Archive for professional
Organizing a Job Hunt with Social Media Tools: Part Two
Posted by: | CommentsPart two of my series on ButtonedUp.com gives a few tips and tricks for organizing a job hunt using Twitter. The full article is here, I hope you find it helpful!
PRSSA- A good investment for your future
Posted by: | CommentsGuest Post by Stacey Davidson
As a public relations student in college, it is difficult to differentiate yourself in a flooded job market. There are too many candidates and too few positions. One way I have found to differentiate myself was to be involved with PRSSA, the Public Relations Student Society of America. In conjunction with PRSA, the largest professional public relations association in the world, PRSSA helps students to gain real world experience, leadership and networking opportunities outside of the classroom. At the University of Florida each month we learn about interview skills, industry trends, resume writing and more from professionals in the industry. These speakers help us to transfer what we learn in the classroom to our internships and future jobs.
In addition to monthly meetings and speakers, PRSSA also provides opportunities like its annual conference in November. PRSSA annual conference is held alongside PRSA national conference to allow for increased networking and professional development opportunities for both students and practitioners. At this conference, I was able to learn about multiple facets of PR from the industry’s leaders, such as media relations from the media trainer and media relations director for the United States Army, and non-profit public relations from the VP of communications for United Way.
This conference provides a unique opportunity to do more than listen to a lecture. For five days I was immersed in an amazing learning environment where I could ask questions and build my professional network in addition to hearing from presenters. After leaving the conference, I was armed with business cards, e-mail addresses and phone numbers from agencies and practitioners located all around the country. I was ready to take on the world and the job search.
One of the most important factors when applying for a job is make yourself more than just a resume. Many of the people I met at the conference were active recruiters and account executives at companies where I desire to work. To them, I am now a face, a person, no longer just a resume. When I begin seriously applying for jobs in the spring, I know that our relationships will be integral in landing interviews and eventually jobs.
Q&A Friday: Ann Barlow
Posted by: | CommentsAnn Barlow is partner and president of Peppercom San Francisco. She is the founder of GreenPepper, Peppercom’s environmental offering.
Q. How did you get your start in PR?
A. I actually majored in public relations, which at that time meant designing my own major through the University of Illinois’ college of liberal arts. When I graduated, I moved to New York and started with a small agency.
Q. You lead GreenPepper. What has been the most important thing you’ve learned in that endeavor?
A. You have to surround yourself with people who know more about environmental issues than you, and then read as much as you can. This is an area of expertise that you just can’t fake.
Q. What qualities make a young PR professional stand out to you?
A. Initiative, good listening and learning ability, and organization.
Q. What one piece of advice do you have for those just starting their careers in PR?
A. Have an ownership mentality. In other words, always be looking to see what else you can do to make a project and the company successful. Do your work as if it was going directly to the client, so make it as high quality as possible. Let others come to rely on you, and you’ll be successful.
Q&A Friday: Darryl Salerno
Posted by: | CommentsDarryl Salerno is Peppercom’s business consultant, and runs Second Quadrant Solutions, a consultancy that helps professional service organizations improve their performance, profitability, productivity, effectiveness and overall long-term financial health. If you’d like to meet him in person, he’ll be performing stand up at the New York Comedy Club tonight- $15 plus two drink minimum, and I promise it’s well worth it.
Q. What’s your favorite part of your job?
A. What I love most is when someone approaches me and tells me that something they learned from me has had a dramatic positive effect on their job or their life outside work. It’s extremely gratifying to know that your counsel is being followed and is making a difference.
Q. What’s the most common complaint you hear from young PR pros?
A. Too much work. Too many accounts. Too many bosses. Far too many e-mails. Being expected to be on-call 24/7/52 and respond to everything immediately.
Q. And how do you respond to them?
A. I tell them they need to recognize that right now we are living in extraordinary times and that expectations are very high. Long-term, these things need to be fixed and I tell them that they should not struggle in silence. They must bring these issues forward to management at their agency in order for there to be a chance for them to be addressed when it’s possible.
