Category: Professional Development

Internships (Part 2): One or Many?

Cherith AndesBlog, Professional Development, Public Relations, , , ,

Internship Hopping: should interns pursue one long internship or several shorter gigs?
Part two of a two-part blog on internships from Clairemont’s own fantastic intern, Carly Griffin.

It’s clear: one of the most important benefits of an internship outside the classroom is the opportunity to develop a long-term relationship with a company.

But what is more important: interning for one agency for an extended period of time or dipping into a variety of agencies throughout multiple internships?

Revisit the Reason

In a world where students have taken up sports, joined clubs and racked up volunteer hours solely for the purpose of building up their resumes, we have forgotten the reasons behind the actions. Sports weren’t created to be a point on a resume; they are created for exercise and learning teamwork. Volunteerism isn’t for cushioning a cover letter; it’s for nurturing and giving back to a community.

Concurrently, don’t approach an internship as just another item on your graduation checklist. It’s not worth it.

What are you investing?

Whether you intern at one place for an extended period of time or hop from one internship to another, it’s vital that you fully commit yourself to that experience. You get out of it what you put in. One quality internship can be just as beneficial as a resume stacked with a multitude of positions. If you are getting great experience and learning a lot at one place, there is no need to stress about finding a litany of internships just to fill your resume.

However, there is something to be said for interning at a variety of companies. According to Statista.com, twenty-nine percent of college graduates wish they had interned more during their college careers. If you are still unsure of the kind of job you want, quantity can help. Like sampling ice cream flavors (and with the same gusto, of course), it can be beneficial to intern at several companies that provide a different environment and experience. You don’t want to end up signing a work contract and then having the job equivalent of buyer’s remorse.

The Final Word

So, after my internal debate that fateful night at the dinner table with my dad, I am happy to say that I have gained so much more than just PR experience from my internships. I’ve gained insight into a professional world, I’ve learned the importance of building professional relationships, and I’ve discovered what interests me and what does not. I believe that the time I have spent interning (not the number of internships I have had) will help me compete with other, more experienced, professionals when I enter the job market after graduation.

Sound off: what advice do you have for college interns? Invest in one internship or pursue several?

 

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To Intern…Or Not To Intern? (Part 1)

Cherith AndesBlog, Professional Development, Public Relations, , , 3 Comments on To Intern…Or Not To Intern? (Part 1)

With the growth of client assignments in the classroom, are internships outdated?
Part one of a two-part blog on internships from Clairemont’s own fantastic intern, Carly Griffin.

Imagine sitting at the dinner table over Christmas break during your sophomore year of college, and your dad asks you, “So, do you have an internship lined up for the summer yet?” 

Internship…? INTERNSHIP? You JUST decided on a major. Two months ago. And only after flirting with every other major your school offers. Does he really expect you to have an internship lined up already?

So, you mumble a response, such as, “I’ve been looking into it.”

Then, the panic sets in. How do you find an internship? Hello, Google! What kind of internship should you apply to? Oh yeah, my major. Where can you apply? I guess living at home would be cool. Are you even qualified for an internship? Probably, not. Are internships even necessary? Hmm…

In every intern interview I’ve done, one question always seems to come up: why do you want this internship? And my response is the same each time: the classroom is a great place to learn theories, but it’s vital to gain the real world experience a college setting cannot provide.

But in a day when college courses now assign you to work for a client, did my answer still ring true?

In my PR Writing class, we were given a semester-long assignment with a non-profit, Theater Delta, where we applied classroom learning to an actual company. And while this was a great opportunity, it lacked the real-life professionalism of an internship that I had to secure on my own.

In addition, the assignment ended after a semester with no opportunity to continue working for the company.  And that, my friends, is key. The relationship that you develop during a traditional internship paves the way for career mobility, forward momentum and—simply put—job offers.

The work I did for Theater Delta, while instructive and educational, did not have the same future opportunities as a “real” internship. For this reason, I’m thankful for that night at the dinner table. It made me examine my options and inspired me to start working towards a professional internship that would be pack the most punch as I built my career.

