Public Relations

Leave Your Mark: A Book Review

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

Reading “Leave Your Mark” was like having a chat with the career mentor I always wanted, the kind of book I wish existed when I was in college.

Leave Your Mark: A Book ReviewDescribed as a career mentorship in a book, Aliza Licht takes readers on a tour of her career – from majoring in neurobiology in college to being SVP of Global Communications for Donna Karan International, while sprinkling invaluable nuggets of advice throughout her story.

DKNY PR Girl revolutionized the way brands use social media and Aliza Licht’s ideas and advice could very well change the way we young professionals use social media professionally – to search for jobs, too reach out to brands and pros we admire and to build our own personal brands. There’s so much to learn from her experiences whether you have a passion for fashion or not.

Unlike other career books out there, “Leave Your Mark” isn’t a how-to book. Reading it won’t tell you how to complete a particular task during your career or explain a certain trend in our industry. It’s not a textbook, but it’s something every aspiring, young and seasoned PR professional should read and keep on their bookshelves.

Aliza breaks down the book into sections on finding your dream career path, crafting the perfect resume and cover letter, getting the most out of an internship, nailing interviews, promotions and raises, getting ahead, handling a difficult boss or trouble coworker, using social media to your advantage and building your own personal brand.

Among the many gems she shares, these are the five best tips I found in “Leave Your Mark.”

  1. You reap what you sow.

Early on, Aliza tells a story relayed to her from a colleague. Her colleague received an email from an acquaintance on behalf of her daughter. Daughter wasn’t involved in the conversation at all – never even bothered to email herself. She didn’t get a job with the company, of course. The moral of this story is that you’ll only benefit from the work that you put in. If you’re not willing to put in the effort to find or get the job, it won’t be yours.

  1. Attention to detail is important no matter the job.

The most important thing you can do when applying for a job or internship is to pay attention. Applications have instructions, whether you’re applying online, via social media or the old fashioned way, and if you can’t follow whatever instructions were set, your application won’t even make it to the hiring manager’s desk. Same for spelling, grammar and, the worst offense of all, addressing it to the wrong person. The devil is in the details.

  1. Leverage your existing network in the job hunt.

Cold calls don’t really do much for anyone really. Aliza makes this point by saying that those who contact a potential new place of employment themselves are at a disadvantage and telling her own story of securing her first job at DKNY. She had heard of an opening at DKNY and asked an editor friend of hers to reach out and recommend her, which made DKNY seek her out. This can be a bit tricky, especially if you’re trying to relocate as you may not have connections in your new home, but when possible, it’s always the best way to go.

  1. Social media isn’t personal anymore.

We may love to use social media to share photos of our favorite meals or to live-tweet our favorite TV shows (excuse me while I blow up everyone’s Twitter feeds on Thursday nights. You can thank Shonda Rimes), but social media isn’t personal for PR pros. Your social media accounts are a virtual resume, whether you like it or not, and it’s important to make sure that you’re not costing yourself a job because of your affinity for oversharing or less-than-ideal after-work behavior.

  1. The best brand you can build is you.

The biggest thing I took away from “Leave Your Mark” were all of the great tips on building my own personal brand. Aliza shows through her own experience that building you is the most important thing you can do in your career. By working hard wherever you are, learning everything you can and always putting your best foot forward, you’ll build a great reputation for yourself that will precede you in your career.

RobynRobyn Rudish-Laning is a graduate of Duquesne University, with a bachelor’s in Public Relations, a master’s in Media Arts and Technology, and currently works as a PR Associate with Pretty Living PR, a boutique firm based in Pittsburgh. Find her on LinkedIn orTwitter or read her PR-focused blog

Book Review: Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: Telling Your Story In A Noisy Social World

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment
Training. It’s a part of an athlete’s life, but it’s also important to PR pros.
From newbies to veterans, we all need to train ourselves to be storytellers for our companies, our clients and even our personal brands, on all the right social networks.
jab jab right hook book reviewConferences are great for training, but if you’re on a tight budget, especially as a new PR pro, your best bet is to hit the books. Enter Gary Vaynerchuk and his third book, “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” which will train you how to tell your story in a noisy social world.
 
Vaynerchuk asks readers to consider “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” as a “training camp to prepare you to storytell on today’s most important social media sites.” 
The objective of great storytelling is to create outstanding content on the right platform, and he compares doing that to the sport of boxing (hence the jabs and right hook).
 
Key takeaways
I highlighted a lot of great points throughout my copy of the book, and the following three takeaways stood out to me most.
 
