Get Involved With New Pros in 2015

Jess Noonan Leave a comment

If you’re like me, the end of the year is a time to reflect on successes and challenges from the past year, as well as make plans for the upcoming year. New public relations professionals face a lot of challenges: a fast-paced and competitive job market, demanding clients and colleagues, and an evolving industry with an array of new channels and tools.

One of the best things you can do for yourself in 2015 is invest in your career to help stay on top of these challenges. The New Pros Section is designed for this person. My partners on the New Pros leadership committee are dedicated to building programs and opportunities for advancing the careers of our members. If you’re not already a member of the Section, consider joining now and jump starting your professional development.

If you’re looking for ways to get involved, here are three to plan for in 2015:

  • Take part in the PRSA New Pros Section: As a national group, you have the opportunity to engage with fellow new professionals across the country who work for agencies, nonprofits, large and small organizations and more. We offer regular virtual programming, a Section members-only e-group, a newsletter, engagement on our social channels including regular Twitter chats, and host a month dedicated to New Pros in November.
  • Get active in your local New Pros group: If you’re looking for more in-person programs and activities, you can check out your local PRSA Chapter. Depending on the sponsoring PRSA Chapter in your area, there might be a local group of young professionals who get together for different programs and networking events. Reach out to your local Chapter’s leadership to see how you can get involved.
  • Mentor a PRSSA student or Chapter: One of the best ways to enrich your career is to begin mentoring and giving back to students. Whether it’s an informational interview, guest speaking at a local PRSSA Chapter or offering to be a sounding board, giving back to the profession of tomorrow is an important part of a public relations pro at any level. You never know if that student will become a client, colleague or even your boss.

How are you planning to advance your career in 2015?

Lucido_NickNick Lucido is the incoming Chair of the New Pros Section. 

Transitioning Beyond Being a “New PR Professional”

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

The years I’ve spent on the New Professionals Section Executive Committee have been some of the most valuable to me as a budding PR pro fresh out of college. I find it hard to believe that more than five years have passed since I graduated and even harder to believe that I can no longer call myself a new professional.

“Fake it until you make it” has been my personal and professional motto for quite some time, but after experiencing quite a few PR agencies and finding a niche industry I really enjoy, I no longer feel like I’m faking it. I feel ready to move on from the “new professional” label and onto the next chapter.

What is that new chapter, though? Mid-level positions can feel like limbo – maybe you’re managing a few junior staffers at an agency and leading client accounts or acting as a one-person communications team in-house. You’re still absorbing knowledge from those above you, but you have enough expertise to coach and guide both team members and clients alike. Mid-level positions come in all different shapes and sizes, which often makes it difficult to arrange a formal group for folks passing the five-year mark in PRSA.

However, you are not alone as you transition out of the New Professionals Section. PRSA offers many other opportunities to stay involved:

  • If you’ve found a specialty within PR that you enjoy, consider joining another PRSA Section. Finding professionals with the same interests as you helps you exchange ideas and discuss current trends, with professional development opportunities directed specifically for your industry.
  • One of the biggest requests we get in the New Pros Section is the opportunity to connect on a local level. PRSA Chapters are an excellent way to network within the city you live or would like to live, recruit talent or find a new position and meet industry influencers in the area.
  • Free online training and professional development is one of the most valuable benefits of PRSA membership. If you aren’t taking advantage of the library of on-demand and live webinars/teleseminars on PRSA.org, you’re missing out. Browse the site when you have free time and you’ll discover a wealth of topics to dig into deeper and continue your personal growth.
  • If you have the chance, PRSA International Conference is the annual event to learn, network and grow in the PR profession. Sessions range from nitty-gritty tactics to bigger picture strategy advice for mid-level professionals who may straddle both sides of the practice. PRSA International Conference visits Atlanta this year and will surely be an event to remember!

Of course, don’t forget about your New Pros roots! Feel free to keep enjoying our monthly Twitter chats at #NPPRSA, blog posts here and conversations on Facebook and LinkedIn. All of us were new professionals at one point in our careers, and our members learn from your experiences and advice. Please continue to share it.

