getting ahead

career advice… The mistake I stopped making by Brian Camen

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When I graduated college, my resume  touted all I accomplished during my four years at Arizona State University. Three internships. Two relevant part-time jobs. President of my fraternity, and a good gpa. Sounds impressive, right? These kinds of accomplishments impressed a hiring manager and got me a job, but they meant very little once I started work.

We all make mistakes as first time full-time employees, but mine was a big mistake. I acted as if I knew everything.

Just because you had four or five internships, doesn’t mean you know everything about Public Relations. I’m happy to report that I stopped making that mistake quickly. My attitude quickly changed once I realized that pretending to know everything was the worst thing one can do.

Entry-level employees often are afraid to seem inexperienced so they pretend to know all the answers. The point of an entry-level position is to learn about the industry you work in, develop yourself as a full-time employee, and grow your skill set. Your boss isn’t expecting you to be perfect nor is your boss expecting you to manage yourself. If your boss wanted those traits in an employee, they would not have been seeking an entry-level employee.

As a new professional you will undoubtedly make mistakes (whether accidentally or on purpose). The key is to learn from those mistakes. Study what you did wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Another key to your entry-level position is to master your entry-level tasks. Once those are accomplished, your boss will feel more comfortable giving you higher level tasks. Developing your skills takes time. You can always be a better writer, listener, and practitioner.

Your skill set isn’t going to develop overnight and no matter how many internships you have, you never stop learning in this industry because Public Relations is continually evolving.

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BRIAN CAMEN is a Public Relations Specialist at a top-ranked international b-school in Glendale, AZ. Read his blog The PR Practitioner (http://www.theprpractitioner.com). He can be reached at brian.camen@gmail.com or @BrianCamen

your pr career… One Year Down, 60 More To Go! by Courtney Vaught

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As one of my co-workers said, 23 is not an envious age. You are trying to find your place in the workforce; you aren’t sure what you really want to do with your life; you have far too many awkward moments, and things are uncertain—especially in this economy.

Now you have at least one year of experience behind you. Whether you’re happy with your current company or thinking of moving on, take time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished. In doing so, you might get a better idea of where you want to go and how to get there.

I’d like to share some of the advice I received from a career consulting professional who’s been in the business for 25 years. His name is Jeff Vaught, but I call him Dad. (Don’t think I’m mentioning him just because he is family; he really does have some great insights into career development.)

Before you start thinking promotion or job search, first, ask yourself:

  • What are your professional goals?
  • Does your current position allow you to pursue your goals?

If you want to continue along the path you’re in currently, ask yourself:

  • What have you done to earn a promotion?
  • Can you handle the greater responsibility?
  • What added value will you bring?

If your employer is a little too comfortable with you in your current position and will not consider a promotion, then start looking elsewhere. Remember to stay stealthy during the search, and take extra precautions.

  • If posting your resume while employed, keep it confidential—don’t list the name of your current employer.
  • Don’t take calls during work unless it’s easy to do so—running out in the hall to talk on your cell phone is painfully obvious.
  • Don’t fall into the counter offer trap—if you’ve tried to negotiate a promotion with your employer and they didn’t listen to your concerns, don’t assume things will change if you stay

Do you have questions or concerns about where your career is headed? Do you have other suggestions to share? Leave comments!
We are all in the same boat and can always use the advice.

COURTNEY VAUGHT is a member-at-large of PRSA New Professionals Section. You can reach her at vaughtc20@gmail.com or @CourtV. If you have more in-depth career questions for her dad, Jeff Vaught, you can reach him at jejucoal78@msn.com.

personal branding… My Personal Branding Experience by Brittney Gillison

New Professionals PR Blog 3 Comments

Unlike most PR/Communication students, I did not complete any internships while in college and as we all know, the key to obtaining an entry level position is experience. Because I didn’t have any real work practice it was very important for me to build my personal brand. I needed to demonstrate professionalism and capability that could overshadow my lack of experience, and I needed to promote myself through networking.

After graduation, I took advantage of the discounted rate for recent grads and joined PRSA and the local PRSA chapter.  I attended as many networking events as possible (most chapters offer student and recent-grad admission prices).  I researched online for free business cards and got them printed through Vista Print. I developed business cards with my contact information so that I could hand out something at these events and more so to stand out and be memorable.  Although, I didn’t have a job or own my own company, I had business cards.  Pretty impressive!

I knew I wanted to pursue a career in PR, but I didn’t know what route I wanted to take, and I knew it was important to maintain my networks and build new relationships. The summer after I graduated was filled with informational interviews, internship interviews, full-time interviews, and volunteer positions because it was important to build my resume and get my name out in my area.

As summer came to an end, my professionalism and relationship-building paid off.  I was offered an internship in the PR department of a local advertising agency.  It was a perfect match–I was more mature than your typical intern; however, they didn’t have to pay me an entry level salary, and I was treated as an extension of their team. I had accounts and projects of my own to work on. It was a great resume and portfolio builder.

One key thing I learned that summer is that it’s important to develop your own brand to show companies just a taste of what you can do for them!

BRITTNEY GILLISON (PR Coordinator, University of Pittsburgh) is a graduate of Slipper Rock University with a bachelor’s degree in communication.  Brittney currently serves as the public relations coordinator for the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Institutional Advancement, where she supports the communications and marketing program for the University’s $2 billion fundraising campaign.

getting the pr job… The Toughest Interview Question that Shouldn’t Have Surprised Me by Janet Krenn

New Professionals PR Blog 1 Comment

After I heard my interviewer pose the question, I felt stupid at not having thought of it during my interview practice. This question might easily be called a “classic”… or was it?

