PRSA New Professionals

Notes from the Road: 3 Things I Learned on Path to a Career in PR

Jess Noonan 1 Comment

Beginning a career in public relations can be quite a daunting prospect. There is no point-by-point roadmap to direct you on the way to professional success, and you will encounter plenty of obstacles along the way. I found myself in the hectic world of the “entry-level” after graduating college in May 2013; and now as I prepare for the next step in my career, I can think of a few pieces of advice that I have picked up along the way:

1) Be open to whatever comes your way, and be ready for some hard work.

When I graduated with a BA in history and started exploring public relations as a potential career path I was totally overwhelmed. I had done one PR internship in college, but I quickly found out, that I was not ready to become a high-powered account executive on day one. The difficult reality for me was that I needed to get more experience, and that meant internships, and unpaid internships at that.

I realized I knew a lot of people in health care, and I managed to find an internship with my alma mater’s children’s hospital. To support myself financially, I worked nights as a technician in the hospital’s pharmacy while I interned during the day. Those long days and nights at the hospital were not exactly what I would call fun, but I managed to learn a ton from my bosses, who held me to a very high standard and dramatically improved my writing.

2) Join your professional community.

One of the best things my boss at the children’s hospital did for me was encouraged me to join PRSA and be active in the profession. At a PRSA sponsored lunch, I sat at the same table as the social media department one of my town’s leading PR agencies, and after an interesting conversation about social media I asked for an informational interview. That interview eventually led to another internship, this time focused on social media. I was given an entire account to manage, and I discovered a real passion for the work. By the time my agency internship had finished I was able to once again turn to my local chapter of the PRSA to find my current internship with Carestream Health, which will allow me to keeping building my skills while I study for my MBA.

3) Use This Time to Find Your Passion.

Finding your passion may sound like corny advice, but it really is what the early stages of your career are for. Take on any challenge or opportunity you can find. Public Relations is an unbelievably diverse profession and you will find plenty of things you love to do, and plenty of things you don’t. In my case I found a real passion for all things social media, and I found some great mentors who fostered that passion. You may very well have some false starts, some things you just can’t get excited about, but don’t let those experiences derail your future career.

If you are really serious about a career in public relations, if you are willing to put in the hard work up front, and you can find the right team of people to support you then you have a great shot at becoming a real success in one of the most dynamic and engaging career fields there is. Public Relations is all about telling a story, so get out there and share yours with the world.

Sean Delehanty headshotSean Delehanty is currently an MBA candidate at the Simon School of Business, University of Rochester, Class of 2016; as well as a digital marketing intern with Carestream Health. He graduated from the University of Rochester in 2013, and has worked as a public relations intern at the Golisano Children’s Hospital and Dixon Schwabl Advertising. Sean is a Rochester, NY native and a proud member of the Rochester chapter of the PRSA.  

How to Design Your Office to Support Your PR Activities

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

Spending a vast amount of money on PR campaigns can make good sense if by doing so you are able to establish and maintain a desirable public image that helps to attract new customers and to retain old ones. However, it is not an activity that should be carried out in isolation, but rather something that should form part of an overall marketing strategy, including the interior design of your corporate headquarters.

Image Credit: Legozilla, license (click for source)

Many business owners may feel that office design has very little to do with their public relations campaigns but if you want to make sure that your target audience does not perceive your PR activities to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors, it is a good idea to reinforce the image you are trying to project with something tangible such as the colour scheme and layout of your head office.

Visitors to your headquarters cannot help but be influenced by what they see and their perception of your organisation is very likely to be coloured by the décor of your offices. The following design tips should help to ensure that this is a positive and not a negative.

Corporate colours – if you have made a big effort to get potential customers to associate your company with a particular logo, you should seriously consider using the colours that appear in that logo when deciding on colour schemes for your office interiors.

In particular, an impressive reception area painted in your corporate colours is sure to make a good impression on visitors and leave them in no doubt that yours is an organisation that stands behind its advertising slogans 100%.

An appropriate layout – if you spend a great deal of money in an effort to convince people that yours is a forward thinking company where corporate hierarchies have been swept aside in favour of a more inclusive working environment that is conducive to innovation and the rapid evolution of new products, you need to back this up with your office layout.

If visitors to your headquarters are met with closed doors and lifts to executive floors that can only be accessed with a special proximity card, which only the chosen few are issued with, there is a very good chance that they are going to start to question everything that your marketing campaigns have tried to establish as fact. Do not confuse your customers by sending mixed messages about what your company stands for and how it likes to operate.

Relevant themes – if your organisation is making a big push to sell its products to environmentally aware consumers who are genuinely concerned about the effect that their activities have on the natural world, this is something that can be carried through to the interior design of your offices. Instead of having panoramic windows that frame impressive views of the local countryside or cityscape, consider going for a more sustainable design with less glass, which will be cheaper to heat in the winter and to keep cool in the summer.

