While the economy seems to be improving, the job market remains tough, and getting that sought after internship remains as competitive a process as ever. Since everyone strives to have a great cover letter and resume, how do you stand out? How do you land that interview?
Even if you’re not a Web wizard, I would encourage you to think about developing some sort of professional Web presence (this means going beyond Facebook and Twitter accounts) and pointing to this Web site or blog in your application materials. As you know, seemingly every internship and job listing these days says it wants candidates with strong social media skills and knowledge. Everyone can claim they are strong in this area, but if I am an employer, I want you to show me.
Having your own Web site or blog helps show that you “walk the talk” and “get it.” Here are several painless ways to establish a professional Web presence that you can then direct employers to in your resume and cover letter, as well as discuss during your interviews:
1. Set up an account with LinkedIn and activate your public profile if you haven’t already. Your LinkedIn profile can be turned into a public resume with a Web link that can be easily shared. Here is my public LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattragas
2. Create a Google Profile. Not only does creating a Google Profile help control what people see when they search for your name, but the profile also provides a handy Web link that can be shared. Here is the link to get started: http://www.google.com/profiles/me and an example of my profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/matt.ragas
3. Create a social media business card with card.ly. If you really want to show off your social media chops, sign up for a free account with card.ly where you can display your social media accounts, Web feeds/streams and contact info all in one place. You can then embed your social media profile on Web sites and blogs, as well as share a public Web link to your card. Here is an example of mine: card.ly
4. Create a free blog that serves as your online resume. A blog offers a great opportunity to “tell your story” to a potential employer by including a short bio sketch, resume, portfolio, clips, etc. A new blogging platform I started using recently and find easy to use is called posterous. Other platforms include Blogger, WordPress, TypePad and tumblr.
5. Personalize your blog with your own domain name. Most blogging platforms now offer support for what’s called domain mapping. For example, let’s say we were using Blogger for setting up our professional blog. With domain mapping, instead of having to type in: BestResumeEver.Blogspot.com, we could just type in BestResumeEver.com. Registering a domain name these days is pretty easy (check out GoDaddy.com) and the instructions on most blogging platforms on how to set up domain mapping is fairly straightforward. I use TypePad and domain mapping for my professional blog: http://www.mattragas.com
The first four tips are all free. All they cost you is an investment of time, effort, and some creativity. The fifth tip (domain mapping) shouldn’t cost you more than twenty dollars a year to register your own domain name. None of these tips require having hard core Web design skills. Bottom-line, if employers say they want social media skills and knowledge, then show them you have them. A professional blog or Web site is one way to get this conversation started.
Matt Ragas is a Ph.D. candidate and instructor in the Department of Public Relations. He may be contacted at mragas@ufl.edu. In addition to his professional blog (www.mattragas.com), he maintains restaurant review (www.flfoodhound.com) and family (www.ragasreport.com) blogs.
Welcome Back!
So, we know it's February and all, but things are settling down a bit, and we're finally getting back to blogging. Hopefully everyone has a great schedule and the semester has gotten off to a good start. We're really excited about the events and speakers we have coming up in the next few weeks. Be sure to give us some feedback via blog comments, @mentions on Twitter or the good old traditional in-person conversation. We'd love to hear what you think.
This week (Weds at 6:30 in LIT101), we have Jane Adams coming to speak about lobbying. A little background about Mrs. Adams:
We're looking forward to seeing you all this Wednesday and getting to know everyone even better this semester. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns. See you in the J-School!
Something for us all to remember in practicing responsible public relations:
"A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was." - Joseph Hall
This week (Weds at 6:30 in LIT101), we have Jane Adams coming to speak about lobbying. A little background about Mrs. Adams:
- Vice President of University Relations for UF
- U.S. Senate Press Secretary
- Vice President of Government Relations and Manager of Media Relations for Walt Disney World
- Director of Communications and Public Relations for Disney Cruise Line
- Vice President of Media Relations in the Washington, D.C. office of Burson-Marsteller
- A graduate of Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and Political Science
We're looking forward to seeing you all this Wednesday and getting to know everyone even better this semester. Let us know if you have any questions or concerns. See you in the J-School!