The Question

I was interviewing to work with an environmental agency, and I just told the interviewing committee that I was drawn to the mission of the organization. In short, I lobbed one at them.

“Clearly, you sound like you’d make a great advocate of our organization. But as a PR person, how do you balance advocacy with nonbias?”

For the first time during the interview, I sputtered. I should have seen that one coming, right? Journalism walks the nonbias line, and so PR does as well, if only by proxy.

Bias never became a problem with my PR activities in the past, but why?

I reasoned out an answer, admitting I was an advocate and adding I suppose bias never was a problem for me in the past because I don’t try to deceive anyone.

But I went home wondering, was there something in the question that I was missing? Did this question contain some trick that I missed, being a recent convert to the PR industry? This seemed plausible, as this was my first interview for a PR-specific position.

Consulting the Professionals

I decided to seek advice from our National PRSA LinkedIN group. The members of the National PRSA Group are very active, and very eager to help new professionals sort through their questions. I’ve posted to that group before and was never disappointed with the volume and quality of helpful responses.

Several professionals were kind enough to respond, including Alice Hohl who said, “I don’t think it’s really a valid question to ask of a PR person. Someone who is totally objective is not advocating for either side. That’s not really our role. That’s the role of the reporter…”

Other professionals confirmed her view, and made me feel better about the situation.

So, What Did We Learn?

How valuable is it to remain relaxed during an interview! Sure, I was nervous–and working on 4 hours of sleep on an overnight flight–but I was in control of my anxiety, and when the question of advocacy vs. nonbias came up, I showed I could think on my feet. (In the end, I was offered the position.)

You simply cannot predict every question you will get in an interview. Sometimes, you might think you should tell your interviewers what they “want” to hear. By the way the question was phrased, I was on guard, wondering if I soiled my integrity. If I was too nervous, I might have started backtracking. But remaining calm and relaxed allowed me to respond this left field question.

What Was the Toughest Question You Ever Got in and Interview?

I’m sure I’m not alone in getting tough questions during interviews! Leave some of the toughest interview questions you’ve ever received in the comments of this article. Between us, I bet we could build quite the list of interesting questions.

JANET A. KRENN is Communication Co-Chair of the New Professionals Section of PRSA. If you’re a member of the New Professionals Section, and you’d like to contribute to the New Pros’ blog, email her at janetqs(at)gmail dot com

your PR career… PR Graduate School (Part 2: MBA vs MA/MS) by Janet Krenn

New Professionals PR Blog 1 Comment

“The earning begins later.” That’s how one survey respondent described career advancement after obtaining her MS.

I had a similar experience after obtaining my MS in Journalism. I had the advanced degree, but the riches were nonexistent. It made me wonder, was I lacking the right degree or was I lacking perspective and experience?

I thought, it would have been useful to talk with those who had a graduate degree and several years of experience under their belt before I decided on a grad program. That thought led to my survey.

I asked 32 seasoned PR professionals with graduate degrees to help me put graduate school in perspective, and (hopefully) gain some additional insight for those who are still considering a graduate degree, In last week’s post, we looked at 24 pros with MA or MS degrees (Seasoned Pros Talk About Grad School, Part 1). This week, we’ll hear from 8 with MBAs.

Why get an MBA?

Just like those with MA and MS degrees, the respondents with MBAs decided to pursue graduate school for career advancement, personal development, or career changing.

Unlike their MA/MS counterparts, however, MBAs who cited career change, chose an MBA because they believed it would help them become more specialized in corporate communications or it would help them to move from one branch of corporate communications to another. (Those with MA and MS degrees cited changing fields as impetus for getting their degree.)

What degree differentiates you best?

Those with MBAs were much more likely to say that their degree has helped to differentiate them from their peers. 75% of those with MBAs said their degree was a differentiator, compared to 40% of those with an MS degree and 0% with an MA.

What should you consider when choosing a grad school?

If you ask those with MBAs, 75% say you should choose a program based on the quality and variety of the courses offered. MA or MS grads say, choose a subject matter you like the most.

Is there a credibility gap?

Those with MBAs were more likely to perceive that their degree gave them “credibility” in the work place. 75% MBAs thought their degree made them more credible than their peers. 25% of those with MA or MS degrees sited increased credibility.

Benefits of getting a graduate degree?

Half of those with MBAs believed business school gave them a new, useful perspective in their job. The most respondents cited a “new perspective” as a major benefit of having attended grad school.

There was less agreement among those with MA and MS degrees. About 20% said the degree hasn’t seemed to help them get better jobs or earn more money. The same number said they believe their graduate degree has helped them to earn more.

“If I knew then what I knew now, I would…”

To finish the survey, we asked our respondents to give some advice to our New Professionals members. Their advice is posted to our eGroups page, and available for PRSA New Professionals members only.

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Some of the demographic info.
Overall, those who responded to the survey are experienced. Most have several years of professional perspective between their graduation date and today.

8 PR pros with MBAs. (See the job titles of those who responded to the survey. Job Titles of Those with MBAs)

Of these pros, 6 (or 75%) graduated more than 5 years ago. 7 respondents had more than 11 years experience in the PR field.

See the directory of schools our respondents attended. Directory of MBA Degrees