Want to know the key to success?

Let’s be honest, picking a major is extremely difficult unless you knew your niche before college. I had trouble finding my niche and sometimes struggle to maintain my niche.

I knew I loved talking to people, helping people and basically being around people. Communicating has never been a problem for me. It took be about 2 years and three failed majors to decide I needed to be in a field surrounded by the idea of “people”. Whether I work as a PR guru, marketing professional or writer, I know my niche is people.

When I dove into PRSSA and found my comfort in strategic communication, I found that networking is the key to EVERYTHING. If someone says that networking got them nowhere in life, I would be completely shocked.

I have received internships from knowing people, extending my information and connecting with people in the industry. In any industry and especially the PR industry, you have to be willing to make relationships with other professionals. Those relationships will help guide you, build you and create a long-lasting network of opportunity.

As a senior now, I couldn’t be more thankful for my experiences I have gained and the resume I will leave college with. This all came from networking and communicating with others.

Get out there and socialize, you won’t be disappointed. Attend a PRSSA meeting at Ohio State, go to a PRSA Central Ohio mixer or meet peers for coffee! Create a business card with your information and bring it with you wherever you go because you never know who you will run into. All of these things and more will open doors and build a network you won’t regret.

“5 reasons I love going to my job everyday” – Alan VanderMolen

Have you ever wonder what it you be like to meet a PR pro who works for the biggest PR agency in the world?

I got that chance to hear Alan VanderMolen, CEO and president of global practices at Edelman, speak about the 5 reasons he loves going to work everyday. He was featured at the Ohio State Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) event on Nov. 5.

Here are the top 5 reasons why VanderMolen loves his going to work:

1. PR rising as a serious advisory function
2. Emergence of purpose as corporate strategy
3. Revolution in Media
4. PR Moving to Center Plate in Marketing Mix
5. The guy across the hall from me is from U of M

#5: PR Rising as a serious advisory function-

VanderMolen explained the new dispersion of authority when it comes to media and consumers. This diagram below can help you see the change from past to present day in a more visual way.

 

#4: Emergence of purpose as corporate strategy-

 VanderMolen revealed the 5 building blocks of trust: engagement, integrity, products and services, purpose and operations. PR is all about engagement. The rule of the Chief Communication Officers (COO) has been very important. These professional have to keep all stakeholders in mind. They look at a pyramid from bottom-up. The Communication Manager Officers (CMO) wants to continue to traditional way of looking at everything from top to bottom. Our society has become so integrated with technology changing the way we receive news as consumers

#3: Revolution in Media-

There has been a fundamental shift of roles that PR pros have to take. Getting a message out to the public is not a straight-forward concept anymore. There are so many disrupters to consumers receiving the message. Those 5 disrupters in media VanderMolen believes are Facebook, Twitter, Google, Apple and Amazon.

In the past people had to find the news, seek the paper and research. Now, the news finds us. The revolution in media has changed the game for media. The key take away from this is knowing and understanding that times have changed and the PR industry has to continue to adapt their strategies to those changes.

#2: PR moving to the center plate in marketing mix-

 Technology gets the credit for moving PR into the marketing mix.

#1: The guy across the hall from me is from U of M

O-H…

 After speaking on trends, tactics and his joys of his job, VanderMolen gave the students some advice:

1. Enjoy what you do
2. Get experience – internships, internships, internships
3. Participate in the world
4. Keep learning and reading
5. Be diverse
6. Mix-it-up

On a closing note, listening to VanderMolen inspired me to get out and start exploring the world more. We, as the younger generation, need to seek those opportunities to account for all aspects of the world. Being diverse and enjoying what we do will make our journeys full of success.

Thank you Alan VanderMolen!

Check out www.ohiostateprssa.com for other events going on in the chapter!

How to Make the Most of the Alan VanderMolen Event, via OSU PRactice

Check out this great event going on with Ohio State’s PRSSA!

Ohio State PRSSA

By Megan Hoying

You buy a ticket, arrive on time, get a good seat and listen to the advice of a seasoned professional. Is that all? Going to speaking events can be a great way to get advice from people who have made it professionally, and listening to their talking points can be a great help. However, simply going and listening means you’re missing out on so many great opportunities!

Here are some ideas for getting the most out of Alan VanderMolen’s speaking event:

Do your homework. Make sure you are informed about the event before you attend it. Don’t know anything about Edelman or what a CEO of Global Practices does? Find out! A little Googling beforehand will put you in the loop so you can focus on what Alan is trying to say instead of getting hung up on the details.

