One Tip to Scoring Your First Job

As this semester comes to an end, I have a lot to look forward to in the weeks to come. This semester has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to get to where I am today. One of the most rewarding semesters has led me to know more about my future career in public relations as well as graduation.

            As I step into the next phase of my life, I already know the difficulty of finding a job in any career field. Thanks to PR daily, I now know how to better my chances of getting into my career field of choice. One of the many things my professors have told me to do while looking and applying for jobs is to network in order to get my foot in the door, and that is one of the few tips PR Daily has stated in this article.

            Networking is one of the most important things a public relations professional should have under their belt before entering their career. It is also important to network in order to find a job. While networking can be a challenge for some, it is important to be confident while meeting new people. Showing that you have confidence in who you are makes others feel they can be confident in referring you to a position at their place of work.

            It’s not all about the people you meet; it’s also about how you maintain those relationships over time. No matter if you’re in a job now or searching for one, keeping the relationships you have made can be beneficial in the future. I like to think about the importance of networking and relationships with others for jobs, as being just as important it is to network and maintain a relationship with a reporter in our careers as public relations consultants. If you happen to quit your job, but you’ve maintained a relationship with a reporter, that relationship may transfer over to the next job you get.

            Applying to jobs now is much more of a networking game than it used to be. No one should rely on sending a resume and a cover letter in over the Internet hoping to gain an interview. According to my nonprofit’s professor, companies receive one hundred to a thousand resumes for just one job opening. It’s important to stand out from the crowd with an impeccable cover letter and resume, but it’s more beneficial if you have a connection within the company because it is more likely you will receive an interview.

            As I have been thinking about putting my resume and cover letter out there, I should remind myself that I am not alone in this process. Many of us have large support systems that may be able to help us network with someone who can steer us in the correct direction in finding our first job. So take time to meet up with a professor who may have information on people who are looking for students to fill a new position at their company. Professors are a great start in networking. Act as if the professor is your reporter that you want to take with you into your next career move, they may be able to help you out more than you know.    

Becoming More Ethical Over Time J:4470

Prior to my ethics class this semester, I was unaware how my morals and values could transfer into my career in public relations. Throughout the class, it became clearer to me about how to act ethically in a sticky situation and how to apply my morals and values to my career.

In a world where many see the media as unethical, this class has taught me how to make better decisions to change how the public views our work. On the first day of class, my professor asked us to question what value we believed was most important to us. I found that there is no right answer to this question and that all values are important in making ethical decisions in our careers as advertisers and public relations consultants. I also found that when everyone has a different moral code, it can sometimes be hard to come to a decision on what is right or wrong in a difficult situation.

Throughout the class, we learned how to apply classical ethical theories to sticky situations that corporations faced throughout the years. We closely analyzed how each decision that a corporation made was either ethical or not. By applying these ethical theories to these cases, I began to learn how to apply ethical theories to my future career as a public relations consultant. Not only did it teach me how to apply ethical theories in the work place, but it also taught me how to work cohesively within a group. Working within a group made it tough to agree on what ethical theories applied where sometimes, but it was fun trying to come to an agreement that everyone was okay with.

Not only did this class teach us how to become more ethical in our decisions, we were also pushed to become better writers. Every lesson on the correct usage of  “they’re”, “their”, and “there” will stick with me as I grow to become a better writer in my career. Not only will this lesson stick with me forever, but so will all of my professors little tricks for using apostrophes correctly. I will never forget the day my group received a zero for using an apostrophe incorrectly. In order to make up for it, she actually made us write a professional apology, as we might have to do if we make a major mistake with a client in the future. It was a great learning experience for my group and me.

As I entered this class four months ago, I was fearful of my professor. I had heard so many rumors that she was a tough grader and hard to please. I always found myself trying harder to get her approval, and for that I am also thankful because she pushed me to become a more thorough writer over time. I also thought that ethics would be boring, but she made it interesting by applying things we were actually interested in. Her ongoing joke throughout the semester was, “I can only keep this class interested if we’re talking about food or sex.” It’s funny to think college kids can only focus in a class when these two things are applied, but it’s true. I believe it’s important to apply humor to subjects that would otherwise be dry and boring. By making the class fun and interesting, this semester flew by. I truly had a great time in our ethics class and will always try to apply the things I’ve learned to my future career and my life. 

How to Reach One Million J:4460

Recently, the Humane Society of America’s Facebook page reached 1,000,000 “likes”. According to an article on the PR Daily’s website, the Humane Society hit 1,000,000 “likes” in November, four years after the launch of the Facebook page. There is a lot that can be learned from such a successful story.

