Dave Fleet’s article, “14 Key Skills & Attributes for New Public Relations Professionals” outlines some key components that one must possess to stay current in the public relations field. As a student learning the Public Relations trade, I found that I identify with all of the items on that list in one way or another.

My public relations experience thus far allowed me to look at Fleets’ list and feel confident in my abilities. I can say without hesitation that my communication skills, proactiveness, work ethic and social networking skills will land me my next job. They are without doubt, invaluable qualities that I feel confident with. Coming to the table I offer a ton of experience, strong professional references and a work ethic that put me in a corner office at age twenty-four. When paired with my degree I feel that I will a strong candidate for any company that is looking for these traits.

School however has refined my attention to detail, writing and media relations. Of course there is and always will be so much more to learn; if I could pick one topic to develop, employee law stands out in my mind. As technology continues to expand so does room to improve our selected fields, so Im always ready to learn more about social media.

Joining the Mass Communication department was a difficult transition for me. As a transfer student, I was eager and excited about coming to a new school but didn’t apply to the Mass Communication program right away. I wish I knew the concentrations are two year programs no matter how you slice it. To avoid the same mistake, you should learn early how to plan effectively. Look at the courses listed and see how they line up with your degree plan.

So here are some tips that I think are invaluable:

Make sure you leave room for error, internships, practicum’s, or possibly a Disney Internship. All of these elements can easily put you a semester behind.

If you can take classes over the summer do so; it’s a great way to get ahead. Many classes conflict time wise with each other and this is an excellent way to solve that problem.

Be proactive while degree planning; which goes a lot further than picking up the green concentration planning sheet.

Form a working relationship with your adviser so your not afraid to ask questions. They’re here to help.

I love love love my Public Relations experience and I’m glad I’m progressing with an amazing group of gals and guy ;-), but learn from my mistakes and save yourself a year.

In essence, I’m trying to say, learn the curriculum it will help you in the long run.

This summer I interned for OfficeMax in Charlotte, NC. This was an overall great experience. I broadened my network in the Charlotte area by meeting new connections and added a reference to my resume regarding my work ethic. The internship started off very slow, but by the second week I felt as though I was one of the employees.

OfficeMax used my experience and did not hesitate to trust me with projects.
My internship responsibilities consisted of basic office duties ie: answering calls, faxes and mail correspondence. I was also responsible for updating the Paid Time Office (PTO) spread sheet, employment verification, resume rating, and research during the audit.

I was allowed to sit in during internal interviews for an available Lead Position in Atlanta, GA. The first round of interviews were held via conference call and I got an interesting prospective on what potential employers are looking for. I rated the candidates using OfficeMax’s rubric for lack of a better word, and I entered all of the scores and other data into Excel creating a database for the highest rated candidates. I also completed many office day-to-day tasks. My inbox was always full with documents to enter, process and file. I worked with the planning committee to coordinate office birthday celebrations and a team of new evacuation leaders.

My large project was working on the Servant Management, Ethics, and Unions training course that I help put together and execute. I had the opportunity to assist in the creation and presentation of a training course, which was later presented to the 1st and 2nd shift manager in the district nine area of Charlotte. Office max has taken a unique stance on unions; they are training management on exactly what unions are, as many employers are still and in the dark as to how they serve. OfficeMax is taking an aggressive stance towards union. The thought behind this is that they as a company trust that their managers are doing the right thing and should not be scared of the union.

This is was my first time working with a public company with a union and it changes the nature of the HR position, because the employees have someone who works somewhat in the same capacity that we do. The most valuable asset I gained from working at this internship was the usage of SAP. It’s an HR software program that is used by many companies. It is a valuable addition to my resume and although I do not feel that I am an expert using it, I can navigate throughout the problem with minimal trouble.

Overall I learned how to work SAP, interview and work within a team with minimal supervision, auditing what it is and why it’s needed as well as a better working understanding of the field that I have chose as my career path. A position opened up in the Accounts Payable field and I was asked by my supervisor to apply, and she offered to put in a good word. It is awesome that the staff I worked for wants to keep me around, unfortunately the application deadline is August 31st and I will be back in school, but I will keep them in mind come December and they promised to do the same in return. A great internship experience I’m glad I got to work here and I am more confident than ever that Human Resources is where I want to be.

With so many different forms of public relations, it’s hard to describe what a PR practitioner does in a sentence. Between crisis management, event planning and press releases it’s hard to see how this all ties together as Public Relations, but it does.

This semester I planned the Giving Tree Award ceremony, which is sponsored by Georgia College & State Universities Give Center. The Giving Tree award is presented on Earth Day an individual on that has left an impact on the campus. The Give Center plants a tree dedicated to this person, which is a huge legacy to leave on a campus, or as Kendall Stiles “Give Center Director, calls it “The GCSU Lifetime achievement award”.

The following video is the grand finale of PR in action, after all of the crisis management, event planning and press releases.

The 11th Annual GCSU Athletic Auction planned by none other than my PR Administration class, took place April 11th, 2009. At first the auction seemed like the project that I would love to hate the entire semester, but to my surprise turned into the project I looked forward to working on with my class every Wednesday afternoon.
In December PR Admin prepared for the pitches that would blossom into the Athletic Auction theme come game day. Just the creativity of the class collectively made it almost impossible to select one groups pitch, so the powers that be pulled the best from every presentation, the Account Executives were selected and the work started.
With all of my classmates the working the assignments flew by and so time because the Auction had arrived much sooner than my mental calendar estimated. During the actual event, I worked with the photographer, making people smile, and encouraged everyone to take pictures, which was great because it fit my personality. For the second half of the event I served as a runner for the Auctioneer. What I learned most during the Auction and its planning phases is that sometimes the original vision will change and that’s okay. As long as the client is happy, you may just have to tweak a couple of your own ideas because after all it is the clients event, and sometimes I have a hard time separating my ideas from that fact.
In the end, the auction was a complete success, with an estimated (don’t quote me) $40,000 raised. I really do feel that his team is just a good fit, everyone has such diverse talents that we all contribute and are willing to go the extra mile, and it shows. PR Admin should start an event planning company together because I would work/for with any of these dolls/guy any day.

It is becoming more difficult to find a job in today’s economy. Using connections is an excellent inside track and social media sites can broaden that pool of resources. The trick is using them to your advantage. This is what I’ve discovered, there is a world of networking out there, but there is right in front of me. It’s fun to converse with friends and catch up with old high school friends online, but I can also meet new people, people in my field and who I otherwise could not have met. Oh how the internet makes a small world, even smaller.

There are bloggers and tweeters dedicated to posting the latest internship and position available from New York to Los Angeles, that have been instrumental in my search for an internship. I feel like I have an edge, and everyday new people befriend me online, one of them will have just the tip I’m looking for.

So the saying goes, “it’s not what you know it’s who you know”, well I want to know everyone. So in an effort to take my own advise, below you will find my new goals.

My Goals This Week

• Find 10 new connections.
• Connect with the new connections (its not enough just to have them saved as friends).
• Send my new friends a message.