Vice President of PRSSA, Rachael Sperling, had her feature article over Austin's food trucks and the influence of social media published on the Texas Advertising and Public Relations news page. Click below to check it out!
Texas Advertising and Public Relations - NEWS
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Meeting Recap: “The Power of Insight”
On Tuesday night Brad MacAfee, partner and managing director of Porter Novelli for the Austin, Atlanta, and San Francisco offices gave PRSSA an interesting look at the power of insight, both with campaigns and during interviews. As Brad explained, insight is an understanding of what is going on. It can help to justify how a campaign will work and why you should win a new account over your competitors.
Surprisingly, only 1 in 5 clients feel genuine insight is being delivered by their current agency.
So how do you get insight?
First, immerse with yourself in the audience. Interview those who might know your audience well, consider things that matter most to them, spend quality time with your audience, and finally be the audience. Understand your audience and find out why they think, act, and believe the way that they do, and you will have a much deeper understanding of how to better target them.
Role-playing is an excellent way to discover how a target audience views a product and experiences a particular environment.
Among the many examples of effective uses of insight, Brad spoke about his company’s adventure on the way to Bentonville, Arkansas to pitch Walmart. Starting in New York, the team visited every Walmart store possible to better understand the customer experience. With each playing a different role – from an angry shopper to a curious customer– Brad and his fellow employees truly began to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the company and more importantly, obtained insight as to how to better the business.
Finally, Brad provided a few last words of wisdom:
-Don’t be afraid of getting “sauce on your sleeve” when working on a project or campaign proposal.
-Have patience: organizations can sometimes move very slow, but remain calm (especially when you are just starting out). Understand that you won’t love everything about a job, but in the end, it all will even out.
- During an interview, always be honest and direct so as to appear as a strong candidate.
- Always take your research one step farther to differentiate yourself from the other competitors. The extra mile will help you stand out.
-Track yourself, not your competitors or your friends: look at where you want to go and know your own progress. Doing this will help you find your own happiness in life.
-Understand how to use social media to bring in new business for a client.
Looking forward to seeing all of you again at the next meeting!
Kelli Way, VP of Member Services
Surprisingly, only 1 in 5 clients feel genuine insight is being delivered by their current agency.
So how do you get insight?
First, immerse with yourself in the audience. Interview those who might know your audience well, consider things that matter most to them, spend quality time with your audience, and finally be the audience. Understand your audience and find out why they think, act, and believe the way that they do, and you will have a much deeper understanding of how to better target them.
Role-playing is an excellent way to discover how a target audience views a product and experiences a particular environment.
Among the many examples of effective uses of insight, Brad spoke about his company’s adventure on the way to Bentonville, Arkansas to pitch Walmart. Starting in New York, the team visited every Walmart store possible to better understand the customer experience. With each playing a different role – from an angry shopper to a curious customer– Brad and his fellow employees truly began to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the company and more importantly, obtained insight as to how to better the business.
Finally, Brad provided a few last words of wisdom:
-Don’t be afraid of getting “sauce on your sleeve” when working on a project or campaign proposal.
-Have patience: organizations can sometimes move very slow, but remain calm (especially when you are just starting out). Understand that you won’t love everything about a job, but in the end, it all will even out.
- During an interview, always be honest and direct so as to appear as a strong candidate.
- Always take your research one step farther to differentiate yourself from the other competitors. The extra mile will help you stand out.
-Track yourself, not your competitors or your friends: look at where you want to go and know your own progress. Doing this will help you find your own happiness in life.
-Understand how to use social media to bring in new business for a client.
Looking forward to seeing all of you again at the next meeting!
Kelli Way, VP of Member Services
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Network Your Way to Success
Hi PRSSA’rs!
I recently had the amazing opportunity to attend the PRSSA National Conference in beautiful San Diego. The professional development sessions and guest speakers were fantastic, but my favorite conference event was “Speed Networking”.
The event was structured around 10 minute interval sessions with professionals. It was designed to give students the brief opportunity to meet professionals, make a personal connection, ask industry questions/receive advice, and perhaps exchange business cards. Every 10 minutes, two professionals rotated to a new table full of students eager to take in their every word.
The “Speed Networking” event was a great way to meet and mingle with like-minded public relations students from across the country. More importantly, students were able to network and learn from the experience of public relations professionals throughout the world. These professionals ranged from professors, corporate and agency public relations practitioners to strategists and consultants. Each professional’s background was different but they all had one thing in common. They were all taking time out of their busy schedule to offer their words of wisdom to PRSSA students. It was inspiring to experience the passion of each professional determined to advance the public relations profession through the eyes of the future: us - public relations professionals of tomorrow!
