PR job hunting tactics - #HAPPO days ahead

The following is a guest post by Colleen Fischer, who agreed to share her thoughts, experiences and tactics on the PR job hunt scene:
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As a PR professional job searching in a new city, I am faced with one of the greatest challenges of my life, yet I treasure the unique opportunity I have been given to truly start fresh. My husband’s career has taken us away from a large professional and social network, an everyday routine, and a calendar full of commitments. I suddenly have found myself with an abundance of time, motivation, and excitement about the unknown. While I deeply miss past colleagues, long-standing media relationships, and the central Ohio community, I see more potential for my career in Fort Worth every single day. This potential is not only found through job listings and interviews, but more importantly, through the relationships I am constantly building. I have a new appreciation for the human component in job searching and the importance of connecting with people in my everyday life.

Communication is the foundation to public relations, which is fortunate for PR job seekers such as myself. HAPPO (Help a PR Pro Out) chats on twitter, linkedin groups, and networking events are a few resources that are not as easily accessible in other industries. The nature of people in the PR field is typically warm, helpful, inviting and social. This is something I constantly have to remind myself, as I ask others for their time and recommendations.

Having spent my high school, college and eight years of my career in one city, the concept of asking favors of strangers is foreign to me. In addition to a welcoming industry, the community of Fort Worth has been overwhelmingly hospitable. The mix of friendly Fort Worth life-ers and fellow transplants is a recipe for a great city to be new in.

In addition to the daily grind of googling and job board searching, below are some of my job hunt tactics:

Blogging- My blog depicts me personally. It definitely has a professional edge, but the purpose it serves is to display my creativity and sense of humor. I want to be hired for these qualities in addition to my professional expertise.

Social Media - Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook are my daily necessities for continuously learning, conversing, and building my community. I am my authentic, witty self on these platforms, with the intention of standing out among the rest.

DFWcommunicators.com - I was blown away by the amount of PR opportunity in the DFW area when I first discovered this job bank. I have continued to check the listings every day, applying for positions, learning from duties, requirements, and job descriptions, and gaining a deeper grasp of the local PR industry.

Fort Worth PRSA - They key to capitalizing on this group is active involvement. In my new role of Hospitality Chair, I have already connected with chapter leaders and expect to build many more relationships throughout 2011.

Toastmasters - Valuable public speaking and leadership development through practice, this group simply gets me out of the house as well as out of my comfort zone.

Social Media Club - I have found this to be the most laid back, easygoing networking group. The tweet-ups are truly fun and there is a real sense of community as relationships are easily maintained on twitter.

These elements, combined with a great deal of patience, are the keys to my job hunt strategy. I have promised myself not to settle for A job, as I want THE long-term position that is right for me. Putting myself out there as me is the best way to make that match. In addition to working toward my career goals, these everyday efforts are simultaneously helping me to make friends and stay sane.
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Updated 1/23/11 - I'm happy to report that Colleen's efforts have paid off as she's recently accepted a position as PR Manager with M/C/C Ad Agency & PR Firm in Dallas.
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Check out other musings over on Colleen's blog as she continues her search.

Also, look for more information in the coming weeks from HAPPO (Help a PR Pro Out) as we celebrate the anniversary of this growing network.

KDFW Channel-4 Pokes Fun of Social Media

Our local FOX affiliate station, KDFW, took a brilliant tongue-firmly-in-cheek swipe at social media in a fun video that was posted to their Facebook page with the title: Social Media Bit - Lone Star Emmys

This is a fantastic example of allowing yourself (even you media outlets) to have a personality. Let your community know you're human and that at times you don't have to take yourself too seriously. Thanks FOX 4 for the fun reminder. Well done.

Blog writing ideas and tips for school districts

Once you've moved passed your initial fears of blogging for your school district, it's time to think about the type of content you wish to provide for the community. Let the goals be your guide for what to write.

You could have an informal, community-centered blog that has a broad approach and covers a wide range of topics, a superintendent (leadership) blog, a news release and announcement blog, department and/or curriculum-related blog, internal blog featuring staff stories, or any combination of these.
(Image: avrdreamer)

Of course, the above is by no means an exhaustive list, rather just some ideas that might help get you going.

