PRSA New Pros

New Professionals Week: A Hit from Coast to Coast by Elizabeth Rhoads

Heather Sliwinski Leave a comment

Young professionals had the opportunity to do everything from mingling at happy hours to getting professional development advice during our first ever New Professionals Week, November 14 through 18. Our #NPweek hashtag took over Twitter for the week, and everyone enjoyed connecting with other new professionals in their area and online.

We are looking forward to New Professionals Week 2012 and are excited to connect with even more Chapters and see what fun, new events will be held!

Special thanks to each of these individuals and their Chapters for all of their efforts in planning and implementing so many successful events in celebration of New Professionals Week:

Rachel Sprung, Boston (@PRSABostonYPN)

Jeana Harrington & Janelle Huelsman, Central Ohio (@PRSAcentralOhio)

Alison Hamer, Chicago (@YPNChicagoPRSA)

Dan Tipton, Delaware (@PRSADE)

Joshua Preister, Detroit (@PRSADetroit)

Emily Geesaman & Anna Cramer, Philadelphia (@PRSAPhilly)

Angi Ramos & Cameron Bays, Puget Sound (@PRSA_yopro – Check out their success!)

Carolina Madrid & Francie King, San Francisco (@prsasanfran)

For more information on New Professionals Week 2012, please contact Elizabeth Rhoads (elizrhoads@gmail.com, @ElizRhoads), programming co-chair.

New Professionals Committee reflects on 2011: Recruiting for 2012

Heather Sliwinski Leave a comment

As the year comes to a close (how is it already November?), it’s time for the New Professionals Section Executive Committee to recruit new members to shape the Section in 2012. Some of us are moving on to other Section or Chapter opportunities, and some of us are taking a victory lap on the Committee. But, we all agree that serving on the Committee has been a valuable experience both personally and professionally. Some Committee members shared their thoughts on the benefits of volunteering with New Professionals:

“The PRSA New Professionals Section served as a bridge from PRSSA to PRSA. In my three years on the committee, I connected with top thought leaders in our industry, gained new perspectives from national peers and further developed my leadership skills. Any new professional who is dedicated to and passionate about our profession should join PRSA and volunteer on the national level.”-Sarah Siewert, Chair

“Being a part of the Executive Committee for New Professionals Section has given me the opportunity to work with other talented new pros in the industry and stay connected to the PR world. We’ve planned events nationwide (New Pros Week) and started new initiatives for the Section (Tweetchats). By taking on a leadership role, I’ve been able to gain valuable experience, which has helped to build my portfolio.”-Leah Moon, Social Media Editor, Chair Elect

“I enjoyed working with the PRSA New Professionals Section this year as a blog co-chair. Helping our Section execute its first Tweetchat was exciting. It was a shining example of public relations at work, and it all started with one blog post about a Summer Book Club selection. The Committee afforded me a great opportunity to meet new people and learn about various aspects of the public relations field from experienced PR pros. I became so hooked on volunteering that I chose to serve another year. It is a great platform to share information with PR professionals who are newbies like me.”-Diahnn Henderson, Blog Chair

“Being on the New Professionals Executive Committee has been a fantastic experience, not only has it helped me strengthen my leadership skills, but I’ve had the opportunity to work and learn from such talented people from across the country.”-Anna Cramer, Programming Chair

“Before I joined the EC, I was worried about the time commitment. It turns out, that’s not an issue at all – if you see a position on the EC that’s open and you’re interested in it – go for it! The extra hours I spend a month programming for the New Professionals give me the event planning experience that I don’t have a lot of in my current position. Not to mention, scheduling the programming gets you in touch with all the speakers, which is great networking! I liked it so much, I’ll be doing programming again in 2012. As much as I loved working with Anna [2011 programming co-chair] this year, I’m excited to welcome a new programming co-chair next year!”-Elizabeth Rhoads, Programming Chair

“Volunteering as a membership co-chair was a great way to meet New Professionals Section members around the country! From the working relationship with my fellow Committee members, to the interactions with members and leadership from local chapters, being a part of the New Professionals Executive Committee helped me network with colleagues from various industries. It was a rewarding experience that will undoubtedly be a significant part of my professional development.” –Joshua Romero, Membership Chair

“Being on the New Professionals Executive Committee as the PRSSA liaison has been a great experience. It’s allowed me to connect with PR students across the nation and start their PRSA foundation after graduation.” – Alyssa Bronikowski, PRSSA Liaison

“Serving as the blog co-chair for the New Professionals Section has been more rewarding than I could have hoped. Not only did it allow me to do what I love (write and edit), but it opened new doors for networking and professional development. As a new professional with a small network of PR pros, I was given the opportunity to meet other new professionals in the Committee and reach out to experienced PR professionals to guest blog for us. I have learned a tremendous amount from these new connections, through their writing, their shared experiences and their drive to make our Section better every year. I’m so happy to be returning as blog co-chair next year, and I can’t wait to see what new ideas the new co-chair will bring to the table!”-Heather Sliwinski, Blog Chair

If you’re interested in becoming part of the 2012 New Professionals Section Executive Committee, please fill out our online volunteer interest form, select New Professionals Section from the drop-down menu and complete by Monday, Nov. 14.

