PRSA New Professionals

The Future of Public Relations Depends On You: Calling All Teachers!

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

173312870Those of you who are just starting out in your careers can probably remember the college professors who, not very long ago, did the best job motivating you, captivating you and exposing you to the possibilities in the world.  We need more teachers like that in the public relations profession.   We’re talking about teachers who can bring a combination of real-world experience and in-depth knowledge of the profession to the classroom.

The “Learning to Teach” program is a collaborative effort led by PRSA’s College of Fellows Educational Initiatives committee, PRSA’s Educational Affairs committee and PRSA’s Educators Academy.  It is designed to give those PR professionals who want to teach – as either an adjunct or full-time professor – an introduction to academia and a foundation for success in the classroom.

Last year, we began with some research of our PRSA members and discovered that only 1% of respondents had taken the “Learning to Teach” course, though 60% said they were very likely to consider an adjunct position in the future and 26% said they were very likely to consider a full-time teaching position.  63% said they would take the “Learning to Teach” course if it were offered remotely.

About Learning To Teach

Anyone can take the “Learning to Teach” course…whether they are interested in  teaching now or in the future.  The course covers:

  • Guidelines on looking for a teaching position
  • The application process
  • The “honeymoon vs. reality” behind teaching – duties and expectations
  • Basic tools & resources for developing materials
  • Tips for effective course planning & researching the history of your course
  • Measuring learning

This year, several PRSA Sections, Chapters and Districts are sponsoring programs on Learning to Teach – via teleconferences or via programs piggybacked on their conferences.  If enough people register, the course might also be offered at the PRSA International Conference in October 2014 in Washington, DC.

Screen Shot 2014-03-31 at 9.44.03 AM

If you have any questions about this course want to learn more, contact Robin Schell at rschell@jjwpr.com or 603-770-3607.

 

This post was written by Judy VanSlyke Turk, APR, Fellow PRSA and Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA, co-chairs of the Educational Initiatives Committee of the PRSA College of Fellows.

Why Young Professionals and Women Need to “Lean In”

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

lean-In-1March is Women’s History Month. I wanted to get inspired, so I decided to read Sheryl Sandberg’s, Lean In. In her book, she talks about the importance of women taking leadership positions, voicing their opinions and becoming equals to men.

Obviously, women today have more opportunities than ever before, but that is still not enough. The wage gap between men and women has not changed since 2002! Today women make 77 cents for every dollar men make. Women need to recognize the barriers we face and find solutions to those barriers.

In her book, Sandberg talks about how important it is for young professional women to have self-confidence. She offers this statistic, “57 percent of men entering the work force right out of college negotiate their salaries, whereas only seven percent of women do the same.”

Why is this?

When I accepted my first agency job, I did not try to negotiate my salary because I didn’t think I had enough experience. I think this is a common misconception among young women entering the work force. We need to ask for what we want because no one is going to give you a raise or offer you more money; those are things you have to ask for.

I took away three important things from this book.

1. Always ask. If you do not ask for what you want, no one will ever know. Last year, I attended a PRSA Chicago luncheon where Edelman CEO Richard Edelman was among the panelists. He said, “Your career is in your hands. I cannot make your career, you have to.” I think this is an important message for all new professionals. You have to share your goals and needs with those around you. If no one knows what you want, they will not be able to help you.

2. Believe in yourself. My motto has always been “Fake it till you make it,” but now I think I am going to add, “Fake it till you make it and recognize when you have made it.” Young professional women need to acknowledge that they are good at their jobs and they deserve a raise or promotion.

3. Stop saying “I’m Burnt Out.” This is a phrase I often used at my last job, but I am realizing that I was not “burnt out.” I was just feeling unhappy and underappreciated. Instead of announcing that I was “burnt out,” I should have negotiated for more money or realized that I was unhappy and moved on to a new opportunity. I have never heard a man say, “I’m burnt out,” but I hear women – and many young women – say it all too often.

Young professionals, women and men, need to take charge of their careers, voice their opinions and Lean In. Check out Sheryl Sandberg’s TED Talk on this subject and let me know what you think!

 

IMG_3722Emily Suied is a public relations professional in Chicago. She is a member of PRSA Chicago and serves on the Young Professional Network committee. Emily graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington and was the president of its PRSSA chapter. Connect with Emily on her blog and on Twitter.

Tips for Professional Spring Cleaning!

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

The first day of Spring is here! The birds are chirping, and the sun is shining for an extra hour now! Everyone suddenly remembers all of the New Year’s Resolutions they’ve neglected and are back on the fast track to success. However, in your feverish pursuit to self improve, don’t forget to dust off areas of your professional life as well!

spring-clean

Here’s a list of habits to break this season:

1)   Always working overtime

This one is my kryptonite. I am one of those overly-caffeinated people who prefer to be busy (which is probably why PR was so appealing), and I often volunteer for extra projects around the office. Yet, if you are like me, be conscious of how much time you spend working after hours. Showing initiative and passion for your work is admirable, but a rested state of mind is more important. Burnout is a very real thing, which like jetlag, won’t materialize until it is too late to stop it. Preserve your free time.

2)   Ignoring the “age issue”

Many of us new pros are ambitious twenty-something grads who have only recently suited up for the big leagues. While most of the people we work for admit they hire new pros to stay current and add a fresh perspective to the company dialog, they generally shy away from giving our opinions equal weight because we lack years of experience. The problem occurs when new pros try to ignore or overcompensate for their greener resumes… I say, embrace this stage in your career! Be a sponge. Ask questions. Get advice from more “enlightened” colleagues and learn from their mistakes. There is a lot of knowledge and wisdom to be gained when you can admit that you don’t know everything.

