Career Advice

New Pros Summer Book Club – Social Pollination

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Welcome to the first installation of PRSA’s New Pros Summer Book Club. Over the next three months we’ll be discussing and reviewing books that will help you succeed as a pr new professional.

The New Pros recently had an opportunity to interview Monica O’Brien, the author of “Social Pollination” about digital media and how her book can help you. Read our interview with O’Brien, and check back next week for our review of her book.

New Pros (NP):Tell us a little about yourself. Where did your passion for digital media come from?

Monica O’Brien (MO): I spent about 5 years, starting my senior year of college, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. In search of “the answer,” I learned an extremely valuable lesson: Every single person has a skill set that is valuable. I don’t mean this in the Kumbaya way, like we should appreciate all of God’s children. I mean that everyone has a skill set of things they enjoy doing­—a skill set that people are willing to pay for.

So why isn’t everyone doing a job they love then? One word: Marketing! People don’t know how to package and distribute their skill set into a product or service that people are willing to pay for. Even when they get past that step, they then don’t know how to find their target customers effectively and affordably. My book helps people and companies do this using digital media.

NP: Your book helps businesses leverage their social media presence, how can your advice be translated to personal social media use?

MO: Every person is selling something. You may be trading your time and skill set to a company for monetary value as an employee, but you are still selling. Consider yourself a small business of one to take advantage of the information in the book.

NP: You write about the psychology of online sharing. More specifically you talk about whether information is important enough to share. Gen Y’ers often over share. What advice would you give to Gen Y’ers so this doesn’t happen?

MO: Two things:

  • Despite privacy settings solutions online, you should always be careful with what you say. Very obvious, but for some reason people don’t get it! So do a quick check: write a list of topics you wouldn’t want your boss or your grandma to hear you talk about. Do you share this information online anyway, even behind privacy settings?
  • Look around you and see what pointless stuff other people are sharing. Do you care if someone is at the airport three states over, heading to another airport 12 states over? Probably not. Do you care what people ate for lunch? Only if they provide a yummy picture and a recipe. Watch others to know when you annoy people. And accept that no matter what you do, you will annoy someone anyway.

NP: Do you have any advice for new professionals who are looking to break into digital media?

MP: Sure! Before getting on Twitter or even starting a blog, you should learn the logistics of how to inspire people in your every day life. You should also learn how a movement is started, because that’s what you are trying to do online. I have links to two TED videos to watch: Simon Sinek on How Great Leaders Inspire and Derek Sivers on How to Start a Movement. Once you are done watching these, you can learn the technical logistics of breaking into digital media from my book.

Special thank you goes to O’Brien for taking the time to chat with PRSA. You can purchase “Social Pollination” on Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. Check back next week for our review of her book, but in the mean time here are a few discussion questions to get you thinking.  Feel free to post your responses in the comment section.

1)   What social tools are you currently using to promote yourself online?

2)   In your opinion, what do you consider to be too much sharing online?

3) O’Brien says before you get started online, you should learn the logistics of how to inspire. How do you inspire people in your life?

Intro to Series… Agency PR by Adrienne Bailey

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As you can imagine, agency life is exceptionally eventful, fast paced, and extremely rewarding.  Unlike other areas of public relations, you are constantly working with numerous clients in a wide array of industries. A typical work week can vary depending on deadline, events, client projects, and journalists’ needs—no two weeks are ever the same. Often, you may be working on several accounts at a time; each requiring just as much attention as the others. Being able to effectively allocate enough time to each account is essential to meeting client’s needs and exceeding expectations.

Due to the fast paced atmosphere, it is imperative to think quickly on your feet. The flair to provide swift and meticulous responses and work at the drop of a hat comes from a true understanding of the evolving industry and your client’s business. As agency people, we are constantly researching, keeping with the news and latest trends, and bringing new, unique ideas to the table. The work environment is extremely conducive to learning and collaboration—and while there may be a laid back feel, people are constantly working hard to stay ahead of the game.

What kinds of things would you expect to do working for a PR agency?

While general tasks may vary based on the client, agency work in PR does involve a great deal of pitching, writing, planning, creating, and collaboration! Agency pros are regularly educating the media and the public on a wide variety of topics by effectively sharing stories in a compelling manner. My work involves consistently developing newsworthy and unique angles to pitch to the media, educating clients on social media and Web 2.0, landing placements in targeted platforms to ensure the message is reaching the right people, and much more. Taking the time to do thorough research and personalize your correspondences with editors and journalists is vital to developing great relationships. In my experience, I have come to recognize and develop several skills needed for success in an agency: persistency, organization, urgency, commitment and the ability to multi-task are just a few.

