Our Guest Blogger Today is Nicole Raisch.  I reached out to Nicole to do a guest post and I’m honored to have her contribute! Nicole is a recent graduate from Gonzaga University, an excellent communicator, and is definitely a rising young professional PR.  You can follow and connect with Nicole on Twitter: @NicoleRaisch

-HK

LinkedIn is…

• A professional stalking tool for the job seeker – you can use it to learn about companies you are applying to and a detailed history about the employees who are working there
• Facebook for your business contacts – reminding you of who is doing what and where
• THE single most powerful networking tool on the web – you can learn more about the career you want to have and how to get there by effectively utilizing various aspects of LinkedIn

My point is: Many people don’t utilize the full networking benefits of LinkedIn. It is not enough to be merely “connected” virtually to random professionals – taking the tool to the next level will yield valuable knowledge and even more priceless face-to-face relationships!

How do you do strategically form face-to-face connections via LinkedIn? Follow these guidelines:

• Connect with anyone who went to your school and is working at a company you want to work at, is in the same industry as you in a city you want to live in or just looks interesting. The common ground of going to the same college will help ease the awkwardness. Additionally, grads just love to help other grads and will probably jump at the chance to chat about their college days with you!
• Ask your fellow university grads to coffee or lunch. Genuinely learn from them: ask them how they got where they are and what about their industry they love. Tell them your career dreams: where you want to go, what you are doing now and your current plans for the future.

A few conversation-starting tips:

• Why do you love working at ABCcompany?
• How did you arrive at your current job at ABCcompany?
• What do you like about the ABC industry?
• What advice do you have for a young professional like me?

Moreover, if you are genuinely interested (and you should be) they will offer to help you in whatever way they can whether that  is looking at your resume, taking you on a tour of their office or connecting you with their HR manager – always accept their help with gratitude and appreciation.

• Once you build enough college-generated LinkedIn connections, you can start looking through their connections and ask to be introduced virtually. Always follow up a virtual introduction with a call to action such as a phone date, a coffee meeting or a job shadow. Make sure to make your LinkedIn connections as PERSONAL as possible. NEVER EVER send the generic  ”I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.” message – personalize it.
• From here, you should have grown your LinkedIn connections base enough to request introductions to people who have career paths that you would like to have one day within your current connections. Don’t be afraid to ask these people to sit down for coffee either. They were once in your shoes – ask them how they got to be successful!

These general guidelines are based on my face-to-face LinkedIn networking trial and error experience. After a year of coffee dates and dozens of LinkedIn messages, I have met with numerous professionals and asked them all the questions about their careers I could possibly think of. I feel more knowledgeable and more confident knowing I am heading in the right direction; I also feel comforted because most of the pro’s I met with were at one point in the same position as me: just starting a career and struggling to nail a full-time, permanent job. They have offered me invaluable encouragement and powerful advice. I hope the professionals you meet can do the same for you!

In conclusion, LinkedIn can be for you:

• A tool to learn more about your dream career and how to get there
• An opportunity to learn more about your field and the people in it
• A chance to meet some fabulous, knowledgeable and giving professionals who want to help you

Happy LinkedIn networking!

(HK: I’m sure most of you know  Deirdre Breakenridge, the President of Mango Marketing, creator of Twitter’s #prstudchat and the author of ‘PR 2.0′ and ‘Putting the Public back in Public Relations.’  She is a true PR celebrity, but she is much more than that.  Although I haven’t had the pleasure of personally meeting Ms. Breakenridge, she has been extremely helpful, and an inspiration in my growth in PR.  Down to earth, and always open to communicate, she is someone who I hope to follow in my journey in PR.  So of course, I am ecstatic that she has chosen to write this guest post for us.  I hope you enjoy it!)

Growing Up in PR

I started my journey in PR in 1987.  I was one of those very lucky college students, who had a great connection to an agency in New York City.  It was my 4^th grade teacher’s husband, a VP at Chase Manhattan Bank and a very well known PR professional (he still is today), who helped me to secure my very first internship. I was so passionate about getting started in pubic relations that I didn’t even want to wait until after my junior year.  My first internship preceded my junior year in college.  At the time, many of my friends were either working odd jobs or still just “hanging out” and having fun.  I was anxious, excited and ready to take on the world of PR. And, I remember every butterfly that moved around in my stomach.

It’s this very feeling that still keeps me going today as I run and operate my own agency, work with clients, speak to groups of professionals about public relations and help my peers manage the changing PR landscape.  However, the butterflies have turned to pure adrenalin.  It’s the feeling you get when you tell someone, “This is my first day on the job.” Or, that surge of positive energy you experience when you try something new. It’s amazing when that very same feeling from the beginning of your journey repeats itself throughout your entire career.

I can’t say that I didn’t face many challenges and stressful days as I grew up in PR and navigated my own communications course.  And, it didn’t take me long to realize that PR is a real world position.  Despite the stereotypical views of the spin, hype and BS that surrounds publicity, your performance can be based on the shifts in the market and consumer behavior and/or your company’s reputation or financial health. At the same time, while there were those tough days, I still met some of the most talented and giving professionals, experienced business firsthand in many different industries, and was exposed to PR up close and personal.

