Sometimes, I forget I’m still a student. The next month is one of those times. I’ll be attending and speaking at some upcoming PRSSA events in Chicago, Pittsburgh, East Lansing, Mich. and Austin. My posts might few and far between this month in trying to keep up with these events, my school work and other work stuff. Even so, I’m thrilled for these opportunities. Here’s where I’ll be:

• Chicago PR: Get in the Loop hosted by DePaul PRSSA. I’ve been itching to get back to Chicago for a while now, and what better time to schedule a trip when there is a conference. There is a star-studded program featuring some fantastic speakers and sessions. I’m looking forward to kicking back and enjoying this one, as well as reconnecting with some great students and Edelman colleagues.
• A PR Affair hosted by California University of Pennsylvania. This conference is focused on student-run firms and I’ll be speaking at this event on the topic. Since this is a huge part of my duties for the PRSSA National Committee, I’m excited to share my knowledge on firms and hope to help attendees start or improve their own firms.
• Expanding Your PR Horizons hosted by Michigan State University. Besides a quick update on happenings within PRSSA from a national standpoint, I get to enjoy this one, too. Scott Monty from Ford is keynoting this event, there are speakers coming to this event from around the country. Even better: registration is still open.
• PRSSA National Assembly in Austin. While I love National Conference, Assembly is a more intimate setting with fewer members than Conference and a leadership theme throughout the event. I love connecting with PRSSA members around the country and learning from them and their Chapters.

Will you be at any of these events? Let me know — I’d love to meet up.

Author’s note: A PR Affair has been rescheduled and unfortunately, it intersects with my travel plans for the PRSSA Assembly. Check out the rest of the conference; the deadline to register is May 5 and it should be a great program.

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?

Since I moved to Chicago last week, I have been learning the ropes with a great system of public transportation. Unlike other cites I’ve been to, Chicago has a bus and train system that is widely used by all kinds of people. It’s great and once I figure everything out, I’m sure I will find it to be easy and efficient. Hopefully.

Because  I’ve always got PR on the brain, public transportation is much like navigating a Web site. People will get lost. People will be afraid of the unfamiliar. People will get frustrated when their destination is not where they look first. As a marketer, you have the capability and power to make sure people will stick with you when one of the above events occur.

Chicago public transportation, compared to other cities, has three things that make it easy-to-use:

1. The end destination is clearly defined. Chicago CTA has a Web site that allows you to plan how to get any destination. Using a Web site should be the same way in that the layout should make it clear how to help the user get what they want from the site.
2. You don’t have to stay on the ride forever. Even for people living just outside the city, express buses and trains ensure passengers can get where they need to go quickly. In this new age of focusing on the consumer, don’t make users jump over hurdles to get what they need. Again, the path to should be quick and easy to access.
3. Users share their experience with others. Chicago CTA marketed absolutely nothing to me. I knew before I moved I would be purchasing an unlimited pass because of the positive experience my friends had before me. When someone visits your site, will you be confident to say they will say positive comments to others? Think Groundswell.

Creating a Web site, blog or anything else online requires you to be strategic in your approach on how you anticipate people to use it. An example of this is GM’s corporate Web site. In reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR, David Meerman Scott points out how automakers sites were not very user-friendly. Before these sites got cool, the PR and marketing teams at these companies created the sites by already planning where they want people to go on the site. However, people have their own ideas how they want to travel. Now, the site is highly functional and easy to maneuver.

What do you think about a Web site compared to public transportation? Are there differences? What makes a good Web site?

Photo by Springsun on Flickr.

Besides moving out of East Lansing and complaining about the whole thing, I’ve been up to some pretty cool things. With classes finished for the semester, I’m starting to get my summer plans in order. Part of this is making the move to Chicago, and this will be my first summer away from East Lansing since I started at Michigan State University. I’ll also be starting an internship with Edelman in their digital group, as well as starting my National PRSSA position. In the interest of being open and transparent, you’ll probably be seeing more about the following:

I just moved out of my house last week. While I’ve lived here, the house has been broken into, we’ve had sewage problems, our kitchen has been remodeled and we had unwanted pets (never figured out what the scratches in the walls were), among other things. Even though the house was literally falling apart, I’m going to miss this place and mostly the front porch.

Recently, I was elected National Vice President of Professional Development by PRSSA at the National Assembly in New Orleans. In that position, I’ll be blogging at the PRSSA Blog, supporting student-run firms across the country and some other pretty cool things. I’ll also be traveling to Scottsdale in June with the other National Committee members to plan for the upcoming year and get things going. Here’s a picture of the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 National Committees:

Also, I’m going to be moving to Chicago for the summer and interning with Edelman Digital. I’m starting right after Memorial Day and I can’t wait. The team has a blog and I hope you check it out. Below is a picture of where I’ll be for the summer.

So, what’s the future of this blog? Because I’m blogging at a few other places, I probably will only have time for one post per week. I’ve covered a lot of “tips” for PR students, and I hope to discuss issues we’ll be facing and how to addresses them in addition to more posts about the industry. Thanks for reading and I hope you keep up with me.

During the weekend, I attended a PRSSA Regional Activity in Chicago. It was a great event with a lot of useful information, no matter your level in college. I also will disclose that I’m a bit of a conference junkie and hop any conference I can fit in my schedule. This was was particularly well planned and the programming was fantastic. I give my props to the planning committee from Valpraiso and DePaul.

I even got to stop by the office that I'll be working at over the summer. It's near the top of this monster. Cool!

I found the interviewing workshop to be the most useful for me. Below I’ve recapped some of the tips I got from the event:

• Prepare your toolbox. Have a strong handshake (not too strong), bring extra copies of your resume and cover letter, have your portfolio in hard copy and on CD (or online if possible), prepare your elevator pitch and have business cards.
• Research your prospective companies. In public relations, finding an internship can be extremely challenging, so many of my colleagues tend to apply for 10+ internships each summer. That’s fine, but it usually works out that you get the interview with the company you know the least about. Make sure you do your research and set up Google Alerts on each company to keep in the know about news and developments.
• The core elements to a successful interview are as follows: 40 percent attitude, 25 percent image, 25 percent communication and 10 percent job qualifications. Note: your job qualifications are the lest important. While this may not be true for every company, the take-away here is that if you get the interview, you can sell yourself on your attitude, image and communication skills. Basically, come in there with a smile, think beforehand about some questions that might come up and answer clearly.
• When answering questions, use the PARK model: problem, action, results, knowledge gained. In situational questions, keep this in mind. Also remember that it’s OK to admit you’ve made mistakes; if you have learned since and corrected the problem, that demonstrates maturity and skill.
• Utilize grouping answers in threes. When the interviewer asks about your strengths or weaknesses, give three each time. One isn’t enough and four or more just sounds too much.
• If you’re asked to start with “a little about yourself,” use this format: education background, what you’re passionate for and why you’re applying. Skip the “well, I’m…” and “uh.” This is one that you can easily prepare beforehand.

The last thing I learned was something that I think is timeless. I went to lunch with some friends that I see at PRSSA events and one of the things that came up was how knowing fellow students eventually turns into professional relationships. It’s hard to think that all of the people going to these conferences with you will soon be your colleagues, but it’s imperative to build your network with them, too. Don’t cut them off in line at the career fair and don’t ignore them.