career

5 Ways to Build a Network and Apply For Jobs in a New City

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

When my boyfriend got a new job in Connecticut and we decided to journey to CT together, I had never been to CT until the night I moved in. I moved all the way from Atlanta, GA, to Stamford, CT, and knew no one in the area.

5 Ways to Build a Network and Apply For Jobs in a New CityI had a little less than a month’s notice until we were moving, but I started to apply to jobs right away. Here are my best tips for networking and applying for jobs in a brand new city:

1. Research companies in the area you’re moving and apply for entry-level jobs with up to five years of experience.

In Stamford, GE, Philips, Conair, Reuters, NBC and many more companies have large presences. Although I didn’t get a job at one of those places, I applied to all of them and even interviewed with one. It helped me get a feel for the area.

The job I did end up getting listed 1-3 years of experience and I’ve recently found that I’m eligible for jobs that say up to 5 years of experience and companies are often flexible with that part of the job posting.

2. Research and inquire about local groups that fall within your passions and interests.

For me, I was really excited to find a local young democrats group and meet new people. I inquired about their meetings and went to one of their meetings shortly after I arrived.

There are so many different local groups for running, intramurals, religion, animal rescue and much more you can find and join. It helps to network and make friends with people you share interests with when you move to a new city.

3. While you’re in the process of moving, take time to apply to jobs and interview for them.

Although I wasn’t in the area, I offered to Skype in for interviews or interview in-person once I arrived. Sometimes it can take many weeks to find a job and it helps to get ahead of the application process before you move since moving itself takes up a lot of time.

I also found the interviewers really appreciated my openness and flexibility with doing Skype interviews or waiting until I arrived.

4. Find and join your local PRSA Chapter.

I knew that I was probably going to get a job in New York City and immediately joined the PRSA New York Chapter as well. I got involved with the new professionals committee within the Chapter and met a lot of new people through networking events in the city.

Use the PRSA website to find and join your local PRSA Chapter and inquire about any upcoming new professionals activities.

5. Make friends with co-workers and others who work close to your office.

Some of the best friends I’ve made worked in offices pretty close to mine and I do hang out with co-workers outside of work sometimes. I know opinion varies on making friends with co-workers, but that decision is up to you and co-workers can be great friends especially if you’re new to the area.

If you’re at the local coffee shop and see the same person or people every day, say hi and find out what they do and where they work!

So while moving to a new city can seem a little intimidating, it’s also full of opportunity and provides an extraordinary amount of growth for you personally and professionally.

Have any other tips to share? Please post them below!

Lauren GrayLauren Gray is currently a Project Director with local creative agency The Visual Brand in Stamford, CT. She also serves as a PRSSA Liaison co-chair on the PRSA New Professionals Section executive committee. Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Balancing a Full-Time Career and Freelance Work

PRSA New Pros Leave a comment

For marketing and communications professionals, the opportunity to freelance on the side of full-time careers is growing.

In 2014, a study showed that more than one in three workers in America were freelancing, a statistic that confirms the ever-growing demand of freelancers in our constantly changing workforce.

Although the demand for freelancers is expanding, many people still can’t trust the instability of the freelance world as their primary income source.

That’s why professionals, especially new professionals, are working full-time careers, while juggling part-time freelance work on the side. Learning to manage both is tough, but people are making it happen, and you can to.

Organize

If you’re going to juggle a full-time career on top of a part-time one, organization isn’t just encouraged – it’s critical.

Find what works best for you and helps you stay on top of all your deliverables. For some people, it’s using an agenda. For others it may be their cell phone or computer calendar, or to-do lists and sticky notes.

Whatever helps you remember and stay on top of everything is going to be crucial to the balancing act needed for being a full-time professional and freelancer.

Prioritize

Your full-time career should never suffer when pursuing freelance opportunities; after all, this is where the bulk of your income probably comes from.

Learn to prioritize your day or week. When you’re in your full-time job, you should only be focusing on your full-time job. By prioritizing your work and day at your career, you’ll be able to stay on top of what’s expected from you and not fall behind.

Once you fall behind in your full-time job, you may find yourself staying late and working overtime, which will in turn trickle down to how you are going to meet the deliverables of your side freelance projects.

Prioritize your entire day from start to finish. What needs to be done as soon as possible, and what can wait?

Work-Life Balance

When balancing a career and freelance work, it’s easy to lose site of having any outside life at all.

