Real World Session 4: Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

The last session of the day was the hardest to choose - they all sounded so interesting (Sports & Entertainment PR; Travel, Tourism & Hospitality PR; More than "Invitations 101": Event Planning).  These are all the cliched "fun" parts of PR, and they have all interested me at one time or another.  The girls and I agreed on Travel, Tourism & Hospitality, which featured Amy Ballenger-Guest (Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau), Meghann Gibbons (Georgia Aquarium), Caroline Sanfilippo (InterContinental Hotels Group), and Melissa Libby (Melissa Libby & Associates).  Each of the speakers explained their backgrounds and gave information about their respective jobs, all of which are very different under the huge "hospitality umbrella" of PR.

The business I was most familiar with was the Charleston CVB, because I interned with the Athens CVB last semester.  CVBs are interesting because they're a sales force for the whole industry - they see the big picture in a city.  In order for all of the other hospitality-related businesses to do well, the CVB has to be doing its job and bringing business to the community.

The InterContinental Hotels Group represents InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites hotels all over the world.  A typical day working for IHG includes a lot of writing and phone calls, but there's also a lot of crisis communication involved as there is in any big corporation.  Time management can be difficult in this kind of setting, because you have a lot of people from different levels asking you to do things for them.

Melissa Libby runs her own PR firm which focuses on restaurants in the Atlanta area.  Her background was in hospitality, so when she opened her own agency she immediately started getting clients in hospitality.  She spends a lot of time strategizing with clients and talking to the media.

The Georgia Aquarium, as one of Atlanta's biggest tourist attractions, has a great deal of people working in its PR department (as I previously mentioned, it sounds like such a fun place to work!).  Like any PR job, it's far from 9-to-5 and there is always something exciting going on. They have done a lot of cool things lately over there, from a Martha Stewart book signing to having the Sci-Fi network come tape an episode of Ghost Hunters in their Titanic exhibit (for more Aquarium news, check out my friend and classmate Stekki's blog about her intern experiences there).

And that concludes my experience at Real World! I had the best time, met a lot of great people, and am so glad I took advantage of the experience. Anyone who has the opportunity to go next year, it's definitely worth it.  

Real World Session 3: What Your Professors Didn't Tell You About Your First Job

After lunch, we went to a session about the real experience you'll get in your first job.  Speakers included Rebecca Treacy-Lenda (UPS). Carrie England (Jackson Spalding), and David Jones (William Mills Agency).  Each of the speakers had a main point to make, and then opened it up for questions from the students. 

Here are my notes of the most important points:

• Just because you're graduating doesn't mean you stop learning - be a student in your first job!
  
• Throughout the first several years of your career, continue to work on building your personal brand.
  
• PR is more than just the traditional activities you learn in school - you do deal with money and create value for your form.
  
• It's very important to understand office politics in order to fit in at your first job.
  
• Our generation is typically perceived as one that expects things to be handed to us, lacks face-to-face communication skills (especially in light of the social media movement), and is unwilling to put in our time and pay our dues.  Be aware of and overcome these stereotypes!
  
• When you ask questions, ask the right person (ie: don't ask the VP where to find the stapler).
  
• An entry-level position is usually just a very small step up from an internship - you may still have "busy work" tasks, but this is so you'll understand the "why" behind everything the firm does.
  
• You have to be able to prove you can excel at the basics of your job before you can expect to be trusted with bigger responsibilities.
  
• Know the environment you're working in, and feel the company out during the interview to find the right fit for you - ask people why they like working there.
• Make an impression, even if you have to suck up a bit - make sure you gain respect from the beginning
• In the first 6 months of your job people pay special attention to you - dress appropriately (even more formal than the rest of the office), be on time (or early), make all of your work (even "drafts") flawless.
• Network at every level.
• Ask for feedback, but don't sound needy.  
• A good boss should be involved in your work but you may need to take the initiative to make them aware of what you're doing.
• Have an idea of what you want to do even beyond your first job - set clear goals that are not client/job specific.
• Take initiative - generally you won't just be handed more responsibilities unless you demonstrate you're prepared for them.

Real World: Lunch Break

After a full morning of information sessions, we got a lunch break and another chance to network. We got a table near the front of the room and were joined by several girls from the Georgia Aquarium (I swear everyone I meet that works there is so friendly and happy, it must be a fun place to work!).  