Each professional had a different piece of advice from their experiences in public relations. Whether it was “How to sell yourself to future employers” or “How to survive the competitive career of public relations,” one handout of information stood out and I wanted to pass it along to you!
Enjoy and happy networking!
Cheers,
Amy West
VP - Professional Development
1. Nametag on the right – Place your nametag on your right lapel or side. That way, when you’re re shaking hands, your name is easy-to-read
2. Restate Their names – When you are first introduced, say the person’s name right back to them. Not only will this ensure you got it right, you have a much greater likelihood of remembering it.
3. Share / Get – Before you go to any networking event, say to yourself “this is something I’d like to share; this is something I’d like to get.” A great new store or restaurant… perhaps a supplier… non-business suggestions work well. Effective networking is both give and take.
4. “Questions are the creative acts of Intelligence” - This quote, from Einstein, plays very well in networking. Asking smart, open-ended questions gets the person talking. Put on your “reporter” hat and listen intently, and the conversation will easily evolve.
5. The early bird catches the connections – Arrive early so you can become acclimated to the environment. You’ll have some of your best conversations when the room isn’t quite as crowded.
6. Stand by the food / bar - The attendees will come by you, and it will be easy to find things to discuss.
7. Think quality vs. quantity – Strive for making just one or two good conversations that lead to subsequent discussions. This is worth much more than a pocket full of business cards without any real connections.
8. Write on business cards – As soon as your conversation ends, scribble a few notes on the back of their card. It will job your memory for follow-up.
9. It’s not who you know; it’s who knows you – Be memorable, in a good way. Help people you meet remember you by asking great questions, telling a poignant story, or following up in an appropriate manner.
10. Don’t say “fine” – When a stranger asks, “How are you?” You’re not fine. Nobody’s fine. Give a real answer that is memorable and magnetic. Something like, “Excellent.” Or, “I’m doing great… how are you today?”
And a bonus tip….
11. The power of a hand-written note - The single best way to leave a positive and memorable impression is simply a brief, hand-written thank you, sent within 24 hours after the contact.
*Tips Copyright, Eric Morgenstern, Morningstar Communications, 2009
I recently had the amazing opportunity to attend the PRSSA National Conference in beautiful San Diego. The professional development sessions and guest speakers were fantastic, but my favorite conference event was “Speed Networking”.
The event was structured around 10 minute interval sessions with professionals. It was designed to give students the brief opportunity to meet professionals, make a personal connection, ask industry questions/receive advice, and perhaps exchange business cards. Every 10 minutes, two professionals rotated to a new table full of students eager to take in their every word.
The “Speed Networking” event was a great way to meet and mingle with like-minded public relations students from across the country. More importantly, students were able to network and learn from the experience of public relations professionals throughout the world. These professionals ranged from professors, corporate and agency public relations practitioners to strategists and consultants. Each professional’s background was different but they all had one thing in common. They were all taking time out of their busy schedule to offer their words of wisdom to PRSSA students. It was inspiring to experience the passion of each professional determined to advance the public relations profession through the eyes of the future: us - public relations professionals of tomorrow!
Each professional had a different piece of advice from their experiences in public relations. Whether it was “How to sell yourself to future employers” or “How to survive the competitive career of public relations,” one handout of information stood out and I wanted to pass it along to you!
Enjoy and happy networking!
Cheers,
Amy West
VP - Professional Development
“Ten Tips on Networking Success”
Michael L. Herman, APR, S.A.G.E, Fellow PRSA
Erin Morgenstern, APR, S.A.G.E, Fellow PRSA
Michael L. Herman, APR, S.A.G.E, Fellow PRSA
Erin Morgenstern, APR, S.A.G.E, Fellow PRSA
1. Nametag on the right – Place your nametag on your right lapel or side. That way, when you’re re shaking hands, your name is easy-to-read
2. Restate Their names – When you are first introduced, say the person’s name right back to them. Not only will this ensure you got it right, you have a much greater likelihood of remembering it.
3. Share / Get – Before you go to any networking event, say to yourself “this is something I’d like to share; this is something I’d like to get.” A great new store or restaurant… perhaps a supplier… non-business suggestions work well. Effective networking is both give and take.
4. “Questions are the creative acts of Intelligence” - This quote, from Einstein, plays very well in networking. Asking smart, open-ended questions gets the person talking. Put on your “reporter” hat and listen intently, and the conversation will easily evolve.
5. The early bird catches the connections – Arrive early so you can become acclimated to the environment. You’ll have some of your best conversations when the room isn’t quite as crowded.
6. Stand by the food / bar - The attendees will come by you, and it will be easy to find things to discuss.
7. Think quality vs. quantity – Strive for making just one or two good conversations that lead to subsequent discussions. This is worth much more than a pocket full of business cards without any real connections.