Weigh in: do you think a classroom internship provides the same benefits as a opportunity outside the college setting?

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(S)Amsterdam

Margot HorganBlog, Professional Development, The Clairemont Team, , , , , 2 Comments on (S)Amsterdam

Today’s blog post comes from Clairemont intern, Sam Halle, who just returned to the US after working a tradeshow in the Netherlands. Keep reading below for more details about her experience attending the largest audiovisual tradeshow in the world and traveling throughout Amsterdam.

Audiovisual innovation surrounded me – 349,409 square feet at that. Music blasted from the latest and greatest speaker systems. Scenic views flashed across various 4K and LED screens. An entire hall showcased videoconference and unified communications providers; another, digital signage; and another, staging rigs, gear and lighting. And, a record-breaking 51,003 attendees were taking note.

Just the other week, I took a break from my North Carolina life to fly to Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Donning my title as a reporter for rAVe Publications – a digital news organization that provides coverage of the commercial and residential audiovisual trade industries via e-newsletters, blogs, video, social media and more – I was tasked with contributing to the live coverage of Integrated Systems Europe 2014 tradeshow, the now-largest AV tradeshow in the world.

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From stand setup on Sunday, to breakdown on Thursday, it was a whirlwind of a week with quite a lot to digest.

Here are my tradeshow takeaways:

Have personality and be personable: Simply put, tradeshows are exhausting. Immersed in a world where networking is king, business card exchanges can become repetitive. Accordingly, it’s important to have personality! Taking that extra moment to have a memorable conversation with someone can go a long way, and taking the time to follow up with folks in a personalized fashion can go even further. My tip? Keep a pen with you at all times to jot down need-to-know notes on the back of respective business cards.

Attitude is everything: As the tradeshow progressed – and as my swollen feet grew to hate me at an increasing rate – it was critical that I remain present in all situations and conversations. Thanks to my camp counselor days, the mantra “alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic” played in my head (I may or may not have gotten a C-level executive to sing this song with me). Remain enthusiastic and soak up as much information as you can. Stay alert and capitalize on as many moments as possible. Introduce yourself. Read product descriptions. Watch how other attendees respond to different companies. Then, do another lap around the hall to catch up with those who were otherwise occupied when you initially visited.

Take a second to breathe: Never let professional travel become a burden. Whether you are traveling to the-middle-of-nowhere, Idaho or to Amsterdam, there is always something neat and different to experience. These experiences will not only make you more interesting and easier to talk to during the many small-talk sessions, but they’ll also – more importantly – continue to color your life. So, no matter how tired you are or how much work is left to be completed, take a moment to explore. Eat a wheel of cheese or maybe a stroopwafel. Walk along the canal. Take the more-scenic taxi ride (I promise it’s worth the few euros). Talk to locals. Snap at least a few photos that scream, “I am a tourist!” And, of course, enjoy.

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Pitch Perfect

Tracy LathanBlog, Marketing, Professional Development, Public Relations, 1 Comment on Pitch Perfect

Those of us in the PR business have no doubt been asked by a client at one time or another, “How do we get more media coverage?” Unfortunately, the answer to this question is never simple since there are a lot of moving targets in terms of why some stories get covered and some do not. And, while a good story is a good story, I have found that the strength of the pitch is often the deciding factor in what ends up in the media.

Successful media pitching is an acquired skill…one that takes time, and often many failed attempts, to master. While there are always new techniques to learn and approaches to try, here are a few tips that have served me well over the years.

1.Tell a good story. Everyone loves a good story. A well told story can bring the most boring of product launches to life. Stories are personable, relatable. Here’s a great example…the goal was to help our client, C.J. Scarlet, create buzz and awareness about a new device she was bringing to market. But, it was her personal history and background that intrigued the reporter and made it an interesting story. Clayton woman’s high-tech jewelry packs crime-fighting punch.

