Say Hello to PRowl's New Leaders

Over the weekend, PRowl Public Relations held a leadership retreat for all of our newly selected leaders. The incoming Firm Director, current Firm Director, and current Executive Board led a presentation on PRowl's policies and future. 

Leadership retreat is important for the transition and understanding of one's new role in the firm. Additionally, the retreat is an excellent way for our firm to receive feedback from those who are members, and efficiently execute the ideas they have for the growth of the firm.

(Source:Tiny HR)

PRowl's 2015-2016 Executive Board:

Alyssa Guckin, Firm Director

Rute Barkai, Assistant Firm Director

Faiz Mandviwalla, Assistant Firm Director

Maggie Wurst, Assistant Firm Director

Helena Wilcox, Director of Public Relations

Gabrielle Lacherza, Director of Finance

Shaun Luberski, Secretary

PRowl's 2015-2016 Account Executives:

Kelly Armstrong

Christina Clemence

Rene Cosides

Janelle Grace

Megan Healy

Hannah Litchfield, Junior AE

Olivia Noble

The new Executive Board will have its first task in two weeks - interviewing and hiring new staff members for the Fall semester! Email prowlsecretary@gmail.com to set up an interview on April 27, 28, or 29. Applicants will need to provide a resume and writing sample upon interviewing.

Management: Avoiding First Impressions

We've thought long and hard on how to master the first impression. Some of us still reign better than others. But while we're stressing out over our showing our future employers our best appearance, we stay blind to what it's like to be on the other side of the interview. First impressions influence the way we continue to view a person, but there are ways to push these initial thoughts aside.

(Source: Desired Haven)

• Stay open-minded: According to best-selling management author, Dr. Stephen P. Robbins, "think of any early impression as a working hypothesis that you're constantly testing for its accuracy." Instead of immediately deciding on whether or not you feel a job candidate fits, allow yourself more time to come to a conclusion. By leaving your mind open, you will be able to assess more accurately without the bias of your first impression.

• Do not judge a book by its cover: Appearances give us the unfortunate opportunity of judging a candidate off of their looks before hearing anything they have to say about their skills and traits. Though each candidate is preferred in business casual and presentable, their job qualifications need to have a major influence on your decision as a manager. When hiring, make sure to hear the interviewee out about their past experiences and qualifications along with their business appearance!

• Ignore bias: Studies show that positive first impressions lead interviewers to continue the interview in an agreeable manner, and negative first impressions in a negative manner. In some cases, a manager may even find him or herself asking less-stressful questions to the candidates they immediately resonated with. By ignoring your own bias, you will be able to identify which candidates are best for the position without any outside factors interfering.

Source: The Truth About Managing People (3rd Edition), Stephen P. Robbins, Ph.D.

PRowl Is Hiring!

PRowl, Temple University's only student-run PR firm, is hiring! The start of the new school year ushers in brand new clients and PRowl will need fresh, innovative ideas. 

PRowl is the only space where you can gain real world public relations experience with clients, all while receiving mentorship from fellow students. Why not join the elite?

If PRowl Public Relations sounds like a firm you would love to be a part of and contribute professional work to, visit  http://tackk.com/snokwz for further detail and instructions on how to apply. 

Best of luck this new school year!  

Social Media Sweep: Clean Up Your Profile

Generation Y is all about online sharing, but when it comes to getting hired, how much sharing is too much? 

A recent study by Harris Interactive and CareerBuilder found that 43 percent of hiring managers who research candidates via social media say they've found information that caused them not to hire someone. This number is up 9 percentage points from last year.

Pictures from your wild spring break. Delete. Drunken tweet made at the bar. Delete. Post complaining about your new boss on your friend's wall. Delete. Suggestive Instagram selfie. Delete. Basically, if you have to think about - delete it. 

The amount of employers who research candidates via social media is also up this year. Thirty-nine percent of hiring managers say they use social media to vet applicants, compared with 37 percent last year.

There has never been a better indication that now is the time to clean up your social media profiles. 

Employers who took the candidate out of the running for a job after looking at his social media profiles did so for the following reasons:

• Candidate posted provocative/inappropriate photos (50%)
• Candidate shared information about drinking or using drugs (48%)
• Candidate bad mouthed a previous employer (33%)
• Candidate had poor communication skills (30%)

Do you think twice before you post? We want to know!

You're Hired!