8. Write on business cards – As soon as your conversation ends, scribble a few notes on the back of their card. It will job your memory for follow-up.
9. It’s not who you know; it’s who knows you – Be memorable, in a good way. Help people you meet remember you by asking great questions, telling a poignant story, or following up in an appropriate manner.
10. Don’t say “fine” – When a stranger asks, “How are you?” You’re not fine. Nobody’s fine. Give a real answer that is memorable and magnetic. Something like, “Excellent.” Or, “I’m doing great… how are you today?”
And a bonus tip….
11. The power of a hand-written note - The single best way to leave a positive and memorable impression is simply a brief, hand-written thank you, sent within 24 hours after the contact.
*Tips Copyright, Eric Morgenstern, Morningstar Communications, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Networking So It Counts
Good morning from sunny San Diego! The PRSSA National Conference is just about to take off and I thought it would be helpful for students to look over these key concepts before networking with professionals!
Before leaving Texas I had the opportunity to sit down with Senior Communications Manager, Melanie Mahaffey and Human Resources Manager Lindsey Ducroz from GSD&M Idea City. Below are their recommendations on how to effectively network with professionals.
How to Network so it counts: the key is to politely Network
1. Don’t be too intrusive, too entertaining or a bore
2. In a group setting, make a point to approach people and introduce yourself—don’t wait for people to approach you.
3. Even if you’re excited to speak with the person, don’t show it. Nothing looks worse than a person coming across as too bubbly or too excited
4. Ask for a business card so you can follow up. A lot of times, business cards are thrown in a drawer or trash. Take their information and take control of the relationship.
Know the facts:
1. Impress professionals by being current on industry news and the company’s culture and facts.
2. Ask more than yes or no questions—this is your chance to get to know the person and the company they work for.
3. This will also help you connect to the people you speak with and they will remember you as a student who is current on industry trends.
Prepare an elevator speech:
1. Must be 30 seconds or less
2. Needs to quickly get your point across
3. Say a few interesting things about yourself that the person will remember you by.
Attire:
1. Dress the part—you are trying to make an impression
A few reminders:
1. Ask questions. Learn from the professional rather than just talking about yourself. People love to talk about what they do. Tailor each conversation so that it is relevant to that person and the company they work for.
2. If you do not know anything about the company and or professional, excuse yourself to the restroom and use your phone to look them up.
3. If you are going to drink alcohol, have a two-drink minimum. It’s always a great idea to drink soda water with a lime. It may appear as if people are all having a good time, but someone is always watching.
Once you put these recommendations to play, you need to follow up with the contacts you made.
So now what?
1. Follow up around three days later and in your note mention something about the conversation you had with that professional.
2. When you go back to follow up, chose one platform for communicating out of twitter, Facebook and e-mail. Most people prefer e-mail.
3. Clean up your social networks and use them to market yourself tastefully. Either drop the photos of you being a “college student” or change your privacy settings.
4. Also, create a blog that showcases your resumes, work and writing samples. You can easily market yourself to professionals by just directing them to your blog. It’s easy for them and shows that you’re digitally savvy.
Before leaving Texas I had the opportunity to sit down with Senior Communications Manager, Melanie Mahaffey and Human Resources Manager Lindsey Ducroz from GSD&M Idea City. Below are their recommendations on how to effectively network with professionals.
How to Network so it counts: the key is to politely Network
1. Don’t be too intrusive, too entertaining or a bore
2. In a group setting, make a point to approach people and introduce yourself—don’t wait for people to approach you.
3. Even if you’re excited to speak with the person, don’t show it. Nothing looks worse than a person coming across as too bubbly or too excited
4. Ask for a business card so you can follow up. A lot of times, business cards are thrown in a drawer or trash. Take their information and take control of the relationship.
Know the facts:
1. Impress professionals by being current on industry news and the company’s culture and facts.
2. Ask more than yes or no questions—this is your chance to get to know the person and the company they work for.
3. This will also help you connect to the people you speak with and they will remember you as a student who is current on industry trends.
Prepare an elevator speech:
1. Must be 30 seconds or less
2. Needs to quickly get your point across
3. Say a few interesting things about yourself that the person will remember you by.
Attire:
1. Dress the part—you are trying to make an impression
A few reminders:
1. Ask questions. Learn from the professional rather than just talking about yourself. People love to talk about what they do. Tailor each conversation so that it is relevant to that person and the company they work for.
2. If you do not know anything about the company and or professional, excuse yourself to the restroom and use your phone to look them up.
3. If you are going to drink alcohol, have a two-drink minimum. It’s always a great idea to drink soda water with a lime. It may appear as if people are all having a good time, but someone is always watching.