Many organisations make the mistake of trying to dazzle their visitors with the magnificence of their corporate headquarters when in reality all they are doing is demonstrating their lack of consideration for what really matters in life.

As you can see, the way that you choose to decorate your offices and how they are laid out could have a big effect on how your customers and members of the public in general perceive your business.

Always remember that actions speak louder than words so what your company does is just as important as what is says.

Author: Juliet Martin is writing for Saracen Office, one of the leading Commercial office Refurbishment Experts within the UK.

Back to School?: 5 tips to surviving graduate school as a working professional

Jess Noonan Leave a comment

As the use of social media and web-based PR tactics grows, current public relations professionals may consider earning a master’s degree to keep up with current trends. Working a full-time job and managing a home life can be challenging enough, so is it possible to add graduate school onto your plate and survive? It is. Here are a few tips to make the process more manageable:

1. Do your research.

Not all graduate programs are created equal. For the working student, a distance learning program might make the most sense. But even some online programs require a visit to campus once a semester. Be sure to research admission requirements and curriculum to determine where you’ll be most successful, and reach out to enrollment counselors with any questions. Thebestcolleges.org recently put out a list of the seven best online PR graduate programs. It might be a good place to start your search.

2. Build a support system (and use it).

Doing school assignments during the work day usually isn’t an option, so be prepared for your home life to get a little hectic. If you’re having trouble balancing your school work and home responsibilities, don’t be afraid to accept help. If a neighbor offers to drive your kids to soccer practice, take him up on it. Your support system should also include your instructors. They are there to guide you, and they want you to succeed. If you’re struggling with something, reach out and ask for assistance.

3. Set a routine.

Most graduate programs that cater to working professionals have developed their course schedules to give students a fair amount of flexibility. During your first course, get a feel for the format, schedule, and pace, and then set a routine for yourself. For example, do reading assignments on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then work on any corresponding writing assignment during the rest of the week. Sticking to a routine will keep you from falling behind in your work load and having to fit a cram session into your already busy schedule.

4. Don’t forget to take some personal time.

If you work full time and have kids, you already have little time to yourself. Add graduate school into the mix and your “free” time is now non-existent. But it is still important to carve out some personal time, even if it is ten minutes a day to walk around the block and decompress. If your stress levels get out of hand, you’re likely to want to throw in the towel. It is much easier to take the occasional time out than it is to melt down and quit.

5. Cut yourself some slack.

You’ll be devoting roughly two years to earning your graduate degree, and you may have to bump some things down your list of priorities. If you don’t have time to make your signature hand-crafted cards this year, Christmas will still be just fine. If you’re ordering pizza rather than cooking a little more frequently, at least dinner makes it on the table. Don’t beat yourself up about taking some shortcuts at home in order to fit graduate school into your life. It’s easy to compare yourself to others, but what you’re doing is far more impressive than building outdoor furniture from wooden pallets.

It won’t be easy, but earning your master’s degree is an impressive accomplishment. In the grand scheme of things, the amount of time you’ll have to deal with a crazy, stressful life is short, but the accolade of having your graduate degree will last forever. In the end, the feeling of accomplishment and the relationships with instructors and peers will make it worth the effort.

Are you considering a graduate degree? Have you completed one while working?

Materkoski HeadshotJennifer Materkoski is a graduate of Kent State University with a Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications with a specialization in Public Relations. She has worked as a writer and editor for both newspaper and television and as a member of a non-profit marketing and development team. Materkoski recently opened her own boutique public relations firm, Songbird Public Relations. Materkoski resides in Wheeling, West Virginia with her husband and son. You can find her on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter @MrsMaterkoski. She can be reached via email at jen@songbirdpublicrelations.com.

How to Leverage Freelance Work to Boost Your Career

Lauren Gray 3 Comments

Freelance-homeIt seems all too often that young professionals get so focused on advancing their status that they forget to explore other, alternative career development options outside the traditional ladder.

Freelancing is one of these alternatives. When approached properly, it can yield benefits to your life such as expanded opportunities, diverse experience and extra income.

Here’s how to leverage freelance work to boost your career:

Pick a Focus

To get started, select a specific skill that you’re particularly passionate about and talented in. This will empower you to not only best serve your future clients, but to get those clients in the first place.

Focus on Your Portfolio Before Your Income

This process might not yield income when you’re first getting started. Unless you’re a tenured professional, you’ll have to get started by offering your services for free.

Sam Sanchez—a freelance designer that I work with on client projects—used this strategy to build his portfolio and reputation to the point where he could start charging for his services.

“At the time [the beginning], the main thing I was concerned with was building my portfolio, not making money,” says Sanchez.

This is also a great time to make some small mistakes that will help polish your delivery process before you start asking for compensation.

