Benefits of a Small Firm Internship

When searching for an internship, every PR student will possess their own individual criteria for what they are looking for in a position. One student may be looking to gain some experience in the nonprofit sector while another might be looking to score a spot with a major agency. Regardless of where you intern, the goal is to learn, develop and to get closer to becoming an established public relations professional. 

In April I started at Jenna Communications, a small firm in Center City Philadelphia. I did not know what to expect and was skeptical about how much experience and knowledge I would gain at such a small firm. However, within the first month I had learned as much as I had in any course. Working with a small group of employees, I was thrown into the fire right away. During my first weeks I was creating social media campaigns, drafting press releases, connecting with press contacts and working directly with clients. By the end of my first month I not only had gained a significant amount of writing samples but I had also gained a significant amount of confidence. This confidence may have not been found if I had jumped into a large PR agency for my first internship. 

This is not to say that an internship at a large PR agency or for a major corporation is not a valuable experience. Interning for a top company allows students to learn directly from some of the very best in the industry. My advice for students to strongly consider what they want out of an internship. Although many may be tempted to overlook a smaller firm or company, they may be offering exactly what you are looking for. 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Jason Conaway. 

How Did I Become a "S" Word Already?

As most can agree, college comes and goes in a blink of an eye.  I never thought I would see the day when I became a dreaded “S” word, a senior. It is almost unbelievable that I am heading into my final year as an undergrad this fall.  During my time here at Temple, I definitely gained skills and knowledge that have helped me advance as a student and prospective graduate.  However, there are a few things I wish I started sooner and opportunities I wish I took advantage of earlier.  So for those incoming freshman, whom I am greatly jealous of, here is a letter to you on your first day.

Dear Incoming Freshman,

Before you know it, you are going to be a senior.  Yes you will be called the dreaded “S” word.  Now, do not worry, although these years fly by, they will also be the best years of your life.  Here are some tips to help with your first year.

1.     It is okay to not know what you should major in right away.  So if you are not sure join any club, group, organization that sparks your interest.  If it relates to what you end up majoring, great.  If it has nothing to do with it, that’s cool too.  As long as you put yourself in positions to meet new people and learn new things, you will be benefiting.

2.     Go to office hours!  My best papers/grades have been from meeting with my professors and asking for help when I did not understand.

3.     Relating to tip number two, professors are great mentors.  One thing I am very appreciative is the relationship I have with one of my professors.  She has helped me with cover letters, internship questions and other class work.  The people teaching you have the skills and experience that can be of great value to you even outside of classroom topics

4.     Avoid buying books from the bookstore.  90% of the time you can find them cheaper online and save a lot of money.

5.     Manage your time so you can get the grades and still go out.  College is all about time management.  There is such thing as having enough time in the day for school, good grades, and fun.

6.     Enjoy every second.  These next four years are going to fly right by.

So, I hope you go into your first day of college beyond excited and ready to take on the challenge.  Although the dreaded senior year will creep up on you sooner than you think, appreciate the opportunity you have been given and make these years the best years of your life. Good Luck!

Any other "S" words have advice for incoming freshman? Leave your tips in the comments! 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Brittany Barish. 

What a Break-Up Can Teach You About PR

We will all go through a break-up at some point in our lives. It’s the time when chocolate and sappy movies can be the proper bandage for a hurting heart. However, for PR professionals, there are plenty of lessons to be learned from this trying life event.

If looked at from a professional standpoint, a break-up can be used as a way to develop yourself professionally:

1.     Strengthen your personal brand: After a break-up, it’s important to figure out who you are as an individual without the influence of another person. This is a great time to determine your strengths and reflect upon your successes. After making a mental list of your great qualities and abilities, put them to use by including them in your personal brand!

2.     Develop your understanding of social media: Sometimes, less is more regarding social media, especially after a break-up. Steer clear of answering the status prompt “what’s on your mind?” and refrain from sharing personal anger and emotions over Twitter.   Not only will this make for a better emotional recovery, but it will also teach you to be hesitant towards what you post on social media in general. After a break-up, you will know how to take a step back and determine whether or not you should post that link or video on your company’s social media accounts.

