Specifically, we’d like to thank our special guest for the month Shonali Burke, ABC. Shonali is CEO of Shonali Burke Consulting and founder of the #measurepr Twitter chat. You can read more of Shonali’s insights on PR measurement and data on her blog Waxing UnLyrical.
Join us again on July 11 at 9 p.m. EST for the next #NPPRSA Twitter chat. The July chat will feature special guest Deirdre Breakenridge, author of “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations” — our June Summer Book Club selection.
Review highlights of the June chat below. What did you learn from the June chat? How do you harness the power of data and measurement to help your business reach its goals? With which departments must PR work closely to integrate and analyze measurement goals that will add value to the entire business?
Amy Bishop works in digital marketing and public relations for digitalrelevance, a content marketing and digital PR agency. She is the social media chair for the PRSA New Professionals Section. Bishop is also a contributing member of Dachis Group’s Social Business Council. You can connect with her on Google+, LinkedIn or Twitter.
Public relations is a field in which classroom knowledge can only take you so far and internships show you various aspects of the day-to-day grind at an agency or corporation. However, a mentor is what gives a new professional a competitive advantage in the industry.
Mentoring goes far beyond asking advice on how to write the perfect press release or pitch a reporter, but rather focuses on how to develop your career as a public relations professional and how to succeed in the industry.
When selecting a mentor, do not treat the relationship as an employment agency or your mentor as an HR advisor, but instead look at your mentor as a wise adviser who can offer valuable advice on decision-making, workplace politics, challenging situations and overall career guidance based on their own experiences.
Below are several tips for new professionals as they consider the importance of mentoring and how a mentor can be their competitive advantage.
Work-Life Integration It’s no secret that a 9-to-5 schedule seldom exists in the PR world, but there are times when a new professional needs to unplug, unwind and have a life outside of work. When selecting a mentor, it is not a bad idea to choose a mentor who has mastered the balance of work-life integration. If you decide once your career is established that you would like to make life changes like get married or balance a family and a career, a mentor who has a similar experience is an invaluable asset.
Advancing Your Career
Mentoring is a vital resource for professional development. Having a mentor can help you define an effective strategy to help you stand out within your company. The industry has changed drastically with the rise of digital and social media, so finding a mentor who isn’t far removed from your experiences can provide solid career guidance in the context of the current PR landscape.
Birds of a Feather
In addition to finding someone you can emulate in your career, also make sure to look for someone with a similar or complementary personality and work style. You’ll click well with someone if you share hobbies and interests as well as overall professional goals, and this will help you establish a good relationship. You also want to seek a mentor you trust and know will keep things confidential. If you’re having a rough week and need to vent, it helps to have a mentor who will respectfully keep it between the two of you.
Time, Time, Time As young professionals seek out advice, the key is time. Give yourself time to foster the relationship with your mentor. Good relationships don’t happen overnight. They take precious time to cultivate trust and respect. Respect their time as well, as most people don’t even have enough hours in the day to do everything they’d like.
Interested in starting a mentoring program in your local chapter? Or want to learn more about mentoring in PR? Check out the New Pros website (http://www.prsa.org/Network/Communities/NewProfessionals/) for key resources and materials to spread the word.
Brandi Boatner and Kate Enos are the PRSA New Professionals Section mentorship chairs.
Just because summer will officially begin this month and vacations take center stage doesn’t mean we should all take a break from learning. June starts our annual Summer Book Club on the PRSA New Professionals Section blog, and the first book selection has been made!
When you’re on your way to the beach or sitting in the car or plane, make sure you grab or download a copy of “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations” by Deirdre Breakenridge and Brian Solis. At the end of the month, we’ll have a recap of the book along with discussion around the key takeaways. You may even see these topics appear in our monthly #NPPRSA Twitter chat!
See how Amazon.com describes “Putting the Public Back in Public Relations”:
Forget the “pitch”: Yesterday’s PR techniques just don’t work anymore. That’s the bad news. Here’s the great news: Social Media and Web 2.0 offer you an unprecedented opportunity to make PR work better than ever before. This book shows how to reinvent PR around two-way conversations, bring the “public” back into public relations and get results that traditional PR people can only dream about. Drawing on their unparalleled experience making Social Media work for business, PR 2.0.com’s Brian Solis and industry leader Deirdre Breakenridge show how to transform the way you think, plan, prioritize, and deliver PR services. You’ll learn powerful new ways to build the relationships that matter, and reach a new generation of influencers…leverage platforms ranging from Twitter to Facebook…truly embed yourself in the communities that are shaping the future. Best of all, you won’t just learn how to add value in the Web 2.0 world: You’ll learn how to prove how new, intelligent, and socially rooted PR will transform your organization into a proactive, participatory communication powerhouse that is in touch and informed with its community of stakeholders.