You may feel that outside of work you’re actually working more, and you have no room for fun. But you need to overcome this habit.

Don’t cancel your workout because you need to work late. Learn to prioritize and organize your tasks and projects so you can work around your workout or night out.

When you keep the fun stuff in your life, you’ll see better work, increased productivity, and you’ll be much happier, which is really the most important thing.

Dedication

Being a freelancer on top of working full-time takes dedication to your industry and career, and to yourself and your clients/employers.

If you don’t have the motivation to get stuff done, stay on top of your deliverables, and do work outside of your 9-5 job (sometimes on weekends), then balancing both these career paths may not be for you.

There will be times you just want a day off, times you just want to lock yourself in your room and unplug from the world, but dedication and perseverance is what will get you through those overworked slumps.

Create Boundaries

To avoid wanting to lock yourself away from the world, set boundaries for yourself. When freelancers first start out, and start to land their initial clients and jobs, it’s exciting, and it may be hard to learn when to say no.

But saying no to someone doesn’t mean you are burning a bridge, and most people will appreciate your honesty. Know your limits, and know what you’re capable of.

If you already feel like you have too much to do, and you pull all nighters to get work done, you’ve probably taken on too much.

Balancing freelance work and a full-time career isn’t for everyone. It does take a certain type of person who can manage both of these career paths at once.

To learn if this is for you, test the waters by taking on one freelance client at a time, and slowly build up to more if you can manage.

Do you have any tips for balancing a full-time job and freelance work? Share below!

Lauren MarinighLauren Marinigh is a graduate of Sheridan College, with a diploma in Advertising, and certificate in Corporate Communications. She currently works as a Social Media and Content Creation Coordinator, for a large non-profit in Toronto, and as a freelance social media consultant and writer. Find her on Twitter, or visit her industry blog.

Nine tricks to make networking easy

Stephanie Vermillion 1 Comment

9 tricks to make networking easyNetworking: the necessary evil of the professional world.

I’ve yet to meet anyone who actually enjoys going to networking events and trying to make meaningful contacts in a room full of strangers. The degree of dread often depends on our individual personality type.

As an introvert, networking is one of my least favorite things on Earth. I like people with whom I share a common interest or two, but I detest the small talk and uncomfortable nature of networking.

It’s draining, anxiety-inducing and sometimes quite painful, but it’s necessary, so it’s worth finding ways to make it work for you.

1. Start by building your network where you’re comfortable.

The best way I’ve found to get your feet wet in networking is to start somewhere you’re already at ease. For me, that was Twitter.

That may sound like a huge cop-out, but by engaging in Twitter chats, I’ve been able to chat with bunches of like-minded professionals I would have never gotten to meet otherwise.

Believe it or not, there are more introverts in PR than you’d think.

2. Build a reputation that precedes you.

The hardest part about networking for introverts isn’t meeting new people but having to introduce and talk about ourselves to new people.

Building a reputation for yourself before you have to go out and meet everyone is a great way to skip the awkward part.

Create a website to showcase your work and your talents, volunteer for a cause that you enjoy and do something that you love. Create a brand for yourself and let it lead the way. (Click to Tweet!)

3. Be consistent.

We all know how important it is to craft your message to fit your audience, but it’s also equally as important to be consistent.

Networking isn’t much different than reaching your audience.

Whatever parts of yourself you choose to share when networking, keep consistent in what you say and do. It’ll be easy to practice and remember what to say when you meet new people.

4. Set goals and a time limit.

It’s unrealistic to expect to make 50 new connections and spend three hours at a networking event when you get anxious chatting with five strangers.

Give yourself a time limit that you’re comfortable with and a reasonable number of connections to make in that time to start with. If you stay longer because you’re enjoying yourself and make more connections, that’s great!

5. Prepare.

Do whatever you can to make yourself feel confident. Whether it’s practicing and perfecting your personal elevator pitch, planning out your power outfit or reaching out to attendees prior to the event, do whatever will make you feel most comfortable and confident to prepare yourself for the event at hand.

6. Bring an extrovert friend.

Everyone has at least one extrovert friend who has no problem chatting up a room full of new people and becoming friends with them all.

Bring him or her with you! Feed off of his/her energy and get yourself in the right mindset to meet new people. You don’t have to stick by your friend’s side for the whole event, but it’s a great way to get yourself started.

7. Take breaks.

Breaks and moments to recharge are essential for introverts. Just because you’re at a networking event doesn’t mean you should abandon your needs.

