By: Eva Zielinski '15 Otterbein PRSSA Twitter Manager At some point during or after your college experience, you will eventually be encouraged or required to complete an internship. Interning can be an excellent opportunity because it will provide you with real hands-on experience for certain career fields. It can also assist you in figuring out what it is you would like to do when you are seeking employment after graduation. My experience with my first internship was in summer 2014 at Safelite Autoglass as an internal communications intern. I was a paid intern and was hired full time, so this was my first taste of the adult working world, and I learned far more than I ever expected to. For those of you seeking an internship, here are some tips from my internship experience: 1. Arrive early. You want to make a positive impression as often as possible, and being early to the job is a good way to start. By being timely, you will let your supervisors and co-workers know that you can both reliable and responsible. This shows that you are a dedicated individual that took the extra time to wake up early, put yourself together and fight the traffic to make good time. 2. Dress for success. You may think this one is obvious, but since modern fashion is constantly shifting, the idea of what is considered professional and what is not has been changing. Always ask what the dress criteria are or take a look around you to see what everyone else is wearing. Always be professional, even if you are over-dressed. It’s much better to be the best dressed intern rather than being under-dressed, so save the jeans for casual Fridays (if allowed). 3. Be productive with free time. Since this is an internship, think of it as a test drive for a real career position. But since you are in a position that is technically temporary, there will be some days that go by slowly because you may not have as much work to do as full-time employees. If you find yourself bored with nothing to do, don’t automatically resort to looking at your phone to pass time. Use this time to your advantage to get organized. Whenever I had some down time, I would use it to read up on professional blogs, establish my own portfolio, dust off and update my LinkedIn and clean out my email accounts. If you ever feel like you have too much free time, never hesitate to ask around to see if you can help someone with something. 4. Socialize when appropriate. Getting to know who you are working with is essential to making your internship experience an enjoyable one. Usually, you will get to know everyone by name and see what they do in relation to yourself. Just keep in mind that you were hired to work, so keep the small talk to a minimum, and socialize when appropriate at meetings or lunch breaks. You also don’t want to be bothering others while they have things to do, as well. 5. Don’t goof off on social media. It is a digital age where social media is now a significant part in professional and social settings. Everyone has accounts with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Since you are an intern, it’s best not to be on these while you are working unless it is part of your job. Even if you see other people around you checking their phones and sneaking a peek at their newsfeeds, it’s not worth conforming to the stereotypical young person that can’t keep their focus. You also don’t want to have your supervisor walk in on you to see you looking at someone’s photos when there is work to be done. Show some discipline, and keep the browsing on social media to a minimum. 6. Ask questions! When you are hired as an intern, everyone knows you are either a student or a recent graduate. Therefore, you are not expected to just waltz in the first week and automatically know exactly what to do. Your supervisors and co-workers should be understanding and patient while you are in the learning process of how to perform your duties in this position. However, if you are working on something and get stuck, always ask for help. Don’t just sit there in hopes that the answer will come to you. Never be too proud to ask questions; that’s how you will learn. 7. Stay positive, and be yourself. Your experience will be so much better with a positive attitude. It’s one of the most powerful attributes that an intern can possess. Sometimes work can be a bit stressful, but staying cool under pressure and keeping a smile can make all the difference in how you address problems. You also don’t have to put on a constant professional robotic display for your personality. People appreciate those who can balance being themselves and while maintaining a professional persona. Part of this experience is to integrate yourself into the company 8. Be flexible. Plans are constantly changing in the working world, and it's best to know how to change with them. Everyone has a busy schedule, but it’s important to develop a sense of understanding to work around conflict. Interns who are able to adapt to shifting priorities are considered a valuable asset – above and beyond their skills and experience. Being able to adjust to shifts in organizational dynamics is absolutely necessary. 9. Share ideas, and take on more responsibilities. Never hesitate to share your ideas or to offer to take on new projects. You may be the youngest person there, but that doesn’t mean you are any less valuable to the organization you are working for. Your opinion is still valued just as much as anyone else’s, so don’t be nervous to speak up in meetings. If you feel confident in your abilities, you can also offer to take on more work. Don’t overwhelm yourself and know when you have enough to do, but branching out of your comfort zone when it comes to your work responsibilities is a sure way to stand out. Supervisors will appreciate an intern who is open to trying new things and has a willingness to learn. 