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Career, Life, Tips,

Work from Home, Remote Learning… Whatever You Call It, Spring 2020 PR Campaigns Has the Tips

by Kelli MatthewsApril 19, 2020

To start this bizarro-world term, I had students in my Spring 2020 PR Campaigns class spend some time thinking about how to set themselves up for success. Like it or not, working from home is going to be our new normal… even when things get back to normal.

I shared a handful of resources & then asked each student to find another that they found helpful to add to the list.

First, I’ll share my list. I wanted to both find practical tips, but also help them see that this term is a great time to build some skills in working from home… and honestly, that’s it’s not a fad. Much of the work we do in PR and comms is either already done remotely or easily could be.

Now for my students’ finds (and their comments about why they’ve shared a particular article or resource). You could consider this a master list of tips and ideas, to be sure! Also: Forbes in killing it in either good advice or good SEO… probably a bit of both.

10 Quick Tips To Create A Home Office You’ll Actually Want To Work In (Fast Company)

  • I’m sharing this article about how to make an at-home office space because I think it’s important to have a workspace that minimizes distractions and gives you a space to feel the most productive. – Suzie G.
  • I’m sharing this article about how to create an at-home working space that is separate from your living space and will allow you to be productive. – Hannah M. 

A Simple Trick for Staying Focused While Working From Home (Mental Floss)

  • This article stuck out to me because it addresses the overwhelming amount of distractions (social media, roommates, Netflix, etc). The author suggests that the most important tip for staying focused while working from home is to create a contract with yourself, which I think could be very beneficial. – Hannah C.

How To Stay Productive Under Quarantine (Forbes)

  • I enjoyed this article because I really liked what was said about mental and emotional health. This is obviously a time that is making everyone a little more on edge, so I think it’s important to practice self-care and do what’s best for yourself to stay happy and healthy. – Elise H.

How To Work From Home (Life Kit from NPR)

  • I want to share this article because it mentions the importance of technology in a tough time. It is the most effective way to keep communication with the outside world. Since most physical stores(including telecoms) are closing now, we need to repeatedly check our internets and other devices to ensure they are working in order. – Andy P.
  • I’m sharing this article because it ties in similar strategies like the ones above, such as being able to claim your own space and set your boundaries with those you might be quarantined with. – Savannah K.
  • This NPR article gives you 8 really good and concise tips on how to work from home and I found it really helpful! – Cole K

Josie Ruff 

Working from home with spouse: 7 tips to make it work (CNN)

  • This article is about how to work from home with a spouse, but a lot of the tips can work for family members, roommates or significant others who many of us may be quarantined with. We may usually be excited about the prospect of getting a day with them, but months on end can strain any relationships so setting up some rules may be really helpful. – Josie R.

5 Ways to Manage Stress During the Coronavirus Outbreak (Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic)

  • This article offers five clear, simple ways to manage personal stress during this pandemic. I appreciate these suggestions because stress management is a key to success; I  am  more productive when I’m not stressed out, so finding ways to keep ourselves calm and collected will be helpful throughout this term. – Jodi A.

9 Tips For People Taking Online Classes (Forbes)

  • The article offers helpful tips for students to adapt to remote education, some of which I had not even thought about myself such as the advice for optimizing my internet. – Lorenzo C.

3 Productivity Tips From Work-From-Home Veterans (Forbes)

  • I’m sharing this link because it’s very authentic. A lot of people are writing about this topic and giving their opinions given society’s new way of life, but the employees referred to in this article have done it for years and offer good advice. – Regan H.

7 Tips for Working Remotely During the COVID-19 Crisis (Dice)

  • I found this article entitled 7 Tips For Working Remotely During Covid-19. I am going to share this because I am going to write these 7 steps in my planner notes to remind me that remote work is achievable and I can be successful during this time if I create a set schedule for myself. – Caitlin E. 

Easy Recipes to Cook During Your Coronavirus Self-Quarantine – The New York Times  

  • These are not the healthiest recipes (there’s a lot of baking!) but they use a lot of items that can be easily found in a pantry. – Sara E.

