Career Development

#PRTips from the Pros: Networking, Measuring & More

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

Throughout 2015, we’ve shared tips and insights from some of the most well-known PR pros in the business such as Deirdre Breakenridge and Heather Whaling. To close out the year, we’ll be sharing advice from PR pros who spent time with us during last month’s New Pros event at PRSA ICON. So, whether you missed the sessions, need some motivation for 2016, or all of the above, we have some great tips for you in our expanded #TBT series, #PRTips from the Pros!

In this post, we’ll be sharing tips from PRSA Fellow Anthony D’Angelo. D'Angelo

 

Question 1: What was your biggest challenge as young professional, and how did you overcome it?

Establishing an understanding of public relations with my employer, who had a limited view of the field’s scope and purpose. Over time, I was able to demonstrate the breadth and effectiveness of public relations by applying our profession’s strategies to the work at hand. When employers or clients see public relations research, strategy, tactical creativity and evaluation methodologies advance relevant metrics, they have an “ah-ha!” moment.

Question 2: How did you learn to network comfortably at large events like PRSA ICON?

I’ve found that asking colleagues about their interests and their about their opinions relative to professional topics is an engaging way to network and to gain knowledge simultaneously. Networking starts with careful listening.  

Question 3: When looking for potential employees, what young professional traits are most valuable to you?

Integrity, professional writing skills, inquisitiveness, helpfulness, a strategic perspective and a strong work ethic.

Question 4: When did you get involved with PRSA, and what tips do you have on young professionals just joining for the first time?

I was a PRSSA member as an undergraduate student, but I didn’t contribute enough effort to the chapter and count it as a lost opportunity in my early development. When I got my first agency job I joined PRSA and immediately volunteered to be the chapter newsletter editor. Mindful of how I underachieved with PRSSA, I gave it my best effort and it led to wonderfully rewarding relationships with local board members and additional volunteer assignments that were both enjoyable and career-enhancing. My tip to young pros is to raise your hand for an assignment and commit yourself to making it something you’re proud of. Then, “rinse and repeat” several times. You will be rewarded.

Question 5: If you could go back in time and give advice to yourself during your first year on the job, what would you say? “Tony, don’t focus so much on the work that’s right in front of you today, look to the horizon and reflect on all the ways you can help the organization advance its mission, goals and objectives. Commit to that bigger picture, and focus on it each day.”

About Anthony:  

Anthony D’Angelo, APR, Fellow PRSA, joined Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications as a professor of practice in public relations in August 2015 after serving in public relations leadership roles in the corporate and agency sectors for more than 25 years, most recently with ITT Corporation. Prior to that he worked for the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, Magna International, United Technologies and Sage Marketing Communications. D’Angelo’s practice areas include change management, reputation management, branding and marketing communications.

He is national secretary-elect of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), past chair of its College of Fellows, and a founder of PRSA’s MBA program to bring strategic communications content to MBA curricula nationwide. D’Angelo’s pieces on the importance of strategic communications to organizational leadership have appeared in BusinessWeek, the Financial Times and The Public Relations Strategist, and he is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal’s “Crisis of the Week” column. He has presented seminars on change management at several conferences and universities over the last 15 years. 

 

How to Know When to Leave (or Stay) at a Job

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

Should I leave or should I stay? When do you really know it’s the right time to move on from a job for something new? A difficult question to answer, but one that many people face in today’s working world. Gone are the days that you are expected to, or want to stay in the same job, in the same workplace, for the rest of your life, but when do you know it’s time to move on and start looking for a new job? Here’s what you should consider.

Is there room for improvement?

The first thing to look at is if there is room for improvement in your current role. Figure out what it is that you like and dislike about your role, and how you could potentially address the dislikes. Often time’s employees are so hesitant to speak up to their managers about their dislikes on the job, when in reality, their managers may be able to help you see a way to make it more enjoyable.

What are your long-term goals?