Once you put these recommendations to play, you need to follow up with the contacts you made.
So now what?
1. Follow up around three days later and in your note mention something about the conversation you had with that professional.
2. When you go back to follow up, chose one platform for communicating out of twitter, Facebook and e-mail. Most people prefer e-mail.
3. Clean up your social networks and use them to market yourself tastefully. Either drop the photos of you being a “college student” or change your privacy settings.
4. Also, create a blog that showcases your resumes, work and writing samples. You can easily market yourself to professionals by just directing them to your blog. It’s easy for them and shows that you’re digitally savvy.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Meeting Recap: Destination Marketing
Hello again PRSSA’rs,
For those of you that came this past Tuesday, great meeting! I’m sure you enjoyed hearing what all Mallory Bellacosa, the Marketing Communications Coordinator for Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau, had to say.
Mallory’s lecture provided great insight into destination marketing. What an incredible job she has as she gets to promote the fabulous city of Austin! Mallory is responsible for compiling Austin’s meeting planner and destination guide as well as Austin’s official visitor’s guide, so next time you spot one in the hands of a tourist you’ll know exactly who is responsible! Also, if you’re ever in need of something fun to do make sure you check out Austintexas.org for a complete listing of the city’s events.
Most encouraging, was the fact that Mallory recently entered the workforce and could easily relate to the angst that comes with landing that first job. She stressed the importance of interning as her internship with the Bureau lead to her full time job. According to Mallory, 80 percent of job postings are listed internally which makes having an internship all the more important.
In addition to building relationships, networking and remaining in-the-know, Mallory offered this piece of advice: become the go-to person in something. Regardless the subject, help yourself by becoming an expert. It is an easy way to making yourself economy proof and ensuring your services are always needed.
Until next time,
Meredith Meyer
For those of you that came this past Tuesday, great meeting! I’m sure you enjoyed hearing what all Mallory Bellacosa, the Marketing Communications Coordinator for Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau, had to say.
Mallory’s lecture provided great insight into destination marketing. What an incredible job she has as she gets to promote the fabulous city of Austin! Mallory is responsible for compiling Austin’s meeting planner and destination guide as well as Austin’s official visitor’s guide, so next time you spot one in the hands of a tourist you’ll know exactly who is responsible! Also, if you’re ever in need of something fun to do make sure you check out Austintexas.org for a complete listing of the city’s events.
Most encouraging, was the fact that Mallory recently entered the workforce and could easily relate to the angst that comes with landing that first job. She stressed the importance of interning as her internship with the Bureau lead to her full time job. According to Mallory, 80 percent of job postings are listed internally which makes having an internship all the more important.
In addition to building relationships, networking and remaining in-the-know, Mallory offered this piece of advice: become the go-to person in something. Regardless the subject, help yourself by becoming an expert. It is an easy way to making yourself economy proof and ensuring your services are always needed.
Until next time,
Meredith Meyer
Friday, October 2, 2009
GSD&M Idea City Hosts First Tweetup for Students
GSD&M Idea City will host its first Tweetup this Tuesday, Oct 6 on the Whole Foods Market Rooftop from 3-5 p.m.
The event is open to students who are already engaging with the agency on Facebook and Twitter. Senior level employees from Idea City will also be there to provide informal feedback on portfolios and resumes including Karen Jacobs, director of production and Luke Sullivan, managing creative director and author of Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads.
Follow Idea City: http://twitter.com/ideacity
Link to event: http://budurl.com/InternTweetup
The event is open to students who are already engaging with the agency on Facebook and Twitter. Senior level employees from Idea City will also be there to provide informal feedback on portfolios and resumes including Karen Jacobs, director of production and Luke Sullivan, managing creative director and author of Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads.
Follow Idea City: http://twitter.com/ideacity
Link to event: http://budurl.com/InternTweetup
Sunday, September 20, 2009
First Meeting Recap
Hello PRSSA’rs,
Thanks so much for joining us Tuesday night and helping kick off the year with a fabulous first meeting! It was wonderful to look around and see a room full of ambitious students morphing into young professionals.
We were fortunate to have Katherine McLane speak of her experiences working in public affairs and non-profit communications. Here is a sampling of the many suggestions Katherine offered for becoming economy proof:
• Help yourself by staying plugged in. Be apart of whatever is next.
• Develop your writing skills!!
• Network - show you’re able to build your own following.
• Remain flexible and willing to adapt in situations.
• Know how to make tough and timely decisions.
• Be willing to do demeaning grunt work and respect the hierarchy of your colleges.