1. “Content is king, but context is God.” 
You can create really great content that is compelling, but if you put it out on the wrong platform—or it misses what a certain platform is all about—it won’t be the hit you expect it to be. And as Vaynerchuk points out, content for the sake of content is pointless.
 
2. “No matter who you are or what kind of company or organization you work for, your number-one job is to tell your story to the consumer wherever they are.” 
It could be on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter , etc., but it is most likely that customers are on all three and even more than that. You need to make sure that your content is relevant to your customer on the platforms they utilize most.
 
3. “Skillful, native storytelling increases the likelihood that a person will share your content with a friend.” 
That increases your brand’s audience further and further. Shareable content makes your brand more memorable in the future and tells your story beyond your network of consumers.
 
Train by example
If you’re the typical new PR pro, you were probably a first adopter of many social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest) that Vaynerchuk covers in “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook.”
You know the ins and outs of these sites. But don’t think that means this book isn’t relevant to you!
It is easy for brands to get in the grind of posting the same content to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (I’ve seen it happen before), but that way of promoting content is a great disservice for the very reason why context is so important.
 
The best way to complete the training that this book offers is to flip through to the “color commentary.” This is where he breaks social networks up by chapter and gives countless examples of good and bad content with screenshots of various campaigns.
Some will make you rethink your strategy, and others will make you cringe, asking “what were they thinking?!”
 
Do you believe in the power of storytelling and context? What do you consider to be the most important way to get your brand noticed?
 
Victoria BepplerVictoria Beppler is a graduate of Waynesburg University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations as well a Master of Business Administration in Market Development. She currently manages social media, email marketing, the annual fund and more for her alma mater as the Assistant Director of Alumni Relations. When she isn’t in the office or traveling to alumni events around the country, you can find her working on a DIY project or hanging out with her husband, Josh, and their dog, Brinkley. Connect with Victoria on Linkedin and Twitter (@victoriabeppler).

#ThrowbackThursday with Dorie Clark

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

Editor’s note: This is part of our monthly #ThrowbackThursday series, which features a prominent, successful PR pro taking a look back and sharing tips from his/her days as a new pro. 

As the author of Stand Out, Dorie Clark knows a thing or two about – wait for it – standing out on the job.

Today, as part of our #ThrowbackThursday, Dorie shares how young PR pros can break through the clutter and excel in their future careers, with some tips and insights from her past.

Dorie ClarkSo, without further ado, meet Dorie Clark, and soak in her helpful career tips! 

Question 1: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced as a new professional and how did you overcome them?

Honestly, one of the hardest things for me was getting up in the morning in order to get to work on time! That sounds ridiculous, but adjusting from the free-floating schedule of grad school to the early mornings and “face time” requirements of the work world was rather difficult and dispiriting for me.

Once I became an entrepreneur, I realized it suited my temperament much better, because you can set your own hours, avoid office politics, and you have the interesting and life-affirming challenge of being responsible for surviving through your own wits and mettle (i.e., your business development skills).

I also had a lot of career setbacks early on, including being laid off as a journalist and working as a spokesperson on two prominent political campaigns – only to have them both lose.

I had to keep reinventing and rebranding myself, a process I chronicled in my first book, Reinventing You. Eventually, nine years ago, I started my own marketing strategy consultancy, and have been writing, speaking, consulting, and teaching business school since then.

Question 2: What advice would you give to new college graduates looking for their first jobs?

Start creating content. You may have had some internships, and it’s a great idea to do so, but in general your resume isn’t going to look that much different from other recent grads – and prospective employers won’t necessarily be convinced you know applicable workplace skills, even if you got an A in your marketing or PR class.

Instead, differentiate yourself by sharing your ideas, whether it’s through blogging, creating videos or a podcast, or curating a knowledgeable social media feed.

That signals to employers that you’re truly interested in the profession, are familiar with the issues being talked about, and have something meaningful to say.

Question 3: As a young professional, how did you find ways to stand out in front of prospective employers and bosses?

One of the most important things I did was build my network. I wasn’t terribly strategic at the time; mostly it meant that I periodically invited people for coffee or lunch whom I liked and knew I should be keeping in touch with because I could learn from them and they were plugged into the worlds I wanted to enter (at the time, journalism and politics).

As I describe in my forthcoming e-book Stand Out Networking, after I’d been laid off from my newspaper reporting job, I was able to land a great gig thanks to Michael Goldman, who began as a source I’d call frequently for comment as a reporter, and with whom I developed a warm and friendly relationship. He was a political consultant and went to work for a gubernatorial candidate who needed a spokesperson ASAP, and since he knew I’d been laid off, he called me.

