Career Advice for a PR Grad

General advice:

1. Internships matter more than school
2. Networking – meet and connect with as many people as you can, personally and professionally. Also mentors – reach out and ask! Be specific about what you want.
3. Help other people – professors, students, maybe a local organization that needs support
4. Reference letters – collect them from everyone you can.
5. LinkedIn – build up your profile.
6. Look for “clients” to test your skills on.
7. Look for companies where the boss or an associate will let you shadow them for a day. Interview them.
8. Start a blog or Tumblr with your ideas. It will give you practice to act “as if” you are an expert.

Q&A:

Why do you think the public relations field is a fit for you?

• I am a born promoter.
• I like helping worthy people and causes to have an influence in society.
• I like exploring new tools and technologies to get the word out.
• I like to integrate PR with related disciplines to support a brand.
• I like finding ways to engage people while also promoting transparency and open data (accountability).

What is the hardest part of your job?

• Prioritizing in a rapidly changing environment.
• Knowing all the relevant variables, when you know that you can’t know.
• Managing team dynamics.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

• Creating, then organizing a productive kind of chaos.
• Recruiting people for developmental details, internships, etc. Mentoring.

What’s a common mistake that graduates making when applying for jobs?

• Focusing on duties that sound right and ignoring the most important factor – finding a good boss who will support & develop you.

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All opinions my own. Photo by Ron Aldaman via Flickr.