• Be Creative
The last tip brings me to my final point. I found it most interesting to hear the story behind the yellow Livestrong bracelets. The anecdote reminded me how crucial it is that we, as public relations professionals, continue to think outside the box. Great ideas don’t come from playing it safe or from keeping with the status quo, but require vision, new perspective and someone confident enough to take a chance. Remember, even the Livestrong bracelet met criticism initially; most new ideas do, so who is to say your creative idea won’t become the next “it” thing?
Until next time,
Meredith Meyer
Thanks so much for joining us Tuesday night and helping kick off the year with a fabulous first meeting! It was wonderful to look around and see a room full of ambitious students morphing into young professionals.
We were fortunate to have Katherine McLane speak of her experiences working in public affairs and non-profit communications. Here is a sampling of the many suggestions Katherine offered for becoming economy proof:
• Help yourself by staying plugged in. Be apart of whatever is next.
• Develop your writing skills!!
• Network - show you’re able to build your own following.
• Remain flexible and willing to adapt in situations.
• Know how to make tough and timely decisions.
• Be willing to do demeaning grunt work and respect the hierarchy of your colleges.
• Be Creative
The last tip brings me to my final point. I found it most interesting to hear the story behind the yellow Livestrong bracelets. The anecdote reminded me how crucial it is that we, as public relations professionals, continue to think outside the box. Great ideas don’t come from playing it safe or from keeping with the status quo, but require vision, new perspective and someone confident enough to take a chance. Remember, even the Livestrong bracelet met criticism initially; most new ideas do, so who is to say your creative idea won’t become the next “it” thing?
Until next time,
Meredith Meyer
Monday, September 7, 2009
Learn How to Be Economy Proof
Hello fellow PRSSA’rs!
I want to welcome all of you to upcoming school year. We have certainly seen a lot change in our industry and we will continue to have to adjust to the changes that are yet to come. Whether you are a freshman or senior it is time to start getting yourself career ready. The first step in doing so is to stay current on what is happening in the advertising, public relations, and marketing industry. I want to share with you some helpful blogs that our past President Christy Denham, has shared with me.
1. PRNewser
2. Press Pass
4. PRoactive
5. The Buzz Bin
7. PR Squared
8. Grok Dot Com
It is important to realize that most students who apply for internships and jobs are coming from the same academic background. If you visit these blogs daily you will be more knowledgeable on trends occurring in our industry and will be ready to respond to opening job and internship opportunities.
So, what can you expect from PRSSA this year?
This semester it is our goal to help you advance yourself in the profession. We will be focusing on how students can “Be Economy Proof” in the declining job market. We will bring in speakers from all over including human resources as well as leading communicators in tourism, non-profit, corporate and agency communications.
We will also have a mentor program, resume building workshop, business cards and networking event.
There are so many ways for students to get involved in PRSSA on a local and national level and I encourage you to utilize the resources and benefits available.
The first meeting will be September 15th 6:30 p.m. in PHR 2.108. Katherine Mclane from the Lance Armstrong Foundation will be speaking about her exciting career in public affairs and non-profit communications.
As always, free pizza will be provided at the meeting, hope to see everyone there! Contact us with questions at texasprssa@gmail.com
Yours truly,
Summer
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
2009-2010 Officer Elections
The 2009-2010 officers for PRSSA have been elected:
Summer Allgyer-- President
Kristen Wiley-- Vice President
Kelli Way-- Vice President of Member Services
Amy West-- Vice President of Professional Development
Albert Le-- Vice President of Public Relations
Shawn Chapman-- National Liaison
Meredith Meyer - Events Director
Posted by Jason Sears, Vice President of Public Relations
Monday, November 10, 2008
Burson-Marsteller comes to UT
In PRSSA, we often stress the importance of internship experience to learn about the public relations industry. Last Wednesday, Nov. 5, Burson-Marsteller’s U.S. recruiter, Dena Linker presented the Harold Burson summer internship to our members.
Burson-Marsteller is one of the top PR firms in the world. They have 69 wholly-owned offices and 57 affiliated offices in 81 countries, and they are pioneers in communications and strategic business consulting. Harold Burson is famous for his consulting during the Tylenol crisis. His work help change an industry by introducing tamper-proof packaging for over-the-counter medication.
It was such an honor to discuss Burson-Marsteller, and their internship is one of the best opportunities I have ever heard of. The program lasts 10 weeks. Specialized seminars are held each week for interns and the interns work on a summer-long PR plan for a client. This plan will be presented to Burson-Marsteller executives and the client. Most internships do not give their interns the opportunity to work directly on client work.
Dena offered real insight about the application process and what they look for in candidates. First, grammatical errors and misspellings are the simplest way for Burson-Marsteller recruiters to eliminate an application. In fact, about one-third of the 700 applications they receive are eliminated because of errors or inconsistencies. Dena recommends that applicants have friends review their submission to minimize the risk of these mistakes.
