(This is NOT my mom)
If you’re reading about the PR/communications industry, working right in it or just happen to know what PR is, you know that social media is a huge force that most, if not all of your clients should already be dabbling in.
Before I continue, I will openly apologize to my mom for what comes next.
My mom, who is a nurse, just got rid of her Zack Morris-like cell phone (solely because it died which prompted her to get the “newest” Zack Morris-like cell phone that the phone companies could permit her to have). She still admits to not really understanding what I do on a daily basis in this field, yet has been exploring social media much longer than even some candidates that apply to work here have.
Calling out my mom and potentially making it so she never talks to me again for discussing this actually has a point. For a person who really has “no reason” for being on Facebook outside of keeping in touch with family, she is becoming ridiculously well versed in social media—a great reason for all brands to continue a focus on having a strong social media presence. With nearly all demographics using social media, it’s now easier than ever for a brand to reach its target audience and across multiple platforms.
For my mom, it started with her Facebook profile. But don’t worry, she discovered everything that comes next. She’s got Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ and is now asking me questions about Spotify and the social functions on there, citing that she likes that one has to be linked to Facebook so she can see what others are listening to and vice versa (and, of course she does, because she is the new “social media director” of my childhood home).
Her new love? Pinterest. Brands are slowly realizing this venue can be and should be used to their advantage. It’s such an easy site to use and visual. The best of both worlds. My mom being on this site already is a huge indication of this—and she is repining items from boards from the brands that push to her demographic. As are her friends and other members of my family who aren’t as social media savvy as my mom. And she’s been active on the site for a few months now—much longer than even some in the industry.
So, if you weren’t exploring everything social media has to offer, you should. Not just because your clients and potential clients will undoubtedly be in this space, and not because all PR professionals, regardless of if you’re marked as “digital” or not should be exploring all of these sites and what they can offer, but because my mom does.
My mom who made fun of me for still having a MySpace profile.
My mom who will be like a lot of other moms and dads who want to connect with their kids and realize there are lots of interesting things to do on the internet and they are really easy to navigate.
My mom who I don’t want to be mad for writing this and who is making me consider not tweeting a link to this post out because she will see it quicker on her newsfeed.
And yes, mom, I still have a MySpace account.
Today’s guest post is by Jason Fischbach, former Peppercom intern and future PR pro.
As I started my internship, I took the posts from Laura about how to navigate the subways to heart. As I learned more about the world of PR, I also became better and better at making my way through the city’s underground. Fortunately, there are a lot of similarities. Here are some tips that will help you make it through the commute quicker and easier, and also help you once you get there (on time).
First, be sure to do your reading and prepare. Knowing what turns you need to make and where to go will help you avoid delays. Obviously you can’t cut corners in either situation, but if you walk towards the right spot in the tunnels, you won’t have to cut across crowds of people when you get there. When you’re pitching reporters, you need to have done your reading as well. There’s nothing worse than having a reporter ask “Have you ever read anything I’ve written?” and not being able to explain why your pitch is relevant to them. In both cases, you should save your efforts by focusing: only go where you might find some benefit.
While you’re walking through crowds, the first instinct is often to keep your head down, close up and just power through. Pitching can have the same effect. Challenge yourself to make eye contact as you battle the hustle and bustle. While you can’t always make eye contact on the phones, the concept is the same; humanizing yourself is always a benefit. You can’t always focus on each individual as you move through a group, but I can guarantee that the one person that someone makes eye contact with is the last person they’ll run into. It may be that you have 30 reporters to reach out to, but if you can even include one personalized sentence in each pitch, you’ll greatly increase your chance of success.
This last tip is my personal favorite: be different. As you’re sending out a message to a reporter, you have to understand that they’re also receiving messages from many other sources. You have to find a way to stand out, and the personalization mentioned earlier will help with that. However, while many people reference a recent article or an author’s bio, few make the effort to show that their message isn’t just a cookie-cutter with a sentence added. A message that seems automated is a message that gets ignored. The masses in the underground also follow trends: towards either wall. It makes sense; with people coming from only one direction, there are less bodies to compete with. However, if you walk in the center of the hall (on the edge of people moving one direction and the other) you’ll find a surprising amount of time and space.
You don’t always need to expend more effort to achieve better results. Sometimes, all it takes is a second to think about what you’re doing, and you can reap benefits from the increased efficiency. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the time you save, both in your commute and in your work life, by working more efficiently adds up quickly.
Don't be RIDDLED when asked if you have any questions in an interview. (Please note: I was just looking for an excuse to use this picture of Frank Gorshin)
If you ask anyone for interviewing advice, most will say to make sure to have a few questions prepared for that discussion. But what do you ask?
I’ve heard it said that there are no “stupid” questions. While that may be somewhat true, there are a number of right and wrong questions to ask during an interview.
Members of the intern committee here at Peppercom will say that the best questions interviewees ask are those that genuinely make us stop and think for a moment—or better yet, completely stump us. Not that you should be asking ridiculous questions that we would have no knowledge of (spoiler alert: if you ask me a math question that is not extremely easy, you will stump me . . . and I will NOT be impressed by that).