Find a quiet corner, step outside or sneak into the restroom for a quick break. Refreshing yourself and refocusing your energy are essential to keeping you going at any event.

8. Focus on compliments, not cards.

Too often at networking events, people focus on just introductions and getting others’ cards.

The purpose of these events is to make meaningful connections; it’s not a race to see who can come home with the most business cards.

Make yourself memorable by making compliments. Whether you admire an acquaintance’s style, work or attitude, let them know, but only if you’re sincere.

9. Plan your own events.

Maybe the setup of the networking events you’ve been to hasn’t worked for you. Then perhaps you should host your own event!

Volunteer for your PRSA chapter’s events committee or work with your alma mater’s alumni organization to plan events for members.

Being in charge of the event may put you at ease while attending because you already know what to expect and attendees will already know who you are if you’ve been vocal while planning the event.

Have you found a particular trick or tip that helps to make networking a bit more bearable for you? Share it with us!

Robyn Rudish-LaningRobyn Rudish-Laning is a graduate of Duquesne University, with a bachelor’s in Public Relations, a master’s in Media Arts and Technology, and currently works as a PR Associate with Pretty Living PR, a boutique firm based in Pittsburgh. Find her on LinkedIn or Twitter or read her PR-focused blog.

What skills do young PR pros need?

Stephanie Vermillion 1 Comment

What skills do young PR pros need-If you want to excel in the PR world, it’s time to think beyond the classroom.

(Uh oh. I can already hear some angry rumblings from my former professors…)

I’ll admit, the skills you learn in your PR classes are vital. They’ve helped me understand strategy, ROI, media relations and much more.

(Phew. Now my next campus visit won’t be so awkward.)

But today’s PR pros need more than the basics. Even if you have a progressive professor teaching integrated PR, there’s still no way you can learn every single new marketing skill in one semester, or even four years.

With the way this PR world is changing, it’s just not humanly possible. To stay competitive in the job market you need to be:

  • Constantly learning.
  • Subscribing to podcasts.
  • Reading blogs daily.
  • Heck, even starting your own blog.

But don’t just take my word for it. To help answer the “What skills do young PR pros need” question, I’ve aggregated tips from some leading industry experts. 

Understand the data – @johnsonhui 

As a new PR pro, you’ll be heavily involved in reporting and measurement. But Johnson Hui of Edelman notes the most impressive employees can infer actionable insights from data – instead of just regurgitating numbers.

“PR professionals no longer simply grind data from press clips and media audits,” he says in Edelman’s blog post. “They need to be able to identify valuable data and tell evidence-based stories that can impact business decisions.”

Learn content marketing – @GiniDietrich

In her August 2014 post, Gini suggests doing content marketing for yourself to really understand how to use it on the job. Get started with a personal blog on Tumblr, WordPress or Blogger.

I started my own PR blog last year, and the insights I’ve gleaned have been tremendous. I researched and uncovered entirely new social and syndication tools to help my content get found, which, in turn, is used to help my clients amplify their own content.

Bonus tip: If you’re thinking to yourself “I have nothing to write about!” check out another Gini post on generating blog post ideas.

Speak publicly – confidently – @RachelAMiller

Sure, digital is an integral part of PR, but that doesn’t mean face-to-face communication is obsolete. Not by a long shot.

Rachel Miller of PR 20|20 notes that public speaking is the number one fear in the U.S. (Yes, number *one* above disgusting spiders or 50-legged silverfish bugs – my arch enemies). But, whether you’re sharing ideas during internal meetings or presenting a Q2 or annual plan to clients, public speaking is a necessity.

To beef up your public speaking skills – and calm those jitters – Rachel suggests finding local speech classes, clubs or even making toasts at family functions like weddings. (Look no further than Michael Scott for this inspiration.)

Look for trends, not just hits – @Julia_Sahin 

In her post “10 things young PR pros need to STOP doing to get ahead,” Julia tells young PR pros to look for trends hidden within clients’ stories and industries. It’s easy to find client coverage and call it a day, but the PR pros who find the underlying trends are the PR pros who excel.

“Picking up the patterns and interests of reporters, publications and blogs and identifying opportunities is one of the most valuable skills in the industry,” she says in the post on Muckrack. “Start this practice early and you’ll be a real pro before you know it.”

Understand the media landscape – @allenmireles

Despite the ongoing PR changes, one traditional tactic remains integral to the industry: media relations. The third-party credibility is irreplaceable, says Allen.

