Last Tuesday, 5 PRSSA alumni attended our meeting for an 'alumni panel' in which PRSSA members rotated in groups around the room and spoke to each alumna about their experiences graduating from Temple, and getting a job in the PR field. We discussed the difficulty in getting a job and that sometimes you may need to do 30-40 interviews before you find the right fit, but in the end, it is worth it. Here are what the 5 panelists had to say:
Julia Nietsch works as a PR associate at Abington Hospital. She says that she never really saw herself working at a hospital, but found that it was the right fit when she interviewed. She says that even though you may not consider a certain field for yourself, its good to be open-minded. She says that she has learned a lot about the medical world that she would otherwise have never cared to learn.
Meredith Avakian works as a Senior Public Affairs Representative at DuPont Co. She interviewed and was hired for her position before graduation and started working in July. She loves her position and writes a daily newsletter that gets distributed to all Dupont employees. She enjoys getting to interact with people from all over the world.
Jennifer Dublisky works as a Public Relations Account Coordinator at Barton Gilanelli & Associates. Her account specializes in RV sales, so she must read media outlets everyday, to keep fresh on what is happening in the RV world. Though she says this may not sound interesting, it has proven very rewarding.
Melissa Hersh is a travel consultant for Gil Travel. She specializes in group travel to Israel. She said that though this may not have been the field she initially wanted to be in, she enjoys her job and looks forward to where it might take her.
Kristin Zartman works as a consultant for CRA, Inc. where she goes into companies and helps them to work together to become better. She enjoys her job very much though she has only worked there a few months.
The panel proved to be very interesting and let PR students know that there is a world of jobs out there for them, they just need to know the right way to get their hands on them!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
An Update on China’s Public Relations Campaign
You never know when you may stumble across an article dealing with public relations. It may even be when you’re keeping up with your daily news. While perusing CNN.com, I found an article entitled “Monks protest upstages China’s PR tour.” Interested in the next phase of this continuing story, I read on.
As you all know, Beijing, China is host to the 2008 Summer Olympics. As mentioned earlier in the week, there has been a kink in China’s plan of making theirs the greatest Olympics ever. Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, has recently been experiencing pro-independence protests, starting out peacefully, but now moving to violent measures.
“The protests -- which began on the 49th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising -- have threatened to overshadow Beijing's hosting of the Summer Olympic Games in August,” CNN.com states.
China’s PR professionals were hard at work trying to restore China’s image for the summer games.
“Beijing invited about two dozen international journalists to tour Tibet's capital, Lhasa, to show them the city is calm after recent anti-China protests.”
These same PR professionals had to use their crisis-management skills when they experienced a “public-relations roadblock” yesterday, March 27, during the tour. Thirty monks "’stormed into a briefing by a temple administrator to cause chaos.’" This protest is making news around the world; leaving some to wonder, is China as calm as they say?
Whether China’s public relations efforts will be effective is yet to be determined. The evaluation will occur this summer when Beijing opens their doors to visitors and competitors from all over the world
"Monks Protest Upstages China's PR Tour." CNN. 27 Mar. 2008..
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/27/tibet/index.html
As you all know, Beijing, China is host to the 2008 Summer Olympics. As mentioned earlier in the week, there has been a kink in China’s plan of making theirs the greatest Olympics ever. Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, has recently been experiencing pro-independence protests, starting out peacefully, but now moving to violent measures.
“The protests -- which began on the 49th anniversary of a failed Tibetan uprising -- have threatened to overshadow Beijing's hosting of the Summer Olympic Games in August,” CNN.com states.
China’s PR professionals were hard at work trying to restore China’s image for the summer games.
“Beijing invited about two dozen international journalists to tour Tibet's capital, Lhasa, to show them the city is calm after recent anti-China protests.”
These same PR professionals had to use their crisis-management skills when they experienced a “public-relations roadblock” yesterday, March 27, during the tour. Thirty monks "’stormed into a briefing by a temple administrator to cause chaos.’" This protest is making news around the world; leaving some to wonder, is China as calm as they say?
Whether China’s public relations efforts will be effective is yet to be determined. The evaluation will occur this summer when Beijing opens their doors to visitors and competitors from all over the world
"Monks Protest Upstages China's PR Tour." CNN. 27 Mar. 2008.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Take advantage of the resources around you!
