Archive for September, 2008
4
I have so much empathy for students who have to work to make ends meet and pay for school. During my first year at the University of Oregon as an undergrad, I worked full time. I had worked full-time for about four years between high school and college. I sold cell phones and managed a retail store. It was hard. I didn’t want to work full-time, but I was paying my own way through school and had plenty of expenses, so there was no way around it. After the first year, I realized this situation wasn’t feasible if I wanted to get internships, be involved with PRSSA and succeed in my classes. Something had to give. I chose to move home with my parents, work part-time and seek public relations opportunities. But I know that’s a tough choice and not one that some students have. What if you have to... Continue Reading
3
Last week at our faculty retreat, Jill Davis, the deputy editor for Portland Monthly magazine talked about an exercise that the publication does with their interns to help them reframe and rethink a story for pitching as a freelance writer. She said they often get “tips” from Portlanders revealing the shocking phenomenon of people who have chickens in their backyard. In Portland! In the CITY! It’s so often that Jill said they call it the “backyard chicken story.” Interns must think of 15 ways to tell this story. What if you were pitching … A business editor or publication An entree/food section at a major daily paper or a food-focused outlet The features editor at a major daily paper “Front of Book” sections (typically news briefs or “what’s hot”) The health and wellness section or publication With a home & garden focus (think: Sunset Magazine) A technology publication (this might... Continue Reading
5
I had a discussion last week with a few of the students who were in the summer PR Writing class. We talked about what they learned over the summer and what they could expect in Advanced PR Writing and other courses. One of questions they had was: what do I blog about?? You’ll get lots of ideas from your feed reader. Listening is a big part of blogging. But… here are some more ideas off the top of my head: Take the day’s lecture from a favorite class and post a reaction to it or an opinion about it. PR advice for topics in the news: read the paper (you’re doing that anyway, right?) and post some advice for organizations making headlines in your community. Advice for junior students: share your best advice for succeeding in a course. Most surprising thing you’ve learned today Review a book. Profile a blog... Continue Reading
0
Corinne Weisberger of St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas designs a mean presentation. Content is outstanding and definitely worth a look (or two or three), but hello? the design is gor-geous! I have design envy. Enjoy! Blogging & Managing your Personal Brand View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: commenting identity)... Permalink
2
Busy students and young professionals have to wear a bunch of hats: student, PRSSA member, student-run firm associate, intern, part-time employee, sorority or fraternity leader, son or daughter, friend and the list goes on. Multi-tasking is hard. It’s easy to get spread too thin and not do a great job on any one thing. You’ll find lots of tips on productivity all over the Internets. Some of my favorite sites are Zen Habits, Dumb Little Man, 43 Folders and Freelance Switch. I’ve pulled some of my favorite tips from these sites (and my own experience as a master multi-tasker) to share with you. To start, generally multi-tasking is bad. It takes precious time to shift from task to task (I’ve heard it takes 20 minutes to refocus after an interruption). Minimizing interruptions and creating time and space for each task separately – to the best of your ability – is... Continue Reading
0
Searching for a job or internship? Part of the process is tapping your contacts and supporters for references. Whether it’s a formal reference or an informal introduction, your references can be a crucial factor in your successful search. I’ve talked about this before, but a recent incident brought it back to my attention and it’s certainly worth another post. Your personal & professional references do need some care and feeding to ensure that they are able to help you in the best way possible. Some tips: Ask your prospective references if they are willing to speak to potential employers on your behalf. I have received calls about a student and had no idea that I was listed as a reference. Awkward! Provide your reference with a copy of your CV or resume. If you anticipate that your reference will be called, give him or her the heads up. For me,... Continue Reading
1
Comments