5 Tips To Balance Remote Working While Your Family Is Also At Home (Forbes)

  • Trying to work from home while balancing family priorities is a new challenge. I liked this article from Forbes sharing how to balance different relationships at home while still making time to get your work done. – Kelsey F. 

Coronavirus: How to work from home, the right way (BBC Worklife)

  • I thought this article was really interesting.  It helped me think of ways to stay productive and positive while at home! – Emma S. 

The Ultimate Working From Home Guide (Investopedia)

  • I like this article because it covers all of the aspects of working from home and how to execute them successfully. – Ashley H.  

Work From Home Tips for the Coronavirus Quarantine (Staffbase Blog)

  • I really liked this article because it is very applicable to this class and how we can be successful in our teams! It talks about staying connected to your co workers,  having clear communication, outlining expectations etc. – Maddy F. 

Coronavirus: Mental Health Coping Strategies (NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness)

  • I think assessing one’s mental health is already necessary, but even more so with coronavirus. A little unrelated to resources for at-home productivity, but definitely essential for getting through your day and staying healthy in the long run. – Alexa M. 

People are sharing their best advice for working from home (Cosmo)

  • I liked this Cosmo article because it provided people’s actual experiences from their “home offices”, so you get real feedback about what works and what might be helpful to you too. – Gracyn E.

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Career,

Do You Know Anyone At….? LinkedIn Research Tips

by Kelli MatthewsMay 29, 2019

We’re in the thick of job & internship season. LinkedIn can be your best friend for researching contacts, companies and opportunities.

The most frequent question I get is “do you know anyone at XYZ organization?” With a little research via LinkedIn, you can answer this Q and ask instead, “I see you’re connected to this alumni, can you help connect us?”

Advanced search filters are your friend! Here’s how to use them:

  • Enter the company name in the search bar at the top of the screen and find the company’s page on LinkedIn
  • Check out that right side info. It’ll tell you if you have a contact there (or in this case, 32 contacts).
  • If you have contacts, you can click on that line to see who you know. You can narrow by location — in this case, I’m interested in who I know at Edelman in Seattle.
  • Then narrow to alumni. #OnceADuckAlwaysADuck

And voila! You’ll end up with a nicely refined list.

But what if you don’t have any contacts at the company? A common dilemma when you’re just starting to build your network.

In that case, click on the number of total employees and refine with the search filters.

In this case, I’m looking for 2nd degree contacts, who are also alumni of the University of Oregon, and work at Logical Position in Portland. Take note of the search filters across the top.

This search gives me 34 people. Under each person there’s a small line that says how many shared connections we have. If I was interested in connecting with anyone on that list, I have two options:

  • First, ask a mutual connection to make an e-introduction or provide an email address. This can be helpful if there’s a specific opportunity you’re applying for. You can say, “Kelli, I see you’re connected to XYZ on LinkedIn. I’m applying for an internship there. Would you mind making an email intro so I can ask a few questions or get some tips for my application.”
  • Second, reach out myself! Click that connect button and send a note that says something like, “I’m a soon-to-be-grad of the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon and excited to launch my career in Portland. I’m building my network of fellow alums who work in public relations/marketing/advertising in the area.” This is a powerful way to build your network and connect with alumni.

Don’t be shy! Ducks love helping Ducks.

Looking for more tips? LinkedIn has a great guide for college students with lots of how-tos and tutorials.

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Career, Networking, Professional Advice,

I Went on an Agency Tour! Now What?

by Kelli MatthewsDecember 13, 2018

More than 50 public relations Ducks spent two days in San Francisco meeting with agencies and PR teams. It was two days of soaking up all the info, walking all the miles and meeting so many alumni and friends. 

Our PR Ducks are lucky to have the opportunity to participate in several experiential learning opportunities — Golden Gate Ducks (San Francisco), Windy City Ducks (Chicago) and quarterly professional development tours with our Public Relations Student Society of America chapter. 