Every university, school or college has resources readily available for students to take advantage of.
At Temple University, students have access to countless useful and convenient tools, which can be very beneficial. Although the following are services offered at Temple University, if you attend another institution, other schools are likely to provide similar assistance. So find out and don’t be afraid ask for help!
Here are just a few of the resources at Temple University:
University Libraries:
As a student you have free access to Internet databases that would normally cost money to join otherwise. Through these databases you can find electronic books, full-texts, articles, journals, movies, reviews and more. The online card catalog also allows students to reserve, request, or renew books online as well. Another nifty feature is being able to ask a librarian a question online through instant messaging.
Writing Center:
The Writing Center is open to all University students, undergraduate or graduate, who seeks advice or help from tutors concerning papers, resumes, cover letters or other documents. The tutors work collaboratively with you to strengthen your writing. But be sure to plan in advance and make an appointment to ensure adequate time, try not to wait until the last minute! The Writing Center is located at Tuttleman Learning Center in Room 201 or you can call (215) 204-0702 for more information.
Computer Services/Technical Support:
The Help Desk at the Tech Center offers 24-hour technical support for Temple students. If you need assistance with computer-related issues or problems, (virus, spy-ware, regular maintenance and more) professionals try to help with all your needs. Services are available for walk-ins, call-ins, e-mail or online chat. Visit http://cs.temple.edu/helpdesk or call 215-204-8000 for more information.
Other resources include Alumni Affairs, Math and Sciences Resource Center, Student Health Services, Tuttleman Counseling Services and more.
Remember, sometimes we overlook the convenience that is offered and made readily available for us. So don’t forget to take advantage of the many resources at your school!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
How to Google the RIGHT way
Most everybody loves using the Google search engine for looking up recipes, finding maps and looking up people's names to see if any juicy information comes up. However, some people do not feel that Google is a trustworthy search engine. Many professors do not want their students doing research because they may find false information. BUT...there is a smart way to use Google!
-Use Google Scholar, where you can find articles from reputable sources instead of something like Wikipedia, where anyone can contribute to an article.
-Google News opens you up to any news articles and anything that is currently in the news.
-Be smart about your searches. Try to narrow it down to the most specific thing you're looking for. For example, if you want contact information for a specific writer of a newspaper type in his/her name, the name of the newspaper and + contact information at the end.
-You will be surprised what you can find on Google, as long as you're smart about it!
-Use Google Scholar, where you can find articles from reputable sources instead of something like Wikipedia, where anyone can contribute to an article.
-Google News opens you up to any news articles and anything that is currently in the news.
-Be smart about your searches. Try to narrow it down to the most specific thing you're looking for. For example, if you want contact information for a specific writer of a newspaper type in his/her name, the name of the newspaper and + contact information at the end.
-You will be surprised what you can find on Google, as long as you're smart about it!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Grad School or Full-Time?
We've almost made it to April.. graduation is just around the corner. If you're a senior, you're on the verge of A LOT of big decision.
One of those decisions is what happens after May 22. Grad school or a full-time job? How do you choose?
The only thing that's for sure here is that there's no right answer. PR people have been successful on both sides of the coin.
On the grad school side, you'll find yourself equipped with any of the knowledge that you didn't get in your undergraduate degree. When you leave there, you'll be able to apply your advanced knowledge immediately and be more prepared for the ups and downs of a full-time position. Also, many employers will start you off at a higher salary if you have an advanced degree under your belt.
On the full-time job side, you'll get something very important- experience. You'll get your hands dirty with real clients and be personally responsible for results. Employers really value experience in our business- they want to know what you've done and what you can do for them. You may not get the advanced pay, but you'll make up for it later as you advance in the ranks.
As a senior and an agency intern, my coin falls with the full-time job face-up. I want to get right in there and work- my internship has revealed the PR world to me and I don't want to miss out on its opportunities in grad school hibernation. But that's just me.
Everyone's got an opinion here- where do you fall?