10. Keep in touch after your internship! As I said earlier, an internship is usually temporary and will end after a certain amount of time depending on your situation. Personally, I think this is one of the most important tips I learned from my experience, which is to keep in touch. Always reach out after your internship is over to ask about the organization and to see how everyone is doing. I find it prudent to send hand-written thank you notes and to go out on a positive note. Every five to six weeks or so, I send out an email to my former supervisor and co-workers to keep my networking skills up to date while maintaining professional relations. You never know when an internship opportunity could turn into a full-time career, so be sure to stay connected! Contact: [email protected]
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Otterbein PRSSA co-sponsored an Etiquette Dinner with the Center for Career & Professional Development and Bon Appetit on Monday, Feb. 9. The event took place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Otterbein's Campus Center dining rooms, and the program was facilitated by Otterbein alumna Cathi Fallon, owner of The Etiquette Institute. The Etiquette Dinner has been cancelled in the past due to lack of registrants, but this time around, the turnout was greater than expected as 35 students attended. "The dining etiquette event was a huge success," Director of the Center for Career & Professional Development Ryan Brechbill said. "The partnership between the CCPD, PRSSA and Bon Appetit was definitely a key factor in the success, and we are so grateful for the collaboration." Senior Carli Zurface attended the event and said she found it to be very informative. "It was interesting to learn that the smallest things such as always passing the salt and pepper together, for example, matter a great deal. I have learned several new things from the dinner, and I have walked away feeling more confident and prepared for my journey in the business world," Zurface said. In addition to learning dining etiquette lessons, students who came also enjoyed a free three-course meal as well as opportunities to network before, during and after the program. There were seven table hosts, six of whom are Otterbein alumni. "We are so appreciative of the alumni who attended and networked with our students, and we look forward to a continued partnership," Brechbill said. Top five takeaways from the Etiquette Dinner By: Byron Brenneman '16 Otterbein PRSSA Historian 1. Always pay attention to your host, as they will set the tone and pace of the meal. 2. Don't mix eating styles when it comes to using your forks and knives because that just isn't proper. 3. Order wisely; some foods are not appropriate for these occasions. 4. Nail the handshake because first impressions matter the most. 5. Don't mix pockets. The last thing you want to do is be handing out someone else's business cards. By: Adam Piccin '16
Otterbein PRSSA President "Your dream job is out there," Megan Ford, communications programs manager at the American Red Cross, said at Otterbein PRSSA's first spring semester meeting on Jan. 26. An Otterbein University alumna, Ford graduated in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in public relations. She initially studied to become a nurse, but said she "fell into public relations because someone said [she] would be good at it." Ford said determination is key to getting where you want to go, and setting goals along the way is important. Other "lessons learned" she highlighted in her presentation for Otterbein students included find a mentor, take on internships, keep a positive attitude and follow your passion. This was the first PRSSA meeting newly-declared public relations major Michelle Moore '17 attended. Similar to Ford's story, Moore just changed majors from nursing to public relations this semester. "Megan's story has shown me that it is possible to fall in love with your major all over again," Moore said. "The information she provided at the meeting helped me realize just because one door closes, it doesn't mean it's the end. It is only the beginning to a whole new journey, one I am ready to take with a new group of faculty, fellow students and alumni I know are here to help me along the way." Otterbein PRSSA's next meeting will be a general meeting on Monday, Feb. 2 in Roush 429. By: Adam Piccin '16 Otterbein PRSSA President In the summer of 2014, Adam Piccin and Bailey Walker, Otterbein PRSSA’s president and vice president respectively, met with PRSSA faculty adviser Dan Steinberg to establish fall semester goals and objectives. The main objective of the fall 2014 semester was to increase membership by 15 members. With many members up for renewal, Otterbein PRSSA leaders hoped to keep those members coming back while also drawing in a new crowd of students. “Dan, Adam and I did a lot of planning over the summer, and we came up with a comprehensive strategic plan as to how to accomplish the goals and objectives we set,” Walker said. “Considering Otterbein’s small size, we thought our goals were ambitious, but possible.” This time last year, Otterbein PRSSA only had eight new members. However, this fall, Otterbein PRSSA added 20 new members to the chapter, therefore surpassing the set objective. With renewals added in, the grand total of Otterbein PRSSA members is now 34 members. To compare, Otterbein PRSSA had 21 members in the spring including seniors. Otterbein PRSSA now consists of two freshmen, eight sophomores, eight juniors, 15 seniors and one undecided. The leaders of the chapter hope to continue chapter growth and development in the future.