Next, submitting a strong writing sample is important, being a self-advocate is essential. This means that applicants need to be able to articulate why their experiences are relevant, and how these experiences have prepared the applicant for public relations.
The application process:
1. Submit resume and cover letter online at www.bm.com
2. Submit the following in hard copy format:
Official college transcript
Writing sample
An essay describing the skill sets and knowledge you have gained
An essay on sustainability or corporate social responsibility
This is an incredible opportunity and I highly encourage everyone to apply. In order to apply you must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and be a junior or senior.
If you have any questions, ask any of the PRSSA officers.
Posted by Brittany Paxman, Vice President of Professional Development
Sunday, September 7, 2008
First Meeting of the Fall Semester!
The first meeting of the fall semester will be Tuesday 9/9/08 at PHR 2.108 from 6:30 - 7:30. Definitely come and check it out. It is free to attend, all majors are welcome and there will be free pizza at the meeting!
--Jason
Sunday, May 4, 2008
How to Land Your Dream Summer Internship
Although summer is right around the corner, it is never too late to start thinking about what next year and the following summer has in store. Landing your dream summer internship is a process that typically begins in the fall. It is time-consuming and stressful, but well worth it when the offer is finally extended. Whether NYC, Chicago, San Francisco or Washington D.C., below are some recommended steps to obtaining an internship in your dream city.
Step One: Make Contacts Early
It is never too early to begin to network and make contacts. I recommend getting your name out in the professional community in the fall. Maintain the relationships you form with an occasional email until application deadline time rolls around in late-February. Here are some ideas for forming contacts in another city.
a. Go to the PRSSA National Conference- Literally 4 out of my 7 interviews with public relations agencies in NYC were secured through a recruiter at the National Conference. The last day of the conference the professionals and PRSSA members gather for a career fair. At this event, New York human resource recruiters are working the booths. Talk with them, make a good impression, take their card and shoot them a follow-up email. This year the conference will be held at the end of October in Detroit, and I suspect the same huge firms (Edelman, Burson Marsteller, Fleishman, Weber Shandwick, Hill & Knowlton) will be in attendance. So how do you make yourself stand out to a human resource manager who is receiving hundreds if not thousands of applications? I suggest shooting them a follow up email and ask for the name of an account executive in the field you are interested in. For example, I asked the Edelman recruiter for the name and email of someone on the consumer team. Not only did she provide the information, but she arranged a phone conversation between the two of us.
B. Visit with people at local Austin branches- Most of us don’t have the funds to fly up to NYC for a day to take a person to lunch. However, Edelman, Burson Marsteller, GCI, Weber Shandwick, Waggener Edstrom and Fleishman-Hillard all have branches here in Austin. I recommend poking around and finding the name and contact information for someone that works at one of these offices (I could give you contact information for all but Weber). Shoot that person an email and ask to take them to coffee. Let them know that you are interested in learning more about their agency and how they got where they are. Don’t go into it with “I want an internship” written across your face. When you are nearing the end of your conversation, you can ask if they have any contacts in the- let’s just say New York- office. This technique worked great for me to secure an interview with Fleishman in NYC. Also, if the conversation went really well, you can ask for that employee to go one step further and recommend you to a colleague in the NY office.
C. PRSSA Mentors/ Mentor Events- PRSSA members have mentors at all of the large public relations firms in town. Not only could these folks have colleagues at offices in other cities, but the public relations world is quite small. There is a good chance your mentor could have worked for a firm you are interested in and would be willing to put you in contract with the right people.
D. Emails/ cold calls- Although this is the least preferred method of making a contact, if no connection exists, it may be necessary. When looking at a company’s webpage, who should you call? First, call/ email the human resource manager to clear up any questions you may have about the application process. Make sure you catch the correct spelling of this person’s first and last name. Second, look around the website at releases they have posted for their clients. Once you find a release that seems applicable in the field you are pursuing (i.e. if you want to do technology PR it could be a release for a new computer), find the contact information at the bottom (or top) of the release. Next, verify from the email address that this person works for the agency and not for the client’s internal communications department. Finally, send this person an email asking them for just 10 minutes of their day to talk about how they got to where they are. People LOVE to talk about themselves, and they will be flattered that you think their position is something worth aspiring towards. Try your hardest to secure a phone call. Once on the call, don’t mention you are looking for an internship until the very end (if at all). Be genuinely interested and ask a lot of questions. When, or if, you do mention the internship, let them know that you have already contacted the human resources manager and if it would be okay to use their name as a reference (*note- only do this if the phone call went amazingly). If everything goes as planned, the second you hang up the phone send an email to the HR director with “Summer Internship- Referred by _____ _____” and then make sure to CC the person you spoke with. This will encourage conversation about you between the account executive you spoke with and the HR manager that is impossible to get a hold of.
