Getting Your Ball Rolling

As graduation nears closer and closer (2 weeks, gulp), the necessity of finding a job or internship has become even more intense. Prior to entering my senior year, older friends urged me to start searching for a job by the end of winter term, spring term at the latest. Being slightly neurotic about my post-college life and a slight over achiever I began my search the summer before my senior year. Some people may comment that this is a waste of time, but in the long run I think it helped.

True, I wasted tons of time during the summer, but this was time that I otherwise would have wasted now. This "wasted" time was really time that I spent weeding out the resources that were dead-ends, and applying for programs that would be of no help to me. Now, I feel like I have a good handle on the job search process. This by no means is saying that I have my dream job locked down, or it is even close to reach. All I am saying is that starting early is necessary. The best I can do now is share what I have learned to cut down some wasted time for my fellow PR student job hunters. Read and learn, my friends:

Use what ya got!

As students, we are surrounded by valuable resources: Our professors. Your professors are in touch with people in the field, and they are bound to have contacts to share with you. Students come and go--some of which are hired into jobs at agencies or boutiques that you may want to work. These are wonderful people to schedule informational interviews with because chances are, they are in an entry-level position and can provide you with great insight. Get in good with them, and they might put in a good word in with HR or an SAE!

Do your research

One of the biggest wastes of time is when you apply for a job or internship and realize it is far from what you want to do. Before applying, figure out where you want to work. Make a list of all of the agencies or places you want to work and do extensive research on them. Look at past campaigns, case studies, what other people have said about them, etc. Not only will this research help you get a better understanding of the business, but it will also be impressive cover letter content.

Get LinkedIn

It's hard to get anywhere when you're out of the loop, so get linked in. As I mentioned in my previous post, LinkedIn is a valuable social media tool to have. You can post your resume, find people who work where you want to work and gain advice from PR pros. LinkedIn is a crucial networking site that you will find quite valuable.

Tweet Yourself a Job

I'm sure Twitter is not a new term to you at this point, but I feel that it is an untapped resource for finding jobs. Recruiters, agencies, HR and employees are all on Twitter, and all you have to do is find them and get to know them. Opportunities are popping up left and right, but many students miss them because they aren't following the right people or aren't on Twitter at all. As mentioned before, visit Tweet chat for #entryPR, #PRintern or #PRjobs to get PR jobs in chat form. You can also follow @HeatherHuhman, @PRjobs, @thinkintern, @JobAngles...just to name a few;)


Still check out those job sites, but also try these resources; you'll be glad you did.

5 Tips to Get Ahead of the Pack

Being a public relations student can be pretty competitive, and it always feels like you can never keep up. Professors are constantly throwing new things at you that you must perfect: You must have perfect grammar, a perfect plan, a perfect media kit, a perfect resume, a perfect portfolio, etc. Now with social media as a crucial public relations tool, we Gen Y-ers must also be proficient “social medialites.” How are we students really supposed to have it all under control? It’s a lot to handle!

Though some of these things you really must have under control (like grammar), you can still succeed by having these 5 things. Not to say I have everything under control, but I have found that these tools help me with some of the PR student must-knows:

1. Learn, Live and Love Twitter
Ok, I know starting out with a social media tool is not very encouraging, especially if you are unfamiliar with Twitter. Really, it is fairly simple to figure out, and it is an excellent networking tool. There are many people on Twitter who really want to help students be successful PRs. Impress potential employers by linking articles about their firm, or join conversations about PR. A few topic chats where you can contribute your ideas, get PR advice or look for PR jobs are #entryPR, #PRintern, #PRadvice and #journchat (on Monday nights). I warn you, Twitter is addicting once you get the hang of it.

So there you go, two must-knows out of the way: social media and networking.

2. Build an Online Portfolio
An online portfolio is crucial in this day in age. Not only is it an easy way to have Web site content, but it also will get you hired! Typically the only opportunity you have to show a portfolio is at an interview, but with an online portfolio you can send a link to a potential employer and your resume and writing samples are right there. You don’t have to get too fancy with it, I mean we aren’t all Web designers, so get a cool template from a hosting Web site. There are plenty of places to get a free site, such as Wetpaint, Weebly or Designerfolio. You can pay extra to get your own URL, but it is not necessary.

