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.
If you could speak at commencement…
“Members of the Class of 2012…” Those words are going to be uttered by college presidents and deans, and commencement speakers over the next few weeks. It has been 15 years since I graduated college. It’s a day I remember like it was yesterday, though. Bill Cosby’s wife, Camille, spoke at Temple University’s commencement ceremony at the Spectrum in Philadelphia that day. It was inspiring. Mr. Cosby even got up to say a few things.
After seeing blog posts and tweets about student friends that were graduating, I began to think. So I posted this on Facebook on Thursday.
I didn’t initially plan to make a blog post out of these, but the responses were wonderful. So, I share with you what friends in the social space would tell a graduating class.
@MattLaCasse- Your profession is likely practiced in every state in America, and most everywhere else in the world. Your happiness will be more dictated by where you are than what your job is. Do your job someplace that makes you happy.
@JBMHR (Jeannine Brown Miller)- ”Listen” to the direction that you are intended to be going..if you keep running into obstacles..stop and reassess where you are, what you are doing and determine change necessary to remove some of them. If we keep doing the same thing that isn’t working, we will get the same results (the old insanity thing). Embrace change, recognize that challenges bring lessons and blessings, and be open enough to be able to find the good in all that comes your way!
@JoshfromMaine (Josh Morris)- You don’t choose a life, you live one. There are no such thing as limitations, only fears. Pursue a position based on people, profession and location, and paychecks will come. Don’t get cable.
@BigGreenPen (Paula Kiger)- Don’t fool yourself into thinking you have all the time in the world/don’t think you are above doing the unnoticed little work to get familiar with an environment you want to be a part of.
courtesy: Temple U. Col. of Liberal Arts
@PaigeHolden- Stay in your own lane. You only start to doubt yourself when you worry about what everyone else is doing. True success has nothing to do with conventional measurements like position, wealth or winning thing. It has to do with finding a balance that works for you, and only you.
(I liked the honesty with Rachel Donner’s answer) @RMiriam- The next 6-8 years are pretty much going to suck. You’ll be at a frustrating entry-level job with lots of work and no authority. You’ll likely drift away from most of your college friends, and have to establish new relationships. Don’t let it get you down and doubt yourself. You’ll get through it and be better off for it, knowing much more clearly who you are, where you want to be and the path ahead.
And finally… @Buffalogal (Nicole Schuman)- You cannot plan every aspect of your life. Embrace change!
What would I tell a graduating class? “People are going to tell you that you can’t. You can. People are going to doubt you. Don’t doubt yourself. Most of all, you will be faced with adversity. Don’t turn away from it. Take it head on and conquer it. The only way you’ll grow is if you face failure, doubt, and negativity. Why? Because all those things will make you stronger. It’s up to you to use the failure, doubt, and negativity, and make it positive. Go with confidence.”
I’d love to hear what you would tell a graduating class. Leave your thoughts in the comments.
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?