No successful company has reached the top without the support of a great team. But hiring a quality team to help you reach your goals isn't as simple as putting out an ad in the Classifieds. Below are a few tips to guide your employee search via "5 Hiring Tips From the NFL Draft":


Are you filling a hole or drafting the best player available? The saying that power comes in numbers is sometimes true; but be careful that you aren't settling just to make a hiring quota. Remember: quality, not quantity. It's more important to hire one fantastic, driven employee than to settle for two that aren't in for the long run.


Make sure they are coachable. It's one thing to hire someone who is inexperienced, but eager and open to learning new things. A rookie with the drive to take things into his/her own hands or to be the best they can be is more valuable than a seasoned employee who is unwilling to adopt new ideas. Part of hiring an employee is getting a sense of not only who they are, but who they can be.


Find someone that loves your game. Passion is often underrated. Passion excites and encourages people to be creative. Creative team members will take your company far and create an atmosphere of success. 


Don't be afraid to trust your gut. Part of the reason for holding an interview is to get a sense of what a person is like and they will fit into your organization. If your gut is telling you that this person belongs, the great. If you're getting an off feeling, then maybe you should think twice about hiring them. But be weary about trusting your gut, because an interview is only a sneak peak and you may have caught them on an off day.


Look for players who can play multiple positions. A renaissance man is someone who is strong in multiple realms. This is someone you want to hire. A potential employee who can speak French, has knowledge of Photoshop and is qualified for the job will be the person who can jump in at any given time and lend a helping hand. 


What do you look for in a potential employee? Do you value one quality over another? Let us know!

Would You Pass a Social Media Background Check?

As we all are aware, when applying for a job they usually ask for a cover letter, resume, background check, and your...Facebook status?

As a college student, it is very important that we keep certain parts of our lives private from the very public World Wide Web. A recent CNN blog post shows an interview with Max Drucker, CEO of Social Intelligence, a company hired to screen the Internet for any red flags that a potential hire could have. They specifically look for language that is used on social media sites and only access public information. Drucker explains that things that employers will take into consideration when utilizing his company are any signs of racist remarks, illegal activity such as drug use, violence and sexually explicit pictures and videos.

While you may think it is cool to show your social media network pictures of what you did this weekend, employers will not look at it favorably when considering you for a job. If you think you are at risk of having inappropriate things on the Internet, here are some things you can do to control what can be searched.

• If you have any page that has pictures that could be considered appropriate, delete them. Save them somewhere else so that they can't harm you when it really counts.
• Create a blog. This will help you to avoid damaging search results since your posts will most likely land at the top of a search engine's results.
  
• If you're not in touch with your creative side, consider making a personal web page displaying your resume, a portfolio, press mentions, awards, etc. It will get noticed over other sites that may be below it in a search.
  

Before you write off your social media sites as appropriate, just remember that while these sites do have privacy settings, more and more companies are finding ways around them, in order to screen the best possible candidates for their positions. Especially in the current economic state, it is important to take all things into consideration when making yourself the best potential hire possible. If you wouldn't want an employer to see it, it should not be on the Internet. Period.

To see the full CNN interview click here.

Final Reminder - PRowl Interviews!

Final reminder - PRowl Public Relations will start interviewing students this Monday, April 25 for the fall 2011 semester! Email Niki Ianni at nicole.ianni@temple.edu today to schedule your interview.

If you are studying public relations (or a related field) at Temple University and are looking for the opportunity to experience the full-scope of the PR planning, implementation and evaluation process with clients from a variety of industries, I encourage you to meet with us to discuss your experiences and interests. We are looking for candidates of all age groups and experiences. The only requirement - the drive to learn.

See announcement below.
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Are you a public relations student interested in gaining hands-on experience in the industry? PRowl Public Relations is Temple University’s first and only student-run PR firm, and we’re hiring!

At PRowl Public Relations, students are given opportunities to develop their strategic thinking and gain tactical practice. Members create and execute public relations campaigns, form valuable relationships with professionals in the Philadelphia area, apply their classroom knowledge to a real-world setting, become part of an interactive communications process and prepare for life beyond graduation.

Interested? Contact Niki Ianni at nicole.ianni@temple.edu to set up an interview. Interviews will be scheduled starting Monday, April 25 – Wednesday, May 11.

Learn more about PRowl Public Relations:
Check out our blog, updated daily: www.prowlpublicrelations.blogspot.com
Follow us on Twitter: @PRowlPR
Find us on Facebook: PRowl Public Relations