So now you have made the contacts, what next?
Step Two: Maintaining Conversation
-Keep your contact updated- Assuming that you begin your conversation with them in the fall, shoot them an email when you are planning on submitting your application.
Step Three: Go to the City!!!
- Use Communication School money- Spring break is the perfect time to schedule interviews with different agencies, as they are in the middle of selecting their summer interns. Many students do not know that you can apply for a $500 grant from CCS in the Communication School to fund activities like this. All I had to do was write a paragraph about why I was going to NYC, and they cut me a $500 check. Take advantage of this!
- Going to the city gives you precedence over other applicants- Having your subject line “Flying to NYC for Interviews- Would Love to Meet” is the perfect way to stand out among competitors.
- Be Persistent- If you have not heard back from them a month before you fly to the city, send them an email every week and call two weeks and one week prior. Don’t be rude or pushy, just convey how much you would appreciate just five minutes of their day. People will make time for you- you’d be surprised.
Step Four- Thank You Notes
-Bring them to the city- Every night after my interview, I would sit down and handwrite personalized thank you notes for every individual I met that day. If I shook ten hands at one firm, ten thank you notes would be in the mail the next day. Although this is grueling and time consuming, it is a crucial part of the interview process.
Step Five- Sit Back and Wait
Although lengthy, those are the steps I recommend to land your dream internship. Yes, it takes time. Yes, it is frustrating. But more importantly, this is your life and securing your future is completely within reach- even if you’re thousands of miles away.
-- By Christine Denham
Saturday, April 26, 2008
“Tell me about yourself”
When seeking an internship or interviewing for any other reason, it is very important that you know your strengths and what you offer the company. However, you need to go beyond this and be able to decode interview-speak.
I learned this the hard way. I went to an interview a few semesters ago, Tom, the interviewer, said, “Tell me about yourself.”
I replied “Well, I really love baseball. I’m from Round Rock. I’m 18.”
I don’t think this is what he wanted. Unfortunately, I didn’t know this. It seems so simple now, but he didn’t really want to know about me and my hobbies; he wanted to know about me and my job skills.
I have since learned and prepared a little 20 second recap of what makes me valuable to a company, and you should too.
Before any interview think about the skills and experiences that you bring to the table and be ready to quickly explain them. You will never have all the time you need to explain everything about yourself. Just like the résumé, you have to be able to highlight the most important things.
Good Luck!
Brittany Paxman
I learned this the hard way. I went to an interview a few semesters ago, Tom, the interviewer, said, “Tell me about yourself.”
I replied “Well, I really love baseball. I’m from Round Rock. I’m 18.”
I don’t think this is what he wanted. Unfortunately, I didn’t know this. It seems so simple now, but he didn’t really want to know about me and my hobbies; he wanted to know about me and my job skills.
I have since learned and prepared a little 20 second recap of what makes me valuable to a company, and you should too.
Before any interview think about the skills and experiences that you bring to the table and be ready to quickly explain them. You will never have all the time you need to explain everything about yourself. Just like the résumé, you have to be able to highlight the most important things.
Good Luck!
Brittany Paxman
DSACT’s Skydive Success
The spring semester has been a busy one for Tower PR. Our newest client, Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas, had plenty of work for us to do and Tower was ready and able to promote DSACT’s skydiving fundraiser.
Members of Tower joined the DSACT executive committee to help organize and promote DSACT 4th Annual Extreme Fundraising event – Jump for Down Syndrome. The event hoped to raise $10,000 for the organization while building public awareness and acceptance of the abilities of individuals with Down Syndrome.
Casey Deegan, 32, and Kathy Kilpatrick, 47, proved that people with Down Syndrome can do anything they put their minds to – even skydive.
This year’s event marked Casey’s fourth tandem skydive and Kathy won two gold medals and one silver medal in swimming during the 1983 Special Olympics.
Some of our duties included attending DSACT meetings, generating press materials, pitching to the media and media relations on the day of the skydive.
We were fortunate to have News 8 Austin, KXAN and KVUE cover the event.
The Jump for Down Syndrome was a huge success thanks to the nice weather and many supporters of DSACT.
- By Dorian Walker, Director of Tower PR
Members of Tower joined the DSACT executive committee to help organize and promote DSACT 4th Annual Extreme Fundraising event – Jump for Down Syndrome. The event hoped to raise $10,000 for the organization while building public awareness and acceptance of the abilities of individuals with Down Syndrome.
