One of the best things you can do while in college is get involved in campus organizations. While I was in a sorority, I was also a part of our PRSSA chapter on campus. We were honored when we were approached by the PRSSA to write a post for its PRogressions blog about what inspires our blog posts and how we juggle life, work and other responsibilities. Below you can find a copy of the post, plus make sure you follow PRogressions for an inside look at industry professionals and more.

Multitasking is one of the hardest learned skills. Between juggling clients, your personal life and any outside responsibilities, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. While I have a fulltime job, I am also a co-founder of the blog nyc PR girls (www.nycPRgirls.com) alongside Meg, a best friend of mine I met during my first official job out of college.

We created the blog for several reasons, but one of the main reasons was to create a place that would inspire and bring together young upcoming professionals looking for real world advice. My dreams growing up were always to work in the big city in public relations (can’t deny that I was influenced by Samantha Jones from “Sex and the City” a bit) but while I was in college, there really wasn’t a place for me to go to learn more about what to expect and how to get there.

Meg and I created just that. We use the blog to document our day-to-day experiences and give as much advice as we can along the way. Blogging comes with a lot of responsibility and is a huge commitment, much more than I ever imagined. We write posts weekly, coordinate site formatting, update all of our social networks, check and follow-up on emails plus much more.

Many often question how we juggle both the blog and our fulltime jobs. While our blog work is done outside of work hours, here’s how I keep my head straight and learned how to juggle responsibilities.

• Write everything down. And I mean EVERYTHING. Bucket your tasks by category (i.e. personal, blog, client) and check off the list as you go.
• Mark your calendar. Keep it up to date with meetings and bucket your time for responsibilities. Devote an hour to developing that client recommendation.
• Give yourself deadlines. Even if you know something doesn’t have to get done until the end of the week, give yourself a personal deadline to finish it ahead of time and get it off of your plate.
• Prioritize. Schedules often shift based off of deadlines or client needs. Don’t let it throw you off and reorganize your schedule for the rest of the day.
• Use downtime to do what you love. While I love my job, I’m also extremely passionate about blogging. Downtime immediately after work or early in the morning is spent on blog activities. At the end of the day, it’s rewarding and gives me time for my personal life at night.
• How do we keep our Twitter conversation going? Schedule tweets – one of Tweetdeck’s best gifts.

Along the way, we’ve interacted and heard from so many public relations students and professionals. We thank all of our supporters and would love to hear from you if we haven’t already. Don’t be afraid to tweet us, Facebook us or drop us a note!

article originally posted on PRogressions, image via

At the NYU Women in Communications Panel last week, one of the questions was what is one of your biggest mistakes. While PR girls always try to pay close attention to detail, no one is perfect and we all make mistakes from time to time. Here are a few of the most common PR girl mistakes we can all work on fixing.

• Accidentally hitting the dreaded reply all.
• Paying too much attention to small details and forgetting the big picture.
• Not researching reporters before pitching.
• Sending an email to a reporter with their name spelled wrong.
• Wearing the most uncomfortable shoes during a day filled with walking.
• Over analyzing a client email.
• Panicking during a client fire drill.
• Spending too much time writing pitches that are way too detailed.
• Trying to pitch during a crisis.
• Spending late nights in the office for work that could be done the next day.
• Blasting emails to bloggers. Yes, this still happens.
• Not keeping in touch and losing media relationships.
• Overuse jargon that’s thrown around the office.
• Use office happy hours and the Christmas party as a time to unwind.

What are some other common mistakes PR girls make?

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If you follow us on Twitter, you might have seen a few tweets about an upcoming webinar we’re hosting with Critical Mention. If you’re not familiar with Critical Mention, it’s one of those must-have PR tools that monitors broadcast. The webinar will take place one week from today – Thursday, February 28th starting at 2:00pm ET. This is our first webinar EVER so we’re super excited to connect with you in a new way.

The topic is Professional Style in PR and we’ll be joined by Critical Mention’s Senior Director, Katya Libin to discuss what it takes to be professionally dressed and well spoken during PR’s biggest events. We’ll share advice on how to choose your wardrobe for interviews, the workplace, trade shows, client luncheons, Award ceremonies and more.

This is a great webinar for professionals new to the marketing and PR industry.  Plus, one lucky attendee will win a $100 gift card to a clothing store of their choice! It’s free to register so if you can join us, register using this link. We look forward to connecting with you and hearing your questions!