A good jumping off point for questions are to ask ones about the interviewer, such as asking them what attracted them to the company you’re interviewing at or what a person’s favorite part of the company culture is. These are excellent questions to ask because it will make the interviewee think, but will give you a good indication on what the company and people are truly like.
Questions to avoid are those that can be answered by a company’s website, which may seem obvious, but the number of people who ask us questions regarding items that can found on the homepage are too many. If you have a legitimate question that you think might be answered on a particular company site, one good rule of thumb is to say something along these lines:
“I saw that XYZ company is doing this; I’m wondering what you’re doing in ABC area?”
It shows that you did do your homework and know something about the company you would potentially like to work for.
And definitely have a few options for questions to ask, in case some of the ones you thought of are answered organically throughout the discussion. And whatever you do, if you are asked if you have any questions, don’t make it seem like you are disinterested in the company by simply answering with a “no.”
We hope you all have a fun, safe and happy New Year!
Get ready for the great new posts coming your way in 2012.
-Kristin and Laura
Today’s post comes courtesy of Peppercom co-founder and managing partner Steve Cody and the most recent RepChatter podcast.
A recent Forbes.com article not only suggested that Millennial women were burning out at a faster rate than their male counterparts but, get this, female PR millennials were topping the ‘fried at 25′ list.
In an attempt to get to the heart (if not soul) of this frightening trend, I recently invited six Peppercom interns to air their views (note: we had an even balance of men and women in the discussion).
So, kick back (if your schedule permits you to do so), turn up the volume and listen to hear if Peppercom’s millennial women agree with the basic Forbes.com premise (note: all three were multi-tasking as they answered my questions, so some answers may be garbled. The guys, on the other hand, were yawning, stretching and fighting hard to keep their eyes open).
Today’s featured post can also be found on RepMan and was written by Peppercom Cofounder and Managing Partner, Steve Cody.
PR has always been more credible than advertising because, when practiced properly, our end result produces a balanced article from a trusted third party (i.e. a reputable journalist).
Yet, according to a survey from LinkedIn, job seekers continue to use advertising hype instead
of PR strategies in trying to differentiate themselves and find employment.
In fact, the five most overused words in LinkedIn profiles (and the resumes I’ve read) are:
- creative
- extensive experience
- innovative
- motivated
- communications skills
So, what’s wrong with using such superb descriptors? Everyone else does. As a result, you won’t stand out. Wave bye-bye.
I’m amazed more PR professionals and recent graduates aren’t using their PR skills to produce an objective LinkedIn profile or resume replete with third party endorsements instead of first person chest-thumping.
So, let’s say you’ve worked at Peppercom, have grown weary of Ed and are seeking greener pastures. If you’ve interned for us, your resume shouldn’t boast about being a ‘…effective, problem-solver with a proven track record.’ Instead, it should include a quote from our intern manager, Kristin Davie, along the lines of “I’ve managed many interns, but Ishmael would be at the top of my list.”
Or, let’s say you’re a Peppercom management supervisor who can simply no longer stomach Ted’s political correctness. Instead of jotting down, “I love people and work incredibly well with teams at all levels,” ask the evangelical one for an endorsement. We appreciate employees who come to us in advance, tell us it’s not working out for them and ask for time to find a new gig while we, in turn, are given the heads-up to begin searching for a replacement.
I don’t blame PR professionals or students for using an advertising approach to finding jobs in public relations. I point the finger, instead, at executive search consultants, human resource managers and academics for continuing to endorse an obviously broken model (i.e. the one-page resume that starts with objectives, provides a brief summary of work experience and ends with those dreaded words, ‘references furnished upon request’).
Public relations today is all about engaging in the conversation, and applying the 5Ws to develop your story. I’d use that exact, same approach if I were job-seeking today. I’d craft my profile or resume by answering the following:
- Who are you approaching? (Find out as much as you can about the individual or the organization in advance)
- Why you are qualified (told by the most credible source(s) possible, your former employer)
- What you bring to the plate (see above)
- Where you’ve made a significant contribution (see above)
- When you’re ready to begin work (yesterday)
It’s ironic that professionals who work in an industry that’s always differentiated itself by leveraging the power of third party endorsement almost never use it to market themselves.
Today’s featured post can be found on What’s Going On , a blog of Peppercom’s UK partner, Flagship Consulting, and was written by Acting Account Director, Kiren Pooni.
As the graduate recruitment market continues to tighten, internships have become the Holy Grail. So much so that an event was held at Number 10 last month to discuss social mobility and internships with the main topic of discussion being whether a good internship is all about who you know, not what you know.
We all like to do favours for our friends and families, but should we now be saying that an internship given to a son / daughter / friend of the boss is unfair?
And when job applicants are looking for work, they are actively encouraged to flex their contacts book, so isn’t a ‘back door’ internship just doing the same thing?
Internships are now more fiercely sought after than ever and so businesses are likely to be sifting through as many intern applications as they are permanent applications.