So, what’s next? Take advantage of all the learning done and connections made: 

OutCast Agency
  • Take a minute and capture your key takeaways. Review your notes, reflect on the experience, write a short blog post for your own blog or as a guest blog for a student group, a professor or your school. (Note: I’d be happy to host a blog here!) 
  • Connect to the people you met on LinkedIn. When you ask to connect, leave a short note that says when you met and thank them for their time/expertise/inspiration. The Muse has some advice about connecting with people.
  • Follow-up more directly with your priority contacts. Send a handwritten card or a thank you email that calls out your specific interest in their organization. Not sure what to say? Here’s some advice. 
  • Set up Google Alerts for your priority agencies/companies and their clients. When a client gets a piece of coverage or some exciting news, you can follow up again with your contact and congratulate or ask about how the campaign worked. 
  • Try out the specific advice that your connections offered. For example, several panels mentioned things like read relevant media every morning or practice your writing. Find a way to build that into your routine! 
The SalesForce “Ohana” Floor

Our SOJC alumni and friends are so generous with their time and energy! Make the most of the visit with a few simple steps. Have others to add! Share with me.

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Career, Networking, Professional Advice,

Getting Busy People to Answer Your Emails

by Kelli MatthewsSeptember 2, 2015

Did you know that 247 billion emails are sent every day. This equates to one email every 0.00000035 seconds. Somedays it feels like half of those are delivered straight to my inbox. (Source)

An invaluable communication tool, email is probably the method I use most to interact with colleagues, clients, students and friends. However, I get around 300 or so emails a day. That, combined with a very full schedule means sometimes those emails go unanswered (or even unseen). There’s no way I have a corner on the lots-of-email-busy-schedule market, so I’m often on the other end — sending an email, trying to get a busy person to reply to my requests.

So how do you get busy people to respond to your emails? Some tips:

State your subject in the subject line: Your email subject line can make or break you in a couple of ways. If your subject isn’t clear, the recipient may not open it at all. If it has any kind of spammy words, it may trigger a spam or junk filter. Don’t be clever, be clear.

My friend Sherry says she puts the action needed right in the subject line. Something like, “Info to Share: Sherry’s Awesome” or “Approval Needed: Quote for Press Release.” Another friend, Amanda Ip (UO ’09) says if you’re networking and have a referral, put the name right in the subject. That helps get her attention and makes your message a priority.

Clear subject lines also make it easier for my email program to appropriately sort or thread your message and makes it easier to go back and find it later if needed.

Start on the right foot. Your salutation is your first chance to make a good impression.

“Hey, so-and-so” is universally panned as inappropriate and annoying, especially on first contact. It’s not friendly or casual, it’s immature and disrespectful. It’s not hard to do a bit of research and figure out how formal or informal someone is in their communications. Do some LinkedIn research or look for tone in Twitter content.

It’s safer to err on the side of being more formal at first. Ms. So-and-So or Mr. Blah-biddy Blah is usually appropriate and you’re not going to put anyone off. I will say, be careful about which honorific you choose, though. I hate (hate!) when people call me Mrs. Matthews. Matthews is the name I was born with and I’m not married.

In an academic setting Professor This-and-That is usually safe (the specifics of professor vs. instructor aren’t really interesting to anyone outside academia), but be careful about Dr. What’s-Her-Name. Dr. is a title bestowed upon those who complete specific requirements for their profession. In my case, I don’t have a PhD. Again, a little research will help you know what to use.

via GIPHY

Note: Mx. as a gender-neutral honorific was added to the Oxford English Dictionary this week. I’m not sure I’d use it with just anyone, it may look like a typo, but it’s definitely worth knowing.

Don’t bury the lede. You’ve been clear in your subject line, but make sure the body of your email is equally clear. Keep the introductory remarks to a bare minimum. You don’t want to be rude (and you want to be culturally appropriate), but keep it short.

Avoid the scroll. In a world where we often check our emails via mobile devices, consider a smart phone screen the ideal length of an email.