Any specific wardrobe questions we NEED to answer? Comment below.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today is one of my favorite days of the year (in a relationship or single) for two reasons: flowers and an excuse to eat excessive amounts of Dove chocolate. Every year PR professionals take advantage of the love fest and spread the love on their own.  Here are a few companies, particularly in the fast food arena, doing silly PR things I couldn’t ignore.

• White Castle transforms into the “Love Castle” on Valentine’s Day. Don’t think you can go to White Castle today and get your burgers and clam strips without a reservation. Reservations are required!
• Pizza Hut is giving out its Eau de Pizza Hut perfume for Valentine’s Day. It’s been dubbed as “one of the most sought-after and rarest of scents available” according to the press release. If this isn’t the cheesiest gift you could give someone, I don’t know what is.
• Dominos offers a sweet gift to customers named “Love”. The first 500 people whose name is a variation of Love to email love@dominos.com, starting today through Friday, Feb. 15, will receive a $10 gift card. Did anyone send this opportunity to the new chick on Mob Wives?
• PG&E wants you to make sure you keep metallic balloons secure and away from its power lines this Valentine’s Day. Safety first!
• Roses are red, violets are blue, don’t let that financial talk sneak up on you! A Chase Blueprint survey reveals the sooner, the better when it comes to discussing money and relationships – so why not make Valentine’s Day the day for the money talk? Seriously? The LAST thing I’d want to talk about.
• Earrings are the most wanted jewelry for Valentine’s Day according to Overstock.com. This is actually interesting…because I’d definitely prefer a necklace, bracelet or ring.

Have you come across any silly Valentine’s Day press releases? Do share! Or share with us your Valentine’s Day plans. We both have dinner dates. Perfectly fine with us!

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Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week officially started in NYC and for many PR girls, it’s the busiest time of the year. For M and I, we get the honor of attending with clients but that doesn’t mean we get to just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. With a couple of shows to attend this weekend, there are several things to remember to bring along and prep for.

• Bring a big bag to fit all of your essentials plus any swag from the show
• Make sure you have your best camera
• Pack a small pair of back-up flats. The commute from Hoboken to Lincoln Center calls for these.
• Think about what you’ll wear ahead of time. I’ll be in all black, in true PR fashion.
• Find time to get your nails done. I tend to forget my manicure at home…
• Write down contact information for the videographer, photographer or anyone else you’re supposed to meet
• Double confirm that you and your client are on the list
• Don’t forget emergency contact information for the PR rep and email proof of your confirmed attendance (just in case)
• Have a pen to take notes so you don’t forget the looks you love
• Make sure you can easily access all of your social media accounts (don’t forget to follow us @nycprgirls on both Twitter and Instagram Xo)
• Number one priority, make sure your clients are happy before, during and after the show

How do you prep for New York Fashion Week? Also check out a PR Girl’s Fashion Week Needs.

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I remember the first time I conducted an interview. I was interviewing a potential intern and to be honest, I had no clue what I was doing. Being a good interviewee is just as important as being a good interviewer. When I realized I didn’t know what I was doing, I held a meeting with my manager to discuss the best interviewing practices. Here are a few tips I took away on the best way to conduct an interview.

• Ask to shadow an interview. This is a great learning experience and a good opportunity to takes notes on the best interview practices.
• Review the interviewee’s resume ahead of time. Get a feel for their experiences and begin thinking of questions based off of what you see.
• Start off personal. Relax the mood by asking about themselves and then telling them about yourself.
• Don’t go off a script. You don’t want to make it uncomfortable. Keep conversation flowing and be yourself. You can jot down notes of topics you want to cover, but going off of a list of questions can seem inauthentic. The interviewee is more nervous than you are!
• Chose the best person for the job. Don’t base your judgement off of someone you think you’d be good friends with. While it is important to have “chemistry”, your best friend might not be the best co-worker.
• Ask open-ended questions. Not questions that can be answered with a quick yes and no. Open-ended questions keep the conversation flowing.
• Keep it concise. Try not to go over (or under) the time allotted. Sometimes you can be so deep into conversation the interview can last an hour! This has happened to me.
• Take notes. Especially if you’re conducting several interviews in one day, you want to make sure you remember your thoughts on each person.
• The #1 rule of advice: Go into an interview knowing exactly what you’re looking for. This is the first step in being able to craft the right questions to ask. If you’re looking for a good media pitcher, ask about their past pitching experiences. Look for specific examples that will aid your client and team.

What are some other tips you found helpful for conducting an interview? Even though I’ve conducted many, I’m definitely not a pro!

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