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Three Ways to Become Indispensable at Work

Ashleigh Mavros Leave a comment

Three Ways to become indespenSableWhen I started my PR career, I focused on nailing the basics of PR – writing strong press releases, building solid media lists, writing great emails. I strove for accuracy and a job well done. As I’ve grown in my career, I’ve realized that while mastering the fundamental PR skills is paramount, I also need to always be looking for ways to add value to my organization. PR professionals who prove that they add real value to their organizations simply do better professionally – they are promoted, secure new jobs more easily, and are liked by coworkers. Here are a few strategies I’ve picked up on so far, and try to put in practice in my career.

Go above and beyond.

Basic advice, but many PR professionals just do what absolutely needs to get done per their job description. They complete tasks delegated by their supervisor, and leave work when they finish them. This is a fine approach to work, but it’s not likely to get you promoted quickly. It’s like the old saying, dress for the job you want, not the one you have.

Show that you are worthy of the job that you want, instead of just doing a decent job at the one you have. Be the person who offers to stay late to finish a big project, or take some workload off of a coworker who is over-burdened. Communicate your interests and ideas to your supervisors. They will take notice of the team members who demonstrate passion, creativity, and ambition.

Build strong relationships with your coworkers.

PR is based on relationships. We’re focused so much on client and media relationships, that sometimes we forget about the other important kind of work-related relationship: coworker relationships. Think about the kind of coworker you personally would like to work with. For me, that person would be trustworthy, friendly, positive, encouraging, collaborative, helpful, drama-free, professional – try to be that person at work!

When you genuinely like the people you work with and they like you, you’re able to collaborate better, advocate for each other and increase your productivity. Get to know your coworkers outside of the office. Coffee dates, happy hours and exercise classes are all great ways to bond.

Manage up and make your supervisor’s life easier.    

If you think about the purpose of a job in the most basic sense, it’s to make the life of your supervisor easier. This is especially true in an agency environment, where account coordinators support account executives, account executives support account managers, and so on.

Make sure every piece of work you turn into your supervisor – research, media lists, pitches, press releases, fact sheets – is absolutely spot-on and error-free. Attention to detail is so important in PR. Don’t drop the ball by turning in work with mistakes that could have easily been avoided by an extra review. When supervisors barely need to edit your work, they will appreciate you and ultimately view you as a necessary component of their own work life – making you irreplaceable.
If you quit your organization tomorrow, what kind of impact would it have on your team, and the company overall? Becoming indispensable at work is different from being good or even great at your job, and has everything to do with the value you add to your organization. What are some of your strategies for becoming that indispensable team member?

Screen-Shot-2015-05-21-at-11.23.51-PM-241x300 2Lauren Leger graduated from Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in communication, concentrating in public relations. She started her career while still in college at Boston-based PR firm, Zazil Media Group. Lauren relocated to Dallas, Texas in fall of 2014 and began working atThe Power Group as a PR account executive. She recently took on a new role as Power’s manager of digital strategy, where she brings her PR expertise to the digital realm of the business. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Long day? Time to Take 5

Ashleigh Mavros Leave a comment
Ogilvy-and-mather-NYoffice

Photo via Glassdoor

What could be better than one hour designated solely to laughter and making other people happy?

Offices can be high-stress environments, especially in agency settings. When each 15-minute increment of the day is recorded and billable, time is money. But taking the occasional break to participate in employee engagement initiatives can be even more valuable for overall health and happiness. It’s a long-term return on investment.

According to a 2015 Deloitte study, 87 percent of organizations cite culture and engagement as one of their top challenges. An even more surprising finding from the study: More than half of today’s working population claim they wouldn’t recommend their employer to peers.

Office engagement is a challenge across the board, but it’s becoming increasingly important to Millennials and new professionals. It’s time to take your engagement into your own hands. Here are two options for diving into office involvement.

Seek out existing initiatives.

Start by taking advantage of what your office does offer. Sometimes when large companies provide engagement programs, it requires a little research to learn how to get involved. Invest the time it takes to explore the intranet, ask around or email HR. Do your research to find out if your office offers any of these programs.

At Ogilvy PR, we have a “Take 5” committee for all things social and philanthropic. We plan the summer and holiday parties as well as pop-up happy hours, philanthropic partnerships and other ways to increase the office’s opportunities for social and community involvement.

These projects not only increase the fun throughout the office, but the hour meetings each month have provided some of my favorite moments at work. The dose of energy and laughter that comes naturally with planning entertainment is refreshing. As soon as the Take 5 meeting completes, I’m re-energized to take on whatever the day may bring. When an item on the weekly to-do list reads “Research affordable ice cream sandwiches for office party,” I’d say it’s been one treat of a week.

Take 5’s landmark events include Bring Your Parents to Work Day, an annual December toy drive for the Children AIDS Society and an office decorating contest. There’s no limit to the rewards of engaging with your company’s brand through planning these projects with colleagues.

But what if the opportunities don’t already exist?

Consider creating your own.