Live tweet the event. If you love…

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Have you fallen for the smartphone curse?

Ohio State PRSSA

Ways you can keep yourself healthy and happy in a crazy world!

By: Paige Quinter @paigepossible 

Let’s face it! The times of peace and quiet disappeared the minute smartphones entered this world. People can check their emails, tweet a picture of a pet and browse the web all from the palm of their hand. We are constantly connected and almost obsessed with these devices.

I am guilty of falling into the “smartphone curse” as I like to call it. I find myself waking up in the morning and checking my Twitter account before I even get out of bed. I’ll see what my friends are up to on Facebook before I end my night.

One morning I was watching the Today Show and a segment on smartphones and finding time to disconnect came on. A doctor spoke about the cons of a world driven by smartphones. I had to stop…

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What you should be asking…

As I was checking my Twitter feed today, I ran across an interesting article. “20 Questions You Should Ask a Potential Employer in a Job Interview,” written by Rachel Kay, shares the importance of asking questions and which ones you should ask to a potential employer.

Here are a seven of the questions that I find very important to ask in an interview:

1. What does a day in the life look like for the person who takes this position?
2. What qualities are you looking for?
3. Tel me about the culture here. What are the team members like?
4. I like to challenge myself. Do you support outside education opportunities or conferences?
5. While I know this is an entry level position, would I have the change to participate in client strategy or new business? Those are areas I’m really excited about.
6. I’m anxious to get active in the local PR community, is this something that you encourage?
7. What’s your stance on employee involvement in social media? Is it discouraged?

No matter what type of company you interview at, you must make sure it is a culture you can work in. It is important that you feel comfortable in your workplace environment. A person spends a lot of their time associated with that environment, so it’s extremely beneficial to ask the question of culture. Also, knowing what your workday will look like can help you understand if you could potentially handle the job.

Discussing the qualities your future employer is looking for can be a deciding factor in your job hunt. You have to be willing to understand the qualities you need to have or need to strive for. This will help you gauge what they expect from you upon taking the job offer.

Another great questions that should be asked in an interview is to know if a future employer supports outside education opportunities or conferences. I believe it’s very important to be able to seek outside educational conferences or classes. We can never learn too much. Having this option will help any person grow as a professional and bring great ideas back to the company. It’s a win/win for the employer.

Check out the rest of the 20 essential questions you should ask in an interview here: http://communikaytrix.com/2012/11/01/20-questions-you-should-ask-a-potential-employer-in-a-job-interview/

Pinning in a new way.

If you haven’t heard of Pinterest, you are probably behind in the social media trends. With over 14 million users and being called the U.S. third most popular social media site, Pinterest is taking over the world.

Pinterest is a social media platform full of pictures. You can “pin” what you like and store them on your boards. If you click on the picture, it will lead you to the website or blog that is came from. For example, a picture of butterscotch chocolate treats is posted. Clicking on that particular picture will lead you to recipe.

Many companies and individuals are engaging in this new communication channel. It is another way for a company to promote themselves through a more visualized way. When a consumer sees the product in use, it is easier for them to connect with it. This website allows the consumer to save their favorite pins, which will keep that companies product connected to the consumer longer. Pinterest can help:

1. Drive sales
2. Increase ability to reach a greater audience
3. Gain new customers
4. Brand awareness

Companies have been creating contests through Pinterest.  According to socialmixermedia.com, consumers can win sweepstakes by repining a picture, creating a certain board and following a brand. This is a great way for companies to gain interaction with their audience.

 

Nine companies using Pinterest contests as a tactic:

1. AMC Theaters
2. British Midland International (BMI)
3. HuHot
4. Peugeot Panamá
5. Homes
6. Threadless
7. Victoria’s Secret
8. High Point Market
9. Emailvision

 

“I Can’t Believe You Asked Me That!” – Twitter Chat

Did you know asking your age in an interview is an illegal question?

Did you know that your marital status is off-limits in an interview?

Mindi Wells spoke at Ohio State’s PRSSA member meeting on Oct. 10 on the topic of illegal interview questions. Her “I Can’t Believe You Asked Me That!” presentation highlighted situations where an interviewer asks illegal questions and how to respond. As the speech progressed, a Twitter chat was blowing up #OSUPR. Many members participated in our first Ohio State PRSSA Twitter chat.