3.     Learn how to better manage stress: PR professionals know the importance of developing ways to cope with stressful situations. When a break-up occurs, a tremendous amount of pressure and stress can follow. Between learning how to control your emotions and answering painful questions from relatives, it can be a lot to handle with a straight face. However, learning how to push through a trying time will prepare you for other stressors, including those at work.

Although a break-up can be traumatic, it can positively affect your professional life. Remember to stay strong, and take advantage of the professional development tools at your disposal!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Maggie Wurst. 

Learn to Make Your Own Decisions

There's no such thing as a stupid question, right? While that may be true, there are definitely questions that are pretty unnecessary. I tend to ask a lot of them. I would rather ask a lot of questions and do something right than forge my own incorrect path. While I still stand by that, I've learned through my internships and time spent as a leader in student organizations that there are a lot of times where the questions need to be skipped and executive decisions need to be made.

In order to make a quick and effective decision on your own, there are some simple steps to take:

1. Develop a thorough understanding

You're much more likely to make a solid (and correct) decision if you have all your background information. Think of that "what-if's" before you start your task and find all your answers at the beginning, rather than running into roadblocks later on.

2. Utilize the internet

Search engines are a wonderful thing. Rather than asking your coworker or boss how to use promoted posts on Facebook or create a graph in Excel, just look it up online. 

3. Look for previous examples

Don't reinvent the wheel. If you're doing a job that someone has done before, there are examples of the right way to do it somewhere. Go through old files and see if you can find an older version that might be able to guide you.

4. Be confident

When you make a decision without asking anyone else, be confident that you're doing the right thing. Even if it turns out you aren't, you'll learn from it!

So if you're ever faced with a situation where an immediate decision needs to be made and it's up to you--don't get nervous and second guess yourself. Follow these tips and you're on your way to making great executive decisions. Plus, supervisors, managers, and directors all the way up to vice presidents and CEO's have to make their own decisions, so you're really helping yourself in the long run by learning to do it now.

How to Handle Rejection

I'm not talking about getting turned down for a date--you'll have to go to another blog for advice on that one. I'm talking about job rejection. Whether you're about to graduate and applying for your first full-time position, you're an eager student applying for summer internships, or you're just looking to make a career change, there's a chance you could be facing some rejection sometime soon.

Getting a rejection letter or email for a job that you carefully crafted a cover letter and tailored your resume to can be pretty discouraging, but I prefer to think on the bright side of things and I've come up with some ways to handle rejection and turn it into something positive.

1. Learn from it
Maybe you can pin-point what you said (or didn't say) that caused your job-quest to end in rejection, or maybe you're not quite sure. Go back through the job description and look at the skills and think of ones you might not have highlighted enough or ones you could improve on. Think back to the interview process and consider what you might have done better or changed. Use this opportunity to reflect and improve.

2. Understand it
In a perfect world, every employer would call the people they reject and tell them exactly why they aren't getting hired. Unfortunately, that's usually not the case and it's up to you to figure it out. Try and think about the office atmosphere, the type of work they do, and the way they do it. You might have had all the qualifications, but not have been the right fit for that company. If they didn't think you were a right fit for them, they probably weren't a right fit for you anyway.

3. Use it to your advantage
In interviews you might get asked "what's your biggest failure?" or "talk about a time you didn't succeed and how you handled it". Job rejection is a perfect scenario to use in an answer to this question. You will learn from it and it will help you along the way, whether you realize it now or not, and employers will be impressed with how you handled it and all the ways you used it to become a better PR pro.

4. Chin up, soldier
Remember, there are hundreds of opportunities out there for you. Don't let one rejection get you down or stand in your way of doing the best you can. Keep looking for jobs and internships and you'll find the right one, even if it's somewhere you might not expect.

How have you handled job rejection? We want to hear from you.