            It’s important for every organization and company to have a social media presence, but it’s even more important how they use their online presence to their advantage. Utilizing every aspect of a social media site is also important. I will use Facebook and Twitter for my examples of using social media sites correctly for organizations and companies.

            There are many ways to keep followers and friends engaged using Twitter and Facebook. According to the Humane Society’s success story about reaching 1,000,000 “likes”, they constantly kept their followers in the know. The Humane Society would comment back to users’ comments on their page or they would post information or inspirational stories to their Facebook page to keep their followers interested.

            In a world where people have the choice to “friend” or “defriend” you, it is important to keep them interested in what you have to say on your Facebook and Twitter pages. One example of a poor use of Facebook is when three people walked onto a balcony in an apartment complex in Denton and it fell to the ground. Many people tried using the complex’s Facebook page to gather information about what had happened. Instead of using the opportunity to respond to their concerned “friends”, they deleted their Facebook page. This caused uproar of concern from the residents of the apartment complex who had questions that were never answered. The apartment complex had the right to pull down the page, but they should have considered rebuilding their reputation with their followers before pulling the site down.

Here are a few tips for organizations/companies to keep in mind to keep their Facebook users and Twitter followers engaged.

1. If a user asks/comments on the organization’s Facebook page, comment back even if it is just to say “Thank you.” Users’ appreciate businesses more if they make their Facebook pages personal.
2. Place photos/videos on the Facebook page. Studies have shown that video’s engage users 6 times more than a text status.
3. I have learned recently there are three appeals to use when trying to persuade a person to do something, whether it be “liking” a Facebook page or asking a person to donate money. The three appeals are: Ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos is using credibility to persuade a user to do something. Pathos is using an emotional appeal to persuade someone to do something. Logos is the use of logic to persuade someone to do something. In order to engage users, use these three appeals to gain their attention on an organization’s/company’s Facebook or Twitter page.

It is always important to continuously engage users to gain their “likes” or “follows”. They are more likely to use the products an organization or company has if they feel the company is more personal. Every organization has the opportunity to be as successful as The Humane Society of America if they follow these tips while using social media sites. 

Privacy and Libel in Social Media j:4470

Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn can offer great coverage for organizations and companies worldwide. They not only offer exposure for these outlets, they also offer great publicity and capabilities for the little man like you and me.

            Unfortunately, in this day and age where everything can be found on the Internet, social media sites need to be careful about how they use personal information to gain a profit. I recently watched a show from MSNBC called “The Facebook Obsession”. It discussed everything from how people can meet their long-lost family members to how advertisers use Facebook to gather information to better reach their target audiences.

            Five years ago, I had no idea Facebook would be able to do the things it can today. I also had no qualms about inputting my personal information onto a website where I believed all of my information could be set to private. Years ago, Facebook was a closed site and only people using the website could find you. You could also hide yourself from other users if you wished. Now, Facebook has collaborated with advertisers to allow them to find their target audiences more easily. 

            Since the start of the site in 2004, Facebook has been caught a number of times breaching the privacy of their users. The most recent was in October of 2010 when they released statements acknowledging that they had breached their users privacy. For a website that has such a large amount of users’ personal information, they should know better. According to an article written by The Wall Street Journal, Facebook’s ability to give advertisers its users’ information was a breach of the users’ privacy. Internet tracking companies were even finding people who had placed their privacy settings on high.

            According to the show, “The Facebook Obsession”, advertisers can type in information for an ideal consumer and Facebook will show them who would most likely purchase the advertiser’s product. Once the advertiser has selected the ideal target market, the advertisement they choose will go directly to the targeted consumer’s Facebook page. Of course users have the right to choose whether or not they click on the ad, but the fact advertisers have this capability is wrong.

            Not only is privacy an issue with social media sites, libel is a problem as well. According to my ethics class, libel is defamation of an individual. “A defamatory statement is one that holds a person up to public hatred, ridicule, or scorn” and is usually written. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are vulnerable to allowing people to defame others because these sites have status and comment capabilities. In an article from the New York Times, a small town in Missouri resorted to using a website to discuss people’s personal business. Apparently, the website was clamored with negative posts from an anonymous source about the citizens of the small town. Although the posts were meant to cause harm to those they were intended for, not all defamatory statements are written to cause harm. Sometimes cruel things can be said about a person, but the writer may not intend to harm the person’s reputation. Unfortunately, even if one doesn’t mean to cause harm to another, the repercussions can be damaging.