Similarly, I got to know Steve Grossman, at the time a local business owner in the Boston area, when I wrote an article about him. He was very involved in politics and several years later, he helped me secure a job as the spokesperson for a presidential campaign.

Investing in relationships is one of the most important things you can do, especially early on in your career. (Click to Tweet!)

Question 4: How can new college graduates uncover (then market) their unique values?

One of the best ways to discover your unique strengths and the value you bring is to think about how you’re different than most others in the field you’re aspiring to enter.

We tend to emphasize our commonalities – if you’re looking for a marketing job, then you highlight the fact that you were a marketing major.

That’s great, but remember: employers are looking at 100 or 1000 resumes, and they want to see something unique. Don’t be afraid to mention your minor in philosophy, or the fact that you grew up in Russia, or the chess championship you won. Smart employers know they need innovative perspectives and a different way of looking at the world.

I also created a free 42-page workbook that’s adapted from my new book Stand Out. It’s 139 questions that walk you through the process of discovering your unique ideas and then becoming recognized for them. It’s available to download for free on my website.

Question 5: If you could go back in time and give advice to yourself during your first year on the job, what would you say?

When I was working as a presidential campaign spokesperson, I managed a 13-person staff. I had an employee named Kumar who was right out of college, and once he worked for me, I realized what a great employee looked like – so if I had the chance to go back in time, I’d learn from Kumar and ask my boss the incredible question that he did: “What can I do to make your job easier?”

It was so simple, but as a boss, I was inordinately grateful: here was someone wanting to erase problems and stressors for me (of which there were many). And Kumar realized the highest and best use he had was to free up my time to focus on what mattered for the organization.

He earned my undying gratitude, and it made me want to keep giving him more and better responsibilities, because with that question and that attitude, he demonstrated his team spirit and desire to do whatever it took to help the organization. I wish I’d been that savvy early on!

About Dorie Clark

Dorie Clark is an Adjunct Professor of Business Administration at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the author of Reinventing You (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013) and Stand Out (Portfolio/Penguin, 2015). A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, TIME, and Entrepreneur. Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Inc., and Fortune, Clark is a marketing strategy consultant and speaker for clients including Google, Microsoft, Yale University, Fidelity, and the World Bank. You can follow her on Twitter @dorieclark and download her free 42-page Stand Out Self-Assessment Workbook.

How to Find a Job When Moving to a New City

Stephanie Vermillion Leave a comment

Searching for a job is a daunting task. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a recent graduate or a professional just looking for a change, job searching is often an overwhelming undertaking. When you’re in the need for a change of scenery it becomes a whole new monster.

How to Find a Job in a New City If you’re looking to make the leap to a new city with your career there are plenty of ways to jumpstart your job search before you even pack your bags:

Research Prospects in Your New City.

Searching for a new job should always start with outlining what you’re looking for. A few questions to ask yourself as you begin searching could be:

  • What you like about your current position,
  • What environment you thrive in,
  • Company benefits,
  • How far you are willing to commute each day, etc.

Once you figure out what is most important to you, make a list of potential employers in the area and begin researching them.

Find out:

  • Which have what you’re looking for,
  • Which have posted job openings recently,
  • What kind of work they do,
  • Who to reach out to and, most importantly,
  • If you know anyone who might know someone you contact to chat and share your resume.

Try not to be too picky with what you’re looking for, but don’t sacrifice things that are really important to you.

Use Social Media to Your Advantage.

Before, if we wanted to make connections and search for jobs in a new city, we’d have to make a ton of cold calls, scour phone books and company listings and buy newspapers for the classifieds.

Luckily, the Internet makes job searching so much easier because everything is accessible no matter where you are. It’s great to have all the information you need at your fingertips, but it can be overwhelming. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

LinkedIn

  • Set your location to your new city before you move.
  • Join LinkedIn groups focused on your career and new location.
  • Research your desired companies and follow them for updates.
  • Use LinkedIn Job Search to find and apply for new jobs.

Twitter

  • Create lists of the companies in your new area that you’re interested in.
  • Connect with influencers in your profession and desired area.
  • Join Twitter chats to meet new people & seek out those in your new city.

Make a Local Appearance.

Sometimes all that separates you from your dream job in a new area is your location. If you’re planning to make your move, take your location off your resume, make your intention to move clear during the application process and be prepared to make a trip or two.

Any trips you make should be well planned and you should explain as you’re applying that you’ll be in the area on these particular dates and that you’d love to schedule an interview.

If you’re visiting a couple of times, try to make a few informational meeting appointments for your first trip and schedule real job interviews for your second visit.

Effectively Use Your Resources.

