Archive for the Professional Advice Category
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I’ve noticed a trend. Students who are heavily involved in activities will be quick to let you know… in their email signature block. Like most (all!) of what we write in public relations, your email signature line should be appropriate to your target audience. The advice on email signature lines will vary dramatically (just do a search). But here are a few tips for students and young PRos to make the most of this tiny piece of real estate: 1) Keep it simple: Less is more! Include the info your recipient needs – name, basic contact info – and avoid information overload. 2) Create more than one signature block: Your email signature block should not substitute as a resume. If you’re an intern, an account manager at the student-run PR firm, serve on the PRSSA executive board and participate in your sorority or fraternity, that’s all wonderful. However, each of... Continue Reading
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I rarely read for pleasure. And by rarely, I mean r-a-r-e-l-y. Between prepping for class (I enjoy the material, but it’s not for “pleasure”), client work (research! research! research!) and raising a happy, healthy, if not a little goofy, 14 month old, it’s all I can do not to drop into a coma at the end of the day. However, I broke this trend recently when I kept hearing so much great stuff about the Heath Brothers’ book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. A little click-click here and a click-click there and Amazon delivered in just a couple of days. It took me longer than it should to get through the book (review paragraph 2), but let me tell you… I loved it! The Heaths break the concepts of “stickiness” into six major criteria. They give lots of great examples and make it easy to... Continue Reading
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Paull Young of Forward Podcast spends about 10 minutes chatting with a two men – one a Sr. VP and the other at an entry-level position in an agency about skills, tips and advice for your first agency job. Some great tips! David Jones is a Senior Vice President at Fleishman Hillard, Toronto, and one half of the excellent Inside PR podcast. Ed Lee is a senior consultant at iStudio and the author of Blogging Me, Blogging You. Between the two of them they have 19 years of experience in PR agencies. David Young (the Sr. VP): A good understanding of media, being well-read and following different media. Being interested in media. Strong foundation in writing skills are also important. He says these are the two core factors. At a personality level, he’s looking for someone who can add to the team. He may be hiring a jr. level person,... Continue Reading
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I love this analogy! The Ladders, a job search engine that lists jobs mainly in the $100K + salary range, has this terrific site around the 7 deadly sins of interviewing. My favorite is “sloth,” I think. Mostly because I see this with soon-to-be or recent graduates more than I’d like. Excerpt: Winging it is never good, particularly in an interview. Be able to show knowledge of your potential employer, awareness of the industry, and the company’s business strategy. The level of detail in your questions should match your experience. What questions match your level of expertise? If you know you’re going into an entry-level position that is going to be media relations focused, ask questions about the day-to-day of your potential job. Will you be pitching? Or providing support? What kind of mentoring does the agency offer? There are plenty of ways to show your genuine interest in a... Continue Reading
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From Media Orchard (one of mt favorite blogs): 17 Tips for Those Just Starting Out in Business. I would like to highlight #13 13. Accept responsibility when things go wrong. Be ready to say that something is your fault and apologize for your error. Do so even if you have to accept responsibility for something that is technically someone else’s error. You’ll earn respect. I would add to this particular tip – be gracious. Accept responsibility graciously and without excuse, without blame. And you can try this tact even before you go out into the business world. Leave your sense of entitlement that you deserve an A at the door and earn it. As the Media Orchard tip says, you’ll earn respect.... Permalink
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