How I Built My PR Credibility Over Spring Break

It is has reached that point in the semester where it is time to start applying for summer internships or job positions. With ten days of spring break vacation I had the opportunity to work on this without worrying about school related obligations. Spring break is a convenient time to build credibility.  Here are some things I did with the time off of school that you can work on if you didn’t get the chance to over break.

·    Search for Internships/Job Openings: It is time to apply for PR summer positions. Take advantage of internship/job opportunities listed through your university’s resources. Research PR organizations that you may be interested in, find out their application deadlines and get your resume/cover letter out there!

·    Create/Improve Your LinkedIn Profile: LinkedIn has become a premier job search engine as well as one of the first places for employers to search for potential staff. If you are not yet LinkedIn make one! If you already have a profile, think of ways to improve it. As a competitor in the job market you want to stand out in any way you can.

·    Create a Blog: If you don’t have a blog, now is a great time to create one. With a blog you can practice/strengthen your writing and stay on top of news related stories. Having a professional blog is something you could add to your portfolio that will impress future employers. This is a great skill set in the PR world.

·    Tweet. Strengthen your Twitter credibility. Follow more people in your field of interest. Get more active in your tweeting. Follow recent news stories and comment on it. The more you intertwine your social media with your professional interests the more credible you will appear. Employers want to see your interests and what you tweet about. If your Twitter is being constantly updated, employers will see you are on top of your social media game. This is a vital skill set in the world of PR.

·    Stay in touch with the news. As a PR major don’t forget you are obligated to be a news junkie. Always be aware of what is going on in the world. You never know when you are going to find a story that can benefit the organization you are working for.

If you did not get the chance to work on this list over break, then do so now.  You will finish up the spring semester relieved and with a new sense of confidence after building your credibility.

 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Ben Coleman.

Spend Spring Break Thinking About Post-Grad

Spring break is the perfect time to start thinking about post-grad opportunities. You finally have some free time to start planning your course of action.

Grad school?
Full-time internship?
Full-time job?
Travel?
Move back home?

The possibilities are endless to the point where soon-to-be graduates are practically drowning in them. If you're anything like me you have about a thousand questions and a lot of different ideas (some irrational, some totally plausible) about what's going to happen after May.

If you're considering grad school, here's a great resource from Pearson that offers the why's and why not's, FAQ's and other helpful resources to answer all your questions.

If you're not quite ready to enter the real-world workforce, a full-time internship this summer is a great alternative. You can gain more experience without the pressure of committing to a real job.

If you have a yen for travel now is the time. Ask for a trip for your graduation present! If you don't go now, you might never go at all. The only people who have more free time than recent grads are retired seniors.

Are you looking to save some money? Moving back home is something many post-grads do. As long as you're sure you're doing it to save money and not just hide from your real-world responsibilities, it can be a sensible option.

If you're totally ready to start your full-time job then spring break is the ideal time to start looking around and applying. Make a list of the places you might like to be and then search for companies, organizations or agencies in those places. Be aware of what type of environment you want to work in; is it formal where you have to wear business professional or are you looking for an informal place where you can wear jeans? A company's website can tell you a lot about the atmosphere.

Some great job resources are LinkedIn groups, Indeed.com, CareerBuilder.com or your college or university's career center!

What are some ways you're preparing for post-graduation? Not planning on looking for jobs for a while? Tell us why!