I’ll be reading on my Kindle with you. We hope you join us for another lively discussion on the New Pros blog this summer!
Heather Sliwinski is an account executive at KemperLesnik, a Chicago-based public relations agency, providing media relations and social media services to a variety of B2B clients. She has held positions in marketing and event planning for corporations, nonprofits and higher education. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications with an emphasis in strategic communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sliwinski is the blog co-chair and chair-elect for the PRSA New Professionals Section. Feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Networking is easy to define, but can be difficult to practice on an ongoing basis, especially when starting a new job with new responsibilities and demands on your time. You don’t want to lose the network you’ve worked hard to build, and you also want to create a stronger one. These simple steps will strengthen your connection pull and help to remain in touch with key industry professionals.
Discover connections through professional organizations
Professional organizations have a variety of resources available to help you meet new professionals and keep in touch with those you already know.
PRSA New Professionals Section
Even though PRSA New Pros only hosts in-person events during New Professionals Week in November, there are plenty of ways to get involved and connect with new professionals through:
Reach out to others in your PR industry or location through our Section members-only directory. For example, I met with a PRSA New Pros member in Chicago for lunch, and she’s in government PR. In such a niche industry, she can connect with others across the U.S. with a similar profession or interest by using the directory.
PRSA New Pros Executive Committee
PRSA New Pros has 15 Executive Committee members who live and work across the nation, from New York City to San Francisco. We are extremely involved in Section and in PRSA as a whole and are always willing to connect with our members. Reach out to any of us here.
PRSA Professional Interest Sections
PRSA New Pros is one of 14 PRSA Interest Sections. Take advantage of other PRSA Sections, especially if one matches the PR industry where your interests lie.
PRSA Local Chapters
There are more than 120 local chapters of PRSA. Find the one closest to you and see how you can get involved in a face-to-face setting. This participation could include :
Establish bonds with first, second and third degree connections
Connect with Co-workers
Look for mentorship programs, sports teams, happy hours, volunteering opportunities, young professional groups and planning committees to establish ties with co-workers outside of the usual work setting.
If your company doesn’t offer many ways to get involved, seek out co-workers you admire as mentors. Ask them to grab coffee or lunch outside of work.
Utilize LinkedIn and Twitter
Similar to PRSA New Pros’ directory, you can research and connect with professionals in your field through social media. Find companies and groups to follow, engage in discussions and build networks with professionals all across the world.
Search through companies for professionals with whom you share a connection. Ask for introductions and expand your reach to connections outside of your own circle.
Keep in regular communication for mutual benefit
Take a look back at your network and ask yourself, “From whom can I continue to learn and whom can I help learn and grow professionally?” Make sure to not lose touch with those professionals.
Hold on to their information
Save their business card and add the date you met and a small tidbit about the person or the conversation you had to the back of the card. Once you reconnect, you will have a reference point to continue the conversation.
Keep in Touch
Now that you’ve put the tools in place to know what to say, put them to use.
Virtually
If you haven’t already, connect with them on LinkedIn (with a personalized message!) and follow them on Twitter.
Every few weeks or months, follow up with them. Email, tweet or send a LinkedIn message with an article you think they might find interesting, with great news to share about a project/client or to congratulate them on a new job or professional success. Also, saving emails is a great way to keep tabs on the last conversations you’ve had with your connections. Tools like Contactually can help you organize the inbox overload with tasks and reminders to follow up with your network.
Face-to-face
Once every few months, try to meet up for coffee, lunch or drinks. Ask questions, but also share what you’ve learned so far as a professional.
PR is a small world. Once connected to a few professionals, you’re just a few degrees away to hundreds of other professionals.
Creating connections and keeping your network strong can help you tremendously along your career path. As a bonus, some of those connections can turn into the some of your closest friends and mentors.
How do you define networking? What types of networking techniques have or haven’t worked for you to connect and keep in touch?
Nicole Bersani is an assistant account executive at Social@Ogilvy, where she works on social media for six global brands. She graduated from Ohio University in June 2012 with a degree in journalism/public relations. Bersani is the membership co-chair for the PRSA New Professionals Section.
Specifically, we’d like to thank our special guest for the month Jason Mollica, president of JRM Comm.