But today’s media relations looks quite different than media relations 10 years ago. We now have blogger and influencer relations under that media umbrella. To stay updated on the media landscape, you must read, watch and listen to the news. And better yet, get your news from a variety of outlets.

This knowledge will get you far in the interview process and on the job.

PR is a constantly evolving industry.  To get ahead of the pack, you’ll need to make sure these skills (plus those described in the subhead hyperlinks, which I strongly suggest reading) are part of your PR repertoire.

And now, it’s your turn: What must-have PR skills would you add to this list?

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Stephanie VermillionStephanie Vermillion is a senior account executive at Wordsworth Communications, a public relations agency in Cincinnati. She is the PRSA National New Professionals blog co-chair, and is on the PRSA Cincinnati Leadership Team. Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn and Twitter (@SMVermillion).

How To Put Your Best PR Face Forward

Stephanie Vermillion 3 Comments

As young PR pros, social media is a tool we use every day. We revamp our clients’ plans, update them on best practices and research the new tactics.

Putting Your Best PR Face Forward

Image from www.gratisography.com

But, how often do we invest time in maintaining and regularly updating our own personal profiles?

When you consider all of the tweaking, posting, researching and revamping that can be done it seems as if a limitless amount of time could be devoted to personal social media. But let’s face it – we don’t have limitless hours in the day so keeping profiles up-to-date can seem daunting.

Don’t let the enormity of social media stop you from putting your best face forward (Click to Tweet!). Below are three steps to streamlining your personal social media strategy with your precious time in mind.

1. Start with focus

The first step is always the hardest – at least that’s how the saying goes. It doesn’t have to be, though!

First, think about your personal brand.

  • Who are you?
  • Are you serious or light-hearted?
  • What are you passionate about?
  • What would you like to learn about?

This information will guide how you set up your profiles, what content you share, and the tone. By narrowing your focus, you can spend your time strategically on developing your profiles.

Next spend some time looking through the social media profiles of your mentors and successful individuals from your interest areas.

  • What are they talking about?
  • How do they describe themselves?
  • Are there opportunities for you to engage with their networks, such as Tweetchats or LinkedIn groups?

Once you’ve determine your personal brand and identified a few best practices from those you admire, you’re ready to set up or revamp your profile. Make sure to include key words for the topics you’ll be talking about and an appropriate photo that fits your brand. No matter what you do make sure your profile is accurate – nothing is more aggravating than following a tech specialist who only talks about where to get the best french fries.

Set aside 30 minutes every six months to revamp each profile, focusing on no more than one profile each month. This will make the task seem less daunting and more manageable, as well as help you to focus on your personal social media strategy.

2. Get the news delivered to your fingertips

One of the easiest ways to stay up on key trends and news is to have it at your fingertips! Your time is limited so it’s difficult to read every article related to a particular topic.

Instead of scanning dozens of news sites and blogs for relevant and interesting stories worthy of sharing on your social channels, have them delivered straight to your inbox. The obvious news sources include newsletters for your favorite sites and, of course, PRSA’s daily e-newsletter Issues and Trends.

Look outside of your typical news sources by tapping into the power of content curation tools and news alerts. Personally, my two favorite tools are Swayy and Google alerts.

Swayy connects to your social media channels and delivers curated content to your e-mail (or their app) based on designated key terms and the content your network is sharing. Combined with Google alerts, you will have endless content to share on the topics of your choice. For a list of other great tools for finding sharable content check out this list from Inc.

When evaluating articles for “share worthiness,” ask yourself: “Does this strengthen my personal brand and is it authentic?” If the answer is yes, move onto the final step!

3. Schedule your findings

With content at your fingertips the final step is easy – get it all posted. Choose top articles from news scans and curated content, then schedule posts throughout the day.

Again, there are plenty of free tools available for scheduling, many of which you are likely familiar with like Hootsuite. Each tool has a variety of benefits. My favorite features are analytics, which ensure I’m reaching the right audience, and auto-scheduling, which puts posting on autopilot.

It really is that simple – focus, content, schedule. Social media can be powerful, not just for your clients, but also for you. By focusing and tapping into available tools, you too can take advantage of its benefits and amplify your personal brand.

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Katie Atkinson Katie Atkinson is an account coordinator for LEWIS PR’s Boston office. When she’s not working, you can usually find her planning her next trip, dreaming about delicious food, and, recently, warm weather. Find her on Twitter @Katie_Atkinson