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PRSA New Pros 2016 ICON Recap

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The Public Relations Society of America’s annual International Conference was held Oct. 23-25, 2016 in Indianapolis, Ind. We’re thrilled that a number of New Professionals section members were able to attend, and if you weren’t, read on for our recap.

New Pros Breakfast

The conference officially kicked off Sunday, with New Pros gathering for a networking breakfast.

Thanks to all who joined our New Pros session at PRSA International Conference – it was great to meet some fellow new pros and hear from seasoned professionals from the College of Fellows. We covered tips including first jobs and how to get involved in PRSA. If you’re interested in getting more involved and volunteering for the New Pros section, reach out to get involved! – Jessica Noonan, Chair, PRSA New Pros

Planning to join PRSA in the next couple months? Use the code AM16 to get a free New Pros Section membership when you apply to become a PRSA Associate Member.

“Where Are They Now?” – New Pros Panel at #PRSSANC

The New Pros section also hosted a panel for students at the PRSSA National Conference. Top tips included:

My advice to my 21-year-old self would be to relax. Don’t worry so much about graduation and focus on making the most of your last classes, internships and time as a student. – Nick Lucido, Immediate Past Chair, PRSA New Pros

You can rely on your network for support and guidance for the job search. But if you’ve gone dark on a person for a nine months and reappear asking for help it may not be as helpful as if you kept the relationship strong over time, so stay in touch with your connections. – Brian Price, Chair-Elect, PRSA New Pros

I was once told, “The only person holding you back is yourself.” Don’t be a roadblock to your own success. Believe you can achieve everything you dream of, be confident, and don’t let fear keep you from trying. – Heather Harder, Programming Chair, PRSA New Pros

Management Session Recap

On the final day of conference, the section led a session for New Pros (and their supervisors) on how to manage your first intern/new hire, client, project, and more. Top takeaways include:

To effectively manage up or be managed from below you must clarify and manage expectations and respect the boundaries and communication style preferences of the people that you work with on a daily basis. – Ruthann Campbell, Programming Chair, PRSA New Pros

When it comes to first-time managers, you have to be flexible. Remember that you are combining someone with little experience in management, with someone who has little experience in being managed. To effectively support your new hires, remember the 5’s: set expectations, structure, share (time, knowledge and networks), support and self-growth (because new pro managers learn too!). – Andrea Gils, PRSSA Liaison, PRSA New Pros

New Pros should begin managing their first client account or project once they have a successful track record of work, can handle an increased workload and have set expectations. It’s good exposure for them, especially with upper management and for mentorship opportunities. – Hanna Porterfield, Blog Chair, PRSA New Pros

Want to learn more on this topic? Join our next #NPPRSA Twitter chat on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 9:00 p.m. EDT.

ICON Testimonials

Wondering if it’s worth going to PRSA ICON as a New Pro? Looking to convince your employer to help you attend next year? Simply want to learn more? We’d love to see you!

This was my first time experience with a PRSA conference. Attending would not have been possible without my involvement with PRSA New Pros as it was through volunteering for the national committee that I was presented with the opportunity to speak. It was invigorating to be able to meet new people and hear about the similar struggles and challenges being faced by professionals in all stages of their career and industries. I learned a lot about new tools and strategies to help me be more effective in my role at a non-profit. If you have the opportunity to get involved and participate at any level of PRSA, I highly recommend that you do so and in the words of a College of Fellow representative, don’t’ just join, join in! – Ruthann

#PRSAICON has been THE highlight of my year. I can’t believe it was my first conference and I was able to present too – all thanks to PRSA New Pros! My favorite part of this year’s conference was being able to talk to a new pro after our session. She was so engaged not just during our presentation but afterward as well. She was facing challenges that we’ve all have faced as new pros and it was very rewarding to be able to listen to her and help her tackle her challenges. I think there’s a perception that PRSA New Pros is for those who just graduated from college or PRSSA – and it is – but it’s also for those who are seasoned pros and may be new to public relations. Our session showed me that there are a variety of New Pros, who are all equally interested in our section and what it has to offer. – Andrea

Check out more recaps from general sessions on PRSA’s website. Contact any of our section committee members to learn more and see you at PRSA ICON in Boston, Oct. 8-10, 2017.

#AskNewPros: Social Media Certifications

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This is part of our recurring #AskNewPros series. Do you have a burning question for PRSA New Pros? Ask us!

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Are there any certifications you wish you had or programs you wish you were familiar with walking into the job market?

These days, it’s incredibly common for young professionals to include “social media” in the Skills section of their resume. But isn’t there a difference between knowing how to share a photo on Instagram and being a true social media practitioner? Absolutely!

To stand out from the crowd, and help hiring managers understand that you really do have the ability to strategically use social media to reach audiences and convey key messages, consider receiving a certification – perhaps from the Hootsuite Academy or National Institute of Social Media.

tnqz_lgmJim Mignano is a Senior Account Executive at Text100 Global Communications specializing in technology and healthcare. He currently serves as the President of PRSA Rochester, and you can always find him on Twitter at @J_Mignano.

#AskNewPros: Tips on Finding Your Niche

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This is part of our recurring #AskNewPros series. Do you have a burning question for PRSA New Pros? Ask us!

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What tips do you have to help PR students find the right fit/sector for them in the industry?

The best way to figure this out is to first think about what motivates you. What’s going to make “work” exciting for you? It could be anything! Is it the brand, the organization, working with social media, or working with traditional media? All of these things play a factor in figuring out the right fit for you.