Media Training 101: Tips on Teaching Your Client

Advocacy. Advocacy. Advocacy.  It's PR 101, it's what we do for our clients and it's what is engraved into our brains from the start.  Part of advocating for your client or your company can be media training. Media training is simply preparing your client for press conferences, interviews, TV appearances, etc. It's a daunting task because no matter how prepared you and your client can be, the media can always throw in a question or comment that you didn't expect. It is our job to make sure the client is prepared for that.

Start off the media training with something fun and engaging. 

Pretend you're the reporter and ask them really hard questions. Chances are they'll freeze up (that's why you're in the position of training them, after all). This will show the importance of what they're about to listen to and experience.

Keep your client's personality in mind.

If they're generally a formal person from a suit-and-tie company, they might not be comfortable loosening up in a conversational situation with a reporter. Practice makes perfect and the more you help your client embrace relaxation, the better they will do in the interview. Cool, calm and collected is a really overused saying for a reason.

Don't use jargon.

Whether we realize it or not, our field is littered with jargon that no one else understand. Clients don't know what editorial and impressions mean so there's no use in talking about it during your training. Keep it short and simple and easy for them to understand so they stay in full focus during your presentation.

Focus on the mission statement.

It's the core of their business and something that they should know inside and out. By incorporating something that they are already comfortable with and making it the base of the training it will help them adjust better.

Wrap it up by reiterating why media training matters.

You can repeat your initial interview exercise and watch them be amazed with the progress they made in a few short hours. End with key takeaways that are most important for them to remember. Always offer yourself up for additional help outside of the training session.

As PR professionals we are supposed to be media aficionados. Sometimes these skills can get in the way of seeing how other people are going to feel if they're talking to a reporter. Put yourself in your client's shoes and make sure to talk to them that way. You're helping them with their skills and cultivating your relationship with them, all in one.

 

Stay on Track This Semester

Classes have already begun for many colleges and universities and will start for the majority of the remaining ones today.  We might as well start off on the right foot this semester and pave the way for smooth sailing in the next several months.

• Get a planner. Use it.
  There is no better way to stay on top of your schoolwork, social activities, and other commitments.  If you write everything down there is no reason to forget it. That way you'll always know what's coming up and what you have room for, be it homework or fun events.
  
• Talk to someone new.
  Don't be a loner on the first day of class. Scope out your classmates and sit next to someone who seems like they might have a similar vibe to you. You could end up making a great connection, helpful study buddy, and possibly even a new friend!
  
• Go to office hours.
  Professors notice the students who go above and beyond in class. If you visit them during office hours you will stick out in their mind. Spending time outside of class with your professor will also ensure that all your questions get answered.
  
• Eat breakfast.
  You're a busy bee and you need energy for the day. Eating even just a little something for breakfast every day will keep you going through all your classes and extracurricular activities.  You'll beat that mid-day funk and be able to perform at top speed. 

These are just some of the things you can do to keep yourself on track for the upcoming semester.  Get organized right away and you'll stay organized throughout.  End the year with a successful semester and reward yourself with a summer of fun (not that we're counting down the days or anything)!

What will you be improving on this semester?

Declutter Your Life

At this point of the year, your brain is full to bursting with knowledge you may or may not ever use again (unless you're taking all PR classes, then you're just bursting with fabulous knowledge you'll be grateful for forever)--am I right?

Before you have an inevitable mental breakdown, let me offer you some tips on how to declutter your mind and your life and help you breathe again.

Step 1: Organize your inbox.  Take half and hour to get all those emails either into a folder or into the trash. Did you feel the tension in your shoulders release? I thought so.

Step 2: Clean your room. It's a lot easier to get work done when dirty socks and wash you should have folded a week ago aren't staring you in the face.

Step 3: Situate your personal life. Is there tension between you and your roommates? Are you frustrated by a group project? Actually have a conversation with these people and you'll see that coming to a solution isn't as hard as it seems.

