Agency Tour Provides PRSSA Students with Motivation, Insight

This might be hard to believe, but before yesterday, I had never been inside a PR agency. Now that I have, I don’t know why I waited so long. The experience informed, enlightened, and motivated me, and I encourage every student to participate in an agency tour either individually or as part of a group.

As an executive board member for USF’s PRSSA chapter, I collaborated with the rest of the e-board as we planned our first agency tour in over two years. Our Vice President, Carissa Caricato, suggested touring Roberts Communications, a leading integrated communications firm located in the historic Ybor district in Tampa. Roberts is renowned for reaching out to PR students at USF, and immediately agreed to host our members for a tour of its offices.

When I arrived at Roberts with our president Theresa Sharkey, I didn’t know what to expect. As soon as I stepped into the office, I relaxed. The physical layout of Roberts is conducive to creativity and productivity—large open spaces, calming yet colorful walls, and trendy art décor. I’m beginning to appreciate the various cultures of different agencies, and this is why touring an agency is important in the job search process. Experiencing the professional environment can help you formulate an opinion about the type of work the company produces, and will give you a better idea about your level of compatibility with the firm.

After the tour, we participated in a dynamic question-and-answer session with four Roberts employees: President and CEO Colleen Chappell, Principal Christine O’Connor, and recent USF graduates Katy Parsons and Meggan Mabry.

Each person offered their own perspectives based on their statuses in the company, and they provided some outstanding advice for young PR professionals:

• Constantly Raise Your Hand – President Colleen Chappell encouraged us all to take every opportunity we could to advance ourselves professionally and to learn about the industry. She said she got where she was today because of her curiosity and tenacity, and that’s what she looks for in future new hires. She said she never cowered from a job because she didn’t meet the qualifications—instead she proved her determination and commitment to educating herself, which helped her land prominent roles throughout her career. So don’t be afraid to raise your hand to ask questions and accept new challenges.
• Send Thank You Notes and Build a Portfolio – Principal Christine O’Connor echoed Colleen’s advice about being courageous, driven, and committed. She also said that Roberts will not interview anyone without a portfolio, nor will she hire anyone who does not send a handwritten thank-you note after an interview. This is practical advice means students need to start collecting work for portfolios ASAP. Christine said that the work could come from internships, extracurricular activities, and even classes. And whatever you do, go stock up on stationery for those thank-you notes!
• Go for your Dreams – Both Colleen and Christine told students to go for their dreams, especially while they are still young. Colleen explained how when she graduated she only wanted to work in Miami or New York, and there was no stopping her. She said the experience she gained while working in another market helped her immensely, but she also got the “Miami bug” out of her system and was able to happily relocate back to Tampa. This motivated me to keep looking for jobs in the D.C. market, which is where I want to live after graduation in May, and I hope it does the same for other students looking to work in markets outside of where they go to school.
• Reach out to Professors and Professionals for Assistance – Meggan and Katy stressed developing mentor relationships with professors and area professionals. They said this can help when creating your résumé and portfolio, finding jobs, networking, or preparing for interviews.
• Set up Informational Interviews - Christine said that students should set up several informational interviews with various firms or companies, and should not actively seek employment, but use these opportunities to learn more about the organization and the industry. Even though that particular company might not have an opening, if you impress the interviewer, he or she might pass your information along to a friend who does have availabilities.

After the discussion, we all went to lunch at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company. Several other Roberts employees joined us, and while it was a great networking opportunity, it was fun to have casual conversation with people who are doing exactly what I want to be doing in the future.

PRSSA is planning another agency tour at Spark Brand sometime in April. We’ll keep you all updated. For those readers not in the Tampa area, I hope you will suggest this to your own PRSSA/IABC/FPRA chapters or plan one for yourself!

Immigrants to the U.S. Offer Interesting Look at Fitzgerald Classic

Like many, the first F. Scott Fitzgerald literature I encountered was The Great Gatsby. Even at 15, the novel struck me, with its ideas of capitalism, love, and the American Dream.

The New York Times ran an intriguing story that showed how 21st century students, especially first and second generation immigrants to the U.S., interpret Gatsby’s quest for the ephemeral Dream.

Here’s one students take, as quoted in the article:

“I think this American dream is an interpretation of a white poor man’s dream,” Nicole Doñe, 17, whose family is from the Dominican Republic, said during a lively class discussion. “For me the American dream is working hard for something you want. It’s not about having money. My dream is to get an education that I can’t get in the Dominican Republic, to live comfortably.”

I invite you all to read the article. I believe it coincides with my post about the importance of recognizing globalization in the communications industry. Messages are translated differently depending on culture, and this is why cultural understanding is growing increasingly important.

4 Reasons Why College Students Aren’t Blogging—Even Though They Should Be

Last week, Ryan Paugh of Employee Evolution gave me the idea to write a post about why more college students aren’t blogging. Immediately, I accepted the challenge and started pounding out a post. Seven-hundred words later, I realized my post had turned into a rant. While it felt great to vent about my lack of peers in the blogosphere, I wasn’t sure the post would actually benefit anyone, so I saved it in my files but never posted in on my blog.

Now that some time has passed, I find myself still thinking about the issue, but with a little less… fiery anger, if you will.

So why aren’t more college students blogging? I can only think of two people my age who actively blog, and one of them I made do it because he is the Student Body President and I’m the Director of Marketing and Public Affairs, which means I can force him to try new marketing programs whenever I want.

The buzz in the industry is that blogging catches attention, enhances your writing skills, builds an online social network, and, ahem,
affects the hiring process.

But that doesn’t seem to be enough incentive, so what keeps students from blogging? I’ve made some assumptions, but please, feel free to add to it!

1. Lack of time – College students have hectic schedules, and after long days of classes, studying, and interning, the last thing they want to do is spend time blogging. This is my advice: posts don’t have to be long! Some of the best are less than 250 words, in fact, readers’ attention spans are short, so no need to write lengthy essays! Also, you can blog as much or as little as you want—it’s about quality, not quantity.
2. Lack of ideas – Many of my peers say they don’t know what to write about. I suggest finding someone’s blogroll and following it for a while. Interact with the bloggers—leave comments and participate in the various dialogues. This will not only give you ideas, it will also get you active in the community. This can help in the “lack of time” category, too (two birds with one stone, anyone?). Kudos to my classmate Tory for being a pro at this. Even though she doesn’t blog right now, she is involved in the blogosphere, which keeps her up-to-date on industry trends and earns her some much-deserved recognition.
3. Lack of Knowledge About Blogging – This one kills me. College students could potentially have some of the most fascinating blogs as they are constantly presented with new ideas in their classes, activities, and social lives, but they don’t blog about it because they “aren’t really sure how.” WordPress and Blogger are fool proof, so log in and start writing!
4. Apathy – The last reason is that many students just don’t care. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done about this, but I hope as more students are rewarded with jobs, internships, and scholarships they will find some value in this medium.

It’s upsetting that more of my friends and classmates don’t blog, and not just because I’d like a larger readership (ha), but because I know the importance of social media. As Chris Clarke said, blogging no longer makes you exceptional—it’s expected.

Well, that’s my take, but I’m interested in what you all think.