career advice… Ticking Through Last Year’s To Do List Before January by Janet Krenn

I’m big into lists. I write them. Re-write them. Revise. Lose. Re-imagine.

I wrote myself a “to-do by the end of the year” list last week, and it’s horribly intimidating. I’m not embarrassed to admit that it’s full of things that have been sneaking to the bottom of my “to-do” lists since April, and although I know I have a long month ahead of me, I’m propelled to get through it and start January with nothing hanging over my head.

Imagine! Only having to do the tasks and jobs that are new! (It does sound like a dream, doesn’t it?)

As PR professionals, we can’t control the speed at which new projects and responsibilities fly at us, but we can make sure we’re ready to take them on.

For me, this means I’ll be buckling down. I’ll be more focused at work, checking my Facebook page only when it’s work related or when I’m at home (shuddering with pre-emptive withdrawals). I’ll be a dynamo, or like some kind of well-trained PR Kung Fu master executing tasks with quick, deadly precision.

The list is long. Writing articles, sidebars, upcoming press releases. Then there’s video transcribing, scripting, editing. And then there’s the stuff that I don’t even know about yet, but will undoubtedly make its way to my desk, just as the clutter’s starting to clear.

But I know with my trusty list in hand, I’ll tick through the tasks of soon-to-be yesteryear, and when 2011 rolls around, I’ll be ready to take on the new challenges and rewards without fretting about projects fermenting on my desk.

So who’s with me and ready to write down, then take down, that to-do list of 2010?

Janet Krenn is the 2010 Chair of the New Pros Section. She’s optimistic about closing out a successful 2010 at work, even though she has 23 things on her to-do list, and 3 days into December, none are checked off!

entry level… Networking: How I Got the Job by Lauren Gillaspey

For many of us, May has come and gone, and, diploma in hand, we find ourselves wondering, ‘now what?’ With a college degree comes the expectation that we have been magically granted a dream spot at the dream company, but more and more recent graduates are finding they have to work twice as hard to get the job than they did to get the degree. Regardless of if you can walk the walk and talk the talk, you can find yourself talking and walking in circles unless you learn to utilize the number key for securing a job—networking.

After graduating in May, I was more than ready to take the summer to relax and unwind. Instead, I pursued a recently acquired contact before too much time had lapsed. As a result, I ended my summer with not only an internship, but also an entry-level marketing position that has shed a lot of light on what I want out of my career.

How did I manage this?

It’s all about meeting the people that matter through the people you already know. And my story starts with my final presentation for my senior advertising course at Northern Arizona University. At the end of the semester, my group and I faced our final stepping-stone—the presentation of our semester-long advertising campaign on Perrier Sparkling Water. To up the ante, our professor invited guest judges to critique our campaigns and presentations.

Following our presentation, my fellow group members and I had the opportunity to speak with the judges about our futures in the industry and any recommendation and advice they had. They all stressed the importance of networking and how useful LinkedIn is as a networking tool. That evening, I made it a point to thank each of them for their time and to request a connection through LinkedIn.

By following their advice, I successfully completed the first step in using networking as a job-hunting skill. I proved that I was determined and that I did actually listen to what they had to say. As a result, one of the judges offered to critique my resume and help me with my job hunt. And, boy, did he follow through!

Within two weeks of my graduation, I had already secured an interview at Gadabout SalonSpas for their Social Media and Public Relations Intern position. An opportunity my networking contact had heard about through his association with the Tucson chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA).

With a little hard work and determination, I proved myself once again by being offered the internship. But, my newly acquired networking contact didn’t stop helping me. Periodically, I would receive job notices and career update questions from him. In June, he informed me that he had passed along my resume to another contact of his through AMA and a few days later, I received a phone call from a company I had never heard of requesting that I come in for an interview.

This time, the interview wasn’t for an internship; it was for the real deal. And sure enough, I was offered a marketing position with the company—my first real job in the industry, a mere couple of months post-college.

Since graduation, I’ve had to learn how to stop being a student and start being a successful and noticeable 20-something in the ocean that is the working world. Although I have drive and determination, I would be nowhere if I didn’t stop to talk to the people I meet along the way. They are your hidden jewels and missing pieces that make up the puzzle of life. Prove yourself to them, and sometimes they will bend over backwards to help you get from point A to point B.

LAUREN GILLASPEY is a freelance public relations specialist who recently graduated with Bachelors of Science in Advertising and Public Relations. Lauren continues to network with new and seasoned professionals through PRSA, AMA and AAF.

professional development… Here’s What’s for Us at PRSA International Conference by Janet Krenn

Two words: development and networking. This is what we as New Pros stand to gain by participating in International Conference this October 16-19 in Washington D.C. And if you register by next Friday (August 27) you can get this at the saver rate, i.e. $200 less.

(Now, I’ll be honest with you, you might find this to be too expensive to pay out of pocket, but other New Pros have attended conference in the past by asking their boss to foot the bill. If you’re interested in telling others how you convinced your boss to send you to IC or you have questions for those that did, join the discussion on our eGroup page.)

OK,  so you’re going to International Conference. Now what? In addition to the other cool sessions, the New Pros Section is sponsoring a session and two networking events.

  • New Professionals Section Workshop
    “Myth or Reality: ‘Agency Experience Preferred'”
    Tuesday, Oct. 19, 8–9:15 a.m.

    What are employers really asking for when they require “agency experience”? Is an agency position truly the best public relations experience? Learn about the pros and cons of agency and non-agency experience from Sarah Siewert, account executive, KemperLesnik; Heather R. Huhman, founder and president, Come Recommended; and Lara Kretler, vice president and social media lead, Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations. Receive advice on how to choose the path that best suits your skills, and learn how to make your own experiences marketable to all employers.