Q. What advice do you have for those just starting out in PR?
A. You need to work very hard and diligently in this industry. Strive for excellence in every thing you do so you can be seen as trustworthy. However, you also need to create some boundaries in order to protect your work-life balance. If left unchecked, this profession can demand your time around the clock.
Asking questions in interviews
Posted by: | CommentsGuest Post by Laura Zanzal
As a former member of the intern committee at Peppercom, I’ve sat through countless interviews. When it comes to hiring a candidate, for me personally, it doesn’t matter if you had one previous internship or five. What matters to me instead is the questions that candidates ask during an interview. Many times when interviewing, we start by asking if candidates have any questions before we share what the internship entails. This gives the opportunity for the candidate to have control of the conversation. In an ideal interview, I love when we’re able to tell the candidate everything about the internship and Peppercom through questions and answers, rather than us regurgitating the “schpeal”.
Now, I’m not referring to questions like “When’s the start date?” or “How much does it pay?” Instead, I enjoy questions where I get to tell you a little bit more about myself, and hopefully turn the interview into a conversation.
Not sure what to ask? Try these questions in your next interview:
· How did you get your start in PR?
· How long have you been at your company?
· What’s your favorite part about your company/PR?
· What’s a typical day like?
· How does your company measure success?
· How has your company fared over the past year?
By asking questions, the candidate has a better chance of showcasing his or her personality, allowing the interviewer to understand if the candidate is a good fit for the position. So the next time you are in an interview and you are asked “Any questions?”, whatever you do, please don’t say, “No, I’m all set.”
Q&A Friday: Jackie Kolek
Posted by: | CommentsJackie Kolek is senior director at Peppercom, where she provides overall strategic direction and account management for several of the firm’s key clients, and leads PepperDigital, Peppercom’s social media consulting offering.
Q. You lead PepperDigital. What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned in that endeavor?
A. Listen first. You can’t just build a blog, Web site or launch any other digital effort (Twitter, Flickr, etc.) without first really listening to your target audience. You need to hear what they are saying and where, and then tap into that existing dialogue. It’s really not surprising when you think how we attack traditional media as well – first you read what a reporter is writing and then try to tap into their interest base. This is even more critical with it comes to digital media.
Q. What qualities make a young PR professional stand out to you?
A. Being proactive and polished. It’s really important that young PR professionals take the steps necessary to get the information they need to do their jobs. Too often, someone is confused or unsure and they wait for someone to come to them. Those that ask a lot of questions, come up with new ideas to do things better or different and show a genuine interest in our accounts are the ones that shine. Likewise, I need to feel confidence that I can out them in front of a client. Those who are too quiet scare me.
Q. What was one of the biggest mistakes you made in your young career?
A. Focusing too much on getting promoted. A career is a journey and you need to focus on doing great work, the rest of it will come.
Q. What one piece of advice do you have for those just starting their careers in PR?
A. Read, read and read! You have to read all kinds of things – magazines, books, newspapers, blogs, etc. Not only will it make you better at your media relations skills, it improves your writing and also enables you to have conversations with all different kinds of people.
Q&A Friday- Ted Birkhahn
Posted by: | CommentsBy Alicia Wells
This is the first in a series of interviews with PR professionals who share their perspective on their careers and the world of entry-level PR. Ted Birkhahn is Peppercom’s chief operating officer and is in charge of client services, working with several others to lead new business development and integrating Peppercom’s three offices. Before joining Peppercom, Ted was the Press Secretary for the New York City Department of Buildings in Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration. Previously, he worked as a reporter at WOR-AM Radio and as a production assistant at 1010 WINS Radio in New York City. A graduate of the University of Vermont, Ted plays hockey and considers himself obsessed with WWII.
Q. How do you determine potential in the entry-level candidates you interview?
A. A lot of it has to do with chemistry coupled with relevant experience and expertise. While the latter two are critical, chemistry will often make or break the deal.