After lunch was served, Heather Oldani, the Director of U.S. Communications for McDonald's, spoke about how McDonald's has used social media.  Ms. Oldani opened the discussion by admitting that McDonald's is still learning how to utilize various social media tools, but went on to discuss various initiatives they have had success with.  One of the most interesting things to me was the effort they are making to monitor what people are saying about McDonald's online.  For example, did you know that on average someone writes about McDonald's (online) every 5 seconds?  I'll admit I didn't know much about McDonald's in general, let alone their social media use, so the panel was pretty interesting and informative.

Real World Session 2: Seal the Deal - What you Need to Know to Land the Job

The next session we went to was about actually getting a job - from mailing out your resume, to accepting an offer.  The two speakers, Jennifer Grizzle (The PR Studio) and Sharon Jones (Ketchum Public Relations), went through the steps of applying for a job or internship with helpful tips along the way.

1. Get Your Resume Working For You

-Be aware of your online presence (potential employers are).

-Spell check! A spelling error is the number one way not to get looked at for an interview.

-Use a clear, easy to read format (content usually matters more than style).

-Keep the resume to 1 page.

-Give a brief description of each company you have worked in - don't assume potential employers will know who they are.

2. Cover Letters

-These are generally looked at after the resume.

-Read the job description - put their buzz words in your cover letter or resume.

-Use the name of the company and/or some of their clients in your cover letter - these particular words automatically grab the attention of your reader.

3. Prepare for the Interview

-Research the company (website, trade publications, etc.) - don't ask the interviewer about the company, tell them what you know.

-Rehearse your "elevator speech" (9 out of 10 times, this is the first question you're asked)

-Know where you're going, do a trial run - this will avoid being late (if you are late, call).

-Get there no more than 15 minutes early, if you're sitting in the waiting room for 30-45 minutes the interviewer may feel awkward/guilty about making you wait.

-Be courteous to everyone you meet - your entire experience in the office is evaluated.

4. During the Interview

-Be calm, energetic, and confident.

-Listen carefully to questions, answer them completely.

-Maintain comfortable eye contact (there is such thing as too much)

-Be comfortable with yourself, bring your personality.

-Mirror the formality of the interviewer (tone, body language, etc.)

-Ask thoughtful, prepared questions and write down the answers you are given.

-Find out the timing of the hiring decision, know how to follow up.

-Send personalized thank you notes, but don't cross the line of persistence.

-If you brought a portfolio, you may show it at the end - make an effort to tailor it to their clients.

5. If Offered the Position

-Be respectful of the timing for consideration (ie: if you're offered the position on a Wednesday, take until Friday; if you're offered the position, take the weekend to consider it).

-Many entry level salaries are not negotiable - if yours is, research average salaries.

Real World Session 1: Agency or Corporate?

The first session (after the welcome and opening) gave a choice of panels about Agency vs. Corporate, Internships, and Making Yourself Marketable.  We chose the Agency vs. Corporate panel, but also really wanted to go to "Make Yourself Marketable" (that was the one problem with Real World - too much good information at once!).  Speakers included Renee Kopkowski (Mars Inc.), Don Rountree (Rountree Group), and Hilary McKean (Ketchum Public Relations).  

Personally, I've always been attracted to working in an agency.  Despite hundreds of people I've talked to that say they never wanted to work in an agency, something about it always drew me in but I could never really put it into words.  I think the best way to describe the distinction is that an agency lets you learn a little bit about a lot of different things, while in corporate public relations you become an expert on one company or client.  In other words, your level of expertise is more shallow (but wide) in an agency while it goes much deeper (and narrower) in a corporation.

There are tons of differences when it comes down to day-to-day work between agency and corporate life.  One interesting point I never thought of was that in an agency you're surrounded by peers that are doing the same kind of work as you are (fostering a team environment), while in corporate you're the go-to PR expert and your peers work in other areas of the company.  Agency life is also different as far as time management, since you're often multitasking but have to record your work (usually in 15 minute time increments)

 

From my understanding, there is no clear "better" place to start your career, however starting in an agency can expose you to a lot of different options before you settle down in one area of the industry.  I've always seen myself starting out in agency just because I do have such a wide variety of interests and I like learning random new things.  However, there is a business-side to working in corporate that I think will eventually draw me in that direction.  In addition to my PR major, I'm earning a business degree in management and think it would be interesting to eventually to more management-related work in a corporate setting.  

