Tag Archives: Internships

February 14, 2013 · 2:13 PM

Tips for the Career Fair

By: Whitney Hatano 

If the warm weather and sunshine hasn’t been enough of a clue that spring is among us, then maybe the Spring Career & Internship Fair will be. The fair will be held on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 from 10:00am-3:00pm in Baker Ballroom. Most college students attend at least one career fair in their years at school. At first the concept of a career fair may seem extremely nerve racking and stressful but in the end it is a worthwhile experience. Try not to fret too much; here are a few tips for success at this year’s career fair!

A common piece of advice is to dress professionally! It doesn’t matter whether one is searching for a life long career or just attending the fair for the first time. Chances of a business taking you seriously while you’re still in your PJs are slim to none. First impressions are very crucial and you never know whom you’re going to meet. Being overdressed is more forgivable than being underdressed. The dressed up also does not mean putting on your going out outfit, make sure to clean up and look appropriate.

One of the most important tips is to do your research before the event. With long lines and packed rooms, it’s hard to scope out the entire fair without feeling even more overwhelmed than you probably already are. You also need to take into consideration that not every booth is suitable for you. Researching the companies present beforehand will make it easier for you to filter out which booths are worth stopping at. On the same note, be careful not to rule out any options because you may just be surprised about what a company has to offer. Research different companies by visiting their websites and reading their values and option positions to get a feel for their business. Social media is also becoming a great tool for companies, so try checking out their Twitter or like their Facebook page, too!

Maintaining a positive attitude throughout the day can be tiresome, but keep that smile and handshake firm. If you show you’re genuinely interested in the employer, then they’re going to be just as enthusiastic to give you more information about themselves. Bringing your resume is only half of the battle; you have to have an impressive personality too. Potential employers are not going to want to hire someone who isn’t going to add to their company rapport. Try not to sell yourself too much though, employers want to hear about the real you, not a pitch you’ve repeated to every other booth.

These are only a few tips that can be used to make your career fair experience successful. Just remember to look professional, do your research and bring you’re a-game. Career fairs shouldn’t be scary; they are here to assist students in meeting new people and creating a professional network for free! 

 

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January 31, 2013 · 6:44 PM

How To Network Using Social Media

Marisa Dockum

LinkedIn and Twitter serve as better networking tools than you might think.  The power of networking is endless, especially now with easy access to professionals via Twitter and LinkedIn. Here are a few tips to improve your online visibility and build a network:

  1. Never send a generic LinkedIn connection invite.  In order to stand out and make things personal, you must take the time to write a nice blurb on how you know them or explain why you would like to connect with them.
  2. Clean up your Twitter account to make sure it is appropriate before you begin attracting professionals.
  3. Don’t have full-blown conversations on Twitter.  Make an initial connection with a tweet, but then continue the conversation via email or direct messages.
  4. Use hashtags such as #intern, #internships, #HAPPO, #PR,etc. and directly tweet at companies or people who work there about news/events that are happening at those companies.  When you express interest in what that agency is actually doing, you will get noticed.
  5. Don’t get to the point right away, start by asking about the professional’s experience or for advice.  PR people love to talk about themselves and want to feel like they’re helping someone out from their expertise. So, allow them to do that and they will be more likely to then talk about a job or internship opportunity.
  6. Join Twitter chats, ask questions and share your answers.  Your questions could get noticed by a professional looking for an intern, and your active online presence will impress professionals.
  7. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and error free at all times, especially before you connect with professionals.
  8. Utilize the LinkedIn headline in a creative way.  For example, “PR major seeking internship in NYC,” and be active in different LinkedIn groups.

As a pre-professional, it is your job to seek out professionals, companies, PRSA young professionals and alumni on Twitter and LinkedIn.  Let your personality shine online, and do what we do best: communicate.  Actively tweet about PR news, tweet at professionals and companies, use hashtags, and connect on LinkedIn with personal messages.  These tips will allow you to network with the industry and establish a solid online presence, but most importantly it will highlight YOUR brand.

