MBA vs. APR

Although I am just beginning my PR career, I have already begun thinking about continuing my education with an MBA or earning an APR in the future. A group of specialists discussed the benefits of the two options in a seminar I attended at RealWorld.

I definitely think that an MBA is very beneficial when working in a corporate PR setting. When I interned with NCR Corporation it was made very clear to me that an MBA was the way to go in order to advance your career there. They were however, more focused on the business-centric marketing aspect of communications. I wonder how relevant the MBA is in an agency setting. And since I am not sure where my career path will lead me, is it a good idea for me to pursue an MBA in the future?

An APR is an accreditation in public relations, but due to the fact that it is voluntary and not well-known outside of the PR field, its importance is debated. I had never heard of an APR after a full year in the Grady College. My first exposure to the term came from my communications professor, Dr. Sweetster who is an APR. I think that an accreditation is PR is important, but until it becomes mandatory or recognized as a distinction, I am not sure how beneficial it will be to my advancement it the field. PR Maven Julie Rusciolelli discusses the APR in her blog from the viewpoint of a PR firm president.

Making the Transition

Three weeks away from my first day working in a PR agency, I am trying to prepare myself for the transition. As my ultimate goal is to land a job with the agency, assuming I only love the firm more after working there, I am very concerned with making a great impression and making them realize they have to have me permanently. One of my concerns at this point is getting the clothes I need to look the part. Despite working in an office as an intern last summer, the atmosphere was much more relaxed at NCR and my wardrobe is seriously lacking.

I found these internship success tips from the graduating class of an MBA program very helpful. I think it is very important to assimilate into the culture of the agency. One great tip I heard at RealWorld PRSSA is to pay attention to the lunch time routine at the agency. For example, if everyone goes out together or brings a lunch and hangs out in the break room then join in! Lunch is a great, relaxed way to get to know everyone and to give them an opportunity to learn a little more about you.

Another point that has been reiterated by many professionals I have spoken with is the ability to "manage-up." In other words, make your boss look good. Always be one step ahead of the game. Be supportive, but give your opinion respectfully as well. Any thoughts on managing up in the workplace?

Finding Job Openings

Here at UGA we have a great resource for part-time and on-campus jobs called DawgTrak. Finding an agency PR job was a totally different story. As I have mentioned, I found out about most of the positions I applied for through the connections I made at PRSA RealWorld. I also found it very helpful to visit the Web sites of the agencies I was particularly interested in. It is by no means an efficient way of finding open positions, but almost every site had contact information for an internship position

Also, I joined the UGA PRSSA this year which I found very helpful. PRSSA often finds out about internship opportunities that are not posted anywhere else. I also found the PRSA Georgia Internship Directory to be helpful and even got an interview for a full-time position based on their job listings.

Those of us who are just now entering the PR world are very lucky because the industry is booming! I found it very difficult to find an internship last year at this time, but the opportunities seemed to fall into my lap this year. The blog Forward has some great links to job posting sites and career advice for PR newbies.

Passionate about PR

One thing I have discovered after all of my interviews is that PR firms are looking for employees who have what they call "passion." I love PR, I love the work, the people, the way the job changes everyday based on the varying needs of the client, but am I passionate about the job?

Honestly, I think passion is a strong word to use for college graduates. I truly enjoy public relations, but am still undecided on exactly which area of PR I will find the most enjoyable, such as healthcare, technology, consumer or hospitality clients. This is one of the reasons I am starting my career in an agency where I can work with numerous businesses of any type. I want to find my passion.

When I do get into the field, I want to work for clients whose products and mission I believe in so that I can be passionate about my work and about representing the company. In his blog, Kevin Dugan links to an article I found very interesting because it talks about how passion is necessary to be great in PR, because passion is what sells your ideas to journalists.

Dilemma of the Week

After receiving my internship position, I quickly informed the other five companies I was going to interview with that I had already accepted another position. Most were very understanding and wished me luck and asked me to keep in touch. One agency, who I was interviewing with for a full-time job, asked me to still come in as I was one of their top candidates and because they might not hire until August.

The interview went well and at the end I was asked if I would be willing to leave my internship if they offered me a position mid-summer. I told them that my accepting the position would hinge upon how well my internship was going and my other prospects at the time of the offer. The dilemma began when this agency then called me last night and offered me the position. I committed to my internship position over two weeks ago and really love that agency. Should I accept a full-time position over an internship, even if the agency where I would be interning is both a better-known company and fits my personality more?