“We want to prove to people that joining was worth it,” Walker said. “While we had excellent speakers this fall, we are looking forward to taking a more hands-on approach to our plans in the spring, so stay tuned for what we have planned.” By: Lindsey Hobbs PRSA Professional Adviser, Online Marketing Strategist for Champion Real Estate Services Heading back to my alma mater to library room 124, I was so happy to walk through that familiar door to a full house at an Otterbein PRSSA meeting. Granted, there was free pizza involved, but I knew that more went into this attendance than just Donatos. This semester, the executive board of Otterbein PRSSA has designated a theme of consumer and lifestyle public relations. This is such a fresh idea for the organization, and I should know because I ran it not that many years ago. I was very impressed at the executive board’s out of the box thinking and not going for a typical agency/corporate/nonprofit curriculum for the year. Especially because the lessons that the day’s speaker, Tom Santor, executive director of brand marketing for Donatos pizza, were so applicable to the true fundamentals of public relations. Santor talked about his experiences with placing news stories for the newest line of bacon pizzas and giving reporters what they need to help them turn around a story in the short amount of time they usually have. He talked about handling the crisis of a rogue employee on the show “Undercover Boss.” He talked about the process of research and development to get consumers to fall in love with a new type of pizza. These were great examples of some day-to-day functions of someone in the public relations profession, and I think it helped make things a little more concrete than most ideas that I remember having as a freshman and a sophomore in the major. I look forward to seeing how Angela Sedivy, the Polaris Fashion Place’s marketing director, built upon the lessons that Santor presented. Speakers for the semester with this theme will hopefully highlight one important fact of public relations: and that is how customer service oriented it really is. This fact was one that I did not realize until my final semester of college when I was working in the communications department for the Ohio Department of Transportation. We were doing public relations, there is no doubt about that, but we were achieving that public relations by being the communicator to the general public and making sure that their questions and concerns were always addressed. This was when I realized that brand and message control often goes hand-in-hand with customer service. Even now, as I do online marketing for the real estate industry, I have to keep the customers in mind to achieve our ultimate goal of defining a brand. I do social media, but you know what a brand’s social media accounts are really for? Connecting with the customer. I write ad copy, but you know who I am really writing it for? The customer looking for an apartment who just needs good information, fast. I do website analytics, but you know what I am really looking for in that data? Things that need improved, so that our customers can use the site more efficiently and effectively. Whether your brand is dealing with the general public like Donatos or the Polaris Fashion Place or it is B2B and you have a roster of clients, you are in the customer service industry just as much as you are in the communication industry. That is why we communicators are so important, after all. Thank you for writing for our blog, Lindsey!