Join us again on June 13 at 9 p.m. EST for the next #NPPRSA Twitter chat. The June chat will focus on big data & PR measurement.
Review highlights of the chat below. What did you learn from the May chat? How do you develop new skills and find challenges that will make you a better pro? What are your favorite blogs, books and podcasts to expand your PR knowledge?
May 2013 #NPPRSA Twitter Chat
This is a recap of our May #NPPRSA Twitter chat. We discussed ways to advance your PR skills as a professional with special guest, Jason Mollica.
Q1: How are you taking time to advance your PR/marketing knowledge & skills? What do you do?
Q1: I'll listen to PR/social media podcasts, since I'm on the go. Also do webinars when I have time. #NPPRSAJason Mollica
A1: I am reading as much as I can. Anything from books on leadership to blog posts about social media. #NPPRSASarah Bell Huff
@PRSANewPros A1 I've been reaching out to more experienced professionals for advice, as well as reading as much as possible #NPPRSARyana
Q1: Never discount blogs.. and I'd add that even ones that aren't "popular" are good. You can always glean something! #NPPRSAJason Mollica
Q2: What are your favorite PR, marketing & social media blogs to learn from?
Q2: I read as much as I can… #PRBC (shameless plug), @dbreakenridge's blog is great, so is @ambercadabra's. #NPPRSAJason Mollica
A2: I really enjoy reading @hubspot's Inbound Marketing blog and @dmscott's blog. #NPPRSAEllie Boggs
A2: Ragan's PR Daily, Fast Company and Ad Age are a few of my favorites. #NPPRSASarah Bell Huff
I love individuals blogs. I read @briansolis @chiefmartec and @britopian daily! #NPPRSAAmy Bishop
Q3: How do you connect with more experienced professionals and learn from their experiences?
Q3: I always thank a fellow pro who follows me. Start connect there, then continue to build relationship. #NPPRSAJason Mollica
A3: Informational interviews are great for meeting professionals and learning about their journey and advice. #NPPRSASarah Bell Huff
A3: I've reached out within the #PRSSA & #PRSA network to learn from experienced pros. They love helping new pros/students! #NPPRSAEllie Boggs
Q3: @PRSA chapter events are also a great place to meet, network. #NPPRSAJason Mollica
Q4: In what ways do you try to learn from your peers? How do you work with them to expand your skills?
A4: I always enjoy talking to my peers that work in different areas of PR than me and learning from their experiences. #NPPRSASarah Bell Huff
Q4: Twitter chats like #PR20Chat #PRStudChat are great places to learn from pros and peers. #NPPRSAJason Mollica
A4: Ask them the success strategies behind their best practices and work with them directly through their challenges, #NPPRSABenjamin S Butler
A4. Working cross-functionally with marketing, legal on social media initiatives has provided me the best learning experiences. #NPPRSAKellie Hayden
Q5: How can you ensure you also continue to learn about other departments that work with PR? Like sales, IT, HR, etc?
Q5: Easy. Listen to the folks that lead those areas. Ask questions. Never say, "I don't need to know that." #NPPRSAJason Mollica
Q5. Think big picture, always! PR is only one part of a bigger strategy and goal. Ask questions about others' work. Be involved. #NPPRSAKellie Hayden
A5: Open communication and willingness to learn what makes them tick. Huge for crisis comm plan coordination and org as whole #NPPRSACarolina Mohrlock
Q6: What books have you been wanting to read to further your knowledge of the industry?
I've got @chuckhemann's book on my list to read. I just don't keep it to PR. Thinking bigger pic. #NPPRSAJason Mollica
A6: I really want to read A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling by @andrhia. I am fascinated by transmedia storytelling. #NPPRSASarah Bell Huff
I can't wait to read Youtility by @jaybaer when it's released this summer. #NPPRSAAmy Bishop
Q5: @JimJosephExp and @dmscott's books are terrific as well. #NPPRSAJason Mollica
A6: I read a few chapters of Engage! by @briansolis for a social media class last term. Now it's on my list to finish! #NPPRSAEllie Boggs
Amy Bishop works in digital PR and marketing for digitalrelevance, a content marketing and digital PR agency. She is the social media chair for the PRSA New Professionals Section. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.
Amy Bishop works in digital marketing and public relations for digitalrelevance, a content marketing and digital PR agency. She is the social media chair for the PRSA New Professionals Section. Bishop is also a contributing member of Dachis Group’s Social Business Council. You can connect with her on Google+, LinkedIn or Twitter.
