PRSA New Professionals

Looking to 2017

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Welcome to 2017, New Pros!

While some of us may continue to write “2016” when we write dates on press releases and meeting agendas, it is very much 2017. None of us can tell the future, but we, as your 2017 PRSA New Pros Blog co-chairs, know that 2017 will be a year full of change.

How do we react to change, and adapt to whatever is thrown our way–both in our professional and personal lives? This is something that new pros need to consider as they start their careers and grow into seasoned professionals.

We learn from change, whether we view that change as positive or negative.

This year, the blog will explore many topics from month to month. However, what will remain throughout the year is that we, as new pros, will connect and leverage the events of 2017–whatever they may be–to change ourselves for the better.

In the words of Henry David Thoreau,

Things do not change; we change.

We look forward to experiencing 2017 with you.

Cheers!
Lindsay Moeller + Greg Rokisky

About your blog co-chairs

lindsay-moeller

LINDSAY MOELLER

Lindsay is a Public Relations Executive for Two Rivers Marketing in Des Moines, Iowa, where she writes content and connects with the media. In addition to her role as co-chair for the PRSA New Pros blog, Lindsay serves on the Central Iowa PRSA board as the professional development/networking co-chair and volunteers as part of the Event Management Team for the Des Moines Arts Festival. In her downtime, Lindsay likes to read, pretend to be good at running and yoga, search the internet for caticorns, binge watch TV shows and hang out with her cats while drinking coffee (or perhaps some really strong tea).  

greg-rokisky

GREG ROKISKY

Greg works remotely as a social media and community manager for Streamline Publishing, a national corporation, as well as a freelance creative services consultant. He resides in Lansing, MI where he serves as the Central Michigan PRSA New Professionals vice-chair, PACE Awards chair, Director-At-Large, 2016-17 East Central District Diamond Awards chair. Outside of PRSA, he serves as the Membership Chair for Lansing’s Grand River Connection, a young professional networking group, as well as the 2017-18 President of the Social Media Association of Michigan. In his down time, he’s either reading a book, snapping some photos or catching the latest Indie films…all while sipping on a cup (or five) of coffee. Connect with Greg on Twitter or Linkedin.

Meet the rest of the 2017 PRSA New Pros Executive Committee HERE.

Write for The Edge

Have an interest in being published on The Edge? Check out our monthly themes below. Not seeing where your topic would fit in? No worries! Shoot Lindsay and Greg an email and they’ll work to get you scheduled into their posting schedule.

  • January: Jump-start to 2017, Welcome from PRSA New Pros National
  • February: Digital/social media + The evolving PR landscape
  • March: What does PR look like for you? (Do you work remotely? Do you work in non-profit? At an agency? Tell us your PR story.)
  • April: Continuing education (accreditation, graduate studies, alternative education + beyond)
  • May: Graduation tips and leadership
  • June: Measurement, math + PR: Embracing the data
  • July: PR book reviews
  • August: Diversity in PR and New Pros Week
  • September: PR ethics
  • October: ICON month and networking
  • November: New technology and tools
  • December: 2017 recap + looking ahead to 2018 (planning, work resolutions, etc.)

When submitting an idea, please note the topic, and which month’s theme it fits into.

Click HERE to contact the co-chairs via email.

As a reminder, contributors must be a PRSA New Professionals/PRSA paid member to be published on The Edge.

General Post Tips/Guidelines

  • Posts should be between 300-600 words in most cases.
  • Send a photo with your post and attribute the source of the photo.
  • Attribute the source, speaker or author if you include statistics, facts, quotes or surveys.
  • Start a conversation by ending the post with a question for readers.
  • Write a short biography for the end of the post. Things to include: name, job position, PRSA Chapter and social media links. Please submit a headshot if possible.

Four Ways to Stand Out (In a Good Way) at Your First Job

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From navigating the lunch scene to navigating office politics, a first job can be tricky. You want to find just the right balance of doing your job well without seeming like a suck up. I’m no expert, but I do want to share a few tips I’ve found to be helpful as I navigate my first real job:

Have an opinion

This piece of wisdom floated my way from a mentor who’s worked in communications for over 30 years. Just because you’re the new guy or gal doesn’t mean you have to be quiet. There’s a time for speaking and a time for silence. While it’s extremely important to embody a sponge sometimes — taking in all the newness and expertise around you — recognize that you were hired for a reason. Your insights, thoughts and opinions are company assets, so don’t let them go to waste by being unspoken.

Get to know your coworkers as people

You’re likely spending 40 plus hours in the office each week, sitting next to the same people every day.  Take the time to find out what your coworkers’ lives are like when they’re off the clock. What do they love? What do they hate? What’s their favorite way to goof off or relax? By asking these questions and more, you’ll have a better understanding of who your colleagues are — not just as fellow workers, but as fellow humans. I think you’ll find that this has a catalyst effect when it comes to building trust and empathy. Plus, it’s never a bad idea to gain a little extra social capital by remembering someone’s birthday or wishing them well before they leave for vacation.