What kinds of challenges could you face working for a PR agency?

Regardless of your industry, challenges are something we face each and every day. A few challenges in the agency work include:

  • Keeping up with not only the public relations industry, but the industries of our clients
  • Work and life balance is a bit tricky- especially with the amount of professional development needed at any level
  • Pressure to bring cutting-edge ideas to our clients on a consistent basis
  • Staying atop the evolution of technology and ensuring integration when necessary
  • Being able to deliver metrics and accurate measurement of our efforts
  • Helping clients and potential new business prospects understand our industry’s work and value
  • Multi-tasking between current accounts and potential new business

What kinds of courses would be beneficial to someone working for a PR agency?

Outside of the general courses in PR and Journalism, courses in

  • marketing,
  • business,
  • economy
  • public speaking
  • various cultures and second languages

—
Adrienne Bailey, Account Executive at Y&L PR- a division of Young and Laramore, 2009 Butler University graduate.

professional development webinar…Build a Thriving Online Brand for Yourself (June 16, 2010)

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Just a mere few years ago, a resume was one of the only things a recruiter had access to in order to gain insight into an applicants background, experience and overall personal brand. Well those days are over.

Now a quick Google search can reveal your online footprint – the blog you write, comments you’ve left, your Facebook profile, tweets, pictures you’re tagged in, events you’ve attended, and the lists goes on. It is now more important then ever to be as strategic with you online presence as you are with your resume. Everyone should be asking themselves, “Have I positioned myself well online?”

To help us determine how, when and where to join online conversations, while maintaining our professional credibility, we’ve invited fellow New Pro member Lauren Fernandez to share her secrets to becoming an online influencer during the New Pros webinar “Build a Thriving Online Brand for Yourself,” Wednesday, June 16, 2010 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. EST.

Lauren Fernandez is an account executive at Moroch | PR, and specializes in social and traditional media relations strategy, working exclusively with the energy sector. In the past, she has worked extensively on behalf of clients across a variety of industries, including health care, motion pictures, technology and higher education. Lauren’s public relations and social media blog “LAF” was awarded “Best Up-and-Coming Blog” at the 2009 PR Reader’s Choice Blog Awards. She is a co-creator and moderator of the popular #u30pro, an ongoing Twitter conversation focusing on professional insight and bridging the generation gap. Connect with Lauren (@CubanaLAF) on Twitter.

For the cost of this event, PRSA members will receive a free New Professionals Section membership (a $20 value). This membership will expire at the time of your PRSA National membership renewal.

For more information or to register, click here.

career advice… Real People Think This is OK When Job Hunting, but It’s Not by Janet Krenn

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I’ve been completely astounded by the way that people act in networking and job-hunting situations; and I start to wonder, how could any rational person think that this is OK?

The only way I can explain it? These crazy interactions must be the unhappy result of someone misapplying generic advice. Here are real stories of bad networking behavior that I have witnessed along with the four bits of generic networking and job hunting advice that I want to bring to your attention. By all means, apply these pieces of advice, but please do so with a healthy amount of restraint!

Generic Advice #1: Don’t be afraid to take a risk.
How much “risk” should you as a job hunter take? Risk can indicate that you are a leader or that you are confident. But if the risk turns out to be a disaster, you may come off as arrogant or reckless.

Bad Application: Taking a risk without considering whether the risk will give you the desired outcome.
Once I was at a trade show with our CEO. A newly minted graduate and now intern planted himself in our exhibit space. While the CEO was off talking with someone else, the recent grad indicated to me that he thought our company was interesting and inquired whether we were hiring. We weren’t right now, I told him, but if he’d like to drop off a resume, we’d hold onto it. He walked away, but when he came back, he didn’t have a resume–He had redesigned the company logo and started pitching his unsolicited redesign to the CEO.

Generic Advice #2: Don’t be afraid of networking! Get your name out there. Show your face.
When I lament to my boyfriend that my bike needs some work, but I didn’t know where to take it. He says in reply, “Oh, if only there was some international network of information that you could use to find this out!”  There is no excuse for walking into any prospective partner, employer, or client’s office as if you were conducting a “cold call”.