  • New Professionals, Technology and IPA Sections Networking Dinner
    Monday, Oct. 18, 6:30–9 p.m., Lauriol Plaza
    Graceful architecture and sophisticated service set a stylish tone for some of the best Tex-Mex in Washington, D.C. Lauriol Plaza offers good conversation, a strong margarita and the finest offerings from the mesquite-fired grill to IPA, Technology Section and New Professionals Section members.
  • Sections Soirée
    Monday, Oct. 18, 9–11:30 p.m.

    Stop by the Sections Soirée to network with colleagues from all 16 Professional Interest Sections, and share tips about the latest industry trends. Also, don’t miss a chance to win some great prizes.

If you can make it, International Conference is a great way to learn more about the profession and start networking with seasoned pros in your and other industries. Hope you can make it!

JANET A. KRENN is your 2010 Chair of the New pros of PRSA.

  • New Professionals Section Workshop
    “Myth or Reality: ‘Agency Experience Preferred'”
    Tuesday, Oct. 19, 8–9:15 a.m.

    What are employers really asking for when they require “agency experience”? Is an agency position truly the best public relations experience? Learn about the pros and cons of agency and non-agency experience from Sarah Siewert, account executive, KemperLesnik; Heather R. Huhman, founder and president, Come Recommended; and Lara Kretler, vice president and social media lead, Fahlgren Mortine Public Relations. Receive advice on how to choose the path that best suits your skills, and learn how to make your own experiences marketable to all employers.

  • New Professionals, Technology and IPA Sections Networking Dinner
    Monday, Oct. 18, 6:30–9 p.m., Lauriol Plaza
    Graceful architecture and sophisticated service set a stylish tone for some of the best Tex-Mex in Washington, D.C. Lauriol Plaza offers good conversation, a strong margarita and the finest offerings from the mesquite-fired grill to IPA, Technology Section and New Professionals Section members.
  • Sections Soirée
    Monday, Oct. 18, 9–11:30 p.m.

    Stop by the Sections Soirée to network with colleagues from all 16 Professional Interest Sections, and share tips about the latest industry trends. Also, don’t miss a chance to win some great prizes.


New Pros Summer Book Club – “Crush It” and Personal Branding

In “Crush It! Why now is the time to cash in on your passion”, Gary Vaynerchuk sets up an ambitious 12-item to-do list to accomplish within less than 200 pages. Last week, we talked about “What real hustle looks like”, but this week I want to talk about a different theme: Personal Branding.

Branding

Personal branding is a topic of interest to New Pros especially as we try to gather the quality and quantity of experience that will help us achieve our career goals. But, as Vaynerchuk indicates, personal branding is not just appearances and image.

Vaynerchuk argues “personal branding”=”content generation”, and he recommends blogging as the means towards personal branding. In our brave new world of microblogging and mini-messaging, the idea that long-form blogs hold the key toward establishing you and your personal brand seems nearly old school. After all, weren’t blogs so 2003?

Now let’s tie this back to last week’s post on Time. Vaynerchuk says to expect working your butt off both at work and at home for years before you start to see the payoff. At this point, you could reasonably assume that you’ll blog strong for about a year, but that the technology will change and you’ll need to pioneer a new medium.

What do you think?

How would you define personal branding?

Do you agree that Vaynerchuk’s arguing that content generation is the means toward achieving a personal brand?

Do you attribute your personal branding progress to blogging?

New Pros Summer Book Club – “Crush It!”

You voted, and we responded! For the last selection of our summer book club, we’re talking about “Crush It! Why now is the time to cash in on your passion” by Gary Vaynerchuk.

Vaynerchuk’s claim to fame lies in the fact that he used social media and the internet to turn his family’s <$10 million liquor store into a $50 million business in 8 years, and  he did it all during those years immediately after college.

If you’ve ever seen Vaynerchuk speak (he’s been speaking at countless events as well as TED), you know the guy has a deep, well-expressed passion. That passion explodes through “Crush It!”, making the book an entertaining, motivating, and quick read.

In the book, Vaynerchuk sets us up with a game plan toward embracing our passion and developing a business through the use of social media and the Internet. There’s a lot to like about this book, but in our two blog posts, I’m going to talk about the two themes that really struck me. This post, we’ll talk about Time, and next week, we’ll talk about Branding.

Time

How much time do you think you need to spend on building your business before you can monetize?

Vaynerchuk makes no attempt to hide his opinion: You need 40 hours each week and several years.

If you have a full-time job already, get ready for long nights in front of the computer. Because Vaynerchuk lives by three rules (1) love your family, (2) work superhard, (3) live your passion, he factors in family time into your after work schedule and suggests crushing it from 7pm to 2am every evening, with slightly altered hours if you have kids. “…assuming you’re doing this right, you’re going to be bleeding out of your eyeballs,” he writes, or rather dictates as he confides later in the book.

I like to sleep, and hearing this time commitment had me more than a bit apprehensive, but Vaynerchuk assures me:

“You’re not going to be stressed or tired. You’re going to be relaxed and invigorated… The passion and love for what you do will enable you to work the hours necessary to succeed.”

Well, Vaynerchuk’s enthusiasm had me all amped up at near-midnight on a Tuesday, and I thought, “What the heck! I’ll try it out tonight.” The next day, after 4 hours of sleep, relaxed and invigorated I was not. Although I am still laying the groundwork to crush it, I’m skeptical of how well I can meet this, or even a slightly abbreviated, time commitment.

What do you think?

If you’ve read the book, are you inspired to take on this time challenge? What are your apprehensions?

Are you crushing it now? Tell us what you’re crushing and drop any pointers you may have!