Real World: Welcome & Opening Session

As promised this is the first of several posts on the various sessions I attended at Real World in Atlanta on Friday.  After parking and checking in (and amazingly enough NOT getting lost in Atlanta... there's a first), we got coffee and settled down at our table to talk to the other people we were sitting with.  I was with two girls from my hometown of Sarasota who had driven all the way from UF to attend the conference (try to contain your shock that I was co-existing with Gators), and we were at a table with a few other students and PR professionals.  

After a quick introduction, the day started with a panel of employees from CNN (moderated by PRSA|GA President Mike Neumeier).  The participants included Victor Hernandez (Director of Coverage), Lila King (Senior Producer of User Participation - CNN.com & iReport.com), and Jennifer Martin (Director of PR - New Media & Digital Networks).  The questions focused particularly on new media and how social media has affected politics in the recent years.  

Here's a summary of what I thought were the most interesting points:

• Between the '04 and '08 Campaigns, social media evolved from candidates pushing their message to "the people" (voters) pushing the message for them.
  
• Social media in the '08 election was used for real time updates and connecting people, in conjunction with the rise of citizen journalism.  This was when people started to realize social media isn't just a fad.
  
• iReport has allowed coverage to become more personal.  When viewers were asked what they would want to ask the presidential candidates, questions ranged from campaign-related to questions about their personal lives and on a more local level.
• In addition to providing information to voters, Obama literally brought people along on the trail with him via Twitter.
• Social media allows huge gaps to be bridged (age, cultural, geographic, etc.)
• It's not necessarily more important to have viewers on the TV versus online, it's really just important that people are consuming the information being put out there by news stations.
• Citizen journalism is definitely helpful to journalists (rather than harmful) - it allows for a multiplicity of voices and perspectives.  
• It is still the journalist's responsibility to collect and synthesize the information provided by citizen journalists.  This shows how citizen journalism complements (not replaces) traditional media.
• Citizen journalism enables two-way communication.
• While it can be tough to remain neutral (there is no "view from nowhere"), there is a difference between being biased and simply letting people know where you're coming from (the Fed Ex/Twitter case was mentioned as the perfect example of crossing that fine line).
• Always remember how important transparency is - identify yourself!

The REAL World of Public Relations

I just got back from Real World PR, a networking event and conference put on by Georgia's PRSA Chapter in Atlanta.  It was my first time going and I wasn't really sure what to expect, but it was a great experience!! The panels were all really interesting, I saw a lot of friends from my classes, and also got to meet a lot of great people.  

Each time block had multiple sessions to choose from, and I'm planning to post the pages of notes I took throughout the week for anyone who missed a certain session or wasn't able to attend the event at all.  I hope some of my classmates will do the same since I would have loved to go to all of the panels but could only choose four!

"It's a great time to be an American, and it's a great time to be a PR Practitioner"

The above quote was how Jerry Wilson, Senior Vice President of the Coca-Cola Company opened his speech at today's GA PRSA Luncheon in Atlanta.  And while it's tough to believe that it truly is a good time to be in the industry I've chosen to pursue, I want to believe Mr. Wilson.  Sure, the market is tight and oftentimes public relations is the first thing a company cuts out of it's budget, but Mr. Wilson assured everyone today that we would be okay despite the recession.  

He went on to discuss the main ideas of his book, Managing Brand You, which gives a seven step system to how to think of yourself as a brand:

1. Audit: Who am I, and how did I get here?
2. Image: How am I perceived by others? 
3. Identity: What do I want to stand for?
4. Positioning: What do I want to become?
5. Goals: What do I want to achieve, holistically?
6. Strategies: How will I achieve this goal?
7. Implementation: Now, what will I do?

The concept of branding yourself is interesting and definitely something people in public relations should keep in mind.  I feel this is especially important for job seekers who are looking to set themselves apart (like I mentioned in my entrepreneurship post) to develop their personal brand and essentially be able to sell themselves to possible employers.

Overall, I had a great time at the PRSA Luncheon and am so grateful to Dr. Sallot and Denise Grant for making it possible for the Grady students to attend.  I met some great people, not to mention had an amazing lunch at Maggiano's!