Are you passing the five-year mark and wondering how to stay involved? Feel free to reach out on Twitter (@hsliwinski) or LinkedIn. Wishing you the best of luck in the next stage of your career!

 

Heather Sliwinski

Immediate Past Chair, New Professionals Section

Tis the Season: Give Your Talents in Lieu of Cash

Lauren Gray Leave a comment

The holidays are a very special, neigh, magical time that transform colored lights on a wire to a symbol of family, joy and camaraderie. Like the ending to The Grinch, December often comes hand-in-hand with a swelling heart and the passing out of free ear-to-ear smiles. But who says this spirit of giving has to end with the New Year? There are countless ways you can help those in need year-round, with a meaningful approach that will simultaneously strengthen your personal and professional character.

According to the National Center of Charitable Statistics, there are over 1.5 million non-profit organizations in the United States, all of which have strict budgets and manpower to make the impact their causes deserve. Only a lucky few get national notoriety like the ASL Ice Bucket Challenge or can convince professional athletes to wear pink for a month.

With that in mind, I can say with 99% certainty (because let’s face it, nothing in life is guaranteed) that if you were to propose volunteer freelancing to a not-for-profit, they would embrace you with open arms. And unlike the demands of an internship, you’ll likely be able to conduct your work from home and on your own schedule. (Can I get a Hallelujah?!) Through this kind of volunteerism, you’ll have the ability to develop your professional skillsets in a low-risk and high intrinsically rewarding environment.

The first step lies in selecting an organization that supports a cause you are passionate about. Maybe you love animals. Or perhaps your aunt has lymphoma, and you’d like to volunteer for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in her honor.

Whatever you decide, pick a non-profit that you have a personal connection to; your creative process will be more inspired and your work will reflect that. It is widely agreed in the science community that “energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can only be changed from one form or another.” I argue that true organic passion is not produced, but manifested; and it is often contagious.

Now, once you’ve found your calling and contacted the organization, take some time to be honest with all parties involved on how much time you’d like (and can realistically give) to donate in their honor. As in dating, there is no shame in admitting you’re not looking for a full-time relationship, so long as you haven’t promised them the moon already. A simple conversation about what you’re both looking for upfront will save a lot of frustration and time wasted. Nevertheless, if Goldilocks could find herself the perfect porridge, there IS a winning combination to be found for everyone.

Here are some ideas:

For the commitment-adverse:

  • Offer a free, one-time evaluation of their online presence. Look at their website, social media outlets, customer reviews etc. and provide professional suggestions on ways to improve and the best places to advertise for various budgets. You could even take it a step further and write fact sheets for their top five competitors for comparative purposes.

For the casual daters:

  • Create a content calendar and tactical plan for the next 3-6 months of their social and/or public relations campaign(s).
  • Guest write for their newsletter or emails once a month.

For the long-term relationship:

  • Become a volunteer consultant/team member: Write press releases, create story pitches, targeted media lists, execute their social media channels, etc. The possibilities are endless.

In the end, the relationship will be what you make of it; the more work and effort you put in, the greater value and rewards will be waiting for you. We may not all have time or skills to build a home for orphans in Tijuana, but we can certainly offer more than our signature on a check. And in our line of work, procuring the eyeballs and attention of the masses might just be what makes their organization (and yourself) great-full this holiday season.

 

Megan Nicole O'Neal headshot

Megan O’Neal graduated from UCLA in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, emphasizing in mass communications. She is currently the PR Coordinator at Marketing Design Group and volunteers with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, freelancing for the public relations department. Connect with her on Twitter @megannenicole. 

Mentor has more than one definition

Jess Noonan Leave a comment

We all know what a mentor means. But do we know who each of our mentors are? What about mentors who don’t have the professional title of “mentor” – what about “unofficial mentors”?

Let’s start with the first definition: mentors. These are the people you’ve either connected with through a program or have asked to provide guidance. Moreover, professional mentors.