            One teacher lost her job for using Facebook to complain about how much she disliked working for the school district she was apart of. According to the episode, “The Facebook Obsession”, she had no idea how the school found out about her complaints. In a world where everyone thinks what they have to say is important or funny, Facebook can be a terrible place to write personal opinions. I always remember my mom telling me, “words will come back to get you in the end,” and now I truly believe her. Nothing is safe on the Internet and we should always be aware of that when we update our status or comment on a friend’s wall. 

Crisis Management is Possible j:4460

In the midst of the Penn State Scandal, many organizations are rethinking how they work with the media. The Second Mile, Jerry Sandusky’s organization, is reportedly close to shutting it’s doors for good. During this time, it is important they acknowledge the media’s questions and answer them truthfully in order for them to rebuild their reputation. This scandal has caused a major public relations crisis and has allowed future public relations consultants to learn how to work in similar situations when working for a nonprofit.

            In my recent nonprofits class, we learned many ways to react in a situation such as this. Here are a few tips that public relations consultants should keep in mind when dealing with their clients, both before a crisis even happens and during a crisis.

1.     Before a crisis, there should be a well-developed crisis management team that should include: an attorney, a spokesperson, and a public relations consultant

2.     As soon as the team has been developed, they should create a plan in case of an emergency. The plan should include the organizations policies, procedures and guidelines when it’s faced with a crisis.

3.     After appointing a spokesperson, someone should teach the spokesperson how to handle the media. They should also prepare the spokesperson with scenarios they may face when the organization is in trouble.

4.     During a crisis, the spokesperson should be the face of the organization. The spokesperson, again, should be aware of the organizations policies, procedures and guidelines when talking to the media.

5.     If an organization is faced with a scandal such as what is happening to The Second Mile, public relations consultants and the spokesperson should always be truthful and let the media know that they care for the victims affected by the situation.

As seen in many crisis situations, organizations and companies rarely express their care for the victims and, instead, blame them for the situation rather than taking the blame for the company. An example is the Firestone Tire/ Ford Explorer situation of 2000. During the crisis, both Firestone and Ford blamed the victims rather than themselves for the cause of the exploding tires and rollovers that occurred.

Public relations practitioners should always be prepared for a crisis to occur no matter for whom they are working with. Correct crisis management is possible. If a company or organization handles a situation and the media correctly from the beginning, a crisis can be avoided. An example of this is the contaminated Similac situation of 2010. Abbott Laboratories immediately recalled the affected product and took $100 million in lost revenue rather than avoiding the recall altogether and creating a scandal that could have damaged their reputation.

It has been seen many times where an organization or company does not handle a situation correctly and overall harms their reputation. As seen in the Penn State Scandal, the Second Mile may have to close their doors for not reacting to the situation when they first knew about Sandusky’s child abuse prior to the recent investigation. If they had let the media and the public know that they were aware of the situation and that they cared for the victims affected by the situation, they may have been able to keep their reputation as an organization that cares for children in need.  

Penn State’s Scandal: A PR Professionals Nightmare J:4460

On Saturday November 6, 2011, former coach of Penn State University, Jerry Sandusky, was arrested with charges of child abuse. For 15 years he molested and abused children. This was shocking to everyone, except for five men who had worked with Sandusky prior to his arrest. These five men include: Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Graham Spanier, Mike McQueary, and Joe Paterno.

According to the grand jury report, Mike McQueary witnessed Sandusky performing sexual acts on a ten-year-old boy in the shower at the Lasch Football Building. After McQueary witnessed the horrendous acts, he went to his father for advice. The next day McQueary divulged what he had seen to Coach Paterno. Paterno then went to Tim Curley, Penn State’s Athletic Director. A week went by and McQueary was asked to tell the Senior VP of Penn State, Gary Schultz, what he had seen in the locker room that evening.

The most shocking detail: All of these men who claim to be honest, never went to the police with what they knew. This of course backfired on them this past week. On November 7, 2011, both Tim Curley and Gary Schultz stepped down from their positions at Penn State University. After these two men stepped down President of Penn State, Graham Spanier, made a huge mistake by making this comment:

“The allegations about a former coach are troubling, and it is appropriate that they be investigated thoroughly. Protecting children requires the utmost vigilance.”

“With regard to the other presentments, I wish to say that Tim Curley and Gary Schultz have my unconditional support. I have known and worked daily with Tim and Gary for more than 16 year. I have complete confidence in how they have handled the allegations about a former University employee.”