Casey Deegan, 32, and Kathy Kilpatrick, 47, proved that people with Down Syndrome can do anything they put their minds to – even skydive.
This year’s event marked Casey’s fourth tandem skydive and Kathy won two gold medals and one silver medal in swimming during the 1983 Special Olympics.
Some of our duties included attending DSACT meetings, generating press materials, pitching to the media and media relations on the day of the skydive.
We were fortunate to have News 8 Austin, KXAN and KVUE cover the event.
The Jump for Down Syndrome was a huge success thanks to the nice weather and many supporters of DSACT.
- By Dorian Walker, Director of Tower PR
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Digital Research
Hi PRSSA’rs! Here are a few tips about digital research I learned from one our guest speakers Christy Leger from GCI. To begin, digital research is an important tool all students should have when looking for an internship. These tools will give you an edge on the competition, because it is the media of our generation and most upper-level CEO’s are depending on entry-level employees to cover this aspect of media. Not only are these tools free, they are easy and fun to use when researching celebrities, companies or anything you’re interested in.
Okay, so here are the 5 tools a PR student should be familiar with:
1)Social Media: Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter—all of these networks are openly available to everyone. People can form events, and pro-groups or anti-groups. Every student is very aware of this tool, however if you are a political candidate trying to appeal to college students and there is an anti-group with students positing comments against your campaign, you would want to know about it. So, access to these groups will help keep negative comments about an organization under control.
2)Del.icio.us: This is my favorite tool! This is a social book-marking tool that enables you to quickly save a page and share it with your friend and/or coworkers. Examples could be sharing recipes with your family, creating a birthday wish list, and then sending the bookmark link to friends… etc. This tool has multiple possibilities and I have even found success when using it to research for my papers!
3)Google Alerts: Great tool that is very easy to set up. Just search on Google for Google Alerts and type anything that you are interested in. For example, if you are interested in going into high-tech PR it would be best to keep up with the latest news on products entering the market. I tried this out for fun and followed the MacBook Air when it was released and I became very familiar with its abilities as well as what people thought of it. The way the alert system works is that it will automatically email you a compiled list of articles regarding the subject you searched, so it is a very easy way of obtaining selected info fast!
4)Techmeme.com: Another researching tool for high-tech articles, that it is great blog spot of a compiled list of new articles and consumer comments on tech items.
5)Technorati.com: A great website for researching any topic of discussion in the blogosphere. This website is great for researching anything, I just recently used it to research companies when writing my cover letters for internships. There is a lot of valuable info on here that can be applied anywhere. Also, if you can take this info into an interview and state that you read a blog about their company, and they do not know about it, I think that can give you a leg up on the competition!
There are tons of free tools out there that PR professionals are using daily, so its best to become familiar with them as much as you can, even if you search articles about Amy Winehouse or Dallas Cowboys or whatever your interested in, its great to get some exposure in digital research.
- By Summer Allgyer
Okay, so here are the 5 tools a PR student should be familiar with:
1)Social Media: Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter—all of these networks are openly available to everyone. People can form events, and pro-groups or anti-groups. Every student is very aware of this tool, however if you are a political candidate trying to appeal to college students and there is an anti-group with students positing comments against your campaign, you would want to know about it. So, access to these groups will help keep negative comments about an organization under control.
2)Del.icio.us: This is my favorite tool! This is a social book-marking tool that enables you to quickly save a page and share it with your friend and/or coworkers. Examples could be sharing recipes with your family, creating a birthday wish list, and then sending the bookmark link to friends… etc. This tool has multiple possibilities and I have even found success when using it to research for my papers!
3)Google Alerts: Great tool that is very easy to set up. Just search on Google for Google Alerts and type anything that you are interested in. For example, if you are interested in going into high-tech PR it would be best to keep up with the latest news on products entering the market. I tried this out for fun and followed the MacBook Air when it was released and I became very familiar with its abilities as well as what people thought of it. The way the alert system works is that it will automatically email you a compiled list of articles regarding the subject you searched, so it is a very easy way of obtaining selected info fast!
4)Techmeme.com: Another researching tool for high-tech articles, that it is great blog spot of a compiled list of new articles and consumer comments on tech items.
5)Technorati.com: A great website for researching any topic of discussion in the blogosphere. This website is great for researching anything, I just recently used it to research companies when writing my cover letters for internships. There is a lot of valuable info on here that can be applied anywhere. Also, if you can take this info into an interview and state that you read a blog about their company, and they do not know about it, I think that can give you a leg up on the competition!
There are tons of free tools out there that PR professionals are using daily, so its best to become familiar with them as much as you can, even if you search articles about Amy Winehouse or Dallas Cowboys or whatever your interested in, its great to get some exposure in digital research.
- By Summer Allgyer
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