Next, think through what your long-term goals are. Think about where you would like to be in the next 5-10 years, and what you are going to need to do or learn in order to get you to that point. A good employer will want you to grow with them as oppose to leave for a different opportunity, so by expressing the things you’d like to work on, you could end up with new opportunities that will help you reach your long-term goals. If you don’t see your employer assisting you in reaching these goals, it may be a sign that you should look for one that will.

Can you grow in your current workplace?

Take a look at if there is room to grow within your own organization. Is there a position you can see yourself moving up into if the opportunity presented itself? Is there a chance that you could be promoted within your organization to something you’d enjoy better? In larger organizations this is often a plus, but in smaller organizations, where a higher and better position may not exist, that may be a sign you’ll have to move out of the company in order to move up and forward in your career.

Are you happy?

Last but definitely not least, ask yourself if you are happy in your current workplace. Sometimes it can just be the role you are currently in that’s making you unhappy but the actual workplace is a place you genuinely enjoy working at. Other times you may just be completely over the place that you work, and know that even if you had a different role, you still wouldn’t be satisfied. If there isn’t a chance that you think you could work with your current workplace to improve your role, or move to a position you’d like better—then that’s a sign that it’s time to move on.

Moving on from a workplace that you’ve grown in and are comfortable at can be a tough decision, but in terms of your happiness and your employment, it’s okay to be selfish. If you have grown out of your current career, and don’t see a chance for you to develop professionally anymore, your employers will understand your want to move on to something that is better for you.

Lauren Marinigh is a PR and marketing professional based out of Toronto. You can learn more about Lauren at www.laurenmarinigh.com or on Twitter at @marinighPR.

How to Get Your First Promotion

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You’ve made it through your first full-time position, congratulations! Getting the first position is the hardest part, but you’ve managed to break into the industry. You’ve got the experience and some new skills, but how do you take it to the next level?

Getting a promotionBelow are five ways to get to the next level in your career.

Act like you are already in the next position.

Once you’ve mastered the requirements of your current position, start learning about what’s required at the next level.

Let’s say you are the assistant account executive for your team. You are charged with maintaining media lists, keeping the department clip report updated and assisting the team as needed. What does an account executive do? They might take your efforts further and build relationships with contacts on the media lists, they might create custom media lists, they use the clips in the report to share results with clients, etc. Start emulating those actions.

Take inventory of your job responsibilities and see how you can take them a step further.

Become a resource for your department

Is your boss having trouble getting a client invoice approved through accounting? Having trouble getting timely numbers and results from your research department?

It pays to network, even inside of your organization. Get to know the different parts of your organization and make yourself a resource for getting important but tedious tasks done quickly.

Continue your education

Become involved in your local PRSA chapter. Attend monthly luncheon or happy hours. Join a committee or participate in a Twitter chat or webinar. There are so many ways to get involved with PRSA and it shows that you are invested in becoming a better PR professional.

A positive attitude goes a long way

We’ve all had days when you are just not feeling up to it, whatever it maybe. Or things may be stressful in your personal life. But remember, work is not the place to take out your frustrations.

Maintaining a positive attitude may seem insignificant, but your coworkers and most importantly your boss will notice if you have a negative attitude. Shooting down others’ ideas, not participating in team activities, showing disgust for tasks that you believe are beneath you will not get you promoted, but they can get you fired.

Learn to take constructive criticism

No one likes to be criticized. However, constructive criticism is crucial to advancing your career. Learn how to effectively take criticism and apply it to future situations and assignments. Incorporating feedback shows that you are a good listener and are mature enough to learn for criticism.

Most importantly, advancing and excelling in your career is a process. Learn from mistakes, apply criticism and feedback accordingly and cultivate your skills. You never know when the next opportunity will appear.

Victoria Lightfoot (1)Victoria Lightfoot graduated from Georgia State University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, concentrating in public relations. She is currently the PR coordinator at the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau and volunteers on PRSA Georgia’s College Relations Committee and co-chairs the Travel & Tourism Special Interest Group. Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn and Twitter (@Victoria_Lenese)

Conquering the Awkward Stage at Work: A Young Pro’s Guide

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

Being a young professional is hard sometimes. Between work/life balance and climbing the career ladder, it’s a challenge to navigate this stage of life.