When deciding what to write in a school district's blog remember:

• Write what you know - Blogs are at there best when they are written from the perspective of someone who has relevant knowledge and information to share.
• Be interesting - A school district community is a collective of individual parents, students, staff, and public. You have to figure out what are the compelling needs and topics to match their interests.
• Be Honest - This is a big one. If you have access to information AND are authorized to share, you can use these behind-the-scenes topics as relevant posts. The caveat is just like when dealing with the media, you must be honest or you could set yourself up for failure. Dishonesty and failure in a blog can take on a mini-to-major PR storm if you are not careful.
• Be Yourself - You school district blog can have an informal tone. Use the language that you would use in conversation and avoid the eduspeak as much as possible. Or think of it like author/blogger David Meerman Scott said in a recent keynote speech, "speak to your buyers in their language, not yours."
• It's a two-way street - Commenting is a must in my opinion. School districts can get the most out of their blogs if they have a commenting system in place for readers. Being able to get feedback is a great listening tool and should not be overlooked. Arik Hanson, sums it up quite well I think:

"...the best part of many blogs isn’t the posts. It’s the comments. Why? Because the comments represent the real discussion board. People with varying viewpoints adding valuable content. Folks starting productive conversation threads that go in a different direction from the original post. And people leaving tips and tools that are beneficial to us all. That’s the real gold of blog posts."

Your school district blog can provide a place where parents, students, staff and the public can read some of the latest news, thoughts, and information from school district leadership and engage in respectful dialogue. It's up to you to cultivate an atmosphere of sharing with the community and develop the strategies the best fit the needs of your school district. What would you add? If you blog for a school district, what issues have come up for you?

34 Unforgettable Posts for PR People

That's right, I said 34 unforgettable posts. I compiled a round-up list last year as my gift to you on my 33rd birthday and wanted to continue the tradition on my 34th trip around the sun.

These are writings from some of the top thought-leaders in the public relations industry or from those who provide remarkable contributions for communication professionals or are just really pretty cool and I think  you should read. So without further ado, this year's list from oldest to newest:

1. Micro Interactions in PR (Conversation Agent)
2. Personal Branding: Be careful what you wish for (The Harte of Marketing)
3. Why You Shouldn’t Trust Social Media To An SEO Consultant (Social Media Explorer)
4. 7 Things I Learned Online that I Use at Work (Conversation Agent)
5. Being a Director of Community (Altitude Branding)
6. Hashtags: Coming to a conference near you (Media Bullseye)
7. Moving from Siloes to Hives (The Buzz Bin)
8. Public Relations Roles explained through Baseball Positions (Next Communications)
9. Social Media ain't about one-night stands, it's about relationships (The Viral Garden)
10. Social Media in the Nonprofit Workplace: Does Your Organization Need A Social Media Policy? (Beth's Blog)
11. Could It Be? Is PR Becoming Unnecessary? (The Bad Pitch Blog)
12. Are corporate communicators hopeless in social media? (Mengel Musings)
13. Public Relations Activities That Affect SEO (Online Marketing Blog)
14. Five reasons why your company blog sucks (The Viral Garden)
15. Journalism 2.0: Don't Throw Out the Baby (Read Write Web)
16. Communication silos don’t work (The Harte of Marketing)
17. A 12 Step Program to End PR Fail (The Lost Jacket)
18. Beware the PR Prophets (Communication Catalyst)
19. The last PR stand (Fort Worth PRSA)
20. Your Press Release has a Long Tail in New Media (Conversation Agent)
21. Public Relations Pros Must Be Social Media Ready (Social Media Explorer)
22. Who Owns the Social Media Play: Marketing, PR or Advertising? (Communication Overtones)
23. Building Community for Your Employees (Deirdre Breakenridge)
24. 9 simple words to live by in the digital age (Communications Conversations)
25. Bad Apples in PR (PR Squared)
26. How Are You Measuring Your Community? (Outspoken Media)
27. Relationship Chaining: Building and Activating a Community (Communication Overtones)
28. Proof the Splinternet is real (Groundswell)
29. When Clients Want Coverage in your Blog: Social Media Ethical Dilemmas (PR Squared)
30. ROI: How to Measure Return on Investment in Social Media (Brian Solis)
31. Facebook Friday: 5 Essential Elements to Your Facebook Page Guidelines (Fresh Influence)
32. Captain Planet Style: Powers Combined in PR/Marketing (LAF)
33. What does tomorrow’s PR pro look like? (Communications Conversations)
34. Take the next step: Meet in Real Life (PR Breakfast Club)

Wow! That took longer than I thought it would. Just like last year, there are some source repeats, but I still read some of the same great content creators. I hope you take some time and go through this gift of resources or save it for later. As always, the (comment) party is yours.

(Photo credit: young and with it)

Starting clean for #Movember

The fact that I am not a hairy man makes me (and my wife) happy. My inability to grow facial hair into a full beard or goatee leaves me to wonder where my genes came from since there are beard and moustache-wearing guys among my male relatives. It usually doesn't bug me too much accept during the month of Movember because I know my mo won't be as robust as most of the others. But then, that's not the point.

