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/