If your office doesn’t have an established committee or other engagement programs, consider starting a new one. Each committee or initiative has to start somewhere.

Michael DiSalvo, an account supervisor in OPR’s Healthcare practice and the driving force behind Take 5, is an advocate for young professionals spearheading company culture. DiSalvo joined the committee as an intern and has been instrumental since it was revitalized in 2009. DiSalvo’s role has opened opportunities to work directly with HR on engagement initiatives and meet with executive leadership.

“Everyone is really worried about morale,” DiSalvo said. As the Deloitte study shows, it’s a common concern for corporate leadership. Through Take 5, DiSalvo has the opportunity to meet with Rob Mathias, Ogilvy PR’s CEO of North America, to discuss talent retention and engagement.

“When you’re in a client service industry like PR, it can be very difficult to remember who you work for. Contributing to your own company is just as important as contributing to your clients,” DiSalvo said.

DiSalvo also emphasized the importance of continually promoting the brand through the committee’s work. He highlighted the value of junior staff, pointing to them as the group who usually leads the success of employee engagement.

So, new professionals, here’s a call to action: Get engaged. Help solve an ongoing challenge for the majority of companies, and be instrumental in promoting your company’s brand.

If you’re interested in learning more about the current state of job engagement, culture and satisfaction in the public relations industry specifically, take a look at The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations’ Leadership Report Card.

How does your office encourage engagement? Share in the comments below or on Twitter using #npprsa.

linkedJacquie McMahon is an assistant account executive at Ogilvy Public Relations in New York City. She graduated from The University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a passion for employee engagement. Connect with Jacquie on LinkedIn and Twitter (@jacqmcmahon).

The Pros of Working at a Boutique PR Agency

kcook 1 Comment

Searching for a job is almost like searching for the perfect college. The environment, the people, the cost (or in this case, the salary) are equally important. Having worked for more than two years at two different boutique agencies, I think, from my perspective, bigger isn’t necessarily better:

You gain visibility with the agency’s senior leaders.

When you work at an agency of fewer than 20 people, you get to have serious face time with your boss. CEOs at global agencies don’t know their account coordinators’ names, and they definitely don’t have lunch with them multiple times a week. Nothing beats having the eyes, ears and insights of the most important people in your company on a daily basis.

You’re allowed direct client interaction early in your career.

The first few years in public relations inevitably include building countless media lists and tracking client placements. Teams are smaller, so each member has a larger level of responsibility, which means you not only get to listen in on status calls to take notes but you get to have a voice on them, too.

You become a jack-of-all-trades. Larger agencies have employees who are each experts in their individual specialty. Media relations, blogger outreach, social media development, new business outreach… the person who has healthcare clients will only continue to have healthcare clients. That doesn’t happen at small firms. Your client roster will be extremely diverse, and you will have a role on multiple accounts, instead of focusing the majority of your time on one or two clients.

 

You have an opportunity to get noticed – quickly. Is it better to be the big fish in the small pond or the small fish in the big pond? That’s the question you need to ask yourself. The smaller the agency, the easier it will be to prove yourself to the entire team. The more you prove you are an asset to your company, the faster they will trust you with larger opportunities and give you more responsibility. These tasks could be anything from writing client press releases to developing and managing social media content to attending new business pitches. In turn, you realize that…

 

 …Your job title doesn’t matter. Small agencies are all about “all hands on deck” and assisting in all projects. A success is a true team success because everyone has a role in making it possible. The individualistic mindset doesn’t exist. There is no time for hierarchy or corporate structure. You can easily be doing the work of a senior account executive at a larger agency. In turn, the amount you learn about the industry from more experienced team members in such a short time period is unbelievable and priceless.

 

You gain many opportunities for growth. Proving yourself, developing your boss’s trust and forming client relationships are all invaluable tools to a young public relations professional. You may not have projects with the biggest of budgets or clients with the most recognizable of names, but you have a chance to have your ideas heard in brainstorms, you get to place stories in the media and you get to implement all of those strategies and tactics you just spent four years learning about in college.

 

 Your first few years after college are your chance to test out all different types of communications jobs. You may find that agency life isn’t the best fit for your personality and that corporate communications is where you are happiest. Or after some time at a large, global firm you may realize that a boutique agency will give you the mentorship you need and the one-on-one interaction you crave. No matter where you land, don’t discount any opportunity. Good luck!

 Do you work a boutique firm, a large agency or in another setting? What are the pros of your individual workplace?

 

Ariel Abramowitz is a May 2011 graduate from the Pennsylvania State University College of Communications, where she studied public relations. While an undergraduate student, she was actively involved with the Penn State Dance Marathon (THON) and has continued her philanthropic efforts by managing the social media pages for The Stand, New York City’s premiere dance marathon benefiting the Children’s Miracle Network. She currently works for Rose Communications, a boutique agency in Hoboken, New Jersey, where she is a junior account executive. Ariel is self-described social media addict and spends a good portion of her time scrolling through Tweetdeck and blogging about her daily tribulations. Follow her @arielsam924!