If I knew I could have a full-time position where I am doing my internship, there would be no question for me that I prefer this agency, but this is simply not the case. I also feel obligated to honor my commitments, right out of college is no time to start burning bridges in the close-nit Atlanta PR world.

Any suggestions? I would love some input!

Questions for the Interviewer

As I mentioned in my last post, it is very important to be prepared with a list of questions to ask the interviewer at the end of any interview. It is important to know the company's Web site, you would not want to ask a question that can be easily answered online. However, asking for clarification of an issue or a topic you noticed online can be an easy way to show you did your homework.

General Questions:
Can you tell me a little bit about the culture of your agency?
How does the agency work to maintain a work/life balance?
What do you like most about working here?
What do you like most about working for a small/large agency?
How does working for an independent/nonindependent PR agency affect your work?

About the Position:
What is the strongest aspect of this internship/position?
What are some of the accounts I could be working on?
How many people work in the department?

After the Interview:
What is the next step?
If given a job offer, what would be my start date?

Topics of personal interest to you:
As a Spanish major, I am interested in the possibility of working with the Hispanic community. Will this option be available to me here?
I noticed your company worked with (client's name), what was unique about this client? What made you decide to go the route you did on their campaign?

These questions provide a starting point. There are several books, such as Ron Fry's "101 Smart Questions to Ask on your Interview," and blogs available to expand on the subject.

Interview Checklist

Over the past few months I have been on several interviews and have developed some great interviewing skills, especially when it comes to a public relations interview. In an effort to help all those aspiring PR professionals who will follow in my footsteps, here is my interview checklist:

1) Be prepared. Have good directions to the business, find out about parking arrangements and the names and positions of the people who will be interviewing you.

2) Research the company. Check the news for recent stories on the company and do extensive searching on their Web site for clients, culture, goals and names of higher ups.

3) Be on time! This should be a given , but again- do not be late! This says to the company that the position is that important to you.

4) Make a list of questions ahead of time. At the end of every interview, the interviewer says, "Do you have any questions?" No, is the absolute worst answer you can give. Prior to every interview I made a list of questions I wanted to know about the company and the position to let the interviewer know I was intuitive and interested in the company.

5) Practice interviewing. Visit the career center at your school and go on as many interviews as possible for the experience, even if it is not your dream job.

Success!

All of my hard work has finally paid off! After four months of balancing my job search, waiting tables, my campaigns class, my other classes and Creative Consultants, I have finally secured a summer internship position.

I will be working on the HP team of Porter Novelli, my favorite agency after all of the interviews. As soon as I spent some time with the PR specialists at PN, I knew that was where I wanted to be this summer. After my intership with NCR Corporation last summer, I had an understanding of technology public relations that very few people my age have. I never knew my NCR internship would prove to be so beneficial in my job search!

I am so excited to begin my public relations career and could not be happier with the agency I will be working with.

Open House or Reality Television?

I was recently invited to attend an internship open house session with a PR agency I was interested in. The open house began with a series of presentations from account executives and the Atlanta office director. Each of the prospective interns were then given a colored dot that corresponded to a specific question which we answered to the whole group.

After the information session, we all went to a conference room for snacks, drinks and mingling. The mingling ended up feeling more like the first night of The Bachelor to me. All of the intern applicants were vying for "one-on-one" time with the professionals, who were far less in number. There were snacks, but everyone was either too nervous to eat or too worried about being approached with a full mouth. Although there was no rose ceremony, each of us left hoping and praying that someone would remember our name and speak for us.

Luckily, I was offered a second interview with the agency. Despite the awkward, high stress situation, I was very glad I attended the session and met with the members of the agency. It allowed me to really experience their culture and it gave me the opportunity to make someone to remember my name, face and resume.

The Informational Interview

The actual usefulness of informational interviews has been debated by many people in public relations. Speakers at job fairs and career counselors all swear by the networking capabilities that informational interviews provide, but many high-level PR professionals are advising students to be more creative.

I actually had the pleasure of going on two informational interviews early in my job search. One ended up being more like a real job interview, which is one potential advantage, and the other taught me that the agency I was visiting was not for me. This, in my mind, was just as helpful as finding out that I loved the agency, because then I was able to move on and focus my attention on other agencies.

Some suggestions as far as informational interviews go:

• Keep it informal. If you are going in looking for a job, then ask for a job interview, not an informational interview.
• Arrange interviews with PR specialists you have already met, such as at a professional conference or a job fair. Or, do some research and contact a specialist that shares a common interest with you. For example, an alumni from your school or someone who works with a particular client you are interested in.
• Have a list of questions in mind. In a truly informational interview, it is you interviewing the agency, not vice versa.