PRSSA National Conference: Building a Personal Brand

This past weekend, three members from PRowl: Jaime Scofield, Evan Nicholson and myself as well as Temple PRSSA president, Jade Barnes attended the 2010 PRSSA National Conference in Washington, D.C. Throughout the weekend we had the opportunity to grow as young public relations professionals and connect with fellow PR students across the country.

One of the presentations that I found most beneficial and thoughtful was Indiana State University's presentation, "Creating Your Campaign: Building a Personal Brand." Students presented on guidelines and suggestions for cover letters, resumes and portfolios, however I was most interested on their advice regarding interview preparation.

The presenters outlined a few great tips to ensure that everyone goes into an interview well-prepared:

1. Research the company: know the company's mission, values and goals. Be familiar with executives and their roles within the company and be aware of any current press coverage.

2. Study your responses: create a list of potential and popular interview questions and practice your responses to these questions. This allows you to develop well-crafted and formulated answers to even the most unexpected questions.

3. Do a mock interview: the more practice you have with interviews, the better. Mock interviews allow you to strengthen your verbal and nonverbal communication skills by practicing everything from your responses to your mannerisms.

4. Jot down "why hire me" points: you should always go into an interview with a list of key reasons why you are the best possible candidate for the position.

5. Study your resume: it is incredible embarrassing when an employer asks a question surrounding your resume and you are caught off guard. You should know your experiences and be able to elaborate upon the skills you have learned.

6. All answers to questions should discuss results: companies want to know how you are going to benefit their organization, therefore be prepared to discuss quantifiable results that you have yielded in previous experiences.

Great job, Indiana State University, on a fantastic and informative session, and congratulations to all the other universities that participated in the PRSSA National Conference Chapter Development Sessions for a job well done.