3. Get to know your Top 5
How do you know you really want to work at Edelman if you don’t know anything about the company, their cases or the management structure? Before you send in an application do some research on your top 5 PR firms (or in-house, non-profit, etc.). Go the extra mile and contact your ideal job. Set up an informational interview to talk to someone who works there; you can only get so much information from the company’s Web site. You shouldn’t just cold call someone and try to set something up; you need to network. Use Twitter, ask teachers, go on the PRSA Web site, find someone on LinkedIn.

(BTW if you aren’t registered on LinkedIn, DO IT.)


4. Get some internship experience
Now you don’t have to try to jump into a competitive global agency internship, start small. If you are balancing school and a full time job you don’t have time for the perfect internship. You can save that until after you graduate. Instead, intern at a local nonprofit or for a University group. Occasionally a businesses won’t publicize internship opportunities if the internships are unpaid or won't offer college credit, so seek these people out. Offer to write press releases or manage their blog. Do anything to get some portfolio clips and some experience.

Sometimes it isn’t easy finding a small internship if you are in a smaller city, so get some experience through your local PRSSA chapter or your school’s student run PR agency.

5. Bloggy Blog Blog Blog
This weird word has been quite prevalent in your PR classes, hasn’t it? Well your prof is saying it for a reason, so get one. I may not be the best person to be giving this advice seeing as I am not the most active blogger in the blogosphere. Trust me, I’ll be using my own advice. Blogs are the best way to show that you not only understand and know what the blogosphere is but that you have an opinion. Starting your blog is the hardest part, so take Darren Rowse’s advice for beginner bloggers on his blog.


There you have it, folks. Follow these five tips and I promise you will be 10 steps ahead of most PR students.

A Blog is a What??

After reading a blog by Marc Hausman about the lack of social media education in universities, I realized how lucky I am to be part of a journalism program that actually teaches social media. He spoke in a class and polled the students about whether or not they wrote or even read a blog before and NO ONE raised their hand! Learning how to use social media tools is extremely beneficial and my confidence has risen after discovering that few programs focus on this aspect of public relations.

I knew going into the University of Oregon that their School of Journalism and Communications was highly respected throughout the country and I feel a sense of pride in that. Now to know that few schools teach their students specifically about PR tactics, I am beaming! My current public relations professor and creater of PRos In Training, Kelli Matthews, is my social media guru. If it weren't for her, I would never have opened a Twitter account or revisited my blog. In fact, she is proposing to teach a course about social media for the journalism school this spring! Unfortunately, I'm graduating in the Winter so I won't get to take it, but I think it's phenomenal progress and I'm very proud that this is a course offering!

It's interesting seeing how my portfolio will look compared to portfolios of grads of just four years ago. Theirs were probably filled with traditional media relations pieces, wheras mine will be a smorgasbord of traditional PR mixed with screen shots of blog posts and Tweets. It's insane! I do feel that I am ahead of the crowd a bit by being involved in such social media outlets and I hope it will benefit me in the long run!


Any thoughts??

Hey Ma Look! My Jazzy Young Professional Suit Came!

As graduation nears, the pressures of finding my perfect job are increasing at an exponential rate. Though this is quite an exciting time, one can't help but be worried. We are worried about the economy (though I hear grads like me will be prime candidates for jobs; we work for cheap!), the competition, and our professional wardrobes. Maybe that last one is just me...Excuse my superficiality. One of the scariest, yet exciting, things is I am changing my role in society!

As soon as that graduation cap is taken off, my young professional cap will be plopped right on. "Student" has been on my name tag for 18 years now, I've chosen that on every scroll down menu forever! Now I'm supposed to actually fit into a box? I'll have to look for "Public Relations Professional" or "Professional Communicator" on the scroll down menu? I don't even know if that's what I will be labeled as!

Pfft, I am totally going to be a young professional: Young 20s-30s (yes);Low income (yes); Living in apartment (yes). And hey, I'll even be living in the number 2 best city for young professionals to live, San Francisco!

Don't get me wrong, I fully embrace this new hat, I'm just not used to it...I'm not even that scared of starting a real job. I'm pretty psyched, actually; this phase of my life couldn't come sooner! I suppose the only fears I have are the facade I may be expected to portray or how put together I'm supposed to be. Mainly superficial things. Going in unprepared is not as much of a fear because learning on the job is quite common.