By: Adam Piccin ‘16
Otterbein PRSSA President Otterbein PRSSA’s fall semester theme is consumer and lifestyle public relations. Three public relations and marketing professionals are visiting to discuss how they go about gaining publicity for the product or service they represent. Megumi Robinson of Experience Columbus visited Otterbein PRSSA on Sept. 15 (pictured above). Robinson, associate director of public relations, was the first of three speakers to come this fall. On Oct. 27, Tom Santor, executive director of brand marketing for Donatos Pizza, will come to speak in lieu of National Pizza Month. The final speaker of the semester will be Nov. 10; Angela Krumpelman Sedivy, the Polaris Fashion Place’s marketing director, will round out the speaker events for the semester. Otterbein PRSSA executive board members said they hope students appreciate this semester’s speaker theme. After all, “Customer service is public relations,” David Fleet of Edelman said. Additional information is available here. By: Abby Dawson ‘17
Otterbein PRSSA Secretary The 2014 PRSSA Partners Regional Conference took place at The Ohio State University on Saturday, April 12. Freshman Abby Dawson, sophomore Adam Piccin and junior Jonathan Hill, three students from Otterbein’s chapter, attended the conference. There were many speakers present at the conference, including the keynote speakers, Dan Guitteau, Executive Director at Golin Harris in Dallas, Texas, and Victoria Trapp, Global Transition Manager at Nike, Inc. Dawson and Piccin also heard from professionals that hold positions at big name organizations, such as Facebook and the PGA Memorial Tournament. The day was broken into sessions that all tied back to the theme, “insPiRation: Looking Forward to the Future of Public Relations.” These sessions ranged in topic and included information on brand journalism, international public relations, entrepreneurship in public relations and word-of-mouth marketing. This was the first of many PRSSA events Dawson plans on attending. Piccin attended national conference last fall and could not wait for this event. “The panel sessions were my favorite part of the day,” Dawson said. “I really loved the diverse topics they covered and being able to ask a lot of questions. I feel much more knowledgeable about the subjects now.” Dawson and Piccin both feel so fortunate to have had the chance to attend the conference. It reminded them how important PRSSA is and how many people share the same love for public relations as they do. “The Ohio State University PRSSA chapter hosted an awesome regional conference this year,” Piccin said. ”The whole event was incredibly well-organized, informative, engaging and inspirational.“ This coming fall, PRSSA National Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. Several Otterbein PRSSA members plan to attend. Please contact Otterbein PRSSA at [email protected] with questions about the conference, or check out the PRSSA 2014 National Conference website. By: Adam Piccin '16
Otterbein PRSSA Paid Member Public Relations Student Society of America National Conference took place in Philadelphia, PA, this year, and five Otterbein University PRSSA members were able to attend from Oct. 25-29, 2013. Junior music business major and Otterbein University PRSSA President Jonathan Hill was one of three Otterbein students who attended conference in San Francisco, CA, last year, and went again this year to Philadelphia. “The days consisted of several seminars and networking opportunities and then in the evenings, you had freedom to explore the city as you pleased,” Hill said. “You really always had the freedom to make your schedule what best fit your needs as a young professional.” This was the first national conference junior Bailey Walker attended. “Looking back at my experience from the PRSSA conference, I enjoyed being around people that had the same passion as I did. Not only students from other schools, but also my own peers from Otterbein. We all gained so much knowledge, whether it be individually on our own during seminars or altogether reflecting on the day,” she said. “My favorite part about conference was the overarching theme of bringing public relations back to a more personal level,” Hill said. The group benefited professionally from the experience, but they also had time to enjoy themselves and get the most out of the whole experience. “On our time off, we took full advantage of learning about a city that was new to all of us. We saw pretty much all of the typical tourist spots a long with some local fun places and cafes,” Walker said. “I am already mentally packing my bags for next year. I hope that as a PRSSA group, we can have another great group of students and walk away with even better experiences and friendships.” Next year, PRSSA National Conference will take place in Washington, D.C.. |
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