To all college students studying PR: I’m sure this will shock you, but you don’t learn everything you need to know about working in public relations from that expensive text book. Now, I’m not saying you’re not learning something valuable; in the “real world” of public relations you need to understand key concepts to grasp the industry as a whole. But as a recent graduate who is now working at a PR agency, I’m here to tell you that what you learn in college doesn’t prepare you for everything.
Before I joined MMC I was something of a professional intern. I had worked at several agencies, dabbling in different specialties of PR. While I took away something valuable from each internship, there were still a few things I didn’t truly grasp until I got a full-time job. Here are a few things you should know that you may not learn in college:
Professional Emails
Sure, we all know how to email. Type. Send. End. Right? Wrong. You know what I wish they taught in school? How to send client emails. You’d think this would be a no brainier, but actually there’s a lot of thought involved. You need to be clear and extremely concise yet provide enough information so the client understands the rationale for your decisions. I’m already exhausted. Maybe it’s just me – but this is a fairly simple task. But my first client email was revised multiple times and took a solid 30 minutes just to pull together.
Time Management
You thought you were multitasking in college by updating your Facebook status while simultaneously glancing at the index cards for your next final – but that was child’s play. Multitasking in the real world is no small feat. When you are managing four different projects throughout the course of a day it may not seem too overwhelming – until you realize that all their deadlines are EOD, or mid afternoon, or yesterday. Take a deep breath, make a list, and then plow through it.
Powering Down
Close of business may be 6 p.m., but we in PR know this is rarely the close of the day. Something pressing is always looming and needs taking care of. It’s difficult to power down, as much as you’d like to, but it’s essential if you are going to maintain the fresh thinking you were hired for. So turn off that Blackberry when you can!
Say No
This is something I struggle with, especially as an entry-level person. As interns we’re trained that the answer is always “yes.” “Yes, I can do that.” “Let me get that for you.” You will do anything for the opportunity to knock one out of the park. At entry-level in PR you still need to maintain this attitude. You may have made it through the door, but how will you continue impressing people? But be smart about saying , “No, I can’t handle this. My plate is full.” Assess what you really can accomplish and don’t say yes when it will mean missing deadlines for other projects.
Speak Up
Your managers want to keep you happy and challenged, so don’t be afraid to tell them about your interests or what projects you’d like to work on. At MMC it is not unusual to see a junior level employee working with those in the corner offices on a new business pitch – or for someone to split their time between Health & Well-Being and Food & Beverage clients because they are passionate about both areas. Speaking up about what else you want to do will allow you to have a more well-rounded experience professionally.
These are just a few of the things the “real world” taught me that college didn’t. Keep them in mind as you transition from college senior and intern to entry-level employee. Doing so will put you one step ahead when you begin your first full time position. Good luck!
As soon as my team returns from our Holiday Gift Week, the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day during which MMC is closed, we immediately start to think about the summer. In case this sounds a bit premature, I’m referring to MMC’s Summer Graduate and Internship Program. My colleagues and I revisit our program every year to ensure we attract top talent at the junior level and remain competitive with the opportunities being offered by other agencies.
Talent at the junior level undoubtedly becomes stronger every year. The qualifications for a graduate or undergraduate internship at MMC has always included excellent research and writing skills; a knowledge of current with events and trends; demonstration of strong initiative, good judgment and creative flair. However, we’ve put a much larger emphasis on digital savvy and social media presence in recent years. A recent graduate’s social media footprint is their defining quality as new talent. Unlike those of us who have been in the workforce for years, junior talent never referred to social media as “new media.” The social space has always been their playground and their level of online expertise is both a requirement for our summer program and an opportunity as they can immediately put those skills to work.
Regardless of level, MMC candidates are active in social networks. They connect with me on LinkedIn following their interview, “like” Marina Maher Communications on Facebook and follow @MMCtweets on Twitter. They actively discuss PR industry insights, trends and relevant news on these networks and know how to leverage them, whether for clients or their own personal brand during the job search process. In addition to engaging in social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, many recent hires have blogs themselves, including F&B JAE Taylor Foxman and Health & Well-Being AAE Jenna Glynn.
Because being digitally savvy is so important, we have to ensure staffers continue to be engaged online and ahead of social media trends once onboard. This means infusing our three key summer program areas of client management, training and development, and new business development with digital components and learning opportunities. Our interns will onboard with our social media team, work closely with account teams executing social media tactics, participate in MMC Masters training courses and digitally-focused webinars, and finally, create a program and presentation for a new business opportunity with social media at its core.
