I’ve been following the millennial discussion for a while. There’s been a lot of good perspectives, especially from Bill Sledzik and Todd Defren. After reading Todd’s post on loyalty, I figured I could offer my perspective since I’ve experienced this throughout college.

I started working at The State News about three weeks after I started college. Since then, I’ve moved up a lot, gained a ton of experience and have a lot to show for it. However, it hasn’t always been easy and I’ve had to make some pretty big decisions. After my second year of working in the advertising department, I applied to be the manager. I didn’t get the job. After my third year, I again applied for the manager position. And again I struck out. Zero for two. Ouch.

Most people (read: millennials) would quit. Honestly, I thought about it. I applied for (and was offered) other jobs. But after a lot of thought and consideration, it came down to loyalty. Call me crazy, but even though I didn’t get the management time (twice), I still stuck around. And it paid off in a lot of big ways.

Here’s why I think loyalty rules:

• No one likes a quitter. Let’s be honest, when someone quits your team, you probably won’t look at that person in the same way, especially if that person quit for the sake of quitting. If you quit, it should be for the right reasons. In my case, while I could say I was looking for new experiences, I would have quit for the sake of quitting. Dedication goes a long way and colleagues will recognize this.
• After building trust, you can build your own job. After each denial, I evaluated what my current responsibilities were and looked for ways to expand upon them. I found new projects to take on, and current, I manage a new and growing part of our business. By building my own job, I can walk into the same place I’ve been for nearly four years and can honestly say my job is different every day.
• The line between dedication and idling. Combining the two previous bullets, there is a fine line between staying loyal and not advancing your career. If you are stuck doing the same job and there is no chance for taking on new projects, it’s time to move on. However, make sure you’ve become an expert at your current job.
• You’ll learn negotiating skills. When I began taking on new roles and responsibilities, part of that was negotiating more money. Honestly, salary negotiation isn’t fun, but the process taught me a lot. I know I’ll be prepared for this in the future.
• Mentoring makes it all worth it. The best part of my job is the people I work with. A close second is helping my colleagues learn and grow, and when you’ve been working at one place for a while, people look up to you for advice.

What do you think about loyalty? Will you be sticking around in a job for more than a year?

Photo by toob on Flickr.

There has been a slew of articles and posts lately about unpaid internships, and it appears this topic is only snowballing. On Friday, there was a thoughtful article in the New York Times questioning whether the growth of unpaid internships in the past few years has been legal. It’s a discussion that has been occurring more frequently, especially within the public relations industry.

To fully disclose, I’m not a fan of unpaid internships and wish there were more paid opportunities for students, though I know some companies just can’t make an extra paycheck happen. I have not worked in an unpaid internship. Like the businesses I’ve worked for, I have tuition (which has been increasing since I arrived on campus) and rent to pay.

This section of the article is what I read several times over:

“Ms. Leppink said many employers failed to pay even though their internships did not comply with the six federal legal criteria that must be satisfied for internships to be unpaid. Among those criteria are that the internship should be similar to the training given in a vocational school or academic institution, that the intern does not displace regular paid workers and that the employer “derives no immediate advantage” from the intern’s activities — in other words, it’s largely a benevolent contribution to the intern.”

While I’ve read a couple of posts (Bill Sledzik and Heather Huhman come to mind as authors of this subject), this article reinforced my thoughts about how this directly impacts the public relations industry.

First, hundreds of agencies across the country utilize unpaid internships and many of these internships are essential to the business. However, if that unpaid intern is billed to clients for their hours work, is this illegal? The law appears to enforce this assertion. If this is true, this will have a huge impact on how many agencies run their business. Unfortunately, now isn’t a good time for this discussion to be happening. The recession hasn’t treated small shops well and I know many agencies have had to cut staff and benefits. By the way, many paid internships are among the victims of the recession.

Second, I wonder how this will impact public relations. How will the industry respond? Will this increase the number of paid internships? Reduce the number of unpaid internships? Will the quality of unpaid internships decrease? Right now, the answers to these questions are guesses at best. I think this topic will be discussed in the coming months.

My thought is that if this law is enforced, the quality of agency internships will decrease. If an unpaid intern can’t work on anything billable, interns will have to go back to fetching coffee and making copies. I find it hard to believe that every single unpaid internship out there now will immediately become a paid position. With more competition to find paid internships, this will then translate to a less prepared entry level.