Some questions asked during the chat allowed me to share my thoughts and opinions on the topic of interviews. I don’t recall being asked an illegal question during any of my previous interviews, but I will now pay closer attention to the questions asked. When I am in an interview I am thinking about impressing the company and not focusing on illegal questions. If I were to be put into an uncomfortable situation, Mindi gave us great insight on responding to those illegal questions. Many participants gave their view on this type of situation. It is helpful as I near graduation. I will be on many interviews, and I need to make sure I am not degraded, discriminated against or judged on my race or gender. Other topics discussed in the Twitter chat were:

1. Different types of illegal questions
2. Conversations on statements made by Mindi
3. How to present yourself during interviews

The biggest concept I took away from this Twitter chat is protecting myself from illegal questions and focusing the interview on my talents and experiences, rather than the idea of age, marital status or gender.

For more information on illegal questions, check out this informative website: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewsnetworking/a/illegalinterv.htm

Unity through PRSSA

As I entered into this year as the membership chair of Ohio State’s Public Relations Student Society of America, I planned to create a new program to connect older members with younger members. Many benefits to the PeeR Program were set in place to promote connections.

                            1. Creating a networking platform for members

                            2. Promoting friendships through similar interests

                            3. Producing a social environment in PRSSA

                            4. Giving new members an easy transition into PRSSA

My idea for this new program developed after my first year experience as a member of PRSSA. Looking back at my first year, I can’t even find all the words to describe it. It was amazing, full of opportunities, access to network with real professionals and building friendships with people who love the same things I do. I was fortunate enough to know a board member who connected me with many opportunities the minute I joined. From there, I was able to network with a lot of members and become a very active member of the PRactice.  This all in return helped me build my resume. A majority of my experiences I will take with me when I graduate this May are from PRSSA.

My situation was different from many new members of PRSSA, and it was my goal to make sure I created a program to give those new members the same great experience I had last year. The PeeR Program is the perfect program to implement into our chapter.

Every student has a story, every student has struggles and they even bring tons of knowledge and experiences. I think of the PeeR Program as a way to share those stories and receive comfort when struggling with school, internships, work or whatever it may be. It is to build a family through the bond of PRSSA and it takes members to do that. Each one of those members is a piece of what makes our chapter so great. Giving back to this group by honoring the members is what I strive for each day as membership chair.

The big kick-off event starts this Wednesday, Oct. 10 after our PRSSA member meeting. Come to Cuzzins Yogurt on High Street and network with us!

Is too much a bad thing?

I am entering my seventh week of the semester and feeling very overwhelmed. Being a perfectionist, I can’t help but overanalyze at times and add more to my plate. I feel like I go to work, go to my internship, go to class, work on homework, attend school organization meetings and then maybe catch a recorded show – if I am lucky.

How is it that I am able to fit so much on my plate, but unable to enjoy it all? Today I found myself slowing crashing to the ground with my heavy backpack intact.

Balancing life and the professional world (or in my case, the professional world and school), can take a lot of learning. I read an interesting article about 5 tips to better balance work and life, which I should incorporate into my life. This may help anyone else feeling a little stressful.

1. Build downtime in to your schedule

2. Drop activities that use up all your energy (or ask for help!)

3. Rethink your errands (I should divide up my days and tackle a couple tasks at a time.)

4. Get moving (I do try to run in the mornings!)

5. A little relaxation goes a long way

If I could take this information and apply it to my life, I think I would be less stress and less scattered. In life you can always work, work, work, but if you don;t enjoy moments and keep yourself calm, you end up hurting yourself. The worst thing to do to my body is wear it out. Once its wore out, I am done accomplishing anything.

The professional world will bring lots of stress and timely hours. I have to prepare myself to keep a balance life before I enter into the professional world, or I might not be able to survive the shift.

 

Social media – A power house?

This morning I grabbed a cup of coffee, turned on my computer and logged on to a Twitter chat. As I followed along, I found a particular person’s perspective on social media very interesting. The idea that companies use creativity through social media to advance themselves in the industry seems to be a trend. Does social media hold that much power? I think so.

According to mediabistro.com, 94 percent of corporate companies use social media and 85 percent say they use it to gain more exposure. Companies find  it so easy to become more involved in society and expand their audiences with the help from Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkIn, Instagram, etc. They hold contests, promote products, and connect with their consumers, all online.

As a inspiring PR and marketing professional, I find social media the key to success for any company. Think about how much this generation uses social media. It is the mastermind behind my procrastination, millions of people are connected and it seems to be the new form of communication. The opportunities social media provides are in a way responsible for failed and successful businesses. These platforms have given companies access to the world. One click of a button and a companies message is shared.

It will be interested to see social media grow and what is next to come. Will it just keep getting better?

Check out this cool info graphic on social media and corporate businesses – http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/corporate-social-media_b24077