PRSSA National Conference summer prep: Steps you should be taking now

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Even though PRSSA National Conference doesn’t take place until early November, it isn’t too early to begin getting ready for the professional experience of the year!

Summer is a great time to stock up on much needed supplies as well as revamp your professional materials, so don’t spend all of your free time in the next two months soaking up the sun:

1: Stock up on Professional Wardrobe Essentials: During the last few weeks of the summer, stores begin to display their fall collections, which means that summer clothes go on sale. This is a perfect opportunity for students to buy nice shirts or professional dresses that are marked down significantly after being on the racks throughout the summer. These pieces can be layered with blazers, sweaters, or cardigans, which will take away their summer feel and have you more prepared for the November weather in Atlanta, Georgia!

2. Update your Resume: After many days of tanning in the sun or swimming in a pool, you may feel the itch to be productive again. If this is the case, there is no better task to pour your new-found productivity into than updating your resume! You will want to have a proofread, clean copy of your latest achievements for National Conference, and it won’t take you too long to update your current one!

3. Create an Online Portfolio: With so many free website builders out there, it is easy to create your own personal portfolio site without having to pay anything. Also, you shouldn’t get nervous if you have no experience with website development. Many of the businesses that give you the option of creating your own site will give you free templates to choose from, and oftentimes, there are helpful guides and tutorials to get you through the set up and maintenance of your creation. Also, think of how great it will look to have your own custom website listed on your business card when networking with the professionals at National Conference!

Are you getting excited for PRSSA National Conference? Tell us your tips and tricks for preparing for your trip to Atlanta!

If You Build It, They Will Come

Most public relations students go out into the professional world armed with an polished resume, a strong sense of self confidence, and knowledge of their field. They walk into interviews prepared to ask questions and share stories of their PR experiences. After the interview, sadly, many people walk away leaving the interviewer with nothing but the memory of the interview.

As important as your resume and ability to speak about your experiences will be when you go out into the professional world, there is something else you can do to give yourself to an added edge. What's that you ask? Create a portfolio.

A portfolio will allow you to not only leave the interviewer with a memory of the interview, but also provides something tangible to go back to beyond the bullet points on your resume. Once you build your portfolio, you can update it as often as you update your resume, just keep it consistent. Whether you're a senior or an ambitious freshman, it's never too late to create an outstanding portfolio. Here are some things to remember when creating your portfolio:

• Review and Revise - Do not put unedited or unrevised work in your portfolio. Have someone else read over your writing and check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Nothing is a bigger turn of than writing samples that are full or errors.
• Create What You Lack - If you don't have as much writing experience as you'd like to include in your portfolio, generate some! Create mock media alerts, press releases, and other PR documents. Doing this shows that you don't wait for experience to come to you, and that you are willing to create opportunity for yourself.
• Keep It Simple - Don't overdo it with the look of your portfolio. Less if often more when it comes to professional presentation. Use a solid colored portfolio cover, preferably dark brown or black, and print your writing samples on white paper in black ink.
• Offer it digitally - It's one thing to be able to give someone a tangible version, but another to be able to follow up with a digital copy. Have a digital version available via online hosting site or flash drive. This makes the portfolio easy to email and gives you a back up way of saving a hard copy!

Have you created your portfolio yet? What tips do you have for creating a solid, professional portfolio? Let us know!

Branding Yourself with Online Portfolios

Since Fridays are the one day I have dedicated to searching and applying for jobs, I feel its fair to make every Friday a post with advice for everyone's job search.

My latest project has been creating my online portfolio to stand out amongst the competition and make my work more accessible to potential employers. After reading several forums and articles on which platform is best to use - I have decided on Weebly, as its one of the few I can actually figure out how to use (http://niki-ianni.weebly.com)!

Heather Huhman has quickly become one of my favorite resources for advice on anything ranging from networking tips to creating an online personal brand. While amidst the great "online portfolio platform debate," I found a great presentation from Heather about how to create and maintain one's personal brand. I have embedded the presentation below, however here are a few key highlights on online portfolios:

• Build and design your online portfolio using a free content management system, such as WordPress, Weebly, About.me, or VisualCV.
• On the homepage, include a welcome message that is similar to a more generic version of your cover letter.
• Create tabs for the following:
  
  • Resume page where visitors can download in PDF format (iPaper is a good app)
  • Portfolio page with an example of you work including graphic design, writing samples, class projects, case studies
  • Professional testimonials/recommendations
  • A link to your professional blog
  • A contact information page
    

• For a good example of a student portfolio, click here.
• Find ways to bring up parts of your online portfolio in face-to-face conversations by asking what their job and their day-to-day is like, while mentioning your interests and experiences at appropriate moments.

Creating & Maintaining Your Personal Brand -- and Rocking Your Network

View more presentations from Come Recommended, LLC

What other information do you have to share about online portfolios and they're benefits during the job search? Let us know!