As recent PR grad and job seeker, the last few weeks have being trying for me. I’ve learned a lot about myself and the ever changing world of PR and boy! I’m truly overwhelmed right now. Why? Because there are so many things that I’ve learned recently in the last few weeks that I WISH I had know months ago. Especially when it comes to to job seeking. If I had to go back to college and speak to current students about the “real” world of job hunting, this is what I would tell them.
1. Start blogging now and not just for fun!
I’ve started blogging last year as a school social media project and I’ve been maintaining a personal and beauty blog ever since. I love my blog family. I have I’ve meet some awesome people and have really embraced personal blogging as a way to express myself, vent trials and joys and just share my life with total strangers. What I didn’t realize is that I could have done the same thing with my professional career months ago. Having a professional blog about your field of interest is a great way to network with others, share a little more about yourself to potential employers and be an integral part in your online presence. You can link you blog from all your favorite social networks sites and list it on resume to give employers a closer looks at your work, your experience and your personality. Plus an established blog let’s people know you’re dedicated. Once you get blogging nailed down, buy your web domain.
2. “Other” uses of social media
Now, I’ve had a Facebook and Myspace account since the beginning of time but they were always for social purposes. Like linking up with people from high school, sharing party pictures and scoping out prospective dates. But I recently realized that these same sites and others can also be used to network with professionals in your field. I never took my LinkedIn account seriously and I didn’t see the purpose in Twitter but recently, I’ve gotten tons of great job seeking and career advice (hence my new blog) that I wished I had know months ago. Twitter it’s a great place to learn about internship postings, news and what things are happening in the world of PR. Plus you meet some really great people that are so willing to help! Just ask. LinkedIn is known for being a professional social network that is taken seriously by employers. You can meet real professionals, with real advice and can possibly give you a real job or internship.
3. Intern, INTERN, INTERN
I always knew that interning was important but none of my professors really stressed the issues. Plus, I always believed I couldn’t really intern until I had something to bring to the table in PR and those skills would be gained until my Junior year. But man, I really wished I would have tried anyway. Granted I knew nothing about PR my freshman and even sophomore year, but I wish it would have been instilled in my to try to work one anyway. The more experience you can put on your resume the more it will set your apart from other candidates. In my case, I sort of ran out of time to intern. I worked part-time throughout college, I did one internship at the end of Fall and through Spring of my junior year and the following semester was summer and got a job then graduated. With the economy being the way it is I didn’t realize how hard it would be to get a job ad how much experience I DIDN’T have until it was too late. If you can’t intern then volunteer services at non-profits and local business to build your resume. A l0t of organizations need help with social media tools that you could assist them with. Something is always better than nothing.
4. Start Networking now. Don’t know how? Ask somebody!
One thing I did know in college was about networking. I just never did. You know the saying: “It’s know what you know, it’s who you know” I really believe this saying is true but no one ever tells you how to reach the “who”. The isn’t a guide to networking and because I never knew how plus I was scared I never did it. Wrong! Start now, especially as a student. Back when I attend PRSSA meeting people would always say that going to the PRSA meeting helped them get internships and a meet PR professionals. PRSA members loved to meet students at the meetings and sometimes had internships that they didn’t advertise. From PRSSA and PRSA going online and use those social networks. Find members on Twitter and LinkedIn. They’ll be able to see a little about your experience, goals, your personality and get a link to your blog! But networking now is also the most important in college because it leads to connections that could lead to jobs and that’s what we’re in school for right!?! So get networking.
5. The importance of the personal brand
What is a personal brand? It’s yourself. You, you personality, you skills and expertise is a brand in itself. The first step to managing someone else’s brand is to make sure yours is in line. Starting with your in-person appearance, a good rule of thumb is to look the part.If you want to be a successful PR professional then look like one. Dress professional to interviews and networking activities. Get involved with organizations that they are involved with. Read the books they read, get some business cards and so forth. Also maintaining a good and professional online image is KEY! As you probably have heard employers are Googling prospects to gain more insight on candidates. If they pull up druken pictures from your MySpace you can kiss that job goodbye. Others urge you to maintain a friendly/professional pages but I say differently. All of these sites (Facebook and Myspace particularly) allow you to control you privacy options so your profile can’t be search. I’ve been using my Facebook for Myspace for personal pleasure and I don’t want to feel like I have to censor myself from friends(not to say I’ve have incriminating or wild things to hide), plus it’s a little unfair for employers to snoop. Everything in your personal life may not be a direct reflection of your professional abilities. I do the same with my personal blogs. I don’t share my address anywhere, they aren’t exactly search-able and I can make them private if I chose. Control your brand and keep sites that you want visible professional.
6. Stay Tuned.
I learned alot and I’m still learning. Get started on a blog. Add me and other PR bloggers and come back to see what I have to share!
There is still so much more to learn about job seeking and public relations that they don’t teach you in school. If you take nothing away from this the most important thing to remember is to start early. Get all the advice you can get while you’re still in college and when people are more inclinded to give it you!
Come back again!
Best,
Krystle Glass 
