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.

Temple University President Neil Theobald Proves To Have Strong Public Relations

Since his induction in January of 2013 Dr. Neil Theobald has demonstrated excellent public relations. He has pledged to help finance higher education and reduce student debt at Temple University. In recent weeks Theobald has gone on PCN-TV to discuss his campaign, “Financing Higher Education and Student Loan Debt”. The president is aware that the students of Temple University are his primary public and he aims to serve us to the best of his ability.

In an interview with Temple University News the president discussed his values as president. “People have such a positive vision of this university and what it can be. I love to stop, chat and learn students’ priorities and what we can do better. That’s always my primary question. Any suggestions they have, I want to talk to students,” said the president.  Neil Theobald has also decided to reach out to students by teaching a course here at Temple University.

As president of the university, Dr. Theobald has displayed strong public relations tactics. He is aware of whom his target audience is and what needs to be done to improve relations with our community. Student debt is one of the greatest problems with our university and Dr. Theobald’s primary objective is to battle that issue. He has been transparent in discussing his objectives as a leader. Transparency is a quality all public relations practitioners should strive to acquire.

Dr. Theobald has revealed that one of his main goals as president is to build trust with his students by offering feedback and assistance. The president strives to have a mutually beneficial relationship with our community and shows admirable public relations as president of our university.

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