Gaining Experience During School, for a Career Path After School

It is extremely important these days to have experience prior to graduating college. There are a number of ways to gain experience during college; studying abroad, interning, volunteering, participating in organizations, working with a mentor, and participating in career networking events, are all ways in which students can gain valuable experience.

Many students study abroad to see how their future professions operate in other countries. This is good, because it gives the student a well-rounded feel for their profession and industry while getting an inside look at other cultures. However, where is the professional experience? Site seeing and living in another country does not necessarily give you experience within your future profession and industry. A successful trip abroad will enable you to work among side professionals from your industry. Internships abroad will give you an international perspective on your career goal, professional relationships that can turn into references, the ability to network with students and industry professionals, bring you that step closer to your desired career path.

For those who cannot study abroad, experience must be gained right where you are! Your school is filled with experience-gaining opportunities. Select your classes wisely, it is always smart to choose classes that may not be required, but will give you an edge after school. A public relations major is required to take an array of PR and communications classes. However, it is important to stretch and take classes that are still relevant but not required, in order to give you that competitive edge come job seeking time. Graphic design is a valuable commodity in the job market because it is almost always needed. Taking a graphic design class will not only provide you with extra experience, but it will be a substantial resume booster for potential employers.

When in a classroom, treat all group assignments and collaboration efforts like you are getting paid to do them. If you treat assignments in a professional manner, it may be possible to use the finished product as a part of your portfolio. Group projects can give you a chance to know your classmates not only on a social level, but also on a professional level. Students in your classes have something in common with you, their strengths may balance your weaknesses and vice versa.

Once you realize that experience-gaining opportunities are all around you, the next step is to take part in anything that can give you experience thus giving you an edge over future competition after graduation.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Kyle Nolan.

Mastering the Informational Interview

As a public relations major who graduates in May, I am incredibly eager to begin the job search. However, with many positions looking to be filled immediately and the recommended application process starting in March, that leaves me with five months to perfect my resume, build my network of professionals and start the informational interview process.

Last year, while many of my friends were preparing for graduation, the term "informational interviews" was thrown around quite frequently. At the time, I had no idea what they were talking about. The concept of asking people to take time out of their busy schedules to sit down and essentially be interviewed by you utterly confused me. However, I quickly began to learn how beneficial informational interviews were to developing your network while providing you with further knowledge about a job, career field or industry.

I have just started the informational interview process and have had the fortune to speak with a well-established international media trainer, a director for a national nonprofit organization, and next week, two publicists from a world-renowned Broadway producing company. However, these informational interviews didn't just fall into my lap. Today, I'm going to share tips for securing informational interviews and tips on how to make the most of them, courtesy of Career Action Now and the Shifting Careers blog of the New York Times.

Mastering the Informational Interview:

1. Securing an interview: Always begin by seeking people to interview through referrals. Having your connection introduce you to the person you hope to interview often produces the best results.In addition to referrals, you can also find people to interview through an alumni network or social networking such as LinkedIn.

2. Keep in mind, the goal is to learn...not to seek: Consider yourself in "information-gathering" mode. A critical aspect in doing a career-related informational interview is to treat the informational interview as an opportunity to gain further knowledge about a job, career field or industry, or even a particular major that you’re interested in and not as an opportunity to ask about getting a job.

3. Always be prepared: Do your homework on the person you are interviewing, the company they work for and the position they hold. Have a list of well-thought out questions, be professional by being appropriately dressed, punctual and courteous, and be engaged and interested by maintaining good eye contact and expressing enthusiasm.

4. Be flexible: Remember, the other person is doing you a favor, therefore it should always be about what is most convenient for them. Although a face-to-face interview may be ideal, consider alternative methods that might work better for the interviewer such as over the telephone or through email.

5. The wrap-up: At the end of every informational interview, always ask for referrals for anyone else they think you should speak with. This is how you continually build your professional network. Additionally, show your appreciation for their time by sending a brief and courteous thank-you message, whether through email or a handwritten note (I personally suggest handwritten notes because they're much more personal.)If you want to continue the relationship, find a way to stay in touch.

Below are 10 examples of questions to bring with you to your next informational interview:

1. Can you tell me how you got to this position?
2. What do you like most about what you do, and what would you change if you could?
3. How do people break into this field?
4. What are the types of jobs that exist where you work and in the industry in general?
5. What does a typical career path look like in your industry?
6. What are some of the biggest challenges facing your company and your industry today?
7. Are there any professional or trade associations I should connect with?
8. What do you read — in print and online — to keep up with developments in your field?
9. How do you see your industry changing in the next 10 years?
10. What's a typical day like for you?