But, for example, if a company only offers three internships a year and they are all given to friends of the business, then there is no opportunity for others who are less well-connected to get in and this could lead to the diversity pool being restricted.
So much work has been done to promote objectiveness and assessment-based entry into the workplace, so why wouldn’t companies who champion this in their approach to recruitment not apply the same measures to internships?
Perhaps it is because companies have not fully considered the significant foot in the door an internship can provide and so do not look at it with the same amount of rigour they would for a full-time post.
In today’s climate, it is clear that having an internship under your belt can be the difference between getting a job and not, and so businesses should carefully consider who these precious experiences should go to.
If a ‘best fit for the role’ approach is not taken for internships then the forward steps that most companies have taken to ensure recruitment is fair and objective will be compromised.
Many PR pros in the making or even just starting out with entry-level jobs are trying to figure out whether a small, large or mid-size agency is the best fit. Oftentimes people tend to dismiss larger agencies, thinking they will be too big and not the right place to be able to foster a career. That’s when good old fashion research and trying different internships can be a huge help.
Read on as former Peppercom intern, Ellie Jesse, discusses what larger agencies have to offer in part one of a series for The Intern Queen on the subject of finding the right fit. Ellie interviews representatives of Edelman and Ketchum discuss characteristics of their respective agencies.
We’d go all “Goldilocks” on this and say that the mid-size agency is JUST right. But we’re biased. What are your thoughts? Small, Mid-Size or Large?
Today’s featured post can also be found on RepMan and was written by Peppercom Cofounder and Managing Partner, Steve Cody.
Not too long ago, we received a cover note entitled, ‘Motivated ABC College Grad will intern for free!’
Sadly, the subject line killed the applicant’s chances from the get go. Here’s why:
- We value our services and would NEVER offer to give away our time (unless it involved a charity or, as is often the case, we’re Beta testing a new service offering). If you want Peppercom’s brain power, you’ll have to pay for it.
- Telling me you’ll work for free immediately makes you a commodity in my mind. If you’re as motivated as your subject line would indicate, you would place a monetary value on your intellect, energy and credentials.
- Finally, the exclamation point you added after the word ‘free’ makes me envision a going-out-of-business sign that reads: ‘Closing immediately. All items MUST go!’ In other words, you sound desperate.
Crafting a cover note to a prospective employer is no easy task. And, I sympathize with this particular graduate’s dilemma. He’s doing everything possible to differentiate himself from the tens of thousands of other applicants applying for the few available jobs.
But, I’m a firm believer in the expression, ‘You get what you pay for’. We’ve experienced this truism in the past whenever we paid a lower rate for a particular individual, vendor or partner. The quality simply wasn’t what a higher-priced competitor would have provided.
One other note on this note. The applicant’s subsequent text reinforced my first impression. He used such phrases as:
- ‘I have exceptional analytical and listening skills, and an eidetic memory, allowing me (to) think quickly, learn quicker and always get it right the first time.’ (Note: is an eidetic memory contagious? It sounds scary).
- ‘My previous successes were only achieved because I see opportunities in all impossibilities.’ (Note: Do you think George W. Bush was his ghost writer?).
So, college grads, DO NOT cheapen what you bring to the plate. Value it. And, don’t work for any organization that won’t pay you. You’re better than that. And, trust me, if you’re as good as you think you are, you WILL find a great, paying gig. My eidetic memory tells me so.
Look, we know college is fun. Still, there is a time and a place to show off your totally sweet flip-cup skills and the annual office party is definitely not one of them. Sure, you might be eager to fit in and socialize with the rest of the agency, but a few drinks too many and you’ll be slurring your words instead of impressing your superiors.
Acting inappropriately at an office function is perhaps one of the easiest- yet most unfortunate- ways to ensure your dismissal from an internship. It can be difficult to draw the line- whether it comes to drinking or general conversation, how do you know when you’ve gone too far? Keep the tips below in mind before attending your upcoming holiday bash and you can continue to count on a reason to celebrate.
- Drink moderately. Granted, the party is a social function, but it is still a professional event first and foremost. If you wouldn’t pass a breathalizer test at the end of the night, a hangover is the least of your problems.
- Network. Now is your chance to speak with those individuals you might not normally work with and meet the larger team, so be sure to make a good impression. Use the party as a way to strengthen existing relationships or make new ones.
- No flirting.You may have your eye on the intern from accounting, but office romances are generally frowned upon. Especially ones that begin in dark corners after too many glasses of pinot grigio.
- Do inquire about office policies on providing car or cab service for employees attending the party. And do appoint a designated driver or do hail a cab yourself if the company is not willing to provide the rides home. Don’t drink and drive.
- Do be sure you know exactly who is invited to the party. Spouses or significant others are not always on the guest list for office parties. And if guests are permitted, don’t bring an inappropriate person as your guest. You are just as responsible for their actions as your own.
- Have fun! It’s no surprise that PR is often listed as one of the most stressful jobs in America, so take this time to blow off some steam and have a good time with your co-workers. We here at Peppercom work hard, but we also play hard.
Any other tips to keep in mind as the holiday season approaches? Any horror stories?
