You Should Probably Laugh More

I know I need to.

In the midst of classes, club meetings, homework, talking to professors, talking to friends, interning, working, socializing, cleaning your apartment, getting frustrated and becoming unhappy, try to laugh out loud as often as you can.

“The day most completely lost is one in which you have not laughed.”

Take Advantage of LinkedIn and Join Groups

As another way to network with professionals online, LinkedIn has helped me become aware of numerous internship opportunities as well as general PR knowledge. These are a few of the groups I have joined:

• #PRintern | #EntryPR: For us PR students who are searching for internships and ways to advance our chances of getting an internship.

• PR Professionals: A group that updates you on PR trends and strategies. Even if you haven’t entered the PR world as a professional, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the evolving PR methods out there.

• LinkedUp Grand Rapids: Don’t forget to stay local. Join a local group, where you can network with local pros.

What about you – what other groups have you joined, whether it may be PR related or something else?

My Visit to Las Vegas

Last month I went to Las Vegas and had a great time. I don’t think it’s necessary to elaborate on the word great, for obvious reasons (I’m sure you get the picture). While there, I had a few photo opportunities and thought I’d share a few.

The Strip at Night

Arc de Triomphe

Eiffel Tower in front of Paris LV

Two of my favorite things: Coffee and big cities

Maintain Those Relationships

Last summer I was an intern for the Chamber of Commerce in my hometown. A major part of the internship was planning the Michigan Challenge Balloonfest. I had never had any event planning experience prior to the internship, so I learned many, many things and met many cool people that summer.  So, this summer I decided to volunteer a weekend to helping out at the Balloonfest for two reasons:

1. To catch-up with the people I worked with last summer and,

2. To maintain a professional relationship with them.

Reason #2 is an important priority with any past internship. I have learned in class, and have been told countless times by my parents, PR pros, and professors that it pays to keep a good relationship with past people you have interned with. Volunteering at events is one way to do this, but what are some other ways to creatively stay in the picture? Here’s a few I came up with:

• Take advantage of Twitter: If they have an account, regularly comment on their tweets.
• Send their office a Christmas Card during the holidays.
• Become connected on LinkedIn.
• Volunteer your time at events or different activities where they are in need of volunteers.
• Drop by the office to say “Hi!”
• And there’s nothing wrong with casually shooting them an e-mail asking how they are doing.

How about you – do you have any tips for maintaining a professional relationship?

Why Do People Join Clubs?

As I stated in an earlier post , I am spending time planning next year’s GVSU PRSSA chapter events and meetings. But before I begin, I need to think of the big picture – why do people decide to join organizations in the first place? Here are a few obvious reasons I came up with:

Meeting People who with whom you share a common interest.

Networking is a huge part of public relations. Actually, no matter your career of choice, networking is a very important skill to possess. Most student organizations offer networking opportunities.

Education. Classes are necessary to a college education, but so are real-world experiences, such as internships and the experiences organizations offer.

Don’t forget about having some fun when you join an organization. I have met so many dedicated, eager-to-learn students who I have formed great friendships with.

These are just a few of the reasons why I am so excited about leading this year’s PRSSA chapter at GVSU. I know there are many more reasons. Besides the above, what are some factors that go into your decision to join an personal interest, academic, or professional organization?

Guilty Pleasure

Had to do it. Can’t wait.

PRoof Awards 2009

The Grand Rapids PRoof Awards is an annual event that recognizes successful PR practitioners and campaigns in the area.  A fellow PRSSA member and I helped out at the registration table at the event, which was great because I have heard of people within the Grand Rapids PR community, but it allowed me to put a name with a face. Not to mention, it was a great networking opportunity.

The event consists of awards given to a variety of people in a variety of categories. One of the best parts of the night was when someone said they may consider adding a category where they vote on the best student campaign.  How cool is that?!

Now What?

School ended last Friday, I moved home yesterday, and I’m slowly unpacking now. I am excited to get back to work, mostly to make some money. But I’ve been thinking about what I should do with all the free time I’m going to have this summer, besides reading, of course (see below). I’m a huge animal lover, so I was thinking about volunteering at the local Human Society for a few hours on the weekend. Also, I will be doing some work with Grand PR and maintaining accounts throughout the summer.

However, since becoming President of GVSU’s PRSSA Chapter, I’ve got some planning to do for the next school year.  I wouldn’t say that I’m overwhelmed, but I do have a list of tasks I need to complete before the summer ends (and it just started!). For example, a task on my list is maintaining our chapter’s relationship with WMPRSA, which will be hard to do because I live on the East side of Michigan for the summer. Another is contacting potential guest speakers for next year’s PRSSA GA meetings.

What do you have planned for the summer, whether it be volunteering, planning, or something else? I would love to hear from PR students, professionals, or anyone really.

Summer Time Means Reading Time

Besides being out of school, I look forward to summer for another reason: pleasure reading.  I can’t wait to sit, relax and leisurely read anything that I want. Last summer it was the Twilight series, this summer I have a book list going:

• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
• You Shall Know Our Velocity by Dave Eggers
• Wicked – The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
• The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

A book that I’ve found time to read over the year is The Reader by Bernhard Schlink.  It’s a very compelling story about a fifteen-year-old boy who has an affair with a woman twice his age. It was originally written in German, but translated to English in 1997.  For anyone who finds some free time this summer, I highly recommend it.

I need to add more to this list, have any suggestions?

Improve Your Resume Writing

We do it for the experience, yes, but we also join PRSSA, volunteer at the student-run firm, and have internships so we can add it to our resume.  It is one piece of paper that is supposed to describe our experiences, our determination, our skills, and our importance to a potential employer.   Seems really difficult to do, and for me it is.  I’ve spent hours rewriting this, changing this, putting this in a difference spot, reformatting that — it gets overwhelming. So, I’ve compiled a list of tips I’ve picked up from professionals who have editted my resume and some things that I have found worked:

• Add a little color: It’s eye-catching. Don’t use bright, neon colors, but something more subtle.
• Add some social media: Twitter (as long as you tweet about things you wouldn’t mind your employers seeing), LinkedIn, a blog, etc. It shows that you’re up-to-date on social media.
• Titles and headings: Use the same words used in the job description you are applying for throughout your resume. You want to hook the employer’s attention.
• Use a great design: This is my favorite part of creating a resume. You can play around with the design and make it look however you want it to look. PR involves some graphic design, so try to draft a layout that shows some of your graphic design skills.
• Use bullet points: I’ve found that employers don’t have the patience to read paragraphs of qualifications. So break it up with bullet points.

Monster.com shares an article that gives tips for resume building during the recession.

There are many more tips out there, what are some of yours?