Monday, March 24, 2008
PR Crisis for 2008 Olympic Games
PR extends far beyond what many people seem to believe. A lot of students think that PR is working for a company, working at a firm, or representing a celebrity, but there is a whole world of PR out there that many do not know about. International PR is one of these types of PR that does not get talked about quite as much as the others. International public relations will become increasingly important in the coming months as Beijing prepares for the 2008 Olympics. The Tibetan crisis is continuously getting more coverage in the U.S. media as the world questions whether China can host the Olympic games. Check out this article that describes the crisis and the problem it poses for the Olympics and the international community:
CLICK HERE
The Olympics has PR people who need to decide what to do about China's actions. What do you think the PR people for the Olympics think? However, China's PR people have a severely different idea of what to do.
Let us know what you think by clicking on the comment button!
CLICK HERE
"China's communist leadership has faced a public relations disaster since protests of its rule turned violent March 14 in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, sparking waves of unrest in surrounding provinces. China reported a death toll of 22 from the violence, but Tibet's exiled government says 80 Tibetans were killed. Nineteen died in subsequent violence in Gansu province, it said.
A rising chorus of international criticism and floated calls for a boycott have unnerved the Chinese leadership, which has turned up efforts to put its own version of the unrest before the international public."-from an AP report on espn.com
The Olympics has PR people who need to decide what to do about China's actions. What do you think the PR people for the Olympics think? However, China's PR people have a severely different idea of what to do.
Let us know what you think by clicking on the comment button!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Tip of the Day
Important Steps in creating a flyer (or, flier):
1) Research the publics you want to convey your message to, and also the places where the flyer will reach the most people within the publics.
2) Brainstorm any piece of information that you may want your public to see about your event or promotion.
3) Discuss amongst the account team and the creative director the "feel" you want the flyer to have. Do you want it to be simple and clean? Or, do you want it to be bold and bright? Etc.
4) Most important step: As a PR practitioner, it is your responsibility to design the copy for the flyer. The creative can decide where to put the copy when designing the flyer, but it is vital that the copy is made by you, the PR practitioner. It is the PR practitioner's duty to convey a certain message to the public, so you need to control what the copy says.
5) After the draft of the flyer is done, edit it! It is important to leave time for this step. The flyer will go through many stages, and go back and forth between PR and creative. Don't worry though, you will eventually come to the perfect flyer!
6) Once you think the flyer is ready, and the firm and the creative have approved, take it to the client! The flyer will have your client's name on it, so they need to approve what their public is going to see. This is very important to do before printing and posting the flyer. The client may have slight changes or large changes. Changes can include the following and more: different color scheme, different pictures, copyright issues, added information, etc.
7) After the flyer has been approved by all parties, it is time to start printing. Black and white or color? Regular paper or glossy? What size? The list goes on. All of this information should be decided upon already, and is very dependent on the budget of the client.
8) Now, after you print it, post it! Make sure to post the flyer in targeted areas where your public is likely to see the message in as high of a volume as possible.
1) Research the publics you want to convey your message to, and also the places where the flyer will reach the most people within the publics.
2) Brainstorm any piece of information that you may want your public to see about your event or promotion.
3) Discuss amongst the account team and the creative director the "feel" you want the flyer to have. Do you want it to be simple and clean? Or, do you want it to be bold and bright? Etc.
4) Most important step: As a PR practitioner, it is your responsibility to design the copy for the flyer. The creative can decide where to put the copy when designing the flyer, but it is vital that the copy is made by you, the PR practitioner. It is the PR practitioner's duty to convey a certain message to the public, so you need to control what the copy says.
5) After the draft of the flyer is done, edit it! It is important to leave time for this step. The flyer will go through many stages, and go back and forth between PR and creative. Don't worry though, you will eventually come to the perfect flyer!
6) Once you think the flyer is ready, and the firm and the creative have approved, take it to the client! The flyer will have your client's name on it, so they need to approve what their public is going to see. This is very important to do before printing and posting the flyer. The client may have slight changes or large changes. Changes can include the following and more: different color scheme, different pictures, copyright issues, added information, etc.
7) After the flyer has been approved by all parties, it is time to start printing. Black and white or color? Regular paper or glossy? What size? The list goes on. All of this information should be decided upon already, and is very dependent on the budget of the client.
8) Now, after you print it, post it! Make sure to post the flyer in targeted areas where your public is likely to see the message in as high of a volume as possible.
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