7 Things You Should Know

If you are a communications student you’re certainly aware of just how tough it is to obtain your dream job. Whether you’re an incoming college freshman or a soon to be graduate, it is crucial that you do these 7 things before you leave college life and enter the “real world.”

1. Have a clear goal: Almost every career in the communications field is cut throat meaning you have to be considered the best of the best to obtain a job. Be sure to make clear career goals before you graduate from college, or else you may find yourself with a communications degree but still living at home at the age of 25. 

2. Resume: Resumes are crucial if you plan to be successful after you finish college. Luckily, you have four years to create a perfect resume. Start off a resume your freshman year; put together all of your best professional accomplishments and continue to build your resume being sure to edit along the way.  Every resume must be unique, so it's important to create a resume that makes you stand out.

3. Portfolio: Portfolios are a great way to compile all of your best work together so that future employers can see your strengths. For example: if you are a public relations major, put together any press releases you have created or even your best pieces of writing. If you are journalism major, you can put together your best articles that you have written in class or for your school's newspaper. Most importantly, make sure to present your portfolio in a nicely bound binder with high quality paper. Presentation is key!

4. Internships, Internships, and More Internships: Apply for internships because, let's face it, to be successful in most careers in the communications field, one has to have a few internships under his or her belt. Internships are the best way to get your foot in the door.

5. Organizations: Join some of the organizations at your university because it gives you the opportunity to meet new people. I personally made sure to join my university’s student run PR firm PRowl Public Relations. If you are a journalism major, join your university’s newspaper. If you're in advertising, seek out an advertising club. The great thing about college is that there are so many opportunities when it comes to organizations and many times you can find a organization that's tailored to your major. Remember connections, connections, connections.

6. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is not only a great way to engage with friends on a professional level, but it is also great way to network with industry professionals. Make sure your LinkedIn is always up to date and is updated frequently, because you never know who may want to enter your network.

7. Business cards: Business cards are a fast and easy way to get your information out into the world. Be sure to create a business card that not only gives your contact information but also looks great!


This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Jummy Temidayo

Think Outside of the Box

If you were to ask anyone in the PR field, "what do I need to do to get my foot into the industry?" the most popular response you will hear is "internships, internships, and more internships." Internships, whether paid or unpaid, are the most desirable way to get experience in an adequate amount of time. But when looking for internships, it's important to consider options outside of the box.

When I was first looking for an internship, I thought it was important to be very specific in what internship I would want to put my time into. One day, I was offered a chance to shadow one of my professors and this soon led to my very first internship. My professor was not just any old professor, he also owned a well-known wealth management firm by the name of the Cordasco Financial Network. I knew that by taking this internship, there was a high chance that I would not be dealing with anything PR- related. The internship that I was offered focused on stocks, bonds and mutual funds, hardly the traditional PR internship, especially when I want to be in fashion PR, however I still took the chance because I knew that it would be a great learning experience.

Through working at Cordasco Financial Network, I have been given the chance to produce radio work for the Big Money Show, a radio show that discusses everything and anything dealing with money, I have been asked to travel to New York City to sit in on a few radio shows and meet up with Charles Payne, a widely recognized journalist and the co-host of Varney & Co. I have even been able to work with the company’s PR group and shadow for a day. Even though I was not expecting to gain any type of PR experience through my internship, I ended up obtaining some great experiences.

It’s very important to try any and every type of internship because you never know what opportunities may await you. Don’t be closed off to different types of internships, especially the ones outside of your major. If you see opportunities that you think you can benefit from, don’t be afraid to ask if you can partake in them. Part of being successful in the PR industry is knowing when to put yourself out there and by taking risks.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Jummy Temidayo.

The New Era

With the ability to share information to their readers at the speed of light, fashion bloggers are now viewed as a commodity in the fashion world. In this day and age major fashion brands and magazines view fashion blogging as a necessity because it is now the bloggers that are cognizant of the latest trends. But it takes a lot of work to become a great fashion blogger.

Choose your style of blog! There are two types of fashion blogs: personalized and informational.

• Informational discusses upcoming trends from designers and on the runway.


• Personalized fashion blogs display the personal style of the blogger. Personal blogs tend to be a crowd favorite; because it shows people that you’re a regular human being, not just an internet cyborg.

Building your brand:

• Collect as many contacts as possible! At first this will not be easy but as your blog progresses and your number of viewers increase you will find that people will go out of their way to contact you.


• Make it your priority to bring as much attention to your blog as possible! Update your blog with the newest trends or reoccurring ones; your readers want to know what’s hot and what’s not.


• Get help! As your brand grows you will find yourself needing help to maintain it so find an assistant and a professional photographer to help you capture quality pictures.


• Consistently update the look of your blog so your readers will not get bored! Your content must be engaging and innovative; no one wants to hear about last years trends when new ones are popping up left and right.


• Establish your credibility: Always make sure to cite your sources! If you use images from fashion sites be sure to give credit. Responding to comments will keep conversations going, increase viewership, as well as exhibit yourself as passionate about what you do.

As is with most things, creating the perfect balance can be challenging, but it will pay off in the long run.

Check out these great fashion blogs! Style Scrapbook, Fashion Squad, The Blonde Salad

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Jummy Temidayo.

Fashion PR 101

First things first, what is Fashion PR? Fashion PR helps establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance, and cooperation between an organization and its consumers in terms of fashion. Skills such as writing press releases, gathering research, and the ability to protect the interest of the company you work for are musts in fashion public relations. As a consultant in this realm you must focus on gaining exposure for the fashion line you work for, whether it is through communicating with editors and seeing what styles they need for upcoming shoots, talking to celebrity stylists and coordinating which looks would be great for their clients, or even setting up photo shoots and interviews.

The first step in “making it” in the business of fashion PR is to obtain a fashion-based internship. This can include working in a clothing store or working under a designer, the latter being more difficult to acquire. A great advantage you can have when entering the fashion PR industry is having attended a fashion school such as the Fashion Institute of Technology or the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising, both centered in Manhattan, NY. Although attending a fashion institute can give you a leg up in the fashion world, any school you choose to enroll in will not be overlooked just because it is a "regular" school. Because it is such a competitive job market the more hands-on experience in the fashion world you have, the better chance you have at obtaining a job in fashion PR.

Many in the PR industry say that it doesn’t matter where you work on account of the varied roles PR practitioners fill. However, for such a specified area like fashion PR, it is to your best interest that you land a job in one of the five major fashion capitals of the world; New York, Milan, Paris, London, or Japan. By doing so, not only will you be introduced to different cultures but you will also be able to understand how fashion revolves in different parts of the world. A lot of fashion is about the glitz and the glam, but as a multi-billion dollar industry it is also about business. Most importantly, remember why you are working so hard to do what you are doing; it is because of your love for fashion and communicating with others that you have decided to enter such a competitive, commanding, and innovative job market.

Best of luck to all of you choosing to enter this amazing field of work!


This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Jummy Temidayo.