PR Career Development Night!

The Hudson Business Lounge is a trendy networking and work destination located in Downtown Milwaukee’s Third Ward.  It was the location for a powerhouse networking event designed to help UW-Whitewater PR students experience mock interviews and give informational interviews to young professionals.  In my opinion, PR Career Development Night was a great success.  This is only the second networking event I have ever been to and it left me itching to attend another one very soon. 

The first part of the night included a 15 minute speech from Big Shoes Network founder, Jeff Carrigan.  Carrigan answered two questions: What should I do after graduation? And how can I stand out?  The answers to these questions are very helpful to students like me who are graduating this coming spring.  I must take advantage of the job opportunities available now, like internships and I must follow the five C’s on how to stand out: competence, connections, character, chemistry, and c-suite.

The second part of the evening included two mock interviews conducted by skilled PR professionals.  I found this to be extremely helpful.  I was interviewed by Heidi Murphy, CEO of the public relations consulting firm Opal, and Kirsten Kozik, Sales and Marketing Administrator for Anguil.  I have not had a large number of interviews in my lifetime but they gave me advice that I will be sure to take into account for the next interview I face.  The most important bit of advice that I was given was to be myself and let my personality shine through.  Interviews can be nerve-racking but it was great hearing that I will be successful in interviews if I stay true to who I am.

I also had the opportunity to give an informational interview to one of the young professionals.  I interviewed Allison Kubacki, Account Coordinator for Lightburn Digital Agency in Milwaukee.  Allison gave me great feedback on the professional world, including what a typical day is like, what part of her job is most satisfying, and the type of experience I should have for entering this work field.  I know the information that I learned through my interview with Allison will play a role in upcoming job decisions I will soon be making.

Overall, this was a great night for UW-Whitewater students to network and it has made me excited for future networking events I may come across! 

The Public Relations Aspect of Conveyors and Hand Tools

On October 14^th, I was lucky enough to have SteveStaedler speak to my Public Relations Tactics class.  Staedler is a traditional print journalist turned PR executive.  He is currently working as the Senior Account Executive of Public Relations for LePoidevin Marketing, based in Brookfield, WI.  Staedler graduated from UW-Milwaukee with a degree in Mass Communication and has used his writing expertise in previous jobs for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Community Newspapers Incorporated. 

LePoidevin is a small B2B firm specializing in conveyers, hand tools, etc.  His job consists of writing fact sheets, news releases, copy, and press kits, among other Public Relations duties.  Since LePoidevin is a small B2B firm, Staedler does not place a strong importance on social media.  He claims it depends on the account, but the businesses he is typically targeting are not on social media sites like Facebook.

Instead, Staedler uses media monitoring software, like Cision, in order to get coverage for his clients.  Cision is a software system that effectively builds a database for media contacts and media lists.  This comes in handy when Staedler wants to send out his news releases.  He just contacts Cision about the type of media he is interested in sending his story; these are sources like newspapers, magazines, broadcast, etc.  Cision is an amazing software because it allows you to choose outlets, location, coverage and gives you an in depth profile allowing you to contact these forms of media.  It is also helpful knowing that the Cision software includes most main media outlets and is constantly updated.

Having Staedler speak to our class was so informative! He told us about his journey to where he is today, gave us professional advice, and showed examples of some of the work he has done.  And let me say, the work he has done is inspiring! He has been able to come up with really creative and innovative tools for companies like Snap-On.  For example, the “Building Tools for Life” box includes brochures and fact sheets to educate schools on the advantages of being a part of the Snap-on Technical Education Program. 

The writing and creativity he has been able to accomplish at his job with LePoidevin makes me very excited to graduate and finally get into the real world of Advertising and Public Relations!

The Exciting PR Life of Amy Paul

It’s difficult not knowing exactly what is in store once I graduate.  I am the type of person who likes knowing what is going to happen next.  Fortunately, I feel more hopeful after hearing Amy Paul’s speech in our PR Tactics II class.  Amy Paul attended UW-Whitewater from 2005 to 2011 and was originally a music major but quickly changed to PR.  My first impression of Amy was that she has done so much for herself since graduation, which I find very intimidating.  She started out working for the Milwaukee County Executive Office as a PR assistant then moved to Bottom Line Marketing also as a PR assistant and is currently working for Ascedia as an interactive account coordinator.  She stresses internships and networking as important aspects for how she made it this far.  She kept busy during her time at Whitewater with PRSSA and internships.  Her internship past includes Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Qdoba Mexican Grill, UWW University Development Office, and the Milwaukee Admirals.  Amy is still involved with the Milwaukee Admirals even though her internship has ended.  She worked with the Milwaukee Admirals photographer in order to create admirals.smugmug.com, a website that sells quality Milwaukee Admirals images.  This is an example of how amazing networking is.  She created a long-lasting relationship with her boss at the Milwaukee Admirals and this is helping her expand her career.  Amy has inspired me to take internships more importantly.  Some of her advice for internships include starting your search early, dressing appropriately, acting professionally, and asking for more responsibility.  I also learned a lot from her stories of social media gone wrong.  She personally knows two people who have been fired from their job because of a status or a picture posted.  This gives me incentive to start sifting through the good, bad, and ugly in order to create a better future for myself.  Even though I thought Amy was very intimidating at first, I realized by the end of her speech that she used to be in the same spot as me.  It just took involvement, hardwork, internships, and networking for her to be where she is today!

My Continuing Journey in PR

It's finally here.  Three long years have led up to this.  My final year here at UW-Whitewater.  And if all goes as planned, by the end of the year I will have my bachelor's degree.  Honestly, I am incredibly excited to enter the professional world of Advertising and Public Relations.  I hope to soon have an internship in an Advertising or Public Relations agency that will help me achieve my ultimate professional goal as a copywriter.  I have taken almost all of the Advertising classes necessary for me to graduate and copywriting has always been the aspect of Advertising that most appeals to me.  I love creating something intricate with my words that will influence people.  Right now, I am being challenged with Public Relations classes.  So far, I have really enjoyed the different aspects of Public Relations.  Everything from writing press releases to social media.  One thing I really look forward to is getting the chance to network with important people in the field.  I think face-to-face contact is something I need to work on.  I do not yet know how to interact professionally.  Hopefully PR Tactics II with Ann Knabe will give me the opportunity to expand my communication and networking skills.  I am excited to see what this semester has in store for me, both professionally and academically!