So, should this law be enforced? It’s a tough question that’s part of an even larger discussion. The most important part of the discussion will be the task of trying to provide students with the right learning opportunities, yet making sure the right kind of compensation is returned. I know there are agencies out there who need the extra help and enjoy providing students the opportunity to learn, but should they be punished for their efforts?

What are your thoughts? Do you think this will have an impact on the public relations industry?

Photo by dborman2 on Flickr.

Disclosure: I’m a big fan of Heather Huhman’s work to connect people to the entry level job arena. I received a free e-copy of this book and this is the review of that book.

Let’s be honest: there are a million job search tools and guides out there for new grads and those looking to break into the entry level job market. I’ve read a lot, found some of these valuable and recommend even fewer. #ENTRYLEVELtweet is one that I highly recommend for a lot of reasons.

• It’s short. We all have a lot going on and professional development is something that often gets put off. However, I finished this “book” in around a half hour and found the information to be clear, concise and directly applicable to my own career. If you’re looking to get a ton of advice in a short read, this is your book.
• It gives actionable advice. Career advice is something a lot of people can give (me inlcluded), but when I read anything, I look for actionable advice. I want to read stuff that makes me want to jump out of my seat and go get something done. This book is actionable, even though the advice is in 140 characters or less.
• It’s comprehensive. Along with the book being short, it gives you a holistic perspective on the entire job application process. Normally, these books lose me by the second chapter, but because everything in here made sense, I was able to think about my own career. Also, I am in the process of using the book as a checklist for my “career toolbox” and I am finding new ways to prepare for my career.
• It’s personal. Perhaps this is my favorite reason why I enjoyed the book. A lot of books are like cheerleaders pumping you up to join the corporate world and get lost on the way. #EntrylevelTweet focuses on the reader and encourages you to walk along your own path.

As a quick preview, here’s my favorite tweet on rejecting a job offer: “State that you did not come by this decision lightly and mention a couple of specific reasons for saying “no” if pressed.” Even in a book written in 140 character segments, it’s a guide that covers everything, and I mean everything, related to job searching, starting your job and everything in between.

The book can be purchased on Amazon or on Happy About (the publisher) for less than $20, and I guarantee you’ll use it as a reference during your own job search.

If you’ve ever had a negative internship experience, have you ever wondered why it was so negative? Was it entirely your employer’s fault you didn’t get the experience you were looking for?

I wrote a post last year about an ad agency intern who quit her internship because she was having a bad experience. While a lot of us have a lot of advice on this, I want to expound on one particular idea. I believe that you and mostly you can make or break your internship. The salary, hours, atmosphere and coworkers all contribute to your internship experience, but it is you who decides if you have a good or bad experience.

While some things are beyond your capability of changing, there are things you can control at work. It usually starts not just with your skills, but your mindset. Here are three attributes of people who make their internship:

1. They are proactive. An intern who is constantly seeking new projects, feedback and opportunities to jump in on projects is proactive in all sense of the word. Think of what your level of work is currently, take out some of your daily free time and add in more projects with different colleagues.
2. They are punctual. Show up early, leave late, make deadlines and follow through with what you say you will do. Easy enough, right? It’s easy to take on too much, and to gain the respect of your coworkers, know your limit and propose a way to get everything done.
3. They are positive. No one likes a Debbie Downer. Leave your personal life at home and come to work with a positive and eager attitude. Sure, you can overdo it, so make sure you’re listening and be a sponge to your environment. If your coworkers like you and you fit in, you are much more likely to get a lot out of that experience.

If you try to work on the above areas and still feel you are coming up short, think of that particular experience as an important career challenge. In that position, you haven’t been able to grow and learn enough to continue with that company or industry, so look for the next challenge. Each experience will help prime you for what’s next, so be sure to treat every opportunity as a learning experience.

What do you think? How else can you make the most out of a negative experience?

One of the perils of having a lot of PR student connections in my own network, especially lately, is being bombarded with Facebook fan page suggestions for a lot of junk I’m not really interested in. I don’t mean to sound rude, but I think this is one of the negative aspects of having an intern do your social media. I just defriended a connection who invited me to the same lame Facebook page for the fourth time, so that’s what sparked this post.