That’s about 115 words (the first two paragraphs of this blog post). If you can’t get your point in that space, you very well may have lost the battle. Busy people have a lot of things competing for their attention.

Another mobile tip: when you can, include the text of an attachment in the body of the email along with the attachments. Not all attachments open on all devices and you don’t want that to get in the way of getting a reply.

Make it skim-able. A big block of text is hard to read on a screen of any size. Breaking up the text into no more than two or three lines per paragraph makes it easier for the reader to see the point and take in what you’re asking. Making it hard to read your email is only going to slow the reply.

Try another line. If you have tried email and not received a response, you can try reaching out on Twitter or LinkedIn. Don’t be shy about resending the email. I call my email the Pit of Despair. Once an email slides off the first screen, it can be out of sight out of mind.

Sending a follow-up is not annoying to most busy people, as long as you’re professional, polite and gracious about how you do it.

Take it off-line. As several colleagues said when I asked this question via Facebook, sometimes an in-person meeting or a quick phone call is much more productive than a back-and-forth email conversation. Ask for a few minutes of their time and set a time that you can call them. You can work through multiple screens of emails in a short time and get more done.

But don’t just take my word for it. A handful of great blog posts and resources on this very topic:

How to get a busy person to respond to your email (Medium)

How To Write Emails To Busy People (Business Insider)

7 Tips for Emailing Extraordinarily Busy People (Inc.)

What tips do you have for getting replies from busy people?

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Career, Networking, Professional Advice, Public Relations, Tips,

A Year-Long Plan for Senior PR Undergrads

by Kelli MatthewsSeptember 26, 2014

[Updated September 2014]

 “When should I start applying for that internship?”

“Where do I start with my job search?”

“Do I need to be sending my resumes out now?”

There’s a point of recognition where the senior public relations major realizes that yes, barring any major gaffes, chances are good that they’re going to graduate and need to find a job. And then the panic sets in.

Senior year both flies by in a blink and seems to drag on forever at the same time.  Benchmarking a few key activities may help you create your own plan for prepping for graduation.

A quick note: University of Oregon is on the quarter system – we start the last Monday of September and finish mid-June, so this calendar may vary based on your University.

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Career,

Leadership & Life Lessons from an Investor Relations Pro

by Kelli MatthewsJune 24, 2014

ir futuresI’m not going to lie, as an undergrad, the idea of doing investor relations would’ve given me the heebie jeebies. Math? numbers? all those regulations? Blech.

As a professional, I’ve learned that not only are numbers and math your friends, they can be a lot of fun. And regulations? Everyone’s got ‘em. Communicating complex info in a clear, persuasive way while navigating the rules and regulations along with company culture and politics is pretty much what we do.

Had I had some mentorship or just some instruction in financial communication, I might have taken a different path. Or I’d at least had some sense of all the options for a career in public relations.

So I was pretty excited when, this spring, the PR sequence at the SOJC launched IR Futures, an investor relations-focused student club. We have a couple of stellar faculty who have expertise in investor relations and financial communications and this is a growing area of focus for the PR sequence.

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Career, Professional Advice, Tips,

5 Ways to Spend Your Winter Break

by Kelli MatthewsNovember 29, 2012

Classes are wrapping up at the University of Oregon and we’re all more than ready. I get the need to hibernate over the break. I intend to do some of that myself. But if you feel like getting a job start on the intern or job search, winter break can be a great time to focus. And if I know our PR students, they’re not likely to “hibernate” for long.

Some suggestions to make the most of your winter break:

Update your resume (and LinkedIn). Adding new positions, editing based on instructor or professional feedback, playing with the layout and design… Your resume is in a constant state of change at this stage in your pre-professional career. Make sure it’s up-to-date. While you’re at it, update your LinkedIn profile and add some new connections.

Work on your e-portfolio. An online home for your writing samples and resume is a must. If you already have an e-portfolio, take some time to update the materials. If you don’t have one, this is a great time to start. Finding a platform (I like WordPress) and uploading your favorite writing samples is a good start.