Honestly, it’s hard to figure out until you’re in it. That’s where the value of interning comes in. I know PRSSA drills this into your head, but it’s true! Interning allows you to try out different roles and sectors so you can figure out your likes and dislikes. Beyond just what sector and roles are good for you, you can also learn what kind of workplace environment you want to work in. Maybe you thrive off the intensity of a start up or benefit from larger teams? You’ll never know unless you try! Plus, you may find out that work climate and team dynamics contribute more to your overall happiness and fit even more than what industry you’re working in.

Your time in college is a great time to explore all of this! Take on as many roles and various sectors as you can while you have the time to explore. It’ll help make your eventual job feel a lot less like a “job” after all.

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Jenna Mosley is a PRSSA liaison on the PR New Pros executive committee. She works for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids as the International Communications Associate in Washington, D.C.

Three Easy Ways to Leverage Your Leadership Positions

Ashleigh Mavros Leave a comment

Three Easy Ways to LEverage your leadership positionsYou’ve probably heard or experienced firsthand how hard it is to get a job (let alone a career relevant one) in today’s economy. Whether you are newly applying or just want to spruce up your resume, college leadership positions are an excellent way besides internships to showcase experience. However, it is not the title of the position that matters, but its how you emphasize those responsibilities to employers that can either make you stand out or go unnoticed.

Use the positions relative to the field.

While this might be obvious to some, having relevant positions can only be positive since it’s more in-line with the responsibilities of today’s PR practitioners. It is also a great moment to highlight the strengthening of your weaker skills, development of new ones or even the defining moment of identifying the sector that you enjoy working in. While the title can range from Publicity Chairman to Communications Delegate, make sure the duties they entail are relative to the field. Using these leadership roles can show your early dedication to advancing your career by showing interest in your professional development.  

Highlight transferable skills.

While a PR-centered position is great and easier to describe, showcasing other experiences through transferable skills is an excellent option as well.  Start by creating a list of all of your responsibilities and tailor your description of duties to emphasize relevant aspects before the non-relevant ones.  For example, as captain of the soccer team, training and assisting others, delegating responsibilities and managing conflicts are great management skills that employers are seeking. Ultimately, if transferable skills are presented in a manner that can be applicable to your next role, they become an optimal way to help your position appear much more credible and relevant.

Change your vocabulary.

It’s astonishing how just a change of words can make a world of a difference and get you hired. While “discussed and planned an event with peers/colleagues,” sounds good, “participated in an event development and execution group,” sounds much better and more professional. The key is to switch everyday words with action words. Assisted vs. helped; developed vs. planned. Don’t let your poor choice of words throughout your resume be the reason you didn’t move on to the next round.

Tip: Don’t lie. There is a difference between rephrasing and overstating. Nothing is more embarrassing or damaging to your credibility than showing up to your interview and having to explain the misrepresentation of your skills.  

While these changes might not seem brand new or revolutionary, they are easy enough to forget in the resume writing process. Remember, employers want to hire professionals and using your college leadership roles not only shows your capabilities of being a leader but more importantly your willingness to accept new responsibilities. Who wouldn’t want to hire someone like that?

Stephanie VelardeStephanie Velarde is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Mass Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Business. She has a knack for crisis management, an interest in global communications and a guilty pleasure for event planning. Connect with her on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter or Pinterest.

Three Tips for Landing Your First Job Using Facebook

Ashleigh Mavros Leave a comment

Three tipsFor those of you just entering the work force after graduating from college – first and foremost – congrats on graduating! It’s an exciting time to begin a new chapter and take new leaps of faith. It can also be daunting at times, with the vast number of options available to you as you begin your job search.

For those who take advantage of internships, you can utilize what you learn to help you narrow down what you might be interested in – agency vs. internal, corporate vs. non-profit, etc. And for a lucky few, these internships could lead to a full-time position post-graduation.

For others, we’re left with the boundless listings on job search sites such as Monster, Indeed or Media Bistro, among others. A tool that is often times forgotten or untapped, however, is Facebook. While it might seem silly, it actually works. I found my current job from a post on Facebook. To help guide you in using this platform in your job search, here are three tips.

Maintain your public profile

While many will recommend you immediately change your privacy settings the day you graduate, it can work to your advantage to leave your profiles public. An employer can get a sense of who you are, your interests, and how you would fit in with the company. Additionally, you can amp up your presence by promoting your blog (if you have one) or further demonstrate how you stay on top of current trends with your status updates. Be sure to be authentic and genuine about this.

But that also means you must be aware of what photos are tagged of you, what your friends post on your wall, etc. Bear that in mind if you do decide to keep your profile public.

Identify what you “Like.”

By going through and finding companies on Facebook, and liking their business pages, you can stay up-to-date on what’s going on in the office, the culture, and what clients they handle (if it’s an agency).

Most companies – especially PR agencies – will share when they are looking to fill a new position. If you already decided to follow them, you’ll be able to save the time you would spend deciding whether or not you would be a good fit for the company if you found the job listing elsewhere online.

Engage.

While you shouldn’t like every post that the company shares (this comes off as spam-my and frankly, annoying), by engaging with the company through likes and quality comments in moderation, they are more likely to recognize your name when your résumé hits their inbox.

At the end of the day, social media is a large part of a PR professional’s job description. What better way to get your foot in the door with your dream employer than starting a relationship on Facebook?

Have a tip on how to land your first job using Facebook? Share with us below!

Shandi HuberShandi Huber is a senior account executive at Wordsworth Communications, a public relations agency in Cincinnati, Ohio. An enthusiast for all social media platforms, you can often find her pinning her dream closet on Pinterest or posting photos of her new puppy on Instagram. Connect with Shandi on LinkedIn and Twitter (@shandihuber).