PR Start by Nick Lucido

Below is a guest post from Sarah Siewert, an MSU alumna who is now one year out of college. She is a PR professional working for the Michigan Fitness Foundation, programming chair for the PRSA New Professionals section and board member for CMPRSA. Yes, she is pretty awesome. Make sure to check out her blog and while you’re at it, follow her on Twitter, too.

Back-to-school memories of freshly sharpened pencils, untouched notebooks and new class schedules seem distant as I reflect on my first year as a PR professional. I graduated in May 2008 from Michigan State University and was hired by the organization I interned for as a student, the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness. Here are some lessons I learned as I transitioned from life on campus to life in a cubicle:

• Learning doesn’t end when you complete your last final exam. Stay up on trends by reading blogs and industry publications, and attending conferences, Webinars or teleseminars. There are also endless opportunities to learn from your coworkers and company leaders.
• It’s never too early to get involved. After graduating, immediately shift your PRSSA membership (you should have one) into a PRSA membership. While you fill out your PRSA member application, be sure to join the New Professionals Interest Section and your local PRSA chapter as these will help in your transition. These groups will also open opportunities for leadership positions and networking.
• Speaking of networking… Even after you land the job, it’s still important to network! Your professors and advisors aren’t making it up; it REALLY is all about who you know. Don’t forget that by the time you graduate, you will have “people you know” because your classmates will be your professional peers. Be sure to keep in touch with them, and continue those relationships.
• There is no such thing as a typical work day, seriously. I start each day with a list of tasks I hope to accomplish. However, for example, an issue with an event venue, a call from the media, or an assignment from a supervisor can take priority over my list. So it truly does vary by day and by hour.
• Be one with your calendar. My schedule drastically changes day-by-day requiring that I check it multiple times a day. You don’t want your 15-minute Outlook reminder going off only to realize the meeting is an hour drive away.
• Managing your manager. I have been assigned tasks that required my manager to complete a task first, such as providing me with information. It’s perfectly acceptable to give my manager a friendly reminder about it if needed, because they generally have more on their plate than I do. This is better than not completing the task on time because of waiting on information in fear of bothering your manager.
• The year-end employee evaluation. On some level I knew I would have an employee review, but was not prepared when it came up. I had to think about my own accomplishments over the last year, the biggest accomplishments of my organization and my goals for the next year. I would recommend, as I am now, keeping a document tracking these successes and ideas throughout the year.

Some Dos

• Seek out a mentor and be a mentor to interns (if possible)
• Write everything down
• Be proactive by volunteering your skills to other teams in the office
• Listen first, ask intelligent questions, comment if you can add value
• Be excited and positive about the work you are doing

Some Don’ts

• Don’t be a Negative Nancy
• Don’t take credit for someone else’s work
• Don’t obsess over small mistakes – learn from them, correct them and move on
• Don’t take things personally
• Don’t get caught up in office gossip

Office etiquette

• Cubicle walls are paper thin; remember the “one-foot voices” rule? Use it, love it and embrace it because there is nothing more annoying than hearing someone else’s phone conversation from across the office.
• People notice if you leave early or come in late so don’t do it, or don’t make it a habit. If your supervisor is staying late, ask if they need help with anything before leaving.
• Follow or go just above the office dress code. Part of gaining respect as a young employee is by looking respectable.
• In general it is best to keep politics, religion and relationships out of the office.

It’s hard, but not impossible, to make new friends. I may have stayed in the town I went to college in, but none (zero) of my friends did. I would consider myself an outgoing person, but it was difficult to make new friends when most of my time was spent with people at least 10 years older than me. I was able to overcome this by getting involved in the community, volunteering for committees and joining the local young professionals group.