Read. Pick up a PR, social media or general business book. Or update your feed reader and find new blogs to follow. Catch up on your PR industry news and trends while you have some time. Yes, you can even read some fiction for fun. It’s ok! This summer reading list is still pretty relevant if you need some suggestions for books. You can also use my public Netvibes dashboard for PR, marketing and social media blogs to read.

Research. Research companies you want to work for, who their clients are, what kind of jobs are available while you have time to follow the Internet rabbit trails (and have fun doing it!). You can find some tips here to get started.

Do some informational interviews. If you’ve done some research, reach out to people working in PR and set up a time to chat over coffee. Info interviews are a great way to network and get to know the industry. An oldie, but a goodie… this post gives some great advice for informational interviews. It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to work in your hometown, you can always get out and meet some people. PR is a small industry and you never know where a chat over coffee will lead.

What are your winter break plans?
Photo via Flickr by niznoz.

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Career,

Engage 2012 Internship Opportunity

by Kelli MatthewsAugust 19, 2012

Editor’s Note: I don’t often post internship opportunities directly to my blog, but this one seems like a fantastic opportunity. My friend, Ed Madison and one of our students, Maya Lazaro are looking for some help with a political journalism project that focuses on K-12. 

Engage 2012 is journalism challenge that asks K-12 students from schools throughout the United States to create 2-minute non-fiction multimedia stories from their communities about one of six topics relating to the presidential election. These topics include:

  • Voter Turnout
  • Jobs & the Economy
  • Education Reform
  • Health Care
  • Energy & Environment
  • Immigration

We are currently in the process of securing a panel of well-known journalists and professors from journalism schools across the country to judge the entries. Winners will potentially be announced on ABCnews.com and CBS This Morning.

We are looking for public relations students from the University of Oregon to help us draft and implement a communication plan to publicize the challenge. The plan would incorporate traditional and non-traditional advertising and public relations strategies. Applicants must be self-directed and dependable, in addition to possessing strong writing skills.

This is a volunteer position and will last until January 31, 2012. It will require between 10 and 15 hours of work per week, although that will vary depending on the month. Most of the work will be done from home. Volunteers are also expected to attend project meetings from time to time.

You will not be getting paid to work on Engage 2012. However, you will gain experience in copywriting, public relations, marketing, and project management for a semi-high-profile journalism project.

You’ll also be empowering elementary, middle school, and high school students to share stories from their communities and become politically engaged on both a local and national level.

If you are interested, please send your resume or a brief description of your previous public relations experience to Maya Lazaro at mlazaro@uoregon.edu by Friday, August 24 with the subject header “Engage 2012 Volunteer.” Direct questions about the project to mlazaro@uoregon.edu.

Image credit: a4patil / 123RF Stock Photo

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Career,

International Student Job Search Tips

by Kelli MatthewsJune 30, 2007

I often get asked for job search advice from international students who want to stay and work in the United States. Karen Miller Russell at University of Georgia tapped a former student for these tips: Tips for international students who want to work in the United States.

My favorite and the one I might not have thought of off the top of my head:

2. Look for jobs in the want ads in the foreign language press and on Websites for people [from whatever country you’re originally from] now living in the U.S. If an organization is looking for a bilingual speaker, that’s where they’ll advertise.

Thanks Karen (and George!) for these great tips.

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Career, Student Work,

Congratulations, Graduates!

by Kelli MatthewsJune 20, 2007

On Saturday, our seniors walked across the stage in MacArthur Court to receive their diplomas. Well deserved.

Many of “my” seniors are going on to some great position with agencies. Here are a few:

Heron Calisch-Dolen: Gooby, Silverstein & Partners
Andrea Nowack, Marisa Olson and Peter Lytle: Waggener Edstrom
Julie Ma: Koopman Ostbo
Nicole Wasowski: LEWIS PR, San Francisco
Devon Ashbridge: Verve Northwest Communications
Kristin Hunt: Chevalier Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations
Maya Shaff: SZPR

I’m sure there are some I’m forgetting or haven’t heard about yet. If you’ve landed a job or internship, let me know!



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