Step 4: Declutter your soul. It may sound cheesy but doing something that makes you feel good inside is incredibly beneficial.  Help out with a neighborhood clean-up or volunteer to work a 5k benefiting a good cause. A happier heart makes for a happier you.

What do you find most effective when you're overwhelmed and feeling pretty cluttered?

Along those lines, check out this funny Buzzfeed video: 35 Things to Get Rid of to Declutter Your Life.

Be Bold, Be Bright, Be You.

It's that time of year again!

No, not the holiday season (although we are all excited for that too).

It's officially the point in the semester where everyone starts to think about spring internships and even jobs for all you December graduates. So while you're updating your resume and crafting the perfect cover letter, there are a few things you should be keeping in mind.

1. Pretty much everyone is proficient in Microsoft Office.  You can skip including that on your resume.  What jobs really like to see is something that not everyone can master, like Adobe Creative Suite or expertise with a blogging platform.

2. The majority of people are also saying that they're 'organized' and that they 'have great people skills'.  Your future employer is looking for things that you can bring to the table that other candidates can't.

3. Highlight what makes you unique.  Having skills and experience is all well and good, but from my experience potential employers are looking for candidates that have that 'little something extra' or that 'spark'.

You know yourself better than anyone, and even though interviews can be intimidating they are the limited time that you have to get across how much of an asset you can be to a company.  So instead of listing a set of skills that most people your age probably have, set your sights higher and aim to communicate what makes you different, and better, than everyone else who is applying for the same position.

What are some other tips to make yourself stand out in an interview? We want to hear from you!

Don't Forget About R&R

Some of the most successful public relations students I know are also some of the busiest.  They're juggling multiple student organizations, full class loads, internships, and jobs.  Sometimes there is even more thrown into the mix.  While being busy can help you learn how to manage your time, it can also be a ticking bomb.  To keep yourself from getting over-stressed it's important to remember to get some rest and relaxation. 

Take five minute breaks every hour. Peel your eyes away from the computer screen and eat a snack, walk around, or just daydream for a few minutes.  This will help your brain rejuvenate.

Set aside time at the end of the day.  Whether it's reading a chapter of a book (textbooks don't count!), watching an episode of your favorite TV show, or just catching up on social media, you need to set aside time to do something for YOU.

Don't forget your friends.  Schedules conflict and people get busy and it may feel like you don't see your friends and roommates for days at a time.  This is why it's important to always keep them in mind and know that you're all there for each other, even if you don't see one another every single day anymore.

Do you have any tips about how to break away from your busy schedule for a little R&R? We want to hear from you!

Welcome to College

We are officially less than two weeks away from the beginning of a new school year.  For myself, it will be my final year at Temple and yet I can remember being a freshman like it was just last week.  Going from being a senior in high school to a freshman in college is a huge adjustment.  Here are some things I learned over the years and would like to offer up to the incoming class at Temple and any other college or university.

1. Leave your door open.  Regardless if you're living in a traditional dorm or suite, leaving your door open is a great way to meet people as they're passing by.

2. Join clubs. Even if you don't stay in the club for more than one year or even one semester, clubs are the perfect way to meet new people.  The earlier you join, the more opportunities you will have.

3. Embrace the 8 a.m.'s. I'm a huge fan of sleeping in, but if you schedule your classes too late in the day you won't find yourself being very productive before them. You're going to have to take early classes eventually, so you should get used to an early morning routine.

4. Manage your time.  This was probably the hardest thing for me to do.  Your college classes might be shorter or longer than the ones you had in high school, but none of them are going to let you do homework during your lectures.  You need to learn how to budget your time so you're always submitting assignments completely and promptly.

5. Have fun. College is a whole new experience.  Don't let shyness or fear get the best of you.  You'll make new friends, learn new things, and have opportunities you could never have dreamed of.

What tips can you share for the incoming freshman class? Tell us!

