nyc PR girls

We’ve included a bunch of helpful articles on how to start the summer internship search in our guide and A wrote about the top 10 summer internship search tools here, but that time of the summer when the scramble to find employment after finals or graduation is upon us.  You would be surprised how many emails we receive each week asking if we’re accepting interns for the blog (we wish!!).  Though it may feel like a time of desperation, you are not a lost cause.  If you’re still looking for that perfect summer internship, keep the following items in mind:

Get on the phone – Though beginning your internship early in the spring gives you the luxury of sending mass amounts of emails looking for a bite of employment, it’s the time of year where you need to be reasonable about where you are spending your time.  Make calls to HR departments or public relations offices directly, and bluntly ask if they are still looking to hire summer interns. If the answer is yes, ask for a person to send your resume to.  If the answer is no, cross them off the list and move on.

Be smart in the search – Blasting your resume out to anyone and everyone at this point will do nothing but rattle your nerves when you hear crickets in return.  Big public relations companies will have most likely secured interns for their summer programs a couple months ago. Be sure small companies and websites are able to hire interns before crowding their inbox.

Use your contacts – Summer is not the time to be shy about using your contacts.  Ask everyone you know, professors, deans, friends, friends of friends, if they know of any opportunities or have any contacts they can share in PR.  WARNING – do not think you can create a network by sending blind emails. Establish a connection, and after conversation allows ask for any insight into getting your foot in the door.

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Stemming off A’s theme of work/life balance from yesterday, I wanted to post a couple tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years of making the most of the time we DO have on our hands.  It’s really easy to let a couple things slide until they become a mountain of a problem, but with a few short cuts employed daily, you’ll be able to tackle your to-do list and whatever else the day has planned for you.

• When you come back to your desk to find an insufferable amount of emails, organize by subject matter first. If the issue is urgent, you can deal with it right away
• Calendar alerts are for more than just meetings. I use them to block off pitching time, remind me to look for magazines to hit newsstands, even check twitter! Set important reminders for yourself
• Create a list of “action items” after each call you have – whether it’s with a vendor or a client – separate from your to-do list. Reference it at the beginning of every day to be sure you took care of each task
• Set up google alerts for your clients, client competitors, and topics you are interested in
• If you work from master media lists (as most of us do), create your own personal media list with your assigned outlets. Keep track of correspondence and emails in this tracker saved on your desktop

What PR tricks of the trade do you use daily?

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Lately I’ve been somewhat overwhelmed between work, blogging and life in general. Especially as summer approaches, there’s so much to plan for and I’ve found myself struggling to balance it all. As I’m sure many bloggers will agree, maintaining a blog is not a walk in the park. Even between me and M, posting daily, keeping all of your social networks up to date, reading comments and checking emails takes a lot of time and work. On top of that, work and personal life takes priority. So how can you make it work?

• Prioritize. Beyond work and the blog, lately I’ve found maintaining close relationships and catching up with friends has become a huge priority. It’s a great way to decompress and in the end, it’s about what makes you happy.
• Integrate blogging, personal life and work. It’s helpful that this blog relates so much to my work and personal life. All of the content comes from experiences I’ve had in my career and how I’m feeling at the time.
• Schedule blog posts. This may seem obvious, but if I know I have a busy week ahead at work, I’ll write and schedule my posts on Sunday night so I don’t have to worry about them throughout the week.
• Schedule tweets. Yes, this is possible and it’s necessary to keep your Twitter channel flowing throughout the day. Scheduling tweets has helped a lot particularly since it’s near impossible to tweet while at work.
• Be realistic. Don’t overbear yourself with one too many things at once. If you’re struggling to balance, reevaluate what you having going on in your life and prioritize.

How do you maintain a work/life balance?

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We’ve been getting a lot of emails lately about advice for PR students after graduation.  Completely understandable – graduation season is upon us!  My sister is graduating herself next week, and I find that I both envy and pity her.  Job searching and starting your career is a time of great excitement and anxiety, but don’t worry, you can handle it like a pro.  Just take a step back this weekend, and think about how you can propel yourself forward for the best start after celebrating your graduation.

First and foremost, RELAX – I find myself saying that a lot on the blog (perhaps it’s because I really need to take the advice myself).  Indulge in whatever celebrations your university is throwing for your graduating class.  Take morning yoga, and soak up the sun.  Biting your nails and staring at your inbox for interview opportunities is only going to drive you mad and cause further frustration.