Sound like the type of opportunity you might be right for this summer? The application criteria for our 2012 Summer Program is more focused than ever before on getting to know you beyond your resume; your resume and relevant experience should be available to me on LinkedIn anyway! In addition to your resume, we’re looking for a brief creative bio and sample blog post. Cover letters need not apply! Most importantly, we’re looking for you to have FUN when developing these application materials! In case you missed the details on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, check out MMC’s Open Positions page for program specifics.
And just one final word of advice: candidates who understand that “To Whom It May Concern” does not work at our agency tend to get a leg up on the competition. Instead, they use LinkedIn to identify and contact me, Kate DiChristopher, Human Resources Manager or Julie Conway, Director of Talent Acquisition. We look forward to hearing from you!
Happy Friday, everyone, and welcome to this week’s edition of Five for Friday!
From a controversial campaign against copyright enforcement bills, to trends, acquisitions and everything in between, we had a ton of headlines to comb through this time around. Followed are just five of that caught our eye:
Furthering their commitment to Open Graph, Facebook has added support for more than 60 new partner apps. Expect alerts from friends who use tools like Foodily, Ticketmaster, TripAdvisor and Pinterest to start filling up your Tickers any day now… (Source: The Washington Post).
The New York Times has called Wednesday’s online protests against the Stop Online Piracy (SOPA) and Protect IP (PIPA) Acts “a political coming of age for the tech industry.” In response to flames being fanned by sites like Google, Boing Boing, Reddit and Wikipedia (where more than 162 million people saw the protest message), 4.5 million people signed a petition and 18 senators have backed away from the proposed legislation… (Source: Various).
YouTube has announced the launch of a film festival that will play out online. The Your Film Festival will take submissions of short films (up to 15 minutes in length) between February 2nd and March 31st. Fifty semi-finalists will be selected by Scott Free Productions, a company headed by famed directors Ridley and Tony Scott. Those 50 films will (eventually) live on a channel where users will be able to view and vote for their favorites. The top 10 finalists will have the opportunity to show their work at the Venice Film Festival. Cool… (Source: YouTube).
Our friends at Apple have released a new app that makes creating an e-book as simple as dragging and dropping. The iBooks Author App automatically determines the best layout and creates appropriate sections and headers. Users can move and resize images within the text, add definitions, photo galleries, movies, Keynote presentations and 3D objects before previewing their creations on their iPads or publishing them to the iBook store. Anyone involved in content creation can see tons of application here – oh, and it’s free… (Source: CNET).
While we’re on the subject of Apple, the Company has received approval on a patent that could make wearable tech the next big thing in apparel. The patent suggests that a whole line of “smart garments” (think Nike+, but for more than sneakers) are in our future, from shirts, to sweatpants, skates to skis. According to insiders, these garments would be able to “tell” us when they’ve reached their expected lifetime and when they need to be replaced. Crazy… (Source: Mashable).
What story grabbed your attention this week? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss!
Images courtesy of Getty Images
COVERGIRLs Ellen DeGeneres & Sofia Vergara Show Off Their Beauty Skills on The Ellen DeGeneres Show: If you caught The Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday, you may have seen COVERGIRLs Ellen DeGeneres and Sofia Vergara team up to share the beauty benefits of the new COVERGIRL + Olay Tone Rehab 2-in-1 Foundation. MMC worked closely with the show’s producers on the integration — a hilarious segment where Ellen makes Sofia read from a script while they team up – literally – to demonstrate how to apply the makeup. Click here to see the video.
Sofia Vergara and Paula Patton Get Red Carpet Ready with COVERGIRL: While Modern Family took home the Golden Globe for “Best TV Comedy” on Sunday, it was Sofia Vergara and Paula Patton’s COVERGIRL beauty looks that stole the show on the red carpet! COVERGIRL partnered with makeup artists Kayleen McAdams and Fiona Stiles to get the beauty details on the red carpet looks for COVERGIRLs Sofia Vergara and Paula Patton. As MMC shared the expert tips with online beauty media Sunday evening, USWeekly.com, Elle.com, Accidental Sexiness, Total Beauty and many others buzzed about Sofia’s bright plum lip and Paula’s bold lashes.