Movember
Movember is a moustache growing charity event held during the month of November every year that raises funds and awareness for men's health - specifically prostate and testicular cancer. The month-long campaign this year will benefit The Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

The Movember campaign is one worth checking out even if you don't want to participate because it has integrated some social media outposts like YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter profiles in addition to a sites for the foundation and launch. The fun has an edge and seriousness to it.

Here's the Intro video for 2009:



The cause is worthy. The rules are easy. The campaign is cool. The benefits are noble. Change the face of men's health. Grow a Mo. 

Besides, what else do you have going this month? And so goes day #1 of Movember.

Happy Halloween

Taking a slight detour from my typical posts for something on arguably my favorite holiday.

I really dig how this educator has a little fun, a good personality, an engaged audience, and uses a bit of a performance mentality and techniques all while being a math teacher.

The observational geometry quiz at 2:24 is pretty cool too. (The audio in the clip is a little low, so you may want to turn up your volume a bit.)



Happy Halloween.

Who is keeping you from being a better communicator?

Image by Looking Glass via Flickr

Answer: You

 "Whether you think you can or can't, you're right."
- Dr. Adolph Brown, III

With all of the tools, trainings, conferences and research at your fingertips to access, learn, and use, what is keeping you from taking steps to advance or achieve your professional goals?

I am an advocate for communication professionals having working knowledge of the tools of the social web. I also believe being a life-long learner through a variety of professional development is a central component to having any kind of success in your field.

Whether it's crisis communications or being a strategic business consultant, media relations or measurement, whatever it is you need to do to sharpen your skills and change, learn, and grow, do it.

Personal responsibility is 100x more important than personal branding.

What are you going to do to be a more effective communicator? What steps have you taken to improve your craft? The comments are yours.

The jobless grad and a stroke of PR genius

I read with the following headline with a fair amount incredulity:

Alumna sues college because she hasn't found a job (CNN)

Let's just let that sink in a moment.

Really?!
Basically, the 27 year-old woman is alleging a business-oriented NYC school's career advancement office did not live up to expectations by not doing enough to find her a job nor providing any leads or career advice, yada yada yada, she wants over $70K.

There are already a number interesting news items, multiple blog posts and advice being offered based on this woman's actions.

Real (PR) Genius

Cover of Real Genius

All that aside, I want to point to what I thought was a stroke of public relations genius announced earlier today by the The Ski Channel Founder and CEO, Steve Bellamy:

The Ski Channel Offers Job to Jobless Graduate Suing Monroe College

I don't know who came up with this idea for The Ski Channel, but I read the online press release at first with amusement then with amazement. They were able to zero in on a hot topic that was making the rounds on the internet that had absolutely nothing to do with their company or industry and morph it into what I think is and will be a positive bit of publicity and harmless, tongue-in-cheek fun.

"Either Ms Thompson is a cunning out of the box thinker and we want her," said Bellamy "or she isn't, and her position would not last long.  Either way, the law suit would no longer be clogging up the courts because there are now no damages.  She now has a bonifide job offer...If she is this feisty, we'll try her out. But if she is playing the victim card and pushing her problems onto everyone else - then her job wouldn't likely last long." [emphasis added]

What do you think? Was this a good jump for The Ski Channel to make?

Related articles found by me with Zemanta's help

• Grad sues college because she can't find a job
• Jobless grad sues college for $70,000
• Jobless Graduate Sues Her NY University
• Bronx girl Trina Thompson sues college because she can't find a job 
• Education: To succeed, just be good enough
• Trina Thompson (Grad Student) VS. Monroe College

Dallas Inbound Marketing Summit - From the Back Row

Image by LevelTen Interactive via Flickr

Last week I attended as many of the sessions from the Inbound Marketing Summit's Dallas stop as I could. (I'm still not quite sure what I was thinking in scheduling myself out of the school district for any period of time in second-to-last week of school, but that's a different story.)

What we have here are presentations I attended and some take-aways worth sharing:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 101
by Mike Volpe - VP of Inbound Marketing at HubSpot

Seo 101 - Inbound Marketing Summit - Dallas

View more OpenOffice presentations from Hubspot Marketing.

Take-aways

• Have a broad footprint of published content
• Publish content worth sharing - Would anyone actually want to share this beyond its intended audience?
• Shhhhhhh! Social Media is actually an important aspect of SEO.
• The type of marketing that works today is not the same as what worked before.
• It's less about the big-budget and more about creativity, hard work, and brain power.

