Blog Archives
Three Steps for New Pros
[Jas' note: I'm thrilled to welcome Niki Ianni, a fellow Temple University alum, to the blog with a great and timely post.]
Six months ago to the day, I put on my new Macy’s clearance rack suit, smoothed my hair, double-checked my briefcase for all the basics and took a deep breath as I walked confidently into the next phase of my life – the start of my post-graduate career.
The all-nighter study sessions, thousands of draft edits and hundreds of internship hours… everything I worked for in the past four years had finally paid off. While getting here had not been an easy feat, full of dozens of applications, gallons of coffee and the occasional mental breakdown…with hard work and determination, I secured my dream job working as a public relations specialist at the largest animal protection organization in the country.
For those who are preparing to start their careers or have already just begun, here are my three biggest pieces of advice for you that these past six months have taught me:
It takes time. You know the old adage, “Rome wasn’t built in a day?” Well, there’s actually a lot of truth to it. I’m not sure why I thought I could leave my first day of work knowing everything and being able to do everything – but I did. When it came time to submit my first press release to my director for review, my stomach was in knots.
I remember apologizing in the email… something along the lines of, “Here is the release for your review. I’m sorry it’s not perfect!” I’ll never forget her response: “Niki, I don’t expect it to be perfect… nothing ever is. You’re still learning.” Sometimes you just need to remember that all of your colleagues who have been there for years started off exactly where you are and eventually they grew, too… with time.
You’re going to make mistakes. Probably more than you’d like to admit. But that doesn’t make you a failure – it makes you human and it teaches you lessons you might had otherwise never learned. I’m a firm believer that it’s not the mistakes themselves, but how you handle them that really defines your character. You can cry and hope the mistake goes away, or you can take responsibility and fix it. I’ve sent out releases with a typo, or hit send too soon. I mean, in my first month I accidentally called a reporter in Seattle at 6 a.m. (I forgot about these things called time zones) and woke her up. Not my shining moment.
While I was horrified and for a few brief moments thought, “Okay…surely this is the one to ‘end’ my career,” I instead found ways to resolve each problem and instilled practices that would prevent them from ever happening again. Because that’s the thing about mistakes – it’s okay to make them occasionally, so long as you never make the same one twice.
You have a voice – don’t be afraid to use it. I’m fortunate to work with a team of highly accomplished and talented professionals who have been honing their craft for many years. So naturally it was a bit intimidating to call these people my colleagues because in comparison to their experience, I felt way out of my league. Remember you were hired for a reason. Yes, your co-workers may have been in the industry for a decade and have a great deal they can teach you, however don’t discount the skills and knowledge that you can bring to the table as well.
Sometimes it’s your lack of experience that can be your greatest asset as you’re able to bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that may have never been considered before. Don’t be afraid to share your ideas and opinions – it will only make your team that much stronger.
At the end of the day, the most important thing you can remember is to believe in yourself. Believe in your talents, your knowledge and your skills – because this opportunity didn’t just come to you; you created it. Never lose sight of that.
Niki Ianni is a recent Temple University graduate where she majored in strategic communication with a concentration in public relations. At Temple, Niki served as the former director of PRowl Public Relations, Temple’s first student-run PR firm and was an executive board member for Temple PRSSA. She now resides in the Washington, D.C. area where she works as the public relations specialist for The Humane Society of the United States.
Follow her on Twitter @NikiMIanni or read her blog at www.whenthegirlmeetsworld.wordpress.com.
Monday Minute: Evolution
Think your resume is dead? Think again.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
Follow Friday: Danny Goodwin, Jr.
The Follow Friday profile returns with someone who I had the pleasure of “meeting” this past week. A fellow PR colleague recommend to Danny Goodwin, Jr. that he follow me. I was truly flattered to hear this from him and we struck up a conversation.
Danny Goodwin, Jr.
What I discovered was a guy who is truly willing to learn and enthusiastic about his future. Danny asked a ton of great questions about how to get engage with fellow pros on Twitter and we exchanged ideas. I would recommend following him not just because he just getting his start on Twitter, but also because Danny is someone I believe is worth your time.