Happy Friday (the 13th), fellow friggatriskaidekaphobiacs, and welcome to this week’s edition of Five for Friday! Lots happening in the world of Social Media this time around, so without further delay, let’s take a look at some of the headlines that caught our eye:
In an example of “what not to do,” the owner of an Atlanta restaurant has apologized for a profanity-laced rant he made to in response to a negative review on Yelp. Instead of offering the patron a free meal, he went on a Social Media bender, accusing the critic of stiffing the waitress. He even posted a picture of her and linked to her Facebook page – oof! Feeling the heat after their battle caught fire, the proprietor removed his posts and (finally) offered a formal apology along a coupon for a free meal. Too little too late, or…? (Source: The Huffington Post).
According to a recent BlogHer survey, women more often turn to blogs rather than Social Networks to help with a consumer electronics purchases. Among the respondents, blog reviews and recommendations led by a wide margin (69%), followed by review sites (48%), visits to a retailer (47%) and manufacturer sites (46%). Surprisingly, Social Networks lagged (35%), as did Twitter (19%) and mobile apps (3%)… (Source: Marketing Charts).
Forbes’ Haydn Shaughnessy says the top Social Media influencers have three key behaviors in common: they’re active on a number of channels, they create and maintain high-quality networks and they participate often. Surprisingly, he makes no mention of ethics, journalistic standards or adoption of best practices, such as FDA or FTC guides… (Source: Forbes).
The launch of Search, plus Your World by Google continues to draw considerable criticism from users and experts alike. Questions about privacy, security, anti-trust concerns, the fate of Facebook and whether G+ results would be weighed more heavily are still gathering steam in what seems to be the latest in a string of headaches for the search giant. Hate to say it, but we see a ton of potential in deeper integration and a more personalized Search experience. What do you think? Has Google shot themselves in the foot or are they on the right track? (Source: Various).
Being able to say that you have the attention of approximately 1/7th of the entire global population is no joke. Such is the case with Facebook who’s quickly approaching the 1 billion user mark. Having already surpassed $1 billion in revenue, the Network is gearing up for what is expected to be a one of the largest initial public offerings for a Web company. Based on analyses, implied valuations are expected to fall somewhere between $50 and $100 billion… (Source: MSN Money).
Do you have a story to share? Drop us a comment and let’s discuss!
Image courtesy of Digital Trends
MMC was at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week and, as had been predicted, heard a lot of news about tablets and e-readers.
To compete against the dominance of the iPad, many companies are introducing tablets running on Android or Windows 8, and at a variety of price points. Even traditional e-readers (such as Amazon’s Kindle or Barnes & Noble’s Nook) are evolving to include tablet-like functionality. According to recent statistics, 65% of Americans are expected to own a tablet or smartphone by 2015. With a user base topping 82 million, the consumption of media through these devices will only increase.
Women purchase the majority of tablets. Nielsen said in August that 61% of all eReader owners are now female, compared to a mere 46 percent in Q3 2010. Tablet owners are also using other forms of media less: 39% of tablet users say they use their laptop less frequently, while 20% admit to not reading print magazines as often.
This quickly growing phenomenon gives marketers many exciting opportunities to spread the word about their brands and tie advertising and PR more closely to sales. Via their tablets, readers can share products and brands they love through Social Media, increasing word-of-mouth about the publication and the product. Tablet-only newspapers and magazines can enable direct links to purchase or provide geo-specific links that guide consumers to the nearest point of purchase. And there are probably endless opportunities to partner with retailers to offer promotions through location-based check-in.
MMC is embracing this trend with gusto. What about you?
Photo credit: Ashley Sears
Honey Bunches of Oats made history last night as the first cereal to sponsor the People’s Choice Awards. On behalf of client Honey Bunches of Oats, MMC invited influencers from Glam.com and Betty Confidential to Los Angeles to share their Red Carpet prep experiences and minute-by-minute Tweets. The Honey Bunches of Oats Viewing Suite in New York City brought the star-studded experience to the East Coast for food and entertainment media, who watched the event live while sampling Honey Bunches of Oats’ newest flavor, Fruit Blends, as well as other delicious goodies featuring Honey Bunches of Oats. Between snacking and star-gazing, attendees experienced their own moment in the spotlight, sharing photos with their social media followers from our interactive photo booth.