Something for us all to remember in practicing responsible public relations:
"A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was." - Joseph Hall
Giving Thanks, PR style
Thanksgiving may be a day off work. But the spirit of the holiday provides a fantastic public relations opportunity to practice what Dr. Kelly emphasized by adding the letter S to the ROPES acronym. This practice, of course, is stewardship.
Before rushing home from your office to enjoy a long weekend of food and football, remember that giving thanks to your customers is one of the best ways to keep them coming back.
An article from an entrepreneurship Web site called Ten Ways to Thank Customers says, "The best promotional campaign is to send personal letters to your top 100 prospects... Send thank-you letters to your top 100 customers. If you're in a big business environment - send 1,000 thank-you letters."
Stephanie Chandler is an author of several marketing books and has been featured in has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Business Week. She's written a helpful article highlighting 12 Ways to Thank Your Customers - Client Appreciation Strategies You Can Use Year-Round. Among Chandler's ideas are events, useful tips and Customer Appreciation Days.
Showing gratitude to customers is important. But don't forget about your employees, shareholders, suppliers and media contacts. Each of these audiences also works very hard to help your organization accomplish its objectives and deserves a little recognition.
This article from the National Federation of Independent Businesses gives ideas for Thanking Employees When You Can't Afford Bonuses.
No matter your budget or your number of customers, expressing your thanks is important.
So Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers!
Balancing Act: Where Books and Technology Find Common Ground
As a public relations professional, you have to be hungry for knowledge. Much like how reading the news is a daily-must, reading books from the professionals before you is also vital. Reading a public relations book can be a gateway to knowledge you would have otherwise never had access to.
We're so inundated with information that we spend most of our time filtering what's actually valuable and very little time actually reading. Both sides of the online media/hard-copy book spectrum give us various types of information about public relations, but where is the balance between the two?
Finding the balance between books and technology is something we all need to get a handle on. Social media can be a great tool to lead us to relevant ideas by professionals we most admire because it provides a means of advertisement, which was once controlled primarily by publishers. Sites like Twitter provide accessible book tips and reviews from those who are in the same boat as us.
Sarah Essary (@ComsumingPR) is an example of this. She linked her blog post “The Essentials: References for a Young PR Pro” in a tweet. Sarah then listed the four books related to the skills needed in public relations that she is constantly using and referring to in her own career. Sarah even hints at how she balances the two worlds by meshing book reviews published via social media sites.
Finding the balance between books and technology is something we all need to get a handle on. Social media can be a great tool to lead us to relevant ideas by professionals we most admire because it provides a means of advertisement, which was once controlled primarily by publishers. Sites like Twitter provide accessible book tips and reviews from those who are in the same boat as us.
Sarah Essary (@ComsumingPR) is an example of this. She linked her blog post “The Essentials: References for a Young PR Pro” in a tweet. Sarah then listed the four books related to the skills needed in public relations that she is constantly using and referring to in her own career. Sarah even hints at how she balances the two worlds by meshing book reviews published via social media sites.
Hidden in those ancient books of yore, are insights to future technologies; oddly enough. "Putting the Public Back in Public Relations: How Social Media Is Reinventing the Aging Business of PR" expands on the growth of social media and changes of the profession over time, to the new tatical strategy and use. A careful library researcher has access to a plethora of knowledge not likely to be found in your run-of-the-mill textbook.
The AP Stylebook, an essential public relations tool, has even published their communications bible in radical new mediums including an iPhone app and an online version. You can literally take your AP Stylebook everywhere now-- which is what you've long been waiting for, I'm sure. To be fair though, the mobile application is really helpful when writing a press release while on the road. The AP Stylebook has even found its way to Twitter (@APStylebook) where someone will answer questions that may not be clarified in the book. This is just one of many examples in how technology is being balanced with tradition media.
Sometimes we have to put down our laptops and multitasking phones. Our generation and the PR profession have become wrapped up in a world of technological advances, applications and the growth of social media. It is fascinating how it has grown and how many have adapted to this new skill, but it’s also bittersweet. As you continue to focus on your professional development, do not neglect the wisdom captured in those ancient books of yore.