Advocacy, Badvocacy & Upsetting Apple Carts
by Tim Marklein - EVP of Measurement & Strategy at Weber Shandwick

IMS Dallas tmarklein "Advocacy, Badvocacy & Upsetting Apple Carts"

View more Microsoft Word documents from Tim Marklein.

Take-aways

• We need to rethink the channels, reach, influence inside and outside the organization.
  
• Traditional marketing needs to adapt to Advocacy marketing.
• Tell many stores, one at a time, synchronized, through many voices, to "micro" markets.

Discovery & Ambient Awareness
Tools, Techniques & Processes
by Mike Walsh - CEO of Leverage Software

Be A Kid

View more OpenOffice presentations from Mike Walsh.

Take-aways

• We are all limited by what we are able to consume.
• Low "noise-level" helps keep you super-efficient.
  
• Be like a kid [again] through filtered discovery!
• Your community helps by letting you discover information you didn't know you needed.
  

Internet Marketing by the Numbers
by Mike Moran - Chief Strategist for Converseon

Related blog post: Internet Marketing, Texas Style

Take-aways

• Once we start measuring things then we become responsible for making them work.
• Your aquisition costs for new customers is much higher than for existing customers.
• Case for Public Relations: How far did your message travel?

Social Business from the Inside Out - case study
by Greg Matthews - Director of Consumer Innovation at Humana

Social Business from the Inside Out

View more OpenOffice presentations from chimoose.

Take-aways

• Be a vacuum - study, try, read, talk to trusted sources, and get good information
• Try stuff - have the license to experiment
• One of the benefits of doing wacky stuff is that it gets you noticed.
• One thing to remember about Social Media is to be careful of what you say and where you say it.

Nuts About Online Communication
by Paula Berg - Manager of Emerging Media at Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines Emerging Media Presentation

View more OpenOffice presentations from Austin Ama .

Take-aways

• Engage with your advocates first.
• Negative feedback is secondary.
• Make the mundane fun.
• Establish channels before a crisis.
• Don't be afraid to join the conversation.
  
• [Internally] You already have all the talent you need.
• Take the organization's message and translate it into the language of the Social Media tools.

Greg's session and Paula's session were particularly interesting to me because each works in highly regulated industries (healthcare and airline) and both are being innovative and creative within their organizational structure. Many of their lessons learned could translate very well for other professionals who work within regulated structures like government agencies.

That's it. I was not able to make any of the other sessions. Thankfully others did and you might find their posts, decks, and videos useful as well.

Related stuff found by Richie Escovedo and Zemanta

• Inbound Marketing Summit Dallas - Great event
• Some Thoughts from the Inbound Marketing Summit - Dallas
• There Is No Information Overload (Inbound Marketing Summit)
• Key lessons from the Inbound Marketing Summit
• Build How-To Material to Grow Relationships
• Managing Social Media and Encouraging Employee Individuality with Southwest Airlines
• Postcards From Dallas - The Inbound Marketing Summit 2009

Ft. Worth PRSA: Creativity in Ad & PR Writing wrap-up

The Greater Ft. Worth Chapter of PRSA recently had a guest at the April luncheon who shared his thoughts on injecting creativity in writing in his presentation entitled Making Headlines: Creativity in Ad & PR Writing.

The speaker was Brian Pierce, a copywriter, broadcast producer and creative consultant based in Dallas-Fort Worth. Pierce set the stage by comparing the relationship between Ad people and PR people to that of Itchy & Scratchy which is pretty funny if you think about it. But mainly comes down to not really understanding what the other does. He went on to point out some examples of the blurred lines between the Advertising and PR disciplines:

• Ad campaigns created for publicity
• PR messages in ad form
• Viral video
• Social media
• Corporate blogs

Best take-aways from the presentation...

  10 Tips for Super-swell Creative Ideas

Image by friel via Flickr

1. Be a chameleon.
2. Write a strategy.
3. Laugh at your awful ideas.
4. Be a sponge.
5. Put your subconscious to work.
6. When you are in the flow, don't turn off the tap.
7. Step away from the keyboard
8. Keep it simple - simple is good.
9. Communicate with few words.
10. Top your best idea.

And lastly, "It is not the lack of ability, but a lack of confidence that prevents the creative process." - Brian Pierce

Related articles located by Zemanta and Richie Escovedo

• Who's Afraid of Creativity?
• How to Sleep and Daydream Your Way to Success 
• Agencies Need to Think More Facebook, Twitter, Less TV