 |
| Courtesy photo |
| From left, Amy Bishop, Carly Garber and Michael Conley attended the PRSSA national conference in Orlando. Bishop won several individual awards and the chapter snagged two top honors. |
At the awards banquet, the IU chapter won the Star Chapter Award and a Dr. F. H. Teahan Chapter Award for Outstanding Regional Activity for its conference this spring, "Get Social: A Blueprint for Social Media Strategy." Senior Amy Bishop won the Betsy Plank/PRSSA Scholarship and the Stephen Pisinski Memorial Scholarship, and two individual awards, a National Gold Key and a National President's Citation. (Read more about the awards.)
Below, students Michael Conley and Carly Garber report on a few of the sessions they attended.
Advice for the job search
By Michael Conley
Oct. 18, 201
During the Internships and Professionals panel, young public relations professionals provided students with real-world advice about applying for internships or entry-level positions, and the best way to stand out among applicants.
Brandi Boatner of IBM, J. Alex Glover of Royal Caribbean, Nick Lucido of Edelman Digital, Ana Sidoran of Visit Orlando and Erika Zayas of Marina Maher Communications provided students with a foundation that they will be able to use when embarking on their career in public relations.
During the job/internship hunt, the panel suggested that students:
- Tap into any connections that you may have made during your college career. These can be professors or peers who would be able to help and give you any insight about the position.
- Research the company. Your resume may get you the interview, but you want to be knowledgeable about the brand.
- Get experience in all different fields of public relations. Taking advantage of this will allow you to figure exactly which field best suits your interests and passion.
- Create an online portfolio showcasing your talents. This could simply include writing samples, resume and/or photography.
- Write, write and write even more. In the world of public relations, it's important your writing skills are top notch. Blogging or writing for your school’s newspaper are just a couple of ways to strengthen your skills.
Hearing from professionals
By Carly Garber
Oct. 16, 2011
Sunday, the PRSSA convention offered a jam-packed day filled with hearing from some of the top professionals in the industry and making some important networking connections.
During the day, Disney World was the farthest thing from my mind. It was time to stay focused and make the most of my time here. Not to directly steal quotes from Aerosmith, but I did not want to miss a thing.
Trying to fit as many sessions as you can into the day means going to bed late and waking up early. This has been the rhythm so far during the conference, and I am not at all unhappy about it. I have been meeting tons of students from all over the country, speaking with members of the PRSSA National Committee, and of course spending our nights beside the pool past midnight, to the dismay of hotel security.
Sunday began with a keynote address by Fox News senior correspondent Rick Leventhal. As a reporter, he considers himself our enemy and our ally as future PR professionals, but he was happy to address what he thinks will make for successful relationships with the press. Leventhal advised students on emailing reporters, catching a reporter's attention and on the correct way to pitch a story.
It was nice to hear experiences from the other side of the media and how a reporter views PR professionals. I think the most important aspect I took away from Leventhal's speech was the importance of establishing relationships with the press. At times, PR professionals believe sending their pitch to as many media outlets as possible is the way to go about it. But if you establish a respectable relationship with a few reporters from different outlets, you have a better chance of creating quality stories for your clients.
By far the other stand-out session Sunday was a talk by CNN’s special investigations correspondent Soledad O'Brien. The session, which was a part of the PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) general session, combined PR students and professionals for an audience of more than 3,000 people.
O'Brien really focused on the value of a great story. She is the creator of the documentaries Black in America and Muslim in America. O'Brien uses her diverse background and knowledge to really find the true story among Americans that will interest society. She emphasized that our jobs should not just be general publicity, but finding the narrative within clients. This will truly engage your audience. This can relate to all aspects of life, not just the professional world, and I am always looking for the true story when meeting people. From experience, I know the story is what interests me, so I know it is what will interest my client's audiences.
Going global: Careers away from home
By Michael Conley
Oct. 16, 2011
Craig Dezern, vice president of global public relations for Disney Destinations, presented a keynote address Sunday. Dezern has worked for Disney since 1996, setting the strategic direction for teams around the world, including Paris and Hong Kong.
Dezern provided students with stories, insight and advice on what it takes to make it to the top a highly competitive industry. For students interested in a career in global PR, Dezern suggested that you:
- Get curious about the world: Take advantage of the opportunities available at your university whether that may be taking a foreign language or going on a study abroad trip.
- Gain some experience through internships with firms that specialize in the global PR field and gain insights from professors or professionals already in the industry.
- Remain open to the destination; not everyone can go to Paris or China. There are other parts around the world that need you as well.
- Avoid the obvious blunders by understanding the cultural customs.
- Have a valid passport.
Meeting and Greeting: Chapter sessions
By Carly Garber
Oct. 15, 2011
IU PRSSA representatives Carly Garber and Michael Conley have finally arrived in Orlando. After weeks of anticipation, Michael Conley and I finally made our way to the PRSSA National Conference in Orlando, Fla. As registration opened today, the Renaissance Hotel at Sea World filled with hundreds of students representing their PRSSA chapters from across the country.
Excited to see other chapters, we headed to our first chapter development session this afternoon. "Seeing the world, once agency at a time," hosted by Grand Valley State University's chapter of PRSSA, dealt with the step-by-step process of planning a chapter visit to a PR agency. One of the most important aspects of our chapter is to provide networking opportunities for our members; seeking professionals in a workplace environment provides face-to-face networking with large agency professionals.
As the co-director of programming for our chapter, I understand it can be difficult to find professionals to come and speak to the chapter, so why not go to them? Grand Valley visited large agencies in Detroit, Chicago and Columbus, and some of its members even found internship opportunities through these trips. It makes us think about how we could arrange these trips and at minimal cost to the chapter. This is definitely a programming option in the near future.
The rest of our evening was spent getting to know student chapter members from all over the country. One of our greatest realizations so far is how many schools have more than 10 people from their chapters representing them at the conference. Maybe having a larger representation from Indiana is something we can consider in the future.