Practice Makes Perfect

On Wednesday, November 13th, UW-Whitewater PR students, such as myself, had the opportunity to attend a networking and mock interview event at the Hudson Business Lounge in Milwaukee. Around 90 students and 45 professionals filled the lounge and created a wonderful evening of practice, advice, and inspiration.

The event started out with a short but sweet speech given by Jeff Carrigan, the founder and CMO of Big Shoes Midwest (BSM). Jeff spoke to us about the 5 C's of standing out when looking for a job/internship. The 5 C's included: competence, connections, character, chemistry, and c-suite (thinking like the CEO).

After Jeff Carrigan's speech, students linked up with a professional for round one of the mock interviews. My first interview was with Kristin Khail, a financial analyst for MillerCoors. I'll admit that I was a little nervous, but Kristin was very friendly and assured me that my interview skills were not bad. She advised me to get involved on campus as much as I can before graduation to add a leadership position to my resume. After good reviews from the first interview, my nerves had eased up and the second interview wasn't nearly as intimidating. My second mock interview was with Kari Atkinson, content strategy manager at Johnson Controls. Kari asked me questions about projects that I was proud of, and was happy to hear that I have efficient skills in programs such as InDesign. All in all, mock interviewing was definitely a confidence booster, and made me excited for the real thing!

The last portion of the night was an informational interview. I conducted my informational interview with Patty Bloom, reputation management assistant account executive at Charleston|Orwig. Patty let me pick her brain of the in's and out's of her professional life. I learned so much from her: the most important skills for her job, what a typical day is like, what parts of her job she finds most satisfying, and how most people enter her profession. Charleston|Orwig sounds like an amazing company to work for, and she even urged me to apply for an internship position for the summer! 

Overall, the event at the Hudson Business Lounge was a success. I was happy to be a part of it. Big thanks to those who organized the event, and the professionals who took time to help students practice and improve their skills!

Steve Staedler Tells Us About B2B PR and Cision

Yesterday in PR Tactics II, Steve Staedler of LePoidevin Marketing talked to our class about B2B PR, Cision, and life as a PR professional. Steve works as a Senior Account Executive/Public Relations at LePoideven in Brookfield, Wisconsin. LePoideven is known for their work in the B2B marketing field. They to a lot of work with conveyor systems and animal health care. One of their top clients is Snap-On Tools.

Steve started off the presentation telling us about Cision: a software platform that, in summary, makes a PR professional's job a whole lot easier. CisionPoint finds Facebook outlets, magazines, and news outlets to help build media lists (like an online news room). You can also track the coverage of your stories using this software-- how cool! 

Another tool useful in the PR world that he informed us of was Google Alerts. Google Alerts allow you to set up a profile on topics you want to be alerted of when there is activity. Steve sets up alerts for his clients, allowing him to monitor them. 

One thing that I took away from Steve's presentation is the importance of being a good writer in the field of PR. With news releases, fact sheets, social media, white papers, speeches and copywriting being ever present, writing is a skill that will always be needed. He encouraged us to go out and get real world experience as a writer as a freelance writer, intern, or even volunteer to write an article at our school newspaper(The Royal Purple). 

Altogether, Steve's presentation was very informational and personable. He truly was interested in our success and even offered us to connect with him for advice whenever we needed it. Thank you, Steve! I look forward to your help and advice in the future.

So, What Happens After UWW?

It's the question that you want to have an answer for, but it may seem a little foggy. On Wednesday, our PR Tactics II class featured a guest speaker that cleared up that dreaded question. Amy Paul, a 2011 PR graduate of UW-Whitewater spoke to us about preparing for our future, and what we can do now to make life after graduation successful. 

Amy is currently an interactive account coordinator for Ascedia located in Milwaukee, WI. Some of her specialties there include digital marketing, website design, and social media. But don't think that Amy landed this position by chance. Throughout college she worked extremely hard and became involved in PRSSA as well as numerous internships. During her years at UW-Whitewater she interned with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Qdoba, UWW University and Development Center, and the Milwaukee Admirals. She even created a photo buying website on her own time for the Admirals (Milwaukeeadmirals.smugmug.com)  Always striving for more responsibility and leadership opportunities are what made Amy stand apart from the rest in the professional field.

The greatest advice I took from Amy's presentation was to start my search for internships early. And not just a month early, either. Because I am in the process of finding an internship, this was very helpful. She also advised that networking will be extremely necessary in finding the right internship for you, and creating ties with professionals can only further your career. Another piece of advice I found very inspiring was that no matter what we as students do, we are a representation of UW-Whitewater. I will definitely be taking Amy's advice with me as I go through the internship process. Thank you, Amy!

The PR Student

It's that time of year again. School is in session and new opportunities and experiences are unfolding all around us just waiting to be discovered. I'm Sydney, a  senior PR student at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. This semester I'm taking a class called PR Tactics II. During this semester my classmates and I will be completing numerous assignments that are simulations of what we will encounter in the professional world, such as e-newsletters, video projects, speaker assessments, twitter postings, traditional resume work, and creating a variety of personal social media websites. We will even be attending an Alumni Engagement event in Milwaukee to network with professionals. I'm looking forward to these assignments to gain knowledge and skills to better my chances of becoming employed after graduation.

My goal as a PR student is to get an internship for the spring/summer so that I can apply the skills and knowledge that I've gained thus far in a real life setting. I have a passion for music of all genres and I would absolutely love to become a PR or promotions intern at a radio station such as FM 102.1 in Milwaukee. 

Aside from being a student, I am a server at Randy's Restaurant & Fun Hunter's Brewery. I am going on my third year as a server there, and surprisingly, I still learn new things every day. You may not realize it, but working in the service industry can teach you many life lessons, and can even relate back to PR. For example, working as a server has taught me how to mentally prioritize and manage a long list of tasks while simultaneously working on what is in front of you. Serving also taught me interpersonal skills. While sometimes it may prove to be difficult, it is my number one priority to keep my customers happy and keep the reputation of Randy's at its best. 

I genuinely can't wait to see what this semester has in store for me!