I know there are two sides to the topic of interns running social media, but when it comes to gathering Twitter followers and Facebook fans, you need to be strategic about your approach. About a month ago, Gini Dietrich posted about the issue of social media interns, and it’s a good read if you didn’t know interns are running a lot of social media programs. If you do have an intern running your social media, here are some tips from me as a human being and a PR student:

• Don’t assume your connections are going to be interested in a local restaurant 2,000 miles away or an organization that means nothing to them. When you are inviting friends, make sure you know something about that person that would lead them to be interested in your cause or company. Even better is to make your organization relevant to other people.
• If someone isn’t interested in that cause of company once, they will not be interested in it a second time. Nor the third, fourth, fifth… etc. When you request something from a connection more than once, you become a spammer. A lot of people don’t like spammers, so don’t be one.
• What’s in it for your followers? Anything? Then no thanks. I rarely follow companies on Twitter; when I do, it’s because they occasionally offer something free or provide me (and the rest of their followers) with exclusive information or content. Social media shouldn’t be another channel for the same message. Pay attention to your audience and know what they are looking for.
• Social media isn’t about quantity, it’s about quality. Just because you conned 1,000 of your Facebook friends to become a fan of your company’s page does not mean it’s going to benefit your company. I would take 50 quality connections who are genuine fans over 1,000 randoms any day.
• Make sure you spend time with your community. In general, you should be simply interacting about two-thirds of the time and promoting your organization the other third.

What do you think? Do you see this problem a lot? How do you respond? Any best practices you can share?

Photo by Mulad on Flickr.

Though I don’t consider myself a lucky person, I really landed the jackpot nearly one year ago when I applied for and received the Daniel J. Edelman/PRSSA award. The award contains a monetary scholarship as well as a three-month internship in one of Edelman‘s U.S. offices. For a broke college kid, that’s pretty much the best thing anyone could ever ask for.

As it’s the season for the application, I wanted to offer some advice for those hoping to apply. By no means it is a particularly difficult application, yet there are many ways to separate yourself from other applicants. The most important thing to remember is that you’re only as qualified for the award as you believe you are. Confidence is key and it should show in your application. What are you waiting for? Get your application together!

Here are my tips:

Think internship over award

While the Edelman generously offers some cash for the award, don’t get distracted by the dough. Consider this an internship application more than anything else. That means submitting your best work, meeting the deadline and being prepared for a phone interview if you land in the top.

Your portfolio should have a lot of depth

The award requires you to submit 10 samples of your best public relations work. That means 10 of your best and most diverse work samples. Don’t just include press releases and media advisories; make sure to include your digital work, bi-lined articles, brochures, event summaries… you name it. If you need some more advice on constructing a portfolio, I recommend you check out Karen Russell’s post. Whatever you submit, make sure it is clean, organized and navigable.

Demonstrate the Edelman values

If you’re going to apply, make sure you show in your application that you demonstrate the Edelman values. I’ll let you do your own research on these, but I will say Edelman folks take these values very seriously and demonstrate them in their work. You can be one step ahead if you show similar values.

Apply

Yes, I said it. Do the work and submit your application; you won’t regret it. At the very least, you will have your portfolio put together for future applications. If you win, Edelman is a phenomenal place to work and launch your career, so take advantage of the opportunity.

More advice

In addition to my advice, I’ve compiled some links and posts that will be of great interest to anyone considering applying. Check them out:

• More information and the award application can be found here.
• Meg Roberts, the 2008 runner-up of the award, writes about her experience in the application process. Her advice: just apply already. Also, take note of the comments in the post.
• I interviewed Heather Crowley, a recruitment specialist from Edelman in Chicago, for the PRSSA Blog this summer. She offers some advice for future and current interns, and it’s definitely worth a read if you are planning on joining the company.
• This interview with Natasha Avery, senior recruitment manager for Edelman’s western region, goes into some great detail about how to land a job with Edelman. Key takeaways from this post will definitely help you in the application process.
• CEO Richard Edelman writes 6 A.M., a blog about public relations trends and insights. Make sure to read the blog, as well as other public relations news sources and blogs, to be a knowledgeable citizen in the industry.

*For the purposes of full disclosure, I am currently employed by Edelman.

Last week, I was on a panel with some fellow students in the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University. The topic started off on paid vs. unpaid internships, but it spun off in several directions, one of those being the difference between big city and local internships.

Personally, I’ve done both. I interned at both a small and mid-size agency during the summers of 2007 and 2008 respectively, and last summer I ended up at a huge global agency in their Chicago co-headquarters. Between these internships, I was able to work on all sorts of clients, ranging from volunteer nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies. I can’t say which internship was the “best,” but each did provide me with very different opportunities for growth.

