Career Development

Notes from the Road: 3 Things I Learned on Path to a Career in PR

Jess Noonan 1 Comment

Beginning a career in public relations can be quite a daunting prospect. There is no point-by-point roadmap to direct you on the way to professional success, and you will encounter plenty of obstacles along the way. I found myself in the hectic world of the “entry-level” after graduating college in May 2013; and now as I prepare for the next step in my career, I can think of a few pieces of advice that I have picked up along the way:

1) Be open to whatever comes your way, and be ready for some hard work.

When I graduated with a BA in history and started exploring public relations as a potential career path I was totally overwhelmed. I had done one PR internship in college, but I quickly found out, that I was not ready to become a high-powered account executive on day one. The difficult reality for me was that I needed to get more experience, and that meant internships, and unpaid internships at that.

I realized I knew a lot of people in health care, and I managed to find an internship with my alma mater’s children’s hospital. To support myself financially, I worked nights as a technician in the hospital’s pharmacy while I interned during the day. Those long days and nights at the hospital were not exactly what I would call fun, but I managed to learn a ton from my bosses, who held me to a very high standard and dramatically improved my writing.

2) Join your professional community.

One of the best things my boss at the children’s hospital did for me was encouraged me to join PRSA and be active in the profession. At a PRSA sponsored lunch, I sat at the same table as the social media department one of my town’s leading PR agencies, and after an interesting conversation about social media I asked for an informational interview. That interview eventually led to another internship, this time focused on social media. I was given an entire account to manage, and I discovered a real passion for the work. By the time my agency internship had finished I was able to once again turn to my local chapter of the PRSA to find my current internship with Carestream Health, which will allow me to keeping building my skills while I study for my MBA.

3) Use This Time to Find Your Passion.

Finding your passion may sound like corny advice, but it really is what the early stages of your career are for. Take on any challenge or opportunity you can find. Public Relations is an unbelievably diverse profession and you will find plenty of things you love to do, and plenty of things you don’t. In my case I found a real passion for all things social media, and I found some great mentors who fostered that passion. You may very well have some false starts, some things you just can’t get excited about, but don’t let those experiences derail your future career.

If you are really serious about a career in public relations, if you are willing to put in the hard work up front, and you can find the right team of people to support you then you have a great shot at becoming a real success in one of the most dynamic and engaging career fields there is. Public Relations is all about telling a story, so get out there and share yours with the world.

Sean Delehanty headshotSean Delehanty is currently an MBA candidate at the Simon School of Business, University of Rochester, Class of 2016; as well as a digital marketing intern with Carestream Health. He graduated from the University of Rochester in 2013, and has worked as a public relations intern at the Golisano Children’s Hospital and Dixon Schwabl Advertising. Sean is a Rochester, NY native and a proud member of the Rochester chapter of the PRSA.  

August Twitter Chat Highlights: Preparing for Your Next Career Move

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

We’d like to thank everyone who participated in the August #NPPRSA Twitter chat focused on how PR professionals can prepare for the next shift in their career. We discussed how to lay the ground work for career growth, considering both internal promotions and jobs at new companies.

PRSA Twitter ChatSpecifically, we’d like to thank our special guest for the evening, Ron Culp, Instructor and Professional Director of the Graduate Public Relations & Advertising Program at DePaul University. Ron also manages the industry leading blog Culpwrit for new professionals establishing a career in PR.

Join us again on September 4 for our next #NPPRSA chat.

Stay up-to-date with PRSA New Professionals on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

Review highlights of the chat below. What did you learn from the August chat? How can you prepare for your next career move? What can you do to broaden your experiences in your current position to be considered for a promotion? What should a PR pro do if they don’t see a future for career growth within their company? 

 


 

Amy BishopAmy Bishop works in digital PR and marketing for DigitalRelevance, a content promotion agency. She is also Social Media Co-Chair for the PRSA New Professionals Section. Read her insights on customer experience and social business on her Marketing Strategy blog. Connect with Amy through Twitter, Pinterest or Google+.

 

So You Want to Start a PR Career in Government…

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

There are many perceptions about government in Washington D.C. – political campaigns or press conferences with a mayor or congressman. Yes, there is some of that, but there is much more. Let’s explore how government public relations works and some things I’ve learned over the years.

A-New

What is it like?

There are many opportunities in government. Think of the city you live in and the news. Every day you see stories about police, fire, public meetings, road closures, housing, rezoning and much more. In fact, government seems to make up a lot of the news and media relations is a part of the job. There are other tasks like websites, graphic designs, safety campaigns, community engagement, social media, employee communications and many more = similar to working in-house for a business. Depending on where you live you might work in a communications department that represents the whole city or you may work strictly for a department such as transit, fire, utilities or police. There are also county systems, state departments and federal departments.

What I’ve learned…

Everything is public information. Any time you send an email, write a news release or post on Twitter for your job, it’s public information. In fact when you look for a job, the public relations positions are usually classified as public information officers. In government, anyone can request information and you will have to provide information if it is available. So you need to save a lot of things and be proactive in pushing out information that is useful to the public.

Good writing skills and strategic thinking are essential. Like other PR jobs, good writing skills will go a long way. You still need to be able to write a press release and other content. Likewise, you will be involved in big projects that require research, identifying stakeholders and target audiences, creating goals and objectives, selecting tactics and measuring your success.