Tips for a Telephone Interview

The first step in the interview process after sending out your resume and getting a response is often a phone interview.  The interview could be with a person from human resources who just wants to ask a few general questions, or it could be with the person who is going to be hiring you. It could be five minutes; it could be half an hour.  The point of a preliminary phone interview is for an employer to figure out if they would like to bring you into the office for a face-to-face conversation.

Here are some tips from an article that can help you prepare for a phone interview:

1. Hold your interview in a quiet space

2. Provide details

3. Be prepared

4. Don't be afraid to speak up

5. Avoid rambling

6. Be confident

7. Listen carefully

8. Take your time

9. Don't get flustered

You should prepare for a phone interview the same way you would prepare for a regular interview.  This is your chance to provide your potential employer with information about yourself that will make them want to meet you in person.  As a bonus, phone interviews are a great way to showcase your phone etiquette since it is such an important part of PR.

Do you have any other phone interview tips? Let us know!

PR in Your Pajamas

With virtual internships becoming more popular and many up-and-coming PR professionals offering their consulting services, there is an increasing amount of PR work that can be done from the comfort of your own home.

I am currently interning for a woman who is a PR powerhouse: juggling multiple clients, three children, and running a household.  She works out of her house and three days a week I join her at her kitchen table with my laptop and a notebook and we get a lot of work accomplished.  Now as beneficial as it is to be located so close to a coffee maker and unlimited snacks, working from home is actually a lot harder than I thought.  There are constant disruptions and you have to balance your work life and your home life every second.  When you're in a cubicle or an office it's a little easier to let your grocery list and social life slip from your mind.

It took a little adjusting, but I finally feel like I've gotten into a good mode when I work from home.  Here are a few pieces of advice I can offer to those of you who have or are thinking about applying for a virtual internship or a position that involves working from your couch:

1. Don't actually work from your couch.  You need a desk, a chair, and a quiet space to get the most work done.
2. Remove distractions.  Let your roommates know when you're working so they don't come barging into your room to tell you about their day.
3. Take breaks.  If you get up and move around, have a snack, or just look away from your computer for a few minutes, you're more likely to stay on task the rest of the time.

I think we've all harbored fantasies of working from home because it seems like a glamorous and effortless life.  Truthfully, it's probably harder than working in an office.  Though it is pretty fun to write a press release in your pj's!

Compiling a Media List

The other day I was asked to compile a media list.  I figured it wouldn't be a problem and I would just be able to find all the contacts online, put the list together, and impress my boss with my abilities.

(I was wrong).

I spent several hours searching around various media outlet websites for names and emails of someone, ANYONE that I could pitch a story to.  In case you hadn't guessed, media outlets aren't always so eager to just put that type of contact information out there.  So after I gathered together a few emails that I thought would be helpful I sent them over to my boss.

They weren't helpful at all.

So, I learned a new lesson I figured I would share with my fellow aspiring PR professionals:

Don't ever assume something is going to be easy. Assume that your skills are going to be challenged with every assignment you get.  Sometimes it might not be the case, but at least you'll be prepared!

After this experience, I have some tips for compiling a media list:

1. Call the newsroom.  A lot of people have hesitancies towards making phone calls.  The beauty of calling a newsroom is that they are usually on some kind of deadline and only have a moment, if any, to talk in the first place.  Your phone call isn't going to last more than two minutes.

2. You're looking for producers, editors, and the news desk. Go directly to the people who are going to be making the decision about your story.

3. Ask for help! If you're uncomfortable or unsure, just ask someone to help you.  My boss assured me that when she was an intern she felt the exact same way.  Now she's a pitching pro and isn't that we are all striving for?

Do you have any tips for media lists and pitching?  Share them with us!

The Do's and Don'ts of Being An Intern

     Whether it is your first or third time as an intern, you will come to realize no internship is ever exactly the same. Although your duties as an intern may vary, your behavior should always remain the same; be diligent, willing and professional.  

     The internship process can get tricky sometimes, especially if it is your first time. Here are some great "Do's and Don'ts" to remember when interning, provided by PR specialist Lorra Brown:

Don’t ever enter a meeting, even an informal drop by from your manager, without a notebook and pen.