All this thought was sparked by my PR Campaigns class the other day because we had to discuss resumes and all that jazz. Some of my classmates were pretty bummed about entering the job market, so I guess I feel good about my excitement.

GrrrlzRock! At Sam Bond's!!

Awesome earthy bar? Yes please. Delicious organic menu? Check. Beer served in Mason jars? You betcha. AWESOME LOCAL MUSIC? Oh, you have no idea.

I know, I know. This extraordinary combination of items seems out of a dream, but it can all be found at Sam Bond’s Garage on November 14 in yet another awesome GrrrlzRock! concert series event.

Located in the heart of the Whiteaker district, Sam Bond’s Garage epitomizes the Eugene ambiance at it’s finest. Serving delicious pizza, a plethora of beers, and a darn good show in a wood-paneled pub, Sam Bond’s is the local bar to be at any night of the week. Besides, beer tastes way better out of a Mason jar; everyone knows that.

Not only does Sam Bond’s provide great jar of beer, but most importantly they will be hosting an incredible show with quite the lineup of local musicians. The show will be awesome and for 6 bucks, you can’t go wrong. Check out the lineup and visit the artist pages to hear the awesomeness that awaits you:

Madame Flodd:

Bajuana Tea:

Soulicious:

Halie Loren:

WhiskeySpots:

YES, ANOTHER OBAMA POST, GET OVER IT

OHMYGODWEHAVEABLACK-NO MIXED-PRESIDENT!

Or "President-Elect" as my Repub Facebook friends continually remind me (I know I know, we still have a Bush in the House). As a fellow mixed-race American, I must say that I am damn proud! Regardless of my racial background, I am proud of him and America for taking such a huge step to better our nation.

Despite this ENORMOUS step we have made as a nation I still have some repremanding scolding to do: SHAME ON YOU, CALIFORNIA! I MEAN COME ON! IT'S ALMOST 2009! YOU WANNA TAKE A STEP FOR CHANGE? GO ALL THE WAY, DARNIT! Whew, that really took it out of me. This was the first time I truly expressed my emotions; I just typed really hard. I apologize.

On another note, can we puh-lease discuss the coverage??? So first off, let me try to express my shock when whats-her-face appeared on the CNN stage via HOLOGRAM. Soooo..I guess we live in the future. You know, the Star Wars future. I can't promise I would have stuck primarily to CNN coverage last night had they not thrown in the holoview (hologram+interview=holoview, I'm kitchy, right?). Then they brought in the completely politically unrelated figure, Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas, via hologram to assure that my young eyes stray don't stray to Fox. Well CNN, it worked, ok? You got me.

Last Election night tidbit, I promise: So I think--no, I know-- I would have been more appreciative of the big win had there not been friggen projected results. Ok ok, I would have been annoyed had they not had them, but it's just that they (CNN...) made it soo official looking! It was like "OBAMA IS THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! CNN projects." Right after I read this, some guy went running down the street shouting in glee about this projection! I think I'm just bitter because I didn't emotionally prepare for it enough. I wanted tears! I wanted passion! I wanted screaming! I was just in utter shock. My desired reaction came a bit after, but it just wasn't the same. These are just semantics.

Geez what a whiner I am. I'm not used to being content with a political situation, I've only complained over the last 8 years, so I apologize for unnecessary rants. Wow, it feels good.

Whelp. I'm done here! Stay tuned, I'll be telling all about an awesome music series in Eugene!

21 Going on 50

Lately I've been feeling a bit..well..old. And crotchity. I'm 21-year-old senior in college, I should be out having a ridiculous time every weekend. However, since I have been granted the ability to (legally) drink, I've been quite the homebody.

For a while I was feeling pretty frustrated about my elderly tendencies to be in bed by 10:30, but I've come to realize it's not just me. Last weekend I went to a house party with my roommate and another friend to this monstrous house down the street. I left an hour later. Maybe I'm just an old soul. Or maybe I'm just lame. Eh, whatever.

I've come to realize that I hate being hungover. No, like I really hate it. The whole process of going to buy booze, then drinking it really fast, then being drunk...it all just takes too much out of me. That's it. I'm just lazy. Too lazy to get drunk. Ha! I feel better already.