Ask the RIGHT questions – If you still feel like you’re lost in the job search, we 100% recommend reaching out to a peer or someone you look up to for advice. However, be sure you’re concentrated on what you want to take away from your conversations. Simply asking “do you have any advice for me?” or “where should I apply?” are not productive questions.  There is no magic spell to getting your first job, but there will be a conversation that rings true with you and affects your mindset as you’re applying for jobs. Be sure to ask questions like…

• How did you find the right kind of PR for you?
• How did you make your first connections in the city?
• Would you recommend informational interviews?
• Would you mind taking a look at my resume?
• Who helped you land your first PR job? What avenue would you recommend for the kind of PR I want to do?

Have fun – Believe it or not, you will look back on this time as being exciting and challenging, rather than tearful and painful.  Be sure you’re taking your time reading up on your media, learning more about the industry, and working on your skills as a career person.  If you walk into your interviews confident, you will make so much more of an impression than if you’re desperate for the job.

Have some questions on job hunting after graduation? Check out our guide and tweet us at @nycprgirls.

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This week, I was pulled onto my first new business pitch. It was definitely a nerve-wracking, yet fun and insightful experience for me. Public speaking isn’t necessarily my forte, but I tend to enjoy the rush and feeling of accomplishment afterwards. The new business process is something I learned about while working my current agency in New York, but I think it’s worth sharing the process for those who have yet to be part of a pitch on their own.

• The brand reaches out to several different agencies expressing their interest in hiring a PR firm.
• The brand provides background information on their company and some insight into their wants and needs.
• The agency presents its capabilities to the brand with a formal meet-and-greet.
• The brand narrows down it’s top three to four agencies.
• The brand submits a RFP (Request for Proposal) to the selected agencies
• The agency pulls together a core team to develop a campaign idea/strategy.
• The agency presents its ideas to the brand.
• The brand selects is agency for business and you hopefully win the pitch!

The process isn’t always as clean-cut as above. Sometimes the agency is pulled in several times to represent its ideas or develop new ones. Ultimately, it’s the PR specialists job to connect with the potential client and see if it’s a good “fit” for the agency and vice versa.

Have you had experience being part of a new business pitch? What did you like about it?

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Lately we’ve been receiving an influx of emails from graduating students looking for summer internships or jobs after graduating college. Though many places have already hired for the summer, don’t be discouraged. There are plenty of places still looking to hire before the summer starts. As you continue your job search, below are a top 10 pointers that might help. Keep in mind that you may have to start out with an internship right upon graduation – I did.

• Research different companies and develop a short list of those that interest you
• Talk with your professor to see if he/she has any leads
• Use several different job engines as you search
• Search Twitter for job opportunities and internships
• Network on LinkedIn
• Pick up the phone and call the employer to see if they are hiring (it’s good pitching practice)
• Try to get in touch with the HR representative directly
• Read the Intern Queen’s advice on landing a summer internship
• Customize every resume and cover letter
• Understand it’s a process and stay positive!

Also brush up on our Guide for additional help. Tell us your success finding a job/internship this summer!

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In case you missed it, A was quoted in an IFB feature entitled “Be Your Own Agent: PR Tactics for the Blogging Community.”  She stressed the importance of social media while promoting your blog and making a connection with your readers.  While Twitter is one of the main ways we reach our audience at nyc PR girls, it’s also one of the channels we get the most questions on when it comes to job hunting and PR careers.  How can I make my Twitter work for me? Will a blog help me with a job search?  Do interviewers care if I’m involved in Pinterest?

To say social media is ever-changing is an understatement.  I am still in the Facebook generation that believes the page was created for college students-only, as a way to meet up before the first class (ancient, I know).  The fact that Twitter pages, Facebook passwords and blogs are now being printed on resumes and offered in interviews still blows my mind.  So how can you take advantage of social media in your career path?

Find an outlet that matches your passion – In terms of nyc PR girls, Adrianna masters our tumblr while I’m starting out our Pinterest page.  A loves taking pictures, and I have an unhealthy obsession with the information gathering (and pretty images) of Pinterest.  Love making smart, witty observations and joining a national conversation? Twitter may be for you.  Choose an outlet that will help you show off your best self.

Stay professional – Though it may be tempting to post a “creative and so cool” picture of your tequila shots spilled all over the bar next to your cheese fries on Facebook, let me give you some advice.  Don’t.  What is this picture saying about you, not just to professional contacts, but friends and family? Keep the rowdiness offline. No judgement.

Make friends - Whether you’re on tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Spotify, whatever… if you find people with similar interests, you can promote eachother.  Social media is one never ending conversation.  Find people who are always talking about your favorite topic, and you’ll always be involved.

How do you use social media to your advantage?

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