Then, there’s unofficial mentors. These are the people who you to not only go to for career advice, but also for everyday life lessons.

Fill in the blank: I surround myself with ________ …like minded people, positive people, good-hearted people, etc. Whatever that blank is, that’s where you’ll find your unofficial mentors. Unofficial mentors are those you look up to but don’t always associate an official title with: your mom or dad, sibling, best friend, co-worker on another team, someone you met while volunteering, etc.

While mentors are usually the professional relationships you go to for career advice, unofficial mentors are the ones you go to for everything, sometimes subconsciously.

My unofficial mentors? My mom and dad who I always go to for not only family guidance, but also financial advice (I am two years out of college and still call them about insurance policies). My best friend and boyfriend who is in medical school, the most positive person I know and never lets stress overcome him (even though his field requires sick patients, surgeries and what seems like never-ending standardized tests). Also, one of my best friends and cousins who despite a few struggles has immediately and confidently started creating a new path that includes finishing school and building a family.

It’s good to find those mentors who share professional advice (when to make those career moves, how to gain leadership skills, etc.). But it’s also good to discover and not forget about your unofficial mentors. Both types of mentors can help guide you throughout life tremendously.

Who are your mentors and unofficial mentors?

NicoleBersaniNicole Bersani is the social media coordinator for Comcast SportsNet Chicago. She also serves as the PRSA New Professionals Section mentorship co-chair and volunteers at Midtown Educational Foundation as a tutor/mentor for young girls in Chicago. Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

Book Review: Social Media ROI by Olivier Blanchard

Lauren Gray 1 Comment
Image credit to smroi.net.

Image credit to smroi.net.

Paying it forward has been a popular buzz-theme as of late, especially within the context of professional development and social responsibility. When applied to social media, C.W. Leadbeater said it best, “You are what you share.” and if this book is any indication of paying it forward, Olivier Blanchard has embodied this ideal.

Blanchard starts with the basics; he delivers insights into the social media world with a no-nonsense light in Social Media ROI: Managing and Measuring Social Media Efforts in Your Organization. This “meat and potatoes” business guide, will help the inexperienced as well as the experienced develop and hone excellent social communications habits, mindsets and insights into effective social communication programs. A quote within the forward from Brian Solis best describes the affect that it will have on readers. Solis states, “Thanks to Olivier, you’ll find the answers to your questions and also answers to the questions that you didn’t know to ask.”

Social Media plays an increasingly larger role within communications and marketing. The digital landscape is arguably the fastest paced environment for PR practitioners and communicators to work in. Whether one works full time within the digital/social media realm or part of a team that implements social communications into strategy, it is of no consequence, this read is a MUST.

For years, the debate has raged as to how to prove or justify the ROI on digital/social efforts and surrounding the debate, many questions arise such as: Can it be measured, If it can, what should be measured and how does it correlate? How do I translate this to executives? These are but a few of those questions and the answer to all these questions, via Olivier Blanchard is a resounding yes!

Blanchard challenges professionals to take a much more serious and in-depth look at the organizational structure and base purpose of their programs. Blanchard says, “A social media program is not a mere marketing add on. More than anything, a social media program is neither simple nor easy.” This direct approach cuts through buzzwords and attributes what is important, why it is important and how it can be important for the reader.

Social Media ROI is a true resource. Blanchard aggregates some of the best lessons a communicator can use to assist their programs or to even develop a program that doesn’t exist. Some of the “KPI” of Social Media ROI are how to:

  • Align social media to business goals and functions
  • Get started by “listening before talking”
  • Leverage mobility and the “on-the-fly” social media culture
  • Establish the importance internally and externally the need for social media policies, guidelines and training
  • To deliver real-time digital support and customer service

If the “KPI’s” given freely in this book weren’t enough, Blanchard in his generosity of spirit with his pay it forward mentality, provides a free online edition when his paperback has been purchased.

 

264032cJR Rochester is the current membership co-chair for the PRSA New Professionals Section. Connect with him on Twitter @TrulyJR.