Try to be as proactive as you can, but sometimes you have to be reactive. A lot of times things beyond your control will happen fast and the media may come to you before you know about it such as a sinkhole forming on a heavily traveled road during evening rush hour. It may take some time to get your information together, but you learn to give what information you have at that time.  Remember that government is often a resource of information and a lot of times media will come to you first. It might seem like it is reactive, but you might already have a plan of what to say for different issues

When it comes to budget, think nonprofit. There is some money allotted to communications, but it is usually limited. Government works for the public and needs to be selective in where money goes. This goes back to why strategic planning is important. You can still be creative and create campaigns when needed, but it is usually on a tight budget.

Be patient. Sometimes priorities change or the budget is cut and your project is put on hold. Also, some pieces of information may need to be reviewed by many people before you can finalize it. Things will get done, but it may take longer than you expected.

You can really be proud of your work and make a difference. At our organization, we say “Public service is our business.” You will be involved in a lot of large projects. You’ll get to be engaged with your community and help bring projects together. I’ve worked behind the scenes during snow storms and realize how important it is to get the right information to the right people at the right time. I can walk down the street and see something I was a part of and it gives me a sense of pride. I’ve also met some of the hardest working people in government.

Government public relations is a great place to start your career. It’s similar to other fields and you’ll be able to use a lot of your skills. It’s challenging and rewarding. There are many options of where to work; you just have to find them.

 

Screen Shot 2014-06-30 at 2.33.03 PMNicole Ramsey works as a Strategic Communications Manager for the City of Charlotte’s Corporate Communications and Marketing department in Charlotte, NC. She also is a member of the PRSA Charlotte’s New Professionals board. Nicole graduated with a M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a B.A. in Communications from the University of Louisville.

PRSA New Pros Teleseminar on May 22 on Integrated Marketing

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

From Whiteboard to Customer: A Journey Through Integrated Marketing

Thursday, May 22, 12-1 p.m. EDT

Lately, the conversation seems to be predominately held around real time marketing. It’s time to change the conversation and get into logistics. Megan Severs, Associate Vice President at Fahlgren Mortine will host our second PRSA New Professionals Section Brown Bag Discussion of the year on the hidden topic of integrated marketing. Megan hopes to address the following points in her teleseminar:

  • The importance of integrated marketing and what it means to consumers
  • The anatomy of an integrated team – who comes to the table, and the blurring of the traditional PR roles
  • The important role of research to guide an integrated strategy
  • Step by Step Case Study: McDonald’s Nocturnivore

Register today for the May 22nd teleseminar!

Treating Your Boss Like Your Client

Jess Noonan Leave a comment

You know something that’s strange? Oh, come on—take a guess.  Here are a few clues…

I’m not talking about any world records, pickles accompanied by mustard (yuck) or the way Shakira’s hips don’t lie (anyone else addicted to the Voice this season?).

Pat Blog

Source: www.notwillsmith.com

All out of guesses?  I’ll tell you.  It’s strange how closely the relationships we have with our clients and our supervisors mimic each other.  Shocker when you actually think about it, right? If your relationship with your boss is not like the one you have with your client, start making steps to morph it.

Your boss is your client.  She/he holds a certain power over your career, much like a client has a certain power in your agency’s ability to sign your paychecks. If you’re performing at the highest level, always achieving your professional goals and you communicate it to your boss, she/he will advocate for you.  In the same fashion as your boss, if you’re surpassing the goals you set with your client, you’ll continue to see positive results such as business growth and new business referrals.

Treating your boss (and colleagues) like a client shows that you respect them— if you show the same level of detail and care towards your boss as your client, she/he is bound to have a strengthened level of trust and respect for you as well. From my first internship to my current career, I follow a few simple rules when working with teams and/or clients: ask smart questions, always know your key messages before you begin presenting an analysis, and have back up ammunition such as supporting details, resources or next steps for those who questions.  Not only will the above rules show your boss you mean business, it will make you look ready for the next step in your career.

As young professionals, we have to embrace treating our teams like clients.  The continuous effort to treat your teams like clients will force you to perform at the highest level at all times (you won’t even need a Starbucks run).  Over time, you’ll begin to realize that your “default” internal mode will turn into your “client” external mode, and you’ll begin to see a natural upwards progression in your performance.

Source: Monster.com

Source: Monster.com

As I’m been jabbering away about treating your boss and teams like your client, I bet you’re wondering, ‘how am I supposed to act when your boss acts like the client from you-know-where?’ Simple. Treat them like a client.

Every moment is a learning moment.  If you have an extremely difficult manager—embrace it and still treat her/him like the client! You’ll be more prepared in the future to deal with harsh criticisms and the infamous indirect feedback. Practice makes perfect, start by having an open conversation with your boss by stating your expectations and goals you want to meet, and more importantly, learn how you can make their lives easier. Is she/he difficult because they’re terrible at responding to emails?  Try giving your boss a call. Is it because she/he will tell you everything she/he doesn’t want, but not what they actually want? Think two steps ahead.  Always be cognizant of what she/he already provided feedback on, and anticipate the next piece of feedback.  Go ahead and make the adjustments and provide reasoning to why you made the adjustments.

Now tell me about your experiences! Have you ever considered your boss as a client? How do you handle a difficult boss vs. a difficult client?

Pat MessengerPat Messenger is a Client Staff Assistant at Burson-Marsteller in Chicago. Pat is a member of PRSA Chicago and the Young Professional Network. Tweet at him @PatMessenger, or email him Patrick.Messenger@BM.com.