PRos in Training

Tag: Uncategorized

  • Following Your Heart… And Other Lessons Learned in a Job Search

    Following Your Heart… And Other Lessons Learned in a Job Search

    I made a very difficult call today. I withdrew my name from consideration in a search for a job that seemed, on paper, to be the perfect fit for me. But let me back up a minute.

    About six months ago, I decided to pursue life outside of academia and go back to the “real” world. I began to wrap up client projects, complete contracts and stopped doing business development in anticipation of discontinuing my consulting work. I told my department chair and even talked to a lot of my students about it.

    A lot of things led to this decision. The frustration of balancing school, consulting and mommyhood mounted and I decided that I couldn’t keep it up and keep my sanity. A couple of difficult clients (one that decided they didn’t want to pay their bill) helped push me over the edge.

    I’ve applied for probably a dozen jobs. The job market for senior level folks in this neck of the woods is less than ideal – particularly for in-house positions. I assumed I’d have to move to Portland and was even considering Las Vegas (where my parents live).

    Ups and downs, cover letter after cover letter I have been at it very steadily for about 3 months.

    Then the fall teaching schedule began to circulate among the department. My heart sank. How could I give up teaching? I love it! Love, love, love it! At that point, I began bartering with myself… maybe I could still teach a class a term… maybe this or maybe that.

    Last night, I literally had an epiphany. It was the middle of the night, the toddler had decided that sleeping next to mom was the way to go, and I was wide awake.

    And that’s when I decided that I had to make the call.

    I followed my heart. I love my students, I love my department, I love consulting (for all it’s ebbs and flows), I love Eugene and… I love my family. And despite long hours and sometimes endless days, I can always be there for my son and my significant other. Always.

    I’ll post more soon about lessons learned and some things I’ve taken away from this process to bring myself back to center and feel excited about the possibilities going forward.

  • Why I (Now) Love World Comment Day


    Chris Brogan declared Monday, April 28th World Comment Day. Rather than blog today, he said, go be part of the conversation – comment on three other blogs. The suggestion picked up steam on Twitter. According to TweetScan, roughly 80 or 90 people retweeted. I saw it half a dozen times on my Twitter stream.

    I often talk about the benefits of commenting to students and clients alike. In fact, I require my Advanced PR Writing students to comment once a week on another blog. But, honestly, I don’t comment as much as I should. Or even as much as I’d like to.

    So, I took Chris’ edict and ran with it. It was hard! But, I had retweeted the announcement myself and even posted updates during the day about my progress, so I was determined to lead by example.

    When I finished my last comment, on Jason Fallis’ Social Media Explorer blog, I promptly (and proudly) send a reply to Chris proclaiming my success. I appreciated the nudge to comment today. Can’t talk the be-part-of-the-conversation talk without walking the be-part-of-the-conversation walk.


    Chris replied back and then tweeted the link to this blog… to his 7,000 followers. This might be bigger than the one time I had a post on Digg. 🙂

    So, now you know why I love World Comment Day. Declare your own and join the conversation.

  • To Do List Overwhelming? Prioritize!

    As we approach the end of the school year, everyone always has a seemingly overwhelming number of items on their to do list.

    Idea Sandbox has just launched its “Prioritizer” to help you get things in order.

    This. is. brilliant.

    It’s very simple. Just enter your tasks; be specific! Then click “next steps” and the prioritizer gets to work. Giving you the choice of two of the tasks on your list the Prioritizer will help you figure out which tasks have the higher priority for you.


    And it works. I put in a dozen or so tasks, went through the steps and ended up with a really clear to do list that ranks the tasks in priority order. Give it a try and maybe it’ll help you breathe just a little easier this week.

  • Volunteering is a Win-Win for Students, Local Nonprofits


    April 27 – May 3 is National Volunteer Week.

    I was raised with a heart for helping people. My parents were pastors of a local church most of my life, which meant a lifetime of giving. Those lessons have followed me into adulthood. Sometimes it’s hard to create balance, but I enjoy the volunteer work I do.

    Volunteering is a terrific way for students to get involved with a cause that they are passionate about and to get some hands-on experience at the same time to add to their resume. This volunteer week, think about seeking a new opportunity.

    • For students at the University of Oregon, check out 211Lane.org. It’s a local resource, sponsored by United Way of Lane County, that identifies most the nonprofits in Lane County, along with their current needs and contact information.
    • For others, check out VolunteerMatch. You can search for opportunities near you, or even search for “virtual opportunities.” With the keyword “public relations,” you can find a wide variety of organizations needing help.

    Now go out and do some good!

  • Understanding & Expecting Transparency: Student Perspectives

    A couple of student posts caught my eye this week. They both offer a rich perspective on transparency and I thought they were worth sharing with you.

    In Propoganda in an Age of Transparency, Hannah Smith offer critique on the FDLS Web site and its PR campaign.

    In Is American Apparel Transparent Enough, Lee Magner asks this question after he finds it difficult to trace the companies practices from crop to shelf via its Web site.

    What do you think? Leave a comment – or even better, leave a comment on either students’ blog.

  • Fresh Linky Love for Newbie Bloggers

    I have four students in my Advanced PR Writing class this quarter. The small number due to the way that the enrollment worked for our Senior Experience program at the SOJC campus in Portland.