So, is there an easy answer as to where you should be looking for internships? Are big city internships better than local internships? The way I see it, there isn’t an easy answer to this question. It all boils down to what you are looking for. While there are many professional opportunities in larger cities, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to have a great experience in your internship. It’s easy to be attracted to the bright lights and seemingly endless opportunities of Chicago and New York, but you have to be realistic when you’re looking for a job.

When I was searching for internships around this time last year, I was looking for not only a great professional opportunity, but I wanted to be part of a new town, meet new people and see new sights. I was looking for the complete package and to me, I found that in Chicago. Some people might find it in New York. Some might find it in Lansing, Mich. The point is to really have an understanding of what you’re looking for.

When looking for the big city job, it’s really important to consider the finances. Especially in the public relations field, many internships are unpaid, even though they are in a city. My personal opinion is that from a financial standpoint, it’s not worth it to spend a summer in a big city, pay more than $1,000 per month in living expenses and be broke the entire time to work for free. I’m sure there are many exceptions and there are some opportunities that are probably worth it. However, unless you have the financial means to drop thousands in one summer, I don’t recommend it. No matter what you choose, Mint will help you keep your budget under control.

I’m going to highlight the pros and cons I used in my decision when I was searching for internships in the big city setting:

Pros:

• New opportunity to meet new people and try out a new lifestyle
• Work for a global agency with clients across the world
• Experience a new setting and learn many new things
• Easy to network with industry leaders and pioneers
• Young professional groups are large and diverse; most are welcoming to students

Cons:

• Cost of living is much higher
• End up not making any significant cash after the summer
• Far away from friends and family
• Not able to bring my car — must rely on public transportation for everything (can be a pro, too)

All in all, I found my experience in Chicago to be completely worthwhile. I didn’t come out of the summer with a lot of money, but the experiences I gained, both personally and professionally, were definitely worth it. If you are considering a summer in a big city, make sure to look for those opportunities and to take everything under consideration.

What do you look for in an internship? Have you found differences between internships locally and in the big city? What’s your take?

I’ve been working for the past three years at The State News, Michigan State University‘s newspaper. It’s  a particularly interesting time to be at a newspaper, especially with a public relations background, but I’ve found that the skill sets in a sales job translate well into a public relations job.

Here are 10 ways you can make a sales jobs just as valuable as a public relations internship:

1. You learn client management. In sales, you work with clients and you learn how to work with them. This transitions well for public a public relations career. Managing client expectations, learning how to communicate with a client and knowing when you shouldn’t be selling are all key things to develop while in sales.
2. You learn communication skills. Though you’re not writing press releases, you learn how phone conversational skills, how to communicate clearly and effectively, and how to write precise messages — all of which are important in whatever line of work you go into.
3. You learn time management. You can never get good enough at managing your time effectively; working in sales is one more way to enhance this skill. You learn how to balance your client work with your administrative work.
4. You learn how to motivate yourself and others. I think attitude plays a huge part in how you’re perceived in the office. There’s no better way to develop motivational skills than when you work in sales, especially if you take on management positions.
5. You learn how to explain. Though it might sound silly, you really learn to explain why. For me, it’s why my client should be advertising, why a recession is an opportunity and why it’s important to distinguish between competitions. As a public relations counselor, you’re always going to be explaining why. Knowing why for yourself will always be helpful.
6. Pitching new business will become a breeze. In an agency, corporate or nonprofit setting, chances are you’ll have to pitch to start a new campaign or program. In sales, you’re always looking for new business and pitching becomes a breeze. It’s the presentation and communication skills that develop here.
7. You learn the correlation between work and money. Part of sales is working partly or solely on commission. This means the more you work, the more money you make. The bad part is the less you work, the less you make. Sales will train you to always be on top of your game and looking for the next opportunity.
8. You learn teamwork. In college, we’re trained to hate working with people, but working in sales, you’ll learn to trust your team even though you’re probably competing with them.
9. The failures will happen and you’ll figure out how to deal with them. I’ve been hung up on, cursed at and insulted during cold calls and prospecting, but you’ll develop a thick shell from these “failures.” In your career, you’ll make mistakes, and it’s OK. Make sure sure you’re learning from them.
10. The customer isn’t usually right, but you learn how to make them feel like they are. And in the process, you learn how to show how valuable you are.

For me, sales has filled in the gaps of my internship experiences. I’ve also had a blast working with the people I do. Oh, and let me know if you’re interested in advertising with The State News.

Is there anything to add on this list? What other kind of experiences fill in the gaps of a PR education? Anything else help you in your career?

Photo by tofslie on Flickr.