So who is Danny, really? He’s a senior at Central Michigan University, majoring in IPR (minor in advertising). He is also the vice-president of CMU’s PRSSA and assistant account executive of PR Central. As his Twitter bio says, Danny has a “big interest” in working in entertainment PR.
Reach out to Danny by going to @Danny_GoodwinJr.
What did you do with your summer internship?
Now that we have blown past the Labor Day holiday, summer is unofficially over. From the look of the tweets of those I follow on Twitter, posts on Facebook and those I talk with in person, folks gained a ton of knowledge and experience from their summer internships.
Whether you travelled hundreds of miles or worked ungodly hours, you (hopefully) learned a few things. But what did you REALLY learn? Will you apply the skills you picked up this summer or just forget all about it?
Here are a five suggestions to make sure you don’t lose all that valuable experience.
1. Keep in touch with your internship leaders. Drop a line and ask about getting together for lunch or just touch base to keep your name fresh in their heads. I’m not talking about bugging them about possible openings every other week, though. Do ask for advice about your resume, cover letter, etc. Keep the lines of communications open.
2. Compile your work and add it to the portfolio. If you were asked to work on a specific part of a project, then put it to your portfolio. Make certain you include the finished product to show your contributions on a wider scale. When it comes time for that first official job interview, you want to show a prospective employer that you’ve got what it takes!
3. Practice what was preached. You certainly learned more of what to do and not to do in public relations and marketing. Don’t just sit on it, apply it. If you don’t blog, start one. Not involved in your school’s PRSSA chapter? Join. The only way you’ll continue to hone your skills is if you stay active and grow as a practitioner.
4. Be active in Twitter chats. This may be a given for many, but if you are an aspiring PR/marketing pro, you need to join in on these valuable chats. There’s #U30Pro, #PRStudChat, and #journchat to name a few. There are many current pros who take part and they are more than happy to offer advice and guidance.
5. Finish strong! PR and marketing pros never get anywhere by just giving 50%. Whether you are a junior or senior (freshmen and sophomores, too), your grades are of the utmost importance. I’m always impressed when I see a new grad’s resume with wonderful experience AND good grades. It shows the prospective employer that you have both book and job smarts. Keep that in mind.
Don’t just take what you did this summer and pass it off as “just credits.” That internship could just lead to your first gig. It did for me.
What advice would you offer? Let me know in the comments section.
Crisis PR: How “Bizarre.”
[Jason's note: I'm thrilled that Jessica Lawlor is providing this guest blog. She is a senior public relations major at Temple University, graduating in May. She is the president of Temple’s PRSSA chapter. Jessica is currently searching for public relations positions in Philadelphia and New York City. Connect with her on Twitter, LinkedIn or check out her Web site.]
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a wonderful and informative public relations event in Philadelphia. Drexel University’s PRSSA chapter was selected by PRSSA National to host a regional activity called Bizarre PR.
credit: Philly.com
Crisis PR is something that Jerri Williams deals with on a regular basis. In November 2009, three crises struck in the same week.
November 2, 2009: At 3:00 a.m. SEPTA’s union went on strike leaving several commuters frustrated that day when they left for work. The strike lasted six days.
November 4, 2009: A major fire broke out on SEPTA’s regional rail, the only form of transportation not disrupted by the strike.
November 5, 2009: A SEPTA employee was killed by a train.
Wow! What a bad week for SEPTA…Jerri Williams outlined her tips for dealing with crises.
- Never underestimate a crisis
- The media will show up before you…be ready for them
- The media will cover the story with or without your input
- Not responding does not mean the media will go away
- The media always needs a good guy and a bad guy. Know who these “people’ are before speaking with the media.
- Be patient with reporters.
Williams also introduced us to the art of putting together a press statement. She suggested using a press statement when your company does not want to elaborate or entertain questions. She described it as a tool to use, “when you really can’t say anything.” Williams said that it’s important to display empathy, be sure to say that you’re determined to make things right and share the concern of the public and the media.
In addition to sharing her crisis PR tips, Williams told us about four fatal fiascos when communicating during a crisis.
1. Saying “no comment.”
2. Lying
3. Losing your temper
4. Losing eye contact
Have you ever dealt with a PR crisis? How did you handle it? What are your crisis PR tips?