We hope to see you on the Committee in 2012!

PRSA New Pros Tweetchat – Promoting YOU: PR Tips for Networking, Landing a Job and Moving Up Recap

Diahnn Henderson Leave a comment
PRSA New Professionals Section hosted its first Tweetchat last week. Two experts shared advice on the art of self-promotion.

On Tuesday, October 25, PRSA New Professionals Section held it first tweetchat with Meryl Weinsaft Cooper and Jessica Kleiman, the authors of our July Summer Book Club selection, “Be Your Own Best Publicist: How to Use PR Techniques to Get Noticed, Get Hired and Get Rewarded at Work”. #NPchat participants gathered to hear Cooper and Kleiman shared great advice for networking and getting ahead in your PR career.

Boy were the tweets moving fast and furiously across our timeline. From the first question to the last, the chat provided valuable advice for recent graduates looking to kick start their career and new pros striving to get to the next level. We kicked the discussion off with best way to network as a new graduate. Here are a few tweets of advice from our authors:

If you weren’t able to stop by our #NPchat or want to access the transcript of the event, click here. The response to this event was positive, and we thank everyone who attended.

If you have topics you’d like to read about on our blog or discuss on a future Tweetchat, comment below, Tweet @PRSANewPros or share on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages. If you really want to get involved, fill out our volunteer interest form and be a part of our 2012 Executive Committee!

PRSA National Leadership Opportunities – 2012 New Professionals Executive Committee

Heather Sliwinski Leave a comment

2011 is winding down, and it’s time to choose a new Executive Committee for the New Professionals Section. This is a National leadership opportunity and great for any new professional looking to get more exposure in the industry and showcase their talents. There are many ways to get involved from writing articles for the newsletter or blog to serving on the Executive Committee.

Please fill out our online volunteer interest form, select the New Professionals Section from the drop-down list and you’re on your way. There are a number of questions that will help staff and Section volunteer leaders match your interests and availability with our opportunities, and we will be in contact after the deadline of Monday, Nov. 14.

The following Chair positions are open for the 2012 New Professionals Executive Committee:

  • Programming Chair (1)
  • Blog Co-Chair (1)
  • Newsletter Co-Chair (1)
  • Membership Outreach Co-Chair (2)
  • Mentoring Program Co-Chair (2)
  • PRSSA Liaison (1)

Please note you must be an active member of PRSA and the New Professionals Section to volunteer. For questions regarding Chair positions, feel free to contact this year’s Chair Sarah Siewert at sarah.siewert@kemperlesnik.com or Chair-Elect Leah Moon at moon.leah@gmail.com.

Save the Date: New Professionals Week 2011

Diahnn Henderson 1 Comment

I love planning events for the New Pros especially when it’s a national weeklong event celebrating young professionals! You can never have enough young professionals in your Chapter; after all, they are the future.

This year, during November 14-18, we will host our very first New Professionals Week. This week was designed to celebrate young professionals, but also to help connect young PR pros with their local PRSA chapter.

Who’s invited? Everyone. We’re encouraging everyone who’s interested in this week to get involved! PRSA New Pros National will support your local event via guest blog posts and social media channels.

How can I get involved? If you interested in contributing to our blog, contact blog co-chairs, Heather Sliwinski and Diahnn Henderson. For events, visit our website and download a fact sheet and an event registration form. This website will be the hub for all events held during New Pros week. Once registration forms are submitted, you’ll be able to see a list of events on our website, promoting local events.

We understand that not everyone may have a budget to host an event this year. For those of you who have tight budgets, here are a few budget friendly ways to participate:

  1. Host a private showing of a PRSA New Pros webinar. During New Pros Week, we feature a webinar on a topic of interest for new pros. We anticipate the webinar will be held in the afternoon on Wednesday, Nov. 16 available for purchase (only $35 for New Pros Section members) to host a private showing – invite local new pros to an office, bring a bag lunch and have a discussion after the presentation. The playback will also be available for purchase and our guest speaker can be reached throughout the week for questions via Twitter.
  2.  Host a New Pros focused PRSA Chapter meeting. What topics are particularly interesting to young professionals? What issues are they concerned with during their first few years as a PR professional? Schedule a Chapter meeting during this week and cover one of these topic(s) and/or issue(s).
  3. Participate in New Pros week via our social networks and blog. Follow our hashtag #NPWeek to join the coast-to-coast virtual networking. We’re always looking for a fresh, new perspective on any aspect of PR for our blog; consider drafting a post about your Chapter’s local new pros group, or your personal experience as a new pro.Elizabeth Rhoads

It’s going to be great week of celebrating young professionals. If you have any questions about getting involved, please email me .

Elizabeth Rhoads
PRSA New Professionals Section Programming Chair