Tips from the Ones who Hire -Interviews

(Photo by Richelle Krig -- from my portfolio -- Please do not use without proper attribution)

The University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication just held mock interviews and portfolio reviews in Portland, Ore.; PR practitioners volunteered to interview students. Click here if you are curious about what a portfolio review entails!

This was a really great experience that helped me to understand what practitioners are looking for during an interview. I spoke with Jodi Moore, Senior Staffing Partner and head of Studio D from Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, and Amy Moore Paterson, Vice President of LanePR.

Both ladies were very helpful, and offered information that I was grateful for. Here are several things they emphasized:

* List your social media skills on your resume.

*Don't expect to get hired based on your portfolio; however, they are good conversation starters.

* The way you present yourself and your portfolio is more important than what might or might not be within its pages.

* Bring an extra copy or two of your resume with you to the interview. (This is courteous to the interviewer, who may have 100 resumes to search through, before finding yours.)

* Know what is on your resume; have one in front of you so that you are not guessing at the next job listed. (This is why you should bring two with you to the interview.)

* While you are selling yourself, telling the interviewer about all of your wonderful skills, also tell a story that backs up your claims. (i.e., I have planned five weddings to date. Through planning weddings, I have realized I am a great problem solver. Once, the hem in the mother of the groom's dress fell out. I used clear duck-tape to tack it back, which held it in place for the rest of the night.)

* Have some questions for the interviewer. It shows that you are interested and have done research on the job you are interviewing for.

In addition to these tips, I would strongly suggest talking yourself through both your resume and portfolio -- before your interview. This will help you to communicate clearly and feel confidant in yourself. If you feel confidant, you are more likely to deliver in the above-mentioned areas.

Podcasting -an Experience

(Photo thanks to www.dreamstime.com/)

Today I have officially created my first podcast using Audacity. Please listen by clicking here!

Below are the show notes. As this was an assignment, the additional podcasts listed, are only hypothetical.

Particular Memorandums (Show Notes)

Welcome to my podcast series. I’m your host, Richelle Krig.

Particular Memorandums is a podcast series designed to help public relations practitioners to develop ethical and targeted messages. Each podcast covers ethical ways to deal with different audiences. This is the go to for your ethical gray areas in messaging.

Schedule

Week 1: The Foundations of Ethics

Week 2: Case Studies: What They Did Well, and What They Should Have Kept in Mind

Week 3: Ethical Green Messaging

Week 4: Social Media and Ethical Viral Marketing

Show Notes for Week 2: Ethical Green Messaging

Introduction: :0-:39

Greenwashing: :39- :50

Five ways to evaluate green messaging: :50-4:15

Next week: 4:15-4:56

References

Green Washing Index. http://www.greenwashingindex.com/. Accessed 22 April, 2009.

Hamill, S.; Heine, L.; Vesilind, A. P. (2007, October). Kermit’s Lament: It’s Not Easy Being Green. Retrieved from http://0-web.ebscohost.comjanus.uoregon.edu/ehost/pdf? vid=2&hid=106&sid=bfe6b68f-9dbb-4868-ac8a-7eddb0570dfe%40sessionmgr109

Round Two... The Phone Interview!

(photo thanks to http://www.stockvault.net/)

I am very excited to announce that I have a phone interview next week. With the current economy, I resigned myself to the fact that finding a job would take some time. Much to my surprise, my resume made it through round one (screening of resume and cover letter) and into the phone interview phase at a new destination resort and day spa. A soon as I was notified, I asked myself, now what?

Some quick research provided me with the confidence I needed. Come to find out, there are several things that can really make you stand out among other phone interviewees. The best way to leave an impression after the interview is to prepare for the call.

How do you prepare?
1. Be at least 99.9% sure you will be able to take the call at the scheduled time.
2. Plan in advance to be in a quiet place where you can concentrate.
3. Read the job description and understand what it entails.
4. Have your resume and cover letter in front of you along with paper and a pen for note taking.
5. Allow your personality to show but also keep in mind, this is an interview.
6. Have a few questions for the interviewer, click here for some really great ones

The phone interview is conducted as a step to narrow down the number of candidates for the job. It is not normal for one to be hired from a phone interview. There will usually be one to three in person interviews following your favorable impression on the hiring manager during your phone interview.

Relax just a little bit; your resume has made it past the initial taking out of the trash. Now you can see if you are a good fit for the job, the environment, and the expectations. The hiring manager is checking for these same things. Use the interview as an opportunity to gauge whether or not you think you will love waking up in the morning to this job!

Work-Life Balance is Pleased to Announce the Marriage of the Workplace and the Workforce

(free stock photo thanks to http://www.dreamstime.com)

Today I began reading a study published in the Public Relations Journal called, "Is It Still Just a Women's Issue? A Study of Work-Life Balance Among Men and Women in Public Relations".

As the study highlights, there are traditional expectations imposed on working individuals, stemming from the previously male dominated workplace. Women comprise a larger and larger portion of the workforce. Thus we are now experiencing the transitional phase following female workforce meets male workplace. There is a kind of metaphorical marriage happening between the two.

It suggests that if companies offer ways for employees to balance work and personal life, then the company will experience increased loyalty from its employees. This makes sense when considering the fact that generally PR practitioners studied, (male and female) described their life as "holistic, with work efforts entering and exiting their everyday practices and realities." If work and personal life intertwine, then a workplace that is conscious of this will logically mesh well with the individual employees.

How can an employer foster this loyalty and interchanging lifestyle?

Provide a Blackberry or other Internet savvy device

Encourage personal time and work from home options

Provide a forum for discussing work-life balance

Flexible schedules, and online options would be helpful, however social media may also play a role. As social media integrates more closely with formal communication, flexibility will no doubt follow. The holistic approach requires work and personal time to weave together, so media and communication tools like the Blackberry fit nicely.

While both men and women perceive work-life balance as a mainly female struggle, both genders agreed that PR was uniquely demanding of a professional's priorities. As around half of the PR practitioners are female, the marriage of workplace and workforce will need to continue to work through struggles. Ultimately a solid relationship with a productive and satisfying outcome will result.

Social Media = Social Revolution?

(Social protest turns riot in Moldova, creative use license, Thanks to The New York Times)

-The Twitter twisting is endless-

It has been asked, "Can the Internet bring social revolution to nations?" Is it possible that China will find it so difficult to control social forums synonymous with the Internet that a move toward democratic ideals might result?

An article in The New York Times brought me to ask a similar question of Moldova. As The New York Times article by Ellen Barry discussed the generation gap present in Moldova, it became apparent to me that there is something of a digital divide resulting from this gap. Because most policy makers, parents and grandparents have minimal presence online, they were unaware of the dissention brewing among their young adults and twenty somethings.

Young people were able to coordinate an entire protest via e-mail, cell phones, and yes... Twitter. Head counts of the protesting group vary from 600 to 1,500. Any way it's counted, Twitter was credited with providing the platform on which the protest stood.

Given that Twitter uses hashtags (that can be anything users chose) for networking, it can be difficult to pick out a social movement like the one in Moldova. Twitter's functions are starting to feel endless as professionals and the public alike twist twitter to their do their bidding.

It seems yet another possibility has dawned on the Twitter horizon. Grassroots campaigns will be using Twitter in the wink of an eye. With places like Portland, Ore., developing a Twisitor Center, call lists and sidewalk bombardment may become obsolete as the Twitter twisting has only begun.