Do you have any tips on conducting a successful informational interview? Let us know!

Revamping an Antiquated Online Newsroom

Many organizations are still stuck with a 20^th century, web 1.0 newsroom. You know the type; the generic, all-text webpage that pushes press releases to anyone and everyone. Now, over a decade into the 21^st century, these newsrooms are about as antiquated as your dad’s old Windows 95 desktop and just about as effective.

An online newsroom should be a one-stop shop for all the news and information about a company, not just a glorified bulletin board. Here are a few tips on how to evolve your organization’s newsroom from blogger, professor and social media strategist Sally Falkow:

· Social Media Integration: An effective online newsroom offers links to all of the organization’s social media content. This includes company blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter profiles, as well as LinkedIn profiles and biographies of executives. All content should have social media share options to allow newsroom users to spread content anywhere instantly.

· Incorporate Multimedia: Newsrooms should use multimedia to augment user experience. This means that organizations should include pictures, graphs, videos and sound to spice up humdrum press releases.

· Content Syndication: Newsrooms should publish all content in RSS feeds linked directly on the organizations newsroom. This puts all relevant information at a user’s fingertips.

· Enable Searches: The quickest way for newsroom users to find the content they need is through a simple search. Use key words in published content to facilitate easy, effective searches for everyone.

· Content Prevails: The most important thing to keep in mind when designing a newsroom is that content still reigns supreme. Focus on quality, relevant content to maximize a newsroom’s impact.

Have you created or redesigned a newsroom lately? Anything you would add? Let us know!

Branding 103: Branding Toolkit

Now that we have a clean slate with our Google search and a well developed personal brand statement we are all ready to market our personal brand with a complete toolkit.

Business Card: A business card is a great way to leave a lasting impression with something tangible. A great business card includes a picture, your personal brand statement, and your professional contact (its important that your personal card matches your contact such as an @temple.edu).

You can create your business cards at Vistaprint.com or share your business card through your mobile phone using mydropcard.com or rmbrme.com. There is also BusinessCard2.com, a great social network for creating and distributing your person business card.

Resume: A great way to extenuate your personal brand statement is through your resume. In the other interests section of your resume, add your personal brand statement or attributes exemplifying your personal brand statement.

Website/Blog: A website or blog can be a significant tool to market your personal brand. Your blog is YOUR voice. You can add and comment on related articles that exemplify your personal brand. Additionally with your own website, (complete with owning your own domain name) you can track what social media site, Twitter or Facebook, your audience is coming from.

LinkedIn Profile: Your LinkedIn profile is your resume, cover letter, references, social media handles, and your best platform to share your personal brand. Potential connections, and more importantly potential employers, can see and associate all this information with you in your next encounter.

Facebook and Twitter: For me I keep my Facebook personal while my Twitter is professional. Although I use both platforms differently, they both have similar same “about me” portions.

With your Twitter, you can customize your background to make it fit your personal brand using colors or a theme.

Email Signature: An email signature is a small way to help others identify you with your personal brand statement in everyday correspondence. PRowl’s Firm Director, Niki, Ianni, recently wrote a great informational piece on email signatures.

Just a brief general note to finish up your toolkit...

An easy way to keep your personal brand consistent is to use the same colors. For example PRowl Public Relations colors is maroon, yellow, black and white. In result, their Twitter, Facebook, website, and business cards all correspond with this color scheme keeping their brand consistent.

If you have anything to add to the branding segment please let us know!

Choosing your Next Internship

As the deadline for spring internship applications gets closer and closer, aspiring professionals need to be picky before they send out their resumes and cover letters to a number of places. Below I have outlined some things to keep in mind to help you find the perfect place for you to hone your skills next semester.

• Compensation. If you are not taking the internship for school credit, make sure the company knows that, seeing as many prefer to give credit over a stipend. While on the topic of compensation, think about if the time you will be committing is equal to what you will be getting out of it.
• Location. While this may seem obvious, it will make your life a whole lot easier if your internship is easy for you to reach. You might find a great company, but if you have to take the subway, two buses and walk after that, it's not a realistic option for you to fit into your schedule.
• Research! Getting emails about internship opportunities may be exciting, but before you send them your information, make sure you do some research on the company to see if it actually interests you. Take a look at their clients, any news about them, or case studies they may have done. During most interviews, the employer will ask what you know about them. Be prepared so as not to look unprofessional and unprepared.
  