2. Pick up the phone. With email and all the social channels readily available at our fingertips these days, it can be easy to forget to just pick up the phone. In my experience, the best media pitching successes have been when I was able to talk to a reporter live on the phone and pitch the story to them directly.

3. Think like the audience. Always think like the audience while planning your pitch. What aspect will be most relevant to them? Then, be sure to acknowledge the target audience in your pitch. For example, “I wanted to let you know of a new product that will be of interest to your readers…”

4. Tie your story to a larger trend. You will have a much better chance of getting a reporter or blogger to cover your story if you are able to connect it to a larger trend. Look for national news stories or trends and find a way to make a connection. Last year, we were introducing a revolutionary doorknob and decided to lead with the pitch of how families are very busy these days and often have their hands full, rather than focusing soley on the doorknob. Tying the doorknob pitch to a larger trend translated into prime media coverage, including this story from Handy Magazine: Become a One Trip Champ.

5. Timing is everything. This cliché could not ring more true in terms of media pitching. While we certainly can’t control a natural disaster or other emergency situation, you want to make sure there is not a big event or media story breaking when you plan to contact a reporter. It’s also important to consider time of the day and day of the week depending on who you are pitching. Which brings me to my next point…

6. Do your homework. Regardless of if you are pitching a Wall Street Journal reporter, or a local food blogger, it is critical for you to do your homework. Check out what types of stories they usually cover and read what they have covered recently before contacting them. Find out how they like to be contacted and what time of day might be best.

Like I said, media pitching is an art that takes time to master…so if you’re looking for media coverage for your business, make sure to find a PR team that is well-versed in the art of media relations. Interested in more? See our award-winning media relations for Triangle Family Services’ 10th Annual Gingerbread Benefit.

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Strategies, Goals, Objectives…Oh My!

Tracy LathanAPR, Blog, Marketing, Professional Development, Public Relations, , , 1 Comment on Strategies, Goals, Objectives…Oh My!

Have you ever been writing a PR plan and found yourself questioning whether something was an objective or a strategy? I know I have.  It can be easy to get confused, but when I was studying for the APR a few years ago, I found some helpful guidelines from the PRSA APR Study Guide as follows:

Goals

Keep these few in number. Identify no more than three to five. One may be enough.

Be consistent with management goals and mission.

Think in terms of end results, not process alone.

Objectives

Think in terms of the awareness, attitude or action you desire—not the process but the end result.

Articulate with verbs that reflect changes in awareness, attitude, or behavior: Recognize, acknowledge, know (awareness); favor, accept, oppose, believe (attitude); and purchase, participate, endorse, discard, write, visit (behavior).

Phrase objectives in terms of specific results you desire, and what you think is possible.

Each objective should cite an audience, outcome, attainment level (%) and time frame. (Example: At 
the end of six months, 65 percent of employees will be in a car pool or ride-share program.)

The same objective may fit a number of audiences but strategies may need to be different.

Strategies

The military definition is the science and art of employing political, economic, psychological and military forces to support policies or achieve goals; to meet the enemy under advantageous conditions.

In planning, how will you approach the challenge of working toward your objectives? On what can you build or take advantage in your situation? What devices will you employ?

Your strategy may describe the diplomacy, psychology, philosophy, themes and appeals you will use, or the message you will convey.

It may describe how you will work with community groups.

You probably will have several strategies for an objective.

Some strategies may serve several objectives.

Vehicles or channels you will use to communicate can appear here, or in tactics or activities.

Examples include media relations, third-party endorsement and public engagement.

Tactics

How will you use your resources to carry out your strategy and work toward objectives?

You can have several tactics per strategy.

These serve as specific elements of a strategy or specific tools, more specifically “how to.”

Examples include meetings, publications, tie-ins, community events, news releases, etc.

 

Here is another great post that tackles The Difference Between Strategies and Tactics. Hope you found these tips to be helpful…if so, print them out and use as a quick reference next time you are working on a PR plan!

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