Bad Application: Contacting an individual about whom you know nothing.
The other day, a job hunter walks into my office and asks, “Do you know who the expert is in XYZ?” and then “What can you tell me about him?” This gent wanted to establish a partnership with someone at my company, and assumed that just because I had a desk on campus that I was going to have answers for him. When I told him I didn’t know who he should talk to, he asked that I look into it and email him. Which brings me to #3…

Generic Advice #3: Ask for help.
Finding a job is work. You can probably look to your close friends and colleagues to help you drum up business or interviews. Be careful whom you ask for help.

Bad Application: Asking others to carry you.
When you ask for assistance from someone who doesn’t know you better, you run the risk of looking unambitious or lazy, and once you’ve made that impression, you have a slim chance that that connected individual will want to recommend you for an interview.


Generic Advice #4: Contact the hiring manager before you submit your resume. Ask questions during your interview.
The questions you ask a hiring manager could make you appear thoughtful and intelligent. The caveat is: In order to appear thoughtful and intelligent, your questions need to be thoughtful and intelligent. Walking into a networking situation or a job interview, you should already know why you want to be there.

Bad Application: Asking a company to tell you how you could benefit from this position.
Don’t contact a hiring manager and ask her to justify why you should want the job. This seems obvious, right? I’m only bringing it up, because I’ve seen it happen more than once. If you don’t know why you should want the job, don’t waste anyone’s time. Don’t apply, and don’t bother the hiring manager. You never know when that hiring manager will be posting a job you are interested in, and you don’t want to have that first negative interaction hanging over your head.

—
JANET KRENN has never been a hiring manager, and even so, she’s seen some job hunters doing some wacky things. She is also the 2010 Chair of the New Professionals of PRSA. You can contact her at janetqs(a)gmail.com or @janetkrenn.

networking… “What do you do?” and Why Your Answer is Wrong by Janet Krenn

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Networking. It’s how you can get a job. It’s how you can self-promote. It’s important in every profession. For many of us, networking is a mystery. I mean, how do you go from “hello” to getting a job? How do you go from “nice to meet you” to let’s collaborate?

My local PRSA chapter held a speed networking event last month, and it opened my eyes! The speaker presented on “Make Your Contacts Count: Networking know-how for business and career success” by Anne Barber and Lynne Waymon, and I foudn that I have been giving the wrong answer to the very first question asked in any networking conversation–“What do you do?”

By giving one of the two popular incorrect answers, I’ve been missing opportunities to describe my value, achievements, and goals. Instead, I provided meaningless, but easy, responses. In short, I’ve been failing at personal branding.

Wrong Answer #1: I work for a company.

I used to say, “I work for McDougal Littell” and those in the textbook publishing industry were usually impressed. Maybe you work for GE, and you know that dropping the company name will sound impressive. But the company name doesn’t promote you and your strengths. In the first minutes of conversation, I neglected to give my conversation partner any interesting information. What if they’ve never heard of your company before? Will you have to spend valuable networking time explaining the company rather than your own value?

Wrong Answer #2: I am a job title.

No matter how much you like your job, you are not your job title. How many other people are in PR? Thousands! By saying you are a job title, all of your achievements and goals, the reasons why someone should want to work with you, are hidden. Will an answer like, “I’m an account manager” get you recommended for job openings? Probably not.

Right Answers are Descriptive

I can much more easily point out the wrong answers than to give you a blanket “right” one. Basically, you want to give a quick, descriptive answer that is achievement driven (what have you accomplished? how have you accomplished it?), goal oriented (what are your goals when you enter the office? what are your long term goals?), value-added (what value do you have as an employee? what are your strengths?), and inspire questions (will your descriptive answer lead the conversation to those probing questions that will help you reveal your value, achievements, and goals?).

Myself as an Example

As I said, I used to answer “What do you do?” with lack-luster answers, such as, “I work for Virginia Sea Grant” or “I am a communicator.”

After more thought, I’ve started to elaborate to say, “I translate science to non-scientists.” But even this slightly more descriptive answer doesn’t explain the value of my skills well. So I kept adding, pruning, and rethinking my answer to the “What do you do” question, until I got to the answer at the end of this post.

What do you do?

Well, how might you answer this networking question to best show off your achievements, goals, and value? To celebrate our newly unlocked comments section of this blog (no log-in necessary to participate), write your own new-and-improved response to the What do you do? question.

—
JANET KRENN helps coastal industry, and communities make ecologically and economically sound decisions by translating science to non-scientists. (She is also your 2010 New Pros of PRSA Chair, and the past, 2009, Communication Chair. Follow her on Twitter @JanetKrenn or contact her janetqs(a)gmail.com)