You should always work smarter, not necessarily harder, especially when it comes to looking for a new job.

Make use of everything you have at your disposal, from job boards to alumni resources to your professional network.

Contact your alumni association to find which alumni are in your new city and field. Attend alumni and networking events and leverage your current network to grow an even larger one in your new city.

Ask your connections if they mind making a few introductions – more often than not, professionals will be willing to help a young professional or recent grad.

RobynRobyn is a graduate of Duquesne University, with a bachelor’s in Public Relations, a master’s in Media Arts and Technology. Robyn is currently a marketing coordinator by day and juggles clients for a boutique PR firm and writing for multiple blogs in her free time. Find her on LinkedIn or Twitter, read her PR-focused blog, or check out some of her other work here.

 

4 Tips for Building a Strong Professional Portfolio

Stephanie Vermillion 1 Comment

Preparing for job interviews can be more than a little intimidating, and it’s probably no surprise to you that one of the major intimidation factors can be getting your portfolio together.

4 Tips for Building a Strong Professional PortfolioIf you don’t have a portfolio yet, you’re going to need one. Portfolios are the best way to show that you can walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Gathering the work you’re most proud of showcases your abilities and skills for future employers to assess.

Strong portfolios can come in a variety of types and sizes, and it’s up to you to decide what you think is best. If you’re just getting started or looking to revamp your portfolio, first decide what kind of portfolio you want:

Online vs. In Print

Online portfolios are great tools to impress future employers and get your foot in the door. There are plenty of free portfolio sites and website building resources like Weebly or WordPress that can make the creation process simple and maybe even fun.

An online portfolio can even add some personality to your name based on your site’s style and content. If they like what they see, it could be the reason you get called in for an interview. Or, they could just like the fact that you put the time and effort into creating a website.

A physical portfolio could also be the perfect tool for you. Your employers or clients may not want a marketing plan or social media report featured on your website for the world to see. That’s when a print portfolio can be handy as it will stay between you and the interviewer. Personally, I found it useful to have samples in front of me to share during the interview.

For example, when asked about my media relations experience, I can pull out a copy of my best newspaper or online placement. Bringing a physical portfolio is ensuring that the interviewer will see it because they may not have taken the time to check your online portfolio.

Quantity vs. Quality

Some professionals would say gather all of your work into a huge portfolio, but many others would say that you should just bring your top pieces of work. And again, it’s up to you.

Fresh out of college, I wanted to be prepared for any job responsibility they could ask me about, whether it be social media, writing, marketing plans or media relations. Therefore, I gathered all of my materials into a large portfolio binder separated into categories by tabs. I would easily navigate through my portfolio during the interview to pull out examples relevant to their questions and the job responsibilities. Organization is key with this approach.

A large portfolio can be overwhelming and intimidating, which is why some of you may prefer a smaller portfolio. Some interviewers even prefer it and may just ask to just see your top three to five pieces. In this case, it is easier to focus on the quality of your work as opposed to the variety.

Now that you have your options laid out, here are some tips for creating and using a strong portfolio:

  1. Think of anything and everything. To begin, gather all of your great work into one place. If you made it, wrote it or thought of it, put it in. Then choose your best pieces. You can always take it out later if you change your mind. Just make sure you have the portfolio essentials.
  2. If you’re going to do it, do it well. Don’t take shortcuts. After putting effort into it, you do not want to ruin all of your hard work because you got lazy. A little typo could tell a future employer that you aren’t careful or detail-oriented. This is especially true for websites. If you can’t put together a visually appealing website, it may not be worth doing at all.
  3. Don’t be shy about it. Not every interviewer is going to ask to see your portfolio or even samples of work. After putting effort into making it, be sure to show it off when you can. Try to work examples into your answers. For online portfolios, add a link to the bottom of your resume, email signature or Twitter profile.
  4. Leave behind some examples. If you’re showing off something long and detailed like a writing sample, the interviewer likely won’t read through the whole thing during the interview. Consider printing a few extra copies of your favorite pieces that seem most relevant to the position to leave something behind. I usually put two pieces and an extra copy of my resume into a folder or clear slip and hand it to them at the end of my interview for them to keep. It’s a great way to make sure your work gets their attention.

There’s always more than one right way to do things, and your portfolio is no different. It’s just one of the many ways you can stay competitive in your job hunt. Decide what works best for your work and preferences, commit to it and dive right in.

Christine Kappesser Christine Kappesser is an assistant account executive at Wordsworth Communications, a public relations agency in Cincinnati, Ohio. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Strategic Communications and minors in Marketing and Design. Connect with Christine on Twitter (@ChristineMaeK).