    The bloggers:
    Hannah Smith’s How I learned to stop worrying and love PR
    Katrina Heilman’s Blah blah blog
    Nigel Vanderford’s Senator You’re No Jack Kennedy
    Johnny Barret’s Johnny B’s PR
    As is the norm, each week I’ll post a few links that I think are interesting. The students pick one and write a post on their own blog about using the linky love as a prompt.

    And away we go! This week’s linky love…

    Crisis Planning Seems Big – But How Do You Know if They are Any Good? (crisisblogger)
    The way our audiences communicate is changing (duh.). So it’s worth considering that our crisis plans need to change, too.

    Beginner’s Quick Start Guide to Twitter     (from Zappos.com CEO)
    If you’re interested in Twitter, here’s a great post to get you started.

    Polygamous Sect Takes Its PR Campaign to the Internet (Bulldog Reporter)
    Everyone does PR. Everyone. The Fundamentalist LDS church is using mass media and the Internet to rally people behind their cause.

    The Olympic Torch PR Fiasco (Public Relations Rogue)
    I wanted to write a post about this myself, but was never able to find the time. This post is a great one with lessons learned for communication professionals.

    Young Professionals and Social Media: What’s Your Personal ROI Strategy? (Media Bullseye)
    ROI is return on investment. What are you getting back for what you’re putting into social media? And how do you make sure you’re maximizing that return. Kait Swanson has some tips.

    How I Use RSS to Make My Life Easier (Edublogger)
    Can I get an amen?

    Write Like a Blogger (Seth Godin)
    Think like a blogger and improve your writing.

    Finally… Tuscon, Arizona declares Public Relations Appreciation Day.
    I’m sorry, this is a nice gesture, but it feels like a PR stunt. Doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose?

  • MWAH! Lots of Great Linky Love

    I had no intention to do a linky love this week. We’re still off-season for one more week in Advanced PR writing. But man! There is some terrific stuff out there this week.

    Note to Millennials: You Aren’t Workforce Royalty Yet (Tiffany Monhollon, Personal PR)
    I have been reading a lot about millennials lately. My colleagues Patricia Curtin and Tiffany Derville and I are doing research (thanks to a PRSA grant) about millennials in PR agencies. So I’m always interested in articles related to this generation. This is particularly relevant because it’s from a millennial working in PR to millennials who want to work in PR.

    Can PR Save the Beijing 2008 Olympics (Kevin Dugan, Strategic Public Relations)
    PR Crisis Expert Weighs in on San Francisco Olympics Protest (Daily Dog)
    Interesting news coverage and commentary this week as the Olympic Torch made its way around the world. These posts are both on the topic and have some terrific insights.

    Comments About Comments (Karen Russell, Teaching PR)
    This is one of those topics that it’s genuinely difficult to find good posts on. Thank you, Karen, for this post. It’s a terrific way to think about both leaving comments and generating comments.

    Five Reasons I Deleted Your Press Release (Sally Whittle, Getting Ink)
    The blogosphere has helped air a lot of the problems that media have with PR people, which hopefully (someday!) will make a difference. Until then, helpful posts like Sally’s will get you on the right track.

    Will You Kick Ass For Us? (Todd Defren, PR Squared)
    I’m consistently impressed with the way SHIFT hires, trains and supports its employees. The end result seems to be happy clients who get more than they expect. This post is an example of SHIFT’s sustainable business model. If you’re looking for a j-o-b, contact SHIFT.

    Photo via Flickr by scottspy

  • Off Season Linky Love

    It’s a bit off-season. My students don’t start blogging for another couple of weeks. But I found some great stuff in the PR blogosphere this week and, with my attention split in many directions lately, better this than nothing at all!

    PR Rolodex Myth (Topaz Partners): I love this post. I have found this advice to be very true. Regardless of the industry or the particular product/project/client, the skills for good media relations stay the same.

    Conversation Quotient     (AdWeek): I’m fascinated by the idea of measurement in social media. Kami Huyse and KDPaine do a terrific job of talking and blogging about it and I’m just a newbie. (Note: I understand the importance of campaign evaluation and traditional research, but social media is different). This article goes into some of the reasons and where measurement might be heading.

    News Releases on Life Support? Five Reasons Why (Class Act): Most press releases are bad. here are five reasons why.

    PROpenMic Forum: There are several great discussions on the PROpenMic forums. “Does Hiring a Chief Blogger Suck the Cool Out of Blogging?” and “Maximizing PR When There Really is No Budget” are getting the most traffic. Add your thoughts, too! If you’re not a member of PROpenMic, you should join today.

    Call for Contributions (PR Studies): Behind the Spin (e-zine for PR students and young professionals) is seeking contributions. Check it out and email for more info.

    Fendis/zefa/Corbis

  • Opportunities Across the Pond: Contribute to Behind the Spin

    Richard Bailey, a lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK has just launched Behind the Spin: Public Relations for Students and Young Practitioners.

    With contributions from students and practitioners alike, Behind the Spin offers a global perspective on public relations. Check out the editorial calendar. Have a good idea? Read through this isuse and get a sense of the publications style. Then contact Richard and his team about contributing.

    Thanks, Richard for creating such a terrific resource!

  • Kami & SeaWorld San Antonio on FastCompany.TV

    In February of this year, Kami Huyse of My PR Pro and her blog Communication Overtones spent an hour with my Advanced PR Writing class and talked about her social media work with Sea World San Antonio and the amazing results of her efforts.

    Shel Israel interviews Kami and the park’s director of communication about this effort (and rides the ride!). A great video with some outstanding measurement advice and ideas for social media outreach.

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