Q. What is one mistake or misstep you most often see young professionals make?
A. The biggest misstep is when they’re in a hurry to advance. Ambition is great but it has to be grounded in reality. When a young professional becomes obsessed with getting a promotion, they often become totally distracted and the work suffers. Staying focused on the work and providing value to the organization is still — and will always be — the fastest route to promotion.
Q. What has been your greatest accomplishment professionally?
A. Finding a career path that I enjoy — one that is challenging, fun and affords me enough time to be with my family.
Q. What one piece of advice do you have for those just starting their careers in PR?
A. As hard as it may sound, use the recession to your advantage. If you can get things accomplished in this type of an economy, you can do anything. If approached in the right way, challenging times have a way of making you a stronger person and professional.
Worth noting- Student blog
Posted by: | CommentsBy Alicia Wells
Angela Hernandez, a PR student at Central Michigan University, is posting a five-part series on her blog that answers the question “Is PR Right For Me?” She’s going to post question and answer sessions “aiming to help students decide if PR might be a good fit for them.” While there’s no substitute for getting your hands dirty and trying PR out for yourself, this should give some good advice for those of you who are just starting your careers. Oh, and props to Angela for hosting her blog in the first place, it’s a great read!
Tips for a successful phone interview
Posted by: | CommentsBy Alicia Wells
Over the past few weeks the intern committee has spent a lot of time interviewing candidates for our fall internship. Because many of the applicants are from out-of-state, we end up conducting a majority of them over the phone. Which means that it’s even harder for candidates to make themselves shine. But, it can be done (many of our star interns were selected from phone interviews). Here are some tips to help you ace a phone interview:
- Keep it short: Shape your answers into short, digestible sound bites. By rambling and giving too much information too quickly, we won’t be able to process what you’re saying or pick out the important facts. Highlight the key points and then pause to let us ask a follow-up question. You’ll have plenty of time to get your message across during the course of the interview- don’t feel like you have to get it all out at once.
- Show enthusiasm: This is sometimes hard to do, because we can’t see your smiling face and other non-verbals. Show enthusiasm by impressing us with your knowledge of our company, asking questions (see next bullet) and keeping the tone of your voice elevated (meaning don’t imitate Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off- and yes, we’ve interviewed a couple of those).
- Ask Questions: Again, asking questions will show enthusiasm, as long as they’re the right questions. The most common questions we get are: “Will the position lead to full-time hire?” “What’s a typical day like?” and “How many interns do you hire per session?” These are all valid, important questions. But the ones that make a candidate stick out in my mind are along the lines of “What’s your favorite part about your job?” “What’s the biggest challenge the interns face (just got that one yesterday!)?” or “How does your company approach social media?” We like to see that you put thought into your questions. Don’t ever say that you don’t have any, that’s a big red flag.
The Take Note blog from InternshipRatings.com has some other great phone interview tips. Anything else you would add to the list?
PRiscope sets sail
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome to PRiscope, Peppercom’s blog for the next generation of PR professionals. I’m a senior account executive at Peppercom and started as a junior account executive in the summer of 2006. It was my first “real” job out of college, and I’ve learned quite a bit along the way. In addition to working on PR accounts, I also manage our internship program and it has become one of my favorite parts of my job- which is what inspired me to start this blog.
I hope to be able to share with you what I’ve learned as a junior level PR professional, what we look for in our intern and entry-level candidates, as well as what makes a successful entry-level professional. I’d like to give you a place to ask questions, share your experiences and get an inside look at entry-level agency life. I’ll also tap into other experts to get their perspectives (look for the Q&A Fridays with managers, educators, HR professionals, etc.), and will invite other junior level PR professionals to give their take.
While some things have a clear right and wrong way of going about them (please, no jeans for interviews), oftentimes job hunting and starting a career is a big grey area. I hope to demystify the process and make the journey a bit easier on you. Feel free to contact me at PRiscope@Peppercom.com with ideas or questions and please share your thoughts in the comments sections.