Go forth young professionals, use social media networking to your advantage!

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December 5, 2012 · 3:16 PM

PR For The Holidays: The Gift of Branding and Internships Event Recap

By: Kiley Landusky, Internal Account Associate

On a cold, rainy day on December 2nd the OU ImPRessions holiday party, “PR for the Holidays: The Gift of Internships and Branding” brought together account supervisors, executives and associates from the seventeen accounts for warm holiday cheer, warm wishes from fellow members and of course, warm food. The guests were greeted with a nametag and agenda listing the speakers that would later give valuable advice and praise of the spectacular PRSSA-affiliated group.

The party was kicked off with various potluck foods provided by members of ImPRessions. An introduction by Heather Bartman, Sienna Tomko and Dan Mulvey created excitement for the student guest speakers. Heather, Sienna and Dan stressed the importance of ImPRessions, their joy of its success and their gratitude for everyone being together before the terror of final exams.

We are quite lucky to claim the PR stars Hollie Amato, Nicole Spears and Sam Tischler as our own and even luckier that they agreed to present their successes and experiences in their internships after the friendly introduction from Heather, Dan and Sienna. Sam started by sharing her PACE employment experience and tied it to her experience in ImPRessions as well as her classes at Ohio University. She took pride in being a member of ImPRessions and said “this will teach you how to work in a group setting,” similar to how you would work in an internship. She encouraged the group to value every part of our experience as OU students and said, “Everything you do should be taken as a learning experience”.

Nicole Spears took the spotlight after Sam and let us in on her experience of interning in France. She gave us advice on what to do prior to any foreign internship. A commonly overlooked process before applying to foreign internships was translating your resume to the appropriate language of the country you choose to visit. Although the language barrier was the most difficult thing for her, Nicole was firm on stating that her experience was a great one and encouraged all to travel abroad. She said “you’ll meet a lot more people with global backgrounds,” which will help greatly in the new environment students will have to embrace in internships and careers.

After Nicole, Hollie Amato spoke about her work during an internship with Akhia, a public relations and marketing communications agency. She emphasized her use of ImPRessions on her resume, stating, “definitely brag about ImPRessions because it’s worth bragging about” and ImPRessions “gave me hands-on experience and examples”. She also told her fellow ImPRessions members to archive their work as they go for use in a future portfolio.

The guest speakers gave great advice for the current ImPRessions accounts and how to translate it to a professional setting in the future.

The accounts then gave us a short summary of their accomplishments thus far as well as their goals for spring semester. Just about every account discussed their social media activity and goals to enhance and increase their social media in the upcoming semester.

Some highlights from the account summaries were, the E.W. Scripps School account has 2,842 Twitter followers and the College Bookstore upped their followers from around 120 to 220! The Athens County Humane Society also gained 182 likes on Facebook. For the most part the accounts shared a common goal of reaching out to more people via social media.

Another common activity was the use of surveys to track the progress and outreach of accounts such as the GoBus account, which received 271 survey responses, nearly reaching their goal of 300. ImPRessions accounts seriously appreciate their audience and are always looking to give back to OU students as well as the Athens community.

Listening to all of the successes of ImPRessions members and their drive to be even greater as a firm and as separate accounts secured the pride of being an OU student. Bringing everyone together for this event made for a great welcome back from Thanksgiving break and a warm goodbye and seasons greetings before traveling home for the holiday break.

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November 15, 2012 · 4:59 PM

Tips For A Successful Internship Search

By: Whitney Hatano

After weeks of getting back into the swing of school, it’s officially that time of the year. And no, I don’t mean that time where students get to go home for Thanksgiving break. I’m talking about searching for internships! I know it doesn’t sound like an appealing thing to do while on a break from class, but trust me, it’ll be worth it when you do.