• Experience. Most importantly, what are you going to learn? Most internships list duties the job entails, but in an interview make sure to inquire about how much responsibility you will have and what you will be participating in. Avoid internships that sound like ones you have had, since you are ultimately trying to grow as a professional.
  
• Update. Before you apply to anything, make sure your resume is updated with your most recent experience and that you have deleted obsolete information. Some employers request certain information on your resume or cover letter, so be mindful of what they are looking for from you. If they require writing samples, have someone read over some samples you have picked out so that they may pick the best ones with unbiased eyes. Try to have variety in your writing samples to show you can be flexible in your abilities, don't give them two of the same type of document (i.e. two blog posts).
  

I wish you all luck in your internship endeavors! Where are you applying this semester? How are you preparing?

Search Engine Optimization: Press Release Edition

Gone are the days of sending your press release to solely journalists or media outlets. The reality is, your audience is everywhere and you need to make your pitch known from all angles. However, many PR pros aren't taking advantage of search engine optimization (SEO) to relay their message quickly, effectively, and with sufficient content that will be seen by over a billion users, all of which are potential clients in some shape, way, or form. Below are some ways that you can make your PR presence known:

• Keywords are the key: Avoid consumer speak. Be generous with your language, keep in mind that your audience does not think the same way as you. Use keywords that consumers will associate with your content and thus make it easier for your content to be found.

• Short and to the point: Just like any other press release, make sure your message is clear and precise because the bloggers, journalists, and other PR execs reading your press release will be pressed for time and eager to get to your story.

• Search smart: Most search engines only show a small blurb of your content. Try to set it up so that your most relevant information is in the first paragraph, so that when readers click on your link, they will get the main idea of the release.

• Link back! Include links in your online press release. This will make it easier for journalists, bloggers, etc. to cover you and find any additional information to include in their story.

To read more on building your content on search engine optimization, click here.

Are You PR Material?

So you’re thinking about a career in public relations, but how do you know if it’s right for you? Although you may not be positive that this career will suit you, you may possess the essential qualities of being a PR pro without even realizing it.

A study conducted in 2004 on agency, corporate and non-profit powerhouses reported several areas that can distinguish a successful career in the demanding PR world:

1. Diversity: Clients understand the need for their public relations staff to have the ability to communicate with a diverse audience. For the ideal PR pro communicating with diverse groups of people all day would not be intimidating, but enjoyable!

2. Communication skills: American public relations consultant and author, Fraser P. Seitel, admits that every PR professional should have a pro communication attitude. If you never fear of talking to the public and take full advantage of those opportunities, you just may be PR material.

3. Proactivity and passion: Take it from me; being proactive and passionate can take you places in this industry. I recently applied for an internship, and I immediately found a contact person to email expressing my interest. She was able to forward my resume to the HR department. After I was called back for an interview, I emailed her once again thanking her for her help, asked for any interview tips to give me a leg up on the competition. She responded enthusiastically by saying, “the communication you’re putting in makes the difference between the average and the great employees, so stay proactive and you’ll go far.”

4. Intangibles, such as personality, likeability, and chemistry: NYC PR Girls say you know you have PR charm if you can confidently and comfortably walk into any event. You would even be comfortable walking in by yourself because you’re confident that you’ll be best friends with everyone before the end of the night.

In The Practice of Public Relations by Fraser P. Seitel, he outlines specific “attitudes” that are imperative to PR professionals:

1. Advocacy: Public relations professionals are required to believe in their clients. They are the voice of their employers, therefore they must advocate on their behalf. Standing up for what their employers represent is a must.

2. Ethics: It is required that public relations professionals be ethical. The PRSA Code of Ethics states that, “bottom line, successful public relations hinges on the ethics of its practitioners.” If doing the right thing is your thing, then the possibility of your success in PR is looking good.

3. Positive outlook: NYC PR Girls warn that rejection happens in the PR industry, but that does not mean you are allowed to take no for an answer. There are times where public relations work can get frustrating, but it is important for the mantra of PR professionals to be “You win some, you lose some.”

Do you "have what it takes" to be a successful PR professional? Let us know!

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Samantha Miller.