3)   Clinging to a routine

A routine is defined as: a regular, unvarying, habitual or unimaginative procedure.

Unimaginative?! Yikes!

Our daily routines are great for saving time and adding stability to our busy schedules, but make sure to spice things up every so often. New ideas generally grow on trees found just off of the beaten path.

4)   Accepting digital pollution

I don’t know about you, but on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis, my email is cluttered with unwanted advertisements, company newsletters, seminar invites and those spammers who think they’re sly by adding “Re:” in the subject line (we ALL see through your antics, buddy). Take a stand and don’t let yourself be annoyed unnecessarily! Depending on how long it has been since your last “unsubscribe” purge this may take a while; just trust the clean inbox WILL be worth it. And this digital spring-cleaning includes social media as well. A recent study by UCSD found that feelings shared on Facebook (both negative and positive) are contagious among online friends. (You can find the study findings here: Detecting Emotional Contagion in Massive Social Networks.) Keep in touch with people who encourage and inspire you, and maybe consider hiding those Debbie Downers from your newsfeed.

Good luck in your spring-cleaning endeavors; and remember, it only takes 21 days to break a habit!

megan linkedinMegan O’Neal graduated from UCLA in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, emphasizing in mass communications. She currently works as  the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for SDA and volunteers with the National MS Society, freelancing for the PR Department. Connect with her on Twitter @megannenicole.

PRSA New Pros Teleseminar: March 13 on Real-Time Marketing with Arby’s

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

Josh Martin, Social Media Manager at Arby’s, will host our first PRSA New Professionals Section Brown Bag Discussion of the year. Josh gave us a preview of what you will be able to learn from his teleseminar on Real-Time Marketing Done Right. Register for the March 13th teleseminar today.

Screen Shot 2014-03-06 at 9.43.54 AM

How would you personally define real-time marketing? 

To me, real-time marketing is simply making timely responses to mainstream events.

What are some notable differences when executing RT marketing with an agency vs corporate?

Agencies bring a lot of creativity and strategic thinking to the table when it comes to RT marketing. Corporate lives/breathes the brand on a daily basis and often has a better understanding of what will work with their audience. The magic happens when both agency & corporate can work together seamlessly.

What are some of your goals when planning/executing RT marketing? 

My goal for RT marketing: Don’t do anything stupid. RT marketing is about two things: listening and engaging. We want to make sure we’re listening first and understand the conversations that are taking place. If we decide to pursue an opportunity, our goal is for the content to not feel forced and stays consistent with our brand voice.

What advice do you have for brands/companies that don’t have a budget to promote/push out their content?

Brands can still be effective in social media, even with a limited budget. They need to be laser-focused on developing a content strategy and be patient with results.

In your opinion, is there a good ratio to be used of pre-planned content and real-time content?

Specifically during a major event, when brands are trying to stay relative. It’s important to have pre-planned content at the ready so you can move quickly during a major event, but it’s as equally important to be flexible and pivot to real-time content when an opportunity presents itself.

Want to learn more from Josh? Register here.

 

Creative Tech Skills You’ll Need for Entry-Level Jobs

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

Landing your dream job or even an entry level position in public relations requires more than being a crafty wordsmith, talented strategist and a social media wiz.

SinhVienIT.Net---adobe-photoshop-cs6

While most of us already have blogs and understand how to use WordPress, most job postings I see now list a slew of additional visual storytelling skills that those of us new to the profession have to at least have some experience with before being called in for an interview.

Additional skills to consider developing:

  • Adobe publishing including InDesign, Photoshop and other software to create digital documents and iPad apps
  • Adobe Systems Acrobat
  • Video shooting and editing skills
  • Website creation software – Joomla! , WordPress and Drupal are examples of ones I often see on job posting. If you have created a blog or a website using WordPress, extend your knowledge and skills by learning and implementing the latest upgrades
  • Software to create mobile apps to leverage for campaigns
  • Analytics – although being a data analyst is not expected, understanding the basics and being comfortable with numbers and with an analyst is expected
  • Microsoft Office software including SharePoint Server and Excel. Formulas are a must know!
  • Some knowledge HTML coding
  • Cascading Style Sheets
  • Podcasting software

Deirdre-Breakenridge “Public Relations is becoming more intergraded with marketing and advertising,” said Deirdre Breakenridge, an experienced public relations professional and author of several books on the intersection of technology and public relations. “It’s important to embrace new technology to do justice to the brand. All areas such be working together.”

And although these skills may not be taught in university classes, it’s important to invest some time in learning them before you graduate, she said.

Check out classes online or professional development classes at a local community college as they’re both budget-friendly options. Some of those classes even offer certificates that can be earned with just three or four shorter classes.

While technology is becoming almost a basic requirement for entry level jobs, good, strong writing skills still rule.

“You need a balance of the two,” Breakenridge said. “Always strive for the balance.”

A healthy balance of skills can set you apart from the crowd of applicants.

How many of you are making the effort to go beyond your college classes or to upgrade your personal talents in these areas?

 

Kris Antonelli,  is a freelance writer and communications professional based in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. metro area. As a former newspaper journalist, her work has appeared in the Washington Post, Baltimore Magazine, Baltimore Sun and other publications. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter or via email at Kris.antonelli@yahoo.com.