With the Holidays in full swing, it is time for the 2010 PRSA New Pros Executive Committee to say goodbye! 2010 was another fantastic year for the New Pros section and we hope our programs and blog posts have helped and inspired our members.

A big thank you to the following folks for all their hard work this year: Janet Krenn, Sarah Siewert, Mike Greenberg, Adrienne Bailey, Brian Camen, Andi Wilmes, Crystal Olig and Leah Moon.

On behalf of the 2010 executive committee I would like to wish everyone a happy and productive new year. Next year’s programs promise to be the best yet, so stop by the blog in January for an introduction to the 2011 team!

Attending industry events is extremely important for your career, however, for the young professional it can be quite daunting. As the new person on the scene, it is not uncommon to walk into a room, look around and realize “I don’t know a single person here!”

As a fellow new pro, I have often attended events alone and have picked up some tricks to help make the experience less awkward and more rewarding.

Ask to be introduced around: In most cases, board and committee members of the organization that is hosting the event would be more than happy to introduce you to people. It is their responsibility to make each attendee feel welcome and accommodated.”

PRSA New Pros wants to help you find a mentor who can help accelerate your career and support your growth. To do that, we are working with multiple groups within PRSA nationally to clearly articulate the goals and needs of new professionals participating in a mentorship program. Help us by taking this survey and tell us what kind of mentorship needs you have right now! Deadline to submit is Nov. 5.

Here are some benefits to having a mentor:

As a new professional, building your skill set is key to getting your dream position. But what’s frustrating is how long it can take, especially if you rely solely on your current position to provide you with the right opportunities and experiences to build your skills.

In my first position, I realized right away that my job description was only going to allow me to build my skills so far. So how do you gain the other experiences and skills needed for your dream position? Here are some suggestions:

Messages come in many forms: corporate mission statements, taglines, campaign mantras, etc. And, all have the single goal to be memorable. Like we established in the last post, why bother creating messages that don’t stick in people’s minds and drive people to action?

There are many great examples of sticky and not so sticky messages in July’s Book Club selection, Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath . Highlighted below are some comparisons of sticky and easily forgotten messages from the book. I have also highlighted a few sticky messages from my own experiences.

Book Example 1