Your first question is probably, “Where do I look for an internship?” There are plenty of websites and outlets for you to browse around and see what works best for you. However, some websites are more helpful than others. There have been many good and successful stories from students who have used websites like www.vault.com, www.internqueen.com, www.internships.com, and www.internmatch.com. Each of these websites have so much information and reviews to help guide you in the right direction. These websites ask for keywords and locations that assist students in the matching of internships.

PRSSA members can utilize their membership by searching the PRSA database which houses hundreds of internships in different areas. Finally, simply talking with fellow classmates about past internships can connect you with your dream job. With these tools, finding an internship is as easy as typing the word into Google.

Working everyday over summer vacation does sound like a bit of a drag, but there are so many benefits of doing an internship that outweigh the only con. It’ll assist you in gaining valuable work experience, building your resume and networking. Internships will also provide real life experience that you may not get in the classroom. Internships are such a great learning experience and are too good to pass up.

Happy hunting!

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July 5, 2012 · 3:13 PM

5 Tips for Staying Connected and Updated this Summer

By: Ashleigh Mavros

Just because you didn’t land your dream internship or you wanted to work to save money this summer doesn’t mean you can’t return in the fall with a better insight into the PR world. This is your golden opportunity to get ahead with some simple tasks that you haven’t had the time for or quite frankly haven’t crossed your mind. Stay on top of your game and make the following your list of to-do’s before your summer vacation is over.

Connect. Now is the time to pull out the stack of business cards and a list of contact information to get in touch with the connections you’ve made over the year. Something as simple as sending an email to let them know what you’ve been up to or asking a burning question you may have is sufficient. Even better, if you’re in town try to meet for coffee. “To me, it’s not so much about the initial outreach; rather, I’m more likely to remember a student who ‘checks in’ every once in a while,” said Experience Columbus Marketing Coordinator Sandi Combs. Dig back through all your contact information from PRSSA speakers, past internship advisors, and connections made at networking events and start building that connection base.

Blogs. Since you’re out of class you may feel disconnected to any news and information relating to the industry; it’s time to head to an online blog to get your daily dose of PR. A favorite among professionals and students alike is PRDaily.com which features useful articles on topics ranging from social media, crisis planning and marketing.  Other blogs to keep an eye on include Technorati.com and Mashable.com. By checking in weekly with a favorite PR-related blog, you won’t feel like you’ve been hiding under a rock come fall.

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Informational Interviews.  “The biggest thing is making a connection in the professional world. And if an opportunity comes up for an internship or entry-level job in my office, it’s nice to have a few students who I know might be good candidates for that role,” said Andy Dearth of Live Nation on opportunities that one day may come from informational interviews.  Set up an interview with a firm or business you might be interested in, especially one in which you already have a connection. Do some research before the interview, have a list of questions prepared and look at the interview as a learning experience and a networking opportunity that will give you incredible insight.

 

Books. Yes, it’s summer and you don’t want to even think about picking up anything remotely similar to a text book. However, if you have any interest in the ever-changing roles that social media and technology play in PR, you won’t be able to put these two books down. Likeable Social Media by David Kerpen explores every vital social platform in today’s society including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs and more. The emphasis on the two way connection and discussion with an audience through social media makes you double think the way of the past of throwing information at an audience. David Meerman Scott returns with an updated version of his original book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR. Scott details how traditional media has changed, especially in the case of no longer needing the middle man of media to deliver your message.

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Update. You’ve got another year under your belt so it’s time to update that resume, portfolio, and online sites such as LinkedIn with all your accomplishments from this past year. Make sure your social networking sites, professional sites and resume all correlate with the same updated information. You can even add your upcoming positions or roles to get a head start. No doubt you have clips or design pieces to add to your portfolio; keep adding to material you already have or get everything together to finally start a portfolio.

No internship? No problem. Stay on top of your game this summer and you’ll be back in the fall with the experience as if you had never skipped a beat.

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