Don’t Screw Anybody Over

Since you’re not packaging yourself in someone else’s company, you’re personal brand is going to be exposed and vulnerable.

Make sure that you clearly understand the expectations of your clients before you start any work. Also be sure to put these thoughts into a formalized contract document that is signed—even if it’s pro-bono work.

That being said, do what you say you’re going to do. Put forth every ounce of your effort into completing your projects and making your clients happy. What you do in this independent context will ripple into every other aspect of your career. If you do it improperly, I promise that you will ruin your career.

Know When to Exchange Your Experiential Currency

As you continue building your portfolio and clientele, begin to look for ways to exchange your additional experiential for promotions and opportunities.

Sanchez leveraged his strong freelance background to score a communications assistant position at Vital VOICE Magazine—the third oldest LGBT publication in the nation—right out of college.

He didn’t stop utilizing his portfolio there though—he continued freelancing on the side and recently exchanged his extra experience for an exciting promotion and significant career boost that he can’t publicly announce as of now.

Use It to Better Understand Your Fit

By pursuing additional opportunities outside the norm of your nine-to-five job, you’ll learn a lot about yourself. Particularly what you may be especially interested in.

Freelancing allows you to explore a variety of work styles, organizations and practices. I’ve heard countless stories of young professionals discovering the industry, and ultimately, the job of their dreams from their independent pursuits.

Are you using freelancing to boost your career? How has it made a difference?

 

profile-benBen Butler is the founder and president of Top Hat IMC—an integrated marketing communications firm in Wexford and Pittsburgh, Pa. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and on Twitter @BenButlerPR.

Applying Psychology to PR

Jess Noonan 1 Comment

illus_2heads-mediaPsychology is a broad major that applies to many of the industries, but for some reason people only associate becoming a psychologist or psychiatrist as appropriate career paths for psychology majors.  Most don’t even consider the possibility of working in the public relations industry, and some might insinuate that since you didn’t major in communication or journalism you are somehow incapable of working in the communications field.  The reality is, psychology makes up majority of the theories behind public relations, social media, and marketing, becoming very much entwined within the industry itself.  Why wouldn’t it?  The study of human behavior is directly involved whether you are planning a campaign for behavior change, trying to manage a company’s image after a crisis, or persuading consumers toward a new idea.

You might be a new grad who majored in a social science, but now you’re interested in public relations.  Or maybe you’re a young professional and after spending a few years in a different industry want to switch career paths.  You are probably wondering, “How do my skills fit into the world of public relations?”  Fear not, coming from a psychology and science background provides many transferrable skills that will help you succeed and can make you an attractive candidate to employers. Psychology actually equips you with many of the desirable traits for the public relations and marketing industry, especially with the new focus on social media in today’s society.

Research – Psychology and other sciences that are research-intensive, require you to be skilled at researching and analyzing information and data.  You have experience not only with conducting primary and secondary research, but also in knowing how to critically evaluate the data and draw appropriate conclusions.  Sure, there is an abundance of information available but you have to know how to evaluate the findings and whether it actually provides support for your objectives.  There are a number of findings that support certain claims, but they will not help your client’s communications campaign if it’s based off of faulty logic or inadequate study design.

Writing – Psychology courses will not provide you with much experience drafting press releases or practicing AP style, but you certainly gain sufficient experience with writing.  Whether it’s by writing research papers, article critiques, or lab reports, you certainly leave college having acquired numerous hours perfecting your writing ability.  Now, it’s just applying your writing talent into a new format.

Social Psychology – Persuasion, behavior change, group behavior, and attitude formation are main concepts covered in social psychology, but they are also the basic concepts for planning a public relations campaign.  Understanding the background of your key publics and why they hold their opinions, beliefs, and attitudes, is the first step in your plan.  Knowledge of the principles behind attitude formation and group behavior is essential when planning and deciding what strategies and tactics will relate and be the most successful for your campaign’s messages and goals.

Social Media:  Knowledge and understanding of how people’s behavior is affected through the use of online environments is extremely useful when planning social media campaigns.  It’s not just about understanding how to use the technology, but deciding how to use these social networks to enhance your brand and increase interaction with your followers.  What factors of the online environment change the way people interact, behave, and make decisions?  Understanding these differences will help your company or brand when engaging followers.  Interpreting how the different channels (Facebook vs. Twitter) affect behavior also becomes beneficial.  Certain messages or tactics will have better reception and response on one channel versus the other for the simple fact of how people interact with it.  It might seem like common sense but behavior can become much more complex and unpredictable through the online environment.

Recent grads, what were some of your favorite psychology courses in college?  Current professionals, how do you find psychology applied in your job today?

LShank headshotLauren Shank does freelance public relations and marketing, specializing in social media.  She graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and is a member of PRSA – National Capital Chapter.  Connect with her on Twitter (@LaurenEShank).