Sit down. Relax. Read.
Facebook Tips for the PR Intern
As a college student, you've probably been using Facebook for years. You understand how to upload pictures, create events and start groups. You're probably a "fan" of too many silly things that have shown up on your suggestions. Most importantly, you understand Facebook's potential for actively engaging publics.Luckily for us, we grew up during the Information Age and understand all these social media platforms without much effort. That gives us an edge in the job market over a majority of experienced professionals. So, you have the basic skills, but in order to wield these skills as an asset in your internship or first job, you need to hone them a bit.
Understand the value of pages vs. groups:
- Pages send updates, groups send inbox messages
- Pages can have applications + Twitter connect
- People become "fans" of your pages rather than members of your group
- You can upload pictures and videos to pages, and only events to groups
- Pages are indexed in search engines
- Groups are valuable to clubs or common interest groups because they can be more private
- Pages are valuable to businesses because they show more content, which leads to more engagement from the audience
- Thus, a page will probably be more valuable to your client
Connecting Facebook to Twitter:
- Add the Twitter application
- Twitter will update its feed with each Facebook page update
- This way, you produce more Twitter and Facebook content simultaneously with no extra effort from you
- It's a simple procedure that will impress your client
Maintain your humanity through social media efforts:
- Although it seems paradoxical to seem human over the Internet, this is an important part of social media
- People need to feel like there's a real person with whom they are communicating
- User-generated (real people) material is your goal. Think of ways to create a discussion
- Upload content that represents the company culture. If it's an easy-going, fun culture, upload YouTube videos that your audience may not have seen. It will keep them coming back
Great Facebook page examples:
Remember, engagement is key with social media. Constant, but quality, updates are a must. If your audience is bored, then you're not doing your job, and it's a waste of time. It may even make your client look bad.
If you want to learn more about social media, check out the ultimate social media guide Mashable. Also, YouTube has great tutorial videos that show you how to do anything on Facebook step-by-step. And when all else fails, Google it.
"25 Most Difficult Questions You’ll be Asked on a Job Interview"
You've just spent four years of college in leadership positions and student organizations. You interned full-time in an office all summer while your friends spent every day at the beach. You've stressed about getting published more than studying for exams.
All so you could jam your portfolio with clips, have a top-notch resume and list a few supervisors' phone numbers as references.
But after marching through the O'Connell Center in your cap and gown, you've got the coveted interview with your dream company. You sit down at a desk opposite your (hopefully) future employer and hear the words, "Tell me about yourself. Why should I hire you?"
And you freeze.
Your resume might have gotten you in the door. But only a successful interview will you land you that job - and that paycheck. Since we spend so much time on our resumes, cover letters, portfolios and references, it's only appropriate that we prepare for sealing the deal - before going blank in an interview.
In preparation for the UF PRSSA Skill Seminar titled Presenting Yourself this Wednesday, we'd like to share an article called "25 Most Difficult Questions You’ll be Asked on a Job Interview." Written by the chairman and the president of a national outplacement firm based in New York, the article is an excerpt from the book "Parting Company: How to Survive the Loss of a Job and Find Another Successfully."
The questions range from management styles and industry trends to how long you intend to stay with the company and how much you expect to earn. Each tricky question is followed by the executives' guide to an appropriate response.
Our very own PRSSA Webmaster Shelby Powell started each of his three internship interviews last week with questions one through three. He suggests preparing intellectual questions to ask when given the opportunity.
Powell said one employer "threw a curveball and had me roleplay a scenario. I wasn't sure if I had answered their question sufficiently, but at the end of the interview I had an opportunity to ask them a question that revealed exactly what they were looking for in a good answer. At that point, I was able to dialogue with them a little more and let them know I possessed the traits they were seeking."
Dr. Kathleen Kelly has emphasized to her students never to discuss wages or salaries until after you have been offered the position. When asked about expected pay, what she calls a screening question, Dr. Kelly says to assure the employer you will both be able to agree on pay or that you're simply uncomfortable discussing pay until you have been offered the position.
Start preparing for your interview now, and unlike the guy in the video above, you won't have to ask your friend to dunk his head in a fish tank to help you get a job.