw so many students’ faces light up when they were introduced to the public relations profession. Continuing to educate students in high school that this career path is an option is so important so that they can choose from schools with great programs that have PRSSA chapters, which allow them to get involved in their professional development on a deeper level.

Tell us a little-known fact about yourself.
I’m not sure if I would call this a “little-known” fact, but I am absolutely obsessed with my 2-year-old pitbull Addison. She even has her own Instagram account – @addisonbully!
If you are interested in being featured, or interested in nominating someone to be featured as a part of our #MemberSpotlight, please complete the following form.