            Spanier failed to make any mention of how terrible he felt for the victims of Sandusky’s fifteen-year rampage. The only thing that this statement tells me is that he cares for what happens to his friends at this time, which is terrible for a president of a university’s image. As a public relations professional in the making, I would have recommended that he showed support for the victims and that Penn State was deeply sorry for what had been happening to them throughout the years.

            On Wednesday November 9, 2011 all hell broke loose at Penn State University. Both Joe Paterno and Graham Spanier were fired from their positions at Penn State. Many students were upset because of Joe Paterno’s firing and caused a riot on the Penn State campus. I believe that both of these men had it coming to them. As of this moment, no one really knows what Paterno knew after McQueary brought the disturbing news of Sandusky’s dealings that night. As for Spanier, after making that distasteful comment and sticking with his friends instead of showing sympathy for the victims, he had it coming to him. McQueary was the last to be asked to resign from his position at Penn State University as of today.  

            As a public relations professional in the making, I would have to agree with the board of trustees for firing all of these men. They knew too much and did far too little to get the ball rolling on sending Sandusky to prison years ago. If they had done the right thing and had alerted the authorities when they had a chance, they might still have their jobs today.

Sources:

http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/9978.aspx

http://kstp.com/kstpImages/repository/cs/files/Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment-1.pdf

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/07/tim-curley-george-schultz-penn-state-abuse-scandal-resign_n_1079093.html 

The Ethics and Values of Public Relations J:4470

On the first day of class, my professor handed out an in-class assignment listing a multitude of values. Each classmate was asked to circle ten values they felt were the most important to them. After our ten values were circled, the professor then asked us to scratch out five, then 3, and then 1. As each of the values I felt were most important to me were being deduced down to one, it became morally harder to make a decision on which value I cherished the most about myself. The values of integrity, honesty, and loyalty were the hardest to scratch off the list. I finally reduced my moral code down to a single word: Self-respect. This word rang true to everything I prided myself to be. Everything I do, I try to respect myself in all decisions I make on a daily basis.

As a public relations professional in the making, I know that I will face ethical dilemmas in the work place and I know I will try and respect myself as I make the ethically correct decision for each one I face. I will not only take self-respect with me wherever I go, I will also stay tried and true to the PRSA Code of Ethics. There are three values that I will also try and carry with me throughout my professional career: Honesty, loyalty, and independence.

The PRSA Code of Ethics states honesty as “adhering to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public.” I believe “honesty is the best policy” to adhere to in any workplace. When working with clients to disseminate their message to the public, public relations professionals must always ask themselves if they are being honest in all aspects of their work, including their portrayal of the client to the public.

Loyalty and self-respect go hand-in-hand when it comes to my set of morals and values. It is also on the PRSA Code of Ethics statement of professional values. It states loyalty as being “faithful to those we represent, while honoring our obligation to serve the public interest.” It will always be in the best interest of public relations professionals to be loyal to their client as well as the consumer of the material they provide. Without loyalty to our clients, there would be no loyalty from the public. Our best interest is always the interest of our clients, and staying true to them is the only way to go.

I have always thought myself to be a strong and independent woman. I have always taken the fall for my wrong-doings and will continue to do so in my career. It doesn’t surprise me that the PRSA Code of Ethics takes independence into account as a professional value either. It states independence as “providing objective counsel to those we represent” and being “accountable for our actions.” Public relations professionals should always strive for being accountable. If a public relations consultant finds himself or herself in a bind, it is always important for them to remember that they are accountable for all that they do. Although we may work together as a team, every individual is accountable for their actions and should never forget this as they work hard for their clients and employers.

Alongside these values, there are principles that I identify with as well. As one must be honest, loyal, and accountable, they must also build trust with the public. Under the PRSA Code of Provisions it states that it is important to disclose information. The core principle states “open communication fosters informed decision making in a democratic society.” The intent is “to build trust with the public by revealing all information needed for responsible decision making.” It is always important to be honest and truthful in order to build public trust. Without the trust of the public, clients would not have consumers to serve and we, as public relations professionals, wouldn’t have clients to serve. This never-ending cycle would be detrimental to all parties involved. I will always remain truthful and honest in everything I write and distribute to the public. The public can be harsh, but as long as clients and public relations professionals disclose all information to the public it will build a lifetime of trust no one can afford to lose.

It is important for me to be loyal, honest, and accountable in all aspects of my life. If I am being loyal and honest to my friends, I will build their trust and have them for a lifetime. These embedded morals and values will always be with me throughout my career as well. I want to treat my clients with loyalty and honesty and build their trust in me as a public relations professional. I also believe in being honest and loyal to myself, and if I lie in my career I am only harming my respect for myself.