Don’t be afraid to tell your manager you’d like to be busy—ask for more work.

Don’t be a social media or text addict; checking your status and phone can wait.

Don’t leave for lunch or at the end of the day without checking with your boss or peers to see if they need help with anything before you go.

Don’t decorate your cube with college party pictures; you are a working adult now.

Don’t party. You may be at a fun work function or event, but you are working (regardless of how much fun your bosses may seem to be having).

Do proofread everything. No matter how mundane the task or email may seem, attention to detail and pride of ownership will pay off.

Do take initiative and come up with ideas for projects, pitches, organization, etc. Show your value. Great ideas can come from anywhere, including the intern. 


Do ask questions and ask for clarification if you are unsure of an assignment. Asking your manager to help you prioritize is wise, too.

Do provide short check-in emails or updates to your manager regarding the status of projects.

Do solicit feedback and ask for areas in which you need to improve.

Do treat this as a job audition. Most companies are looking at you as a possible future colleague.

Starting Off The Semester On The Right Track

Starting off a new semester as a seasoned sophomore, I have learned a thing or two about how things operate in a university setting. There are a couple things that I wish I would have known last year when I started the semester, so I put together a list of tips to help make the new semester run flawlessly.

Don’t procrastinate on your reading: My biggest mistake last year was not staying on top of my reading assignments. If you push off one night of reading it may seem like no big deal, until you have 100 pages due the next class. To avoid this mistake, simply complete your reading assignments as they are given. Although it may seem like a daunting task at the time, you will be thankful later that you just did the assignment when it was assigned.

Get a planner: One thing I wish I had used last semester was a planner to keep track of my assignments.  Balancing 5 classes may seem easy, but in reality it is a lot of work. Having a planner to keep track of assignments will help you to stay on top of your work. 

Visit your advisor: Talking to your advisor at the beginning of a semester is a great way to stay on track. Your advisor can help you with any of your academic needs, and make sure that you are following along well with your major requirements and are also on track to graduate. 

Go to class: Early in the semester, it might seem like an easy choice to just roll over and go back to bed instead of going to your 8am, but DONT cave in.  Skipping class early in the semester is never a good idea. Most classes only have an allocated allowance for absences, and there is most likely going to be a time later in the semester that you will need the day off for. Do yourself a favor and don’t lower your grade by skipping because you are too tired. 

What tips do you have for starting the semester off strong? Let us know!

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Lexi Drexler 

Business 101: Why PR Students Should Take A Business Class

Most, if not all, aspiring PR pros shudder at the thought of taking a business course. We went into public relations for a reason; to avoid taking accounting, economics and any other classes that involve numbers. That may be a bit of an exaggeration but I have yet to meet a PR student or professional that enjoys the subject of math. 

A professor recently told my class he had taken a basic business course while he was in college and that, although he absolutely despised it, it was one of the best decisions he ever made. Why you ask? Simply because everything in life is a business. There is no getting around it. If you are looking to become successful in the public relations field, you will most definitely be working with clients who only speak in business lingo. That means they communicate in terms of numbers, metrics and, most importantly, money. 

Public relations is all about knowing your audience. There will be numerous points throughout your career in which your audience is going to be upper management and business professionals. It is our job as aspiring PR pros to learn their language. There is a serious need for young professionals to understand the realm of business. Knowing certain business jargon will not only be beneficial to you, it will also help to put you ahead of your peers. In today's job market, you should be willing to do anything and everything that will put you ahead of others. 

So, instead of using that elective credit on a pointless aerobics class or a boring music class, aim instead to take a business course. Look for an introduction to management, marketing or a business 101 course to give you that extra knowledge that will not only open up your mind, but will help to get you ahead in your career!

What business courses have you taken? Let us know!

Resume Refresher

It is hard to believe the beginning of the semester is right around the corner. Although you may not have classes for the next couple of weeks, this is the time to finish applying for fall internships. This may be the first time you have applied for an internship, or, it may be your third time. No matter what, one thing to remember when applying for internships is to always update your resume.

