Tagged: #UCMIPR
Tips for Navigating the Job Market
By: Sarah Arnett
Searching for a job can be overwhelming, no matter what stage of your career you are in.
“Where do I start? Do I have what it takes to find a good job? How can I set myself up for success? How am I supposed to find a job if I am not sure what I want to do?”
If you’re anything like me, you may have asked yourself these questions. Thankfully, there are many experienced professionals who are happy to share tips and tricks with you. Whether you are entering the job market for the first time or considering changing career paths, there are a few steps you can take to set yourself up for success.
First, know your why. As a public relations professional, you have probably heard this phrase a hundred times. It may seem cliche, but it is important to understand why you are in the public relations field. It may be because you are a talented writer, a big thinker, passionate about helping others, or a variety of other reasons. No matter what it is, it is important to establish your personal why to figure out what motivates you to succeed. Knowing this will allow you to continue to grow personally and professionally. At the end of the day, you are your most important client.
Once you have established your why, it is important to find a company that is a good fit for you. While a job is a job, it is a great benefit to work for a company that you enjoy. Research companies and learn about their values and corporate culture. It is important that a company is a good fit for you on both a professional and personal level, and if you’re the right fit for them.
Another important step after establishing your why is to take a leap. No matter the size of your professional network, ask those you have connections with about potential opportunities. They may not have a position open within their organization, but more often than not, they will pass on your information to other professionals. Not only does this expand your network, but you might be presented with an opportunity you did not know about. In the past year searching for internships and full-time positions, I have learned that you will never know if you do not ask! The worst thing that can happen is someone will say “no”.
While I have learned countless things during my time in college, I have discovered that everything works out in time. No matter what stage you are at in your education and career, the things happening right now will all work out in the end and it will be okay, if you work hard, stay
focused and maintain a positive attitude. While it may be hard to believe at this time, you will realize it is true ten years from now as you reflect on the past.
As you search for jobs, keep these tips in mind. If you become overwhelmed, remember your why and continue to work hard. A positive attitude and strong work ethic will help you succeed in the job market, no matter what challenge you face.
Online Personal Branding for the College Professional
By: Myah Duncan
“Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” -Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon
Actively branding yourself via social media can go a lot further than a resume and cover letter when it comes to getting a first internship or job. It can also keep you from getting that internship or job. Employers never hesitate to do a quick Google search to see how a potential employee represents him/herself online, in fact, according to CareerBuilder, more than 70% of employers check a candidate’s social media content BEFORE deciding to hire. So ask yourself, do you want what you are posting to be seen by a potential employer? Do you think you’d get that internship you want so badly? As a college student, this is the best time to clean up your social media and build your online personal brand in a way that benefits you.
Cleaning Time
It is easy to get caught up in the moment and post every picture that you take to your social media accounts. But do you really want your future employer to see the wild time you had when drinking last Thursday night on Pine Street? You don’t want them to see it just as much as they don’t want to see it. They want to make sure you know how to act professionally when in public. So, the first lesson is, don’t post that picture. But if you have, this is the perfect time to start going through all those photos on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that may not shine that professional light. Delete them from your social channels, but you can keep them if you save them on your laptop, make a scrapbook, or do whatever feels right. But do not leave them on there for the world to see. Oh, and don’t forget to ask friends to delete questionable images of you from their own feeds. It’s time to draw that line between personal and professional life. You can still post fun experiences, but you have to make sure it’s strategically fun content.
Crafting Content
The content that you put out on your social media accounts does not necessarily have to be all about business and links to different articles. It is still important to be yourself via your own channels; it’s like a portfolio of who you are. First, focus on your grammar and spelling. This is an easy way to represent your writing ability. It’s a huge red flag if all of your posts have many errors in them. Take time to read through your posts and delete or edit those posts that do have errors. Second, carefully evaluate the images you want to post. Ask, what do they say to others about my professionalism? My choices? My values?
Leaving the lasting impression
Just like after meeting a professional in person, those who engage with you via social media want to remember who you are and have a solid impression of the type of person you are. You want your social media to leave a positive lasting impression on a professional who views it. Actively cleaning and crafting now will help you leave a good impression.
By putting the time and effort into your social media you are giving professionals or anyone who views your page a well-rounded peek into your life. Don’t let inappropriate social media end your chances of landing the job.
References
Salm, L. (n.d.). 70% of employers are snooping candidates’ social media profiles. Retrieved October 4, 2019, from https://www.careerbuilder.com/advice/social-media-survey-2017.
Tips for Building Your Personal Brand. (2019, June 14). Retrieved from https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/tips-for-building-your-personal-brand/.
4 Ways Influencers are Beneficial to PR Professionals
By: Shelby Bueneman
This summer I was fortunate enough to get an inside look into the life of a blogging influencer. Getting a behind-the-scenes look into how the blog runs, different events that the blogger is invited to, and the creation of pieces after event attendance was eye opening. Influencers are on the rise and they can be beneficial to public relations professionals through their outreach, honesty, trust and mutual benefits that exist between blogger and clients.
Outreach
Influencers can have a big outreach or a small one. The influencer you choose depends on what audience you want to reach. The blogger I worked for had a small outreach, with followings of one thousand or less. Based in Kansas City, she had a strategic way of connecting personally with audiences. Her posts and blogs were pointed toward the interests of those who were from Kansas City and those who wanted to visit. Because she intentionally solicited a smaller outreach, she could make posts and promotions seem more personable and real. She talked about things her audiences knew about or had experienced themselves. She had a lot of clients and they all wanted to reach Kansas City folks. So, it’s clear that to reach your exact target audience you need to find the right influencer. There are many different bloggers ranging from lifestyle, entertainment, fashion, DIY’s, and so many more. Once you find the right one, it is as simple as reaching out to them with the right pitch. They are always looking for their next blog and more events to attend.
Honesty
One thing that I found stimulating was that influencers want to be honest with their audiences. As a consumer it’s easy to think that they are only saying a product works or that an event was great because of the deal they have. That is not the case. Just like public relations professionals, they are looking to gain trust with their audiences. The amount of research they put into their blogs to make sure they have all the relevant facts is notable. Honesty is one of their main concerns; if they are dishonest with their audiences, they lose their credibility. Credibility gets and keeps clients. This leads into the third benefit, trust.
Trust
Honesty and trust are intertwined. Without honesty there can be no trust. Influencers that are labeled as the everyday person are seen as the most trustworthy in the consumer’s eyes. Business 2 Community talks about how over ninety percent of consumers trust people within their network. Generally, the larger a blogger’s reach, the more celebrity status that influencer holds. If you choose a mainstream celebrity as your influencer, your product or event may not be perceived as authentic because it’s most likely that money changed hands. When you choose an influencer with a smaller outreach, you find the audience that has the most trust. This benefits your brand through the relatability to influencer holds with audiences. Working with the correct influencer can help your brand to stand out against the competition.
Mutually Beneficial
Partnering with a blogger is mutually beneficial. By promoting for a public relations professional, the influencer is creating more content and catching the eye of more consumers. This can generate more engagement for both the influencer and the professional. Working with an influencer as a company allows you to be seen in a more positive light and gives you more organic engagement with potential customers.