Conquering the Awkward Stage at Work: A Young Pro’s GuideAs a young PR professional, hard work alone is not enough to get you noticed. You must learn to build and leverage relationships, develop leadership skills, and stand out amongst your peers to achieve success in the awkward stage between an entry level position and a managerial role.

Here are a few ways to navigate your career when you’re in the stage between recent graduate and mid-level employee, so you don’t feel like you are in career purgatory:

Raise Your Hand

Build your reputation at work by volunteering for side projects or taking on extra responsibility. You want to show your team and bosses that you are willing to take initiative to help the team stay on track, are reliable and engaged in the company, and committed to the growth of your career.

When working on projects out of your day to day task, you are able to network with colleagues in different departments and learn skills that will benefit you in the long run. Your superiors will take note and soon enough you’ll get the promotion you’re dreaming of.

Attend Conferences

The learning doesn’t stop after college. In addition to reading the news and case studies, attend conferences and webinars. There is a wealth of information out there to help you grow as an employee and it’s even better when you can learn from industry professionals.

Conferences and webinars give you the ability to learn about new industry trends, network with professionals of all levels, and hopefully encourage a new way of thinking about your career. As markets evolve, you have to make sure you stay sharp and ahead of the curve.

Join Professional Groups

There is power in numbers and professional groups are a great way to get ahead. Networking opportunities and mentor/mentee relationships are great reasons for joining professional groups but the biggest perk is being able to serve on a committee.

When you are active in an organization, you see the impact of the different functions that make an organization work.

Pick Up a Side Hustle

All work and no play makes John and Jane dull employees. As much as you invest in your career, invest in your passion.

Your side hustle can be anything from doing PR for a local band in your city or planning events for a non-profit you believe in. Stay well rounded and follow your heart. You don’t have to go through a quarter-life crisis!

Speak Up

Don’t be intimidated in meetings and brainstorming sessions; you were hired for a reason so show the team what you can bring to the table. It is your job as a young professional to give a fresh perspective.

Have the confidence to speak up on opportunities a client can take advantage of, share your viewpoints while developing strategies, and most importantly don’t be afraid to ask questions.

The road to success is not a straight one, but you steer the wheel. Taking initiative and developing leadership skills is key to your success as a young professional. Do you have any suggestions on navigating your career when you’re not quite a recent graduate but not yet a manager?

—

Jasmine L. Kent, a member of PRSA-NCC, focuses on building community through dynamic events and engaging online marketing as a freelance integrated communications professional in Washington, DC. Keep up with her on Twitter at @LoveJasPR or visit LoveJasPR.com. 

#ThrowbackThursday with Dorie Clark

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

Editor’s note: This is part of our monthly #ThrowbackThursday series, which features a prominent, successful PR pro taking a look back and sharing tips from his/her days as a new pro. 

As the author of Stand Out, Dorie Clark knows a thing or two about – wait for it – standing out on the job.

Today, as part of our #ThrowbackThursday, Dorie shares how young PR pros can break through the clutter and excel in their future careers, with some tips and insights from her past.

Dorie ClarkSo, without further ado, meet Dorie Clark, and soak in her helpful career tips! 

Question 1: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced as a new professional and how did you overcome them?

Honestly, one of the hardest things for me was getting up in the morning in order to get to work on time! That sounds ridiculous, but adjusting from the free-floating schedule of grad school to the early mornings and “face time” requirements of the work world was rather difficult and dispiriting for me.

Once I became an entrepreneur, I realized it suited my temperament much better, because you can set your own hours, avoid office politics, and you have the interesting and life-affirming challenge of being responsible for surviving through your own wits and mettle (i.e., your business development skills).