Keep a work/life balance

Plenty of people throughout your career will tell you to “say yes to everything.” In my opinion, it’s not the wisest way you can live and here’s why: If you keep saying yes to everything, you’re going to find it harder to flex your crucial muscle of discernment. Instead, you’ll find yourself automatically accepting job assignments and social invitations that are going to wear you out with no substantial gain. To function at your best, you have to create space to recharge and connect. Don’t believe me? Check out this handy PR Daily infographic that explains even more benefits of keeping your weekends free from work.

Do the right thing

At Lockheed Martin, “Do what’s right” is one of our three ethical mottos. (I’m fortunate that it’s also a life motto for me, too.) Lots of times it may be easier to purposefully overlook a small error or choose to end a task before going the extra mile. Hey, nobody’s even going to notice, right? Wrong. The trouble with that thinking is that it doesn’t matter if nobody notices. If you’re not doing the right thing and making choices out of integrity, then you’re not only cheating the company, but also yourself and your coworkers. Instead of “advancing the profession,” you are choosing to take the whole ship down with you.

What advice has been helpful to you at your first job? Or what advice do you wish you would have been given to you?

lauradaronatsy_headshotLaura Daronatsy is the Immediate Past President of PRSSA and currently works as a Communications LDP Associate at Lockheed Martin. She graduated from Biola University with a public relations major and biblical and theological studies minor. Connect with Laura on Twitter @lauradaronatsy.

#AskNewPros: How many New Pros are in my regional area?

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This is part of our recurring #AskNewPros series. Do you have a burning question for PRSA New Pros? Ask us! Want to promote mentorship by answering questions asked by PRSSA members? Email Alyssa Stafford to contribute.  

The New Pros section has 1149 members all over the U.S. and we even have a member in Canada! Roll over your state in the map below to see how many New Pros are in your area. Want to reach out to someone directly? Check out the member directory on PRSA.org and choose New Professionals under the “Section” field.

PRSSA: How to Kick-Start a Relationship with Your PRSA Sponsor Chapter

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Editor’s Note: This blog originally appeared on the PRSSA Progressions blog. Whether you’re a college student or a New Pro, it’s important to build strong chapter relationships between PRSA and PRSSA.

The dynamic nature of the public relations profession, coupled with the current market saturation of recent and soon-to-be graduates, requires that students go above and beyond to create meaningful connections and make themselves stand out. One of the most valuable benefits of PRSSA membership is the opportunity to befriend and learn from local PRSA professionals.

The relationship between PRSSA and PRSA Chapters is an important one. PRSA sponsor Chapters provide mentorship, programming and fundraising assistance, training and industry insights, and students preparing for their careers need talented and engaged professionals to emulate. However, the day-to-day rigors of life, school and work can make managing these relationships especially challenging. As a PRSSA Chapter member or leader, here are some things you can do to kick-start your Chapter’s relationship with PRSA:

Help them help you. PRSA members are working professionals and contribute to PRSSA during their limited free time. They’re happy and eager to help, but it’s up to you to reach out and establish the foundation of a relationship. Don’t be afraid of the follow-up and always come prepared to talk about what help your Chapter could benefit from. Many times, PRSA professionals won’t know how to help you create a better member experience until you tell them.

Establish a constant. Because of the high turnover rate in PRSSA leadership, it’s difficult for Chapters to maintain meaningful relationships with PRSA annually. If you really want to leave a mark on your Chapter, create or utilize assets that can stand the test of time. Here are a few examples:

  • Create a tradition that requires your PRSSA Chapter and PRSA sponsor Chapter to interact at least once each year. You can create an event that brings professionals and students together, and allows the professionals to share and mentor. You can draw attention to your Chapter and create networking opportunities by inviting professionals to an entertaining event on-campus: Think (fun)draising, food and professional development.
  • Build a constant into your bylaws. If you take your Chapter’s relationship with its PRSA sponsor Chapter seriously, you will make it part of one of your officers’ duties or create a committee. Someone who is not the Chapter president needs to be responsible for making sure members have access to PRSA members — it’s that essential.
  • Use your Faculty or Professional Adviser to facilitate introductions. These people are tasked with counseling Chapter leadership and guiding members. Your Faculty and Professional Advisers are required to be PRSA members, so they should have ready access to your sponsor Chapter.

Be resourceful. PRSSA National has a wealth of resources available to you, as both a member and a leader. If you’re a Chapter leader and struggling to contact PRSA, you can reach out to: the vice president of professional development, the National Faculty Adviser or any other person on the PRSSA National Committee. Furthermore, consider reading the PRSSA/PRSA Relationship Manual or contacting someone in your area through theChampions for PRSSA directory — an exclusive PRSSA member benefit.

PRSSA members are the future leaders of the communications industry, and will one day be the CCOs and CMOs of the world’s most influential companies. It’s imperative professionals do a better job engaging, and students do a better job asking for that engagement.

gary-bridgensGary Bridgens is a project assistant in APCO Worldwide’s New York office and the former PRSSA National vice president of Chapter development. You can contact him via email at garybridgens@gmail.com and add him on LinkedIn.