If you think the recession is over and jobs are everywhere, you need to think again. As if the class of 2009 didn’t have a hard enough time finding a job, predictions for 2010 are just as bleak. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (and via Culpwrit), U.S. employers plan to hire 7 percent fewer college graduates than the class of 2009.

Crap.

From my own personal observations, there have been several unique things happening to the public relations industry. Although PR budgets have been relatively more stable than in advertising, there still have been some jobs lost. Additionally, the entry level is increasingly difficult for college graduates to break into. I think this is happening for two reasons. First, more people are willing to take a lower level job than be totally unemployed; AAE jobs are being filed by folks with 3-5 years of experience and internships have an unofficial prerequisite of many previous experiences. Second, with all the journalists losing their jobs, many attempt to jump into public relations, thus leaving fewer jobs for public relations practitioners.

So what about us Gen Y folk? I don’t know about you, but I’d like a job when I graduate. That’s why Come Recommended is so sweet; they’re advocating for all of us by demanding equal opportunity employment for Gen Y. Here are some pretty interesting stats about our generation that should make you worry:

• Unemployment for people age 16-24 is nine points higher than the national average
• Typical full-time workers age 25-34 are making less than workers that age a generation ago
• Middle-management jobs have been reduced, so it is harder to move up the corporate ladder
• The 1-24 age group represents 15 percent of the labor force AND one-third of the unemployed
• The average student graduates with twice as much debt, yet the economy has fewer opportunities

Times are definitely changing, and it appears that it is not in favor of Gen Y at all. However, I know our generation has so much untapped potential. Our generation is changing the way we all communicate, entrepreneurship is more prevalent in our minds than ever and we are overcoming numerous challenges.

This is where we all come in. Start by checking out the We Want Jobs Not Trophies Web site. There is a lot of information on there on how to get involved with the campaign and begin advocating for the rest of your generation. Also on the site is a toolkit section that gives you the opportunity to run the campaign at the local level. This is a great opportunity for you to get some public relations experience while doing something that will help you in the long run.

Thanks to Heather Huhman and her team over at Come Recommended for leading this. We all can benefit from advocating for our generation, so I encourage you to check out the campaign.

Also, Come Recommended has some great virtual internships. The deadline is coming up for next semester, so be sure to check them out.

Though it sounds brash, I think it’s the wrong mindset to “officially” start the job search. Sure, you can sit down and think, apply for things and make a plan. But let me ask you a question: Shouldn’t you always be on the job search?

In some fields, “starting” a job search is the traditional way to approach it. In this traditional mindset, you can attend career fairs and join a relevant organization your senior year of college to have something on your resume. Well, this isn’t the case if you’re seeking a career in communications.

You should always be on the job search. Always. From freshmen year of college (and even before) through the rest of your career, always be on the job search. It doesn’t mean you have to be interviewing for positions and actively submitting your resume to online sites. (How many times have you earned a job or internship that way?) However, I think it’s good to always be thinking ahead. It’s all part of being strategic about your career.

Here are some principles of a constant job search:

• Networking. I probably say it too much, but it’s important to realize that networking should be something you’re always doing. You can always attend networking events, but it only will help you if you meet new people and keep the relationship going. Networking is also a two-way street: Find ways to help the other person and they will help you back. Also, make friends online. Communicate on Twitter, get active in chats such as #PRStudChat and give back to the community.
• Professional Development. Are you waiting on joining an organization? Are you making excuses to not attend industry conferences? Are you finding new ways to build your portfolio and learn new skills? Those are important questions you should be asking throughout your career. You can always get involved with professional organizations and attend their conferences, but it’s a good idea to couple that with doing things on your own. Starting a blog, volunteering and reading are great places to start.
• Curiosity. Never be afraid to ask big picture questions and about why things happen the way they do. It’s especially important for those early in their careers to get used to doing. This helps build a strategic mindset, and that’s how you will get ahead in your career.
• Be uncomfortable. Though it might seem difficult and challenging, you should never be comfortable. If you’re doing the same thing over and over again with no chance of advancing, you’re going to be stuck in the status quo. Look for ways to try new things and meet new people. These new perspectives can help build your value to any organization.

If there’s one thing this recession has proven, it’s that companies are shifting more quickly than some employees can keep up with. That’s why this mindset is not only important for young professionals, but more seasoned professionals, too. I’m graduating in about a year and a half, but you bet I’ve started my “job search” a while ago and will continue to do so after entering the workforce.

What else would you add as characteristics of a constant job search?

Photo by deanmeyersnet on Flickr.