I also had a lot of career setbacks early on, including being laid off as a journalist and working as a spokesperson on two prominent political campaigns – only to have them both lose.

I had to keep reinventing and rebranding myself, a process I chronicled in my first book, Reinventing You. Eventually, nine years ago, I started my own marketing strategy consultancy, and have been writing, speaking, consulting, and teaching business school since then.

Question 2: What advice would you give to new college graduates looking for their first jobs?

Start creating content. You may have had some internships, and it’s a great idea to do so, but in general your resume isn’t going to look that much different from other recent grads – and prospective employers won’t necessarily be convinced you know applicable workplace skills, even if you got an A in your marketing or PR class.

Instead, differentiate yourself by sharing your ideas, whether it’s through blogging, creating videos or a podcast, or curating a knowledgeable social media feed.

That signals to employers that you’re truly interested in the profession, are familiar with the issues being talked about, and have something meaningful to say.

Question 3: As a young professional, how did you find ways to stand out in front of prospective employers and bosses?

One of the most important things I did was build my network. I wasn’t terribly strategic at the time; mostly it meant that I periodically invited people for coffee or lunch whom I liked and knew I should be keeping in touch with because I could learn from them and they were plugged into the worlds I wanted to enter (at the time, journalism and politics).

As I describe in my forthcoming e-book Stand Out Networking, after I’d been laid off from my newspaper reporting job, I was able to land a great gig thanks to Michael Goldman, who began as a source I’d call frequently for comment as a reporter, and with whom I developed a warm and friendly relationship. He was a political consultant and went to work for a gubernatorial candidate who needed a spokesperson ASAP, and since he knew I’d been laid off, he called me.

Similarly, I got to know Steve Grossman, at the time a local business owner in the Boston area, when I wrote an article about him. He was very involved in politics and several years later, he helped me secure a job as the spokesperson for a presidential campaign.

Investing in relationships is one of the most important things you can do, especially early on in your career. (Click to Tweet!)

Question 4: How can new college graduates uncover (then market) their unique values?

One of the best ways to discover your unique strengths and the value you bring is to think about how you’re different than most others in the field you’re aspiring to enter.

We tend to emphasize our commonalities – if you’re looking for a marketing job, then you highlight the fact that you were a marketing major.

That’s great, but remember: employers are looking at 100 or 1000 resumes, and they want to see something unique. Don’t be afraid to mention your minor in philosophy, or the fact that you grew up in Russia, or the chess championship you won. Smart employers know they need innovative perspectives and a different way of looking at the world.

I also created a free 42-page workbook that’s adapted from my new book Stand Out. It’s 139 questions that walk you through the process of discovering your unique ideas and then becoming recognized for them. It’s available to download for free on my website.

Question 5: If you could go back in time and give advice to yourself during your first year on the job, what would you say?

When I was working as a presidential campaign spokesperson, I managed a 13-person staff. I had an employee named Kumar who was right out of college, and once he worked for me, I realized what a great employee looked like – so if I had the chance to go back in time, I’d learn from Kumar and ask my boss the incredible question that he did: “What can I do to make your job easier?”

It was so simple, but as a boss, I was inordinately grateful: here was someone wanting to erase problems and stressors for me (of which there were many). And Kumar realized the highest and best use he had was to free up my time to focus on what mattered for the organization.

He earned my undying gratitude, and it made me want to keep giving him more and better responsibilities, because with that question and that attitude, he demonstrated his team spirit and desire to do whatever it took to help the organization. I wish I’d been that savvy early on!

About Dorie Clark

Dorie Clark is an Adjunct Professor of Business Administration at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the author of Reinventing You (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013) and Stand Out (Portfolio/Penguin, 2015). A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, TIME, and Entrepreneur. Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Inc., and Fortune, Clark is a marketing strategy consultant and speaker for clients including Google, Microsoft, Yale University, Fidelity, and the World Bank. You can follow her on Twitter @dorieclark and download her free 42-page Stand Out Self-Assessment Workbook.