Since it may have been awhile since you last edited and updated your resume, here are some great refreshers to keep in mind:

1. Sell It, Don't Tell It: Don't simply state facts. Promote it, advertise it and make sure you draw attention to it.

2. Focus On The Big Things: When deciding what to put in your resume make sure to focus on new things and major projects. You want to pick out the most important things you were responsible for and how well you did them.

3. Make It Easy To Read: It is easy for resumes to become distracting with its structure and content. Make sure to keep it nice and simple.

4. Be Truthful: Don't make up skills and qualifications just because you think it will get you the job. Honesty is always the best policy.

5. Be Confident: In order to succeed at anything at life, confidence is a must. Your resume should reek of confidence because you wrote it to sell you and highlight your qualifications and your success.

Good luck!

PRSSA National PRSSA Conference 2012, Why You Should Attend.

For all of my fellow undergrads, the start of the fall session is just around the corner. Meetings and events for all of our professional organizations will also soon resume. Additionally, if you are an aspiring public relations professional and a member of PRSSA, which you should be, conference is also just around the corner. For many of us, this means we will soon need to decide whether or not we will be attending.

This year, the PRSSA National Conference will be hosted in San Francisco, California. The conference is four days long and is set to offer a plethora of well known and what I believe to be promising keynote speakers and guests. However, the question remains, what are YOU getting of it, and why should YOU attend? Below are a few reasons why I believe attending this year's conference and other professional conferences while in college are important:

1. You get to see 'real' professionals in action.
2. You will be provided with a better understanding of what is current and what is trending in your field.
3. You will get to see people in your field excited about their work. Hopefully, in turn, this will excite you for your hopefully soon-to-be future.
4.  The more conference presentations you observe, the better you will become at giving presentations.
5. You get to network. Maybe you will meet your future employer or even your next business partner. The possibilities are ultimately endless. Additionally, see if the conference you are attending needs volunteers. Volunteers sometimes get extra opportunities and discounted rates on conference fees.

In all, I am determined to attend conference this year and I hope you plan on attending too. Will you be attending conference this year, and if so why do you believe it will be beneficial?

Additionally, if you haven't checked out the conference website or wish to register, follow the link below. http://www.prssa.org/events/Conference/

We All Have to Grow Up Sometime

By the time college is over, we have entered into our early 20s.  Some of us may continue on to further schooling, while others venture out into the real world. Seeking the “perfect” job becomes our number one priority, which then leads to us hopefully living our perfect lives. Twenty-five becomes that magic number. When we reach this number, everything should hopefully be set for our futures. Careers become our number one focus, and it is important to know as much as we can without making drastic mistakes. Here are the top 6 things to know by the time you are twenty-five:

6. Put in your two-weeks notice. 

After landing that first job, if you are not happy be sure to always give a two-weeks notice, no matter what the job is. A written resignation is the most professional way to exit a business.

5. Unplug. 

After you leave work, shutdown. Do not go home and continue to answer e-mails and phone calls. When at home, enjoy what you have worked so hard for. 

4. Delegate work.

Asking others who can help to lend a hand is not a poor reflection on you; asking for help shows you want the job done and to satisfactory standards. But remember it is your responsibility to get the job done. Managers like for their employees to recognize that they are not above any type of work. 

3. Ask for a raise. 

Never be afraid to ask for more money. After more than three years at a job, learn how to introduce the topic to those in higher power. 

2. Craft an appropriate connection. 

When sending messages over social media outlets, tailor messages to each person. People appreciate when you take the time to write thoughtful messages.

1. Take rejection with poise. 

Rejection is one of the hardest things to face in life, but remaining poise is imperative. It is better to leave a job on a high note than a sour one. 

Entering the real world can be one of the scariest parts of our lives, but by possessing these tips anyone can make it through the stressful time. Twenty-five is when our lives begin and we must go out and conquer the world before it conquers us. 


This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Alison Curran