A little bit about the challenges … I’m convinced those challenges helped me to get where I am today.  I believe that you have to see past the difficulties; tackle obstacles head on and, at all times, take accountability for your actions. This wasn’t always an easy road.  There were times when the challenges came from within my own organization, from bottlenecks in communication to lack of resources to get a job done.  At times there were politics in play; when one manager tells you to do one thing and another manager tells you the complete opposite (and you’re stuck in the middle). I realized early on, when executives experience pressures from the market, from shareholders or as a result of their own customers, the trickle down affect works it’s way down the organizational structure. Regardless of the situation or your position, it’s the way you learn to handle the challenges, manage the people involved and what kind of knowledge you gain from the outcomes that determine how far you will go in your career.

The challenges, and sometimes the accompanying stresses, are all tests to see if you can move to the next level.  Moving to the next level, and your willingness to continue on the PR path, allows you to be exposed to the most incredible part of the public relations industry, the people and the real business of PR. Another reason why I’m where I am today is directly related to the incredible professionals, who have helped me along the way.  I’ve had senior agency executives take me under their guidance and show me the business of PR. There were office managers who let me shadow them to experience the daily “ins and outs” of office life and functional operations of their companies.  Lastly, it was the entrepreneurs I met who gave me a tour of what drives the entrepreneurial spirit; a lesson that fascinated and ignited a passion for me to launch my own business.

I’m very thankful to have met professionals who allowed me to experiment and tackle challenges (maybe even a little early in my career), believing in me and enabling me to be the PR professional that I am today.  I joked in another blog post called “The Meaning of the Climb” about managing a media relations/book tour with an economist/author during my second summer internship in New York City.  I wondered if the executives at my agency were either really shorthanded that week, or they saw a fire in my eyes and my desire to forge ahead quickly.  Maybe they trusted my abilities and I wanted to help me reach new levels.

Being in public relations and seeing how business and communications combines to move markets and behavior is an exciting world to conquer. I believe that all of the challenges in PR lead to more rewards for the professionals who work hard to embrace the changing landscape.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years: to get where you want to be you must face the challenges, manage the difficulties and the stress, and learn from each outcome.  Most importantly, embrace the people along the way and give thanks to those who rally around to support you, as you move from level to level. At some point, you will do the same for someone else. Good luck and keep going to get where you want to be!

(HK:  Another Future Star I met at the PRSSA National Assembly!  I’ve been extremely excited to introduce Elizabeth since I came up with the Future Stars of PR idea, because I admire her motivation and how she really has found direction in PR.  This is someone that everyone should be looking out for.  At National Assembly, I remember Elizabeth saying that she had a motivation like she had never had, and I have seen nothing but that since we left Austin.  Keep up the great work Elizabeth,  it really is inspiring!)

Growing up, I never thought public relations would be my future career.  It wasn’t even until my sophomore year at University of Cincinnati that I decided to major in communications. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do with the degree until I took Intro to Public Relations and joined UC’s PRSSA Chapter. To be honest, I was never a “studious child” growing up. My mom always called me her “little social butterfly;” I was the kid that was running around, dancing and listening to music rather than studying. I never imagined loving any major as much as I love mine now.

Once I joined PRSSA though, I was filled with excitement and motivation to get more involved. Kelley Ujvary, our current President, suggested that I go to the National Assembly in Austin, Texas.  Knowing that it would be a great experience, I immediately decided to go.  During that weekend, the students I met taught me so much and truly inspired me. They motivated me to learn as much as I could about public relations.  One of the most inspirational people I met was Harrison Kratz who has already started his own PR firm as a sophomore in college. Everyone I met at Assembly was enthusiastic about PRSSA and welcoming to me. Walking in I knew one person, but in a room full of public relations students you couldn’t even tell. Everyone was so outgoing and kind, that it felt like being with family.

Without joining PRSSA and attending National Assembly, I would have never thought to start my own firm like Harrison and many other students have.  The leadership sessions were also extremely helpful. There is nothing better than learning about your future career from the professionals themselves.  If you missed National Assembly, I highly suggest you attend National Conference in Washington, DC, in October. I’m making sure I attend Conference no matter what.

Since National Assembly, I’ve decided to start my own blog and help a friend with his music career. My blog will be all about my life, travel, music I love, and of course public relations. I’m currently scheduling concerts I’m going to this summer to interview as many bands as I can. I’m hoping to get my blog up and running soon.

Since National Assembly, I have been elected as Secretary of UC’s PRSSA chapter.  I can’t begin to explain what an honor it is and how excited I am to take on the position. I’m really looking forward to transitioning into leadership, and to brainstorming ideas for the upcoming year. National Assembly really helped me figure out exactly what I want from my career, and it continues to motivate me every day.

Here is some advice I’ve learned so far on my journey in public relations:

1. “Don’t be afraid to progress, to develop, to change,” -Patrick Hernandez, current FORUM Editor in Chief. Great advice worth passing along.
2. Network. Network. Network. You can’t hear that enough. Don’t be afraid of walking up to someone and introducing yourself. They are probably just as nervous as you are.
3. Stay confident. You worked hard to earn your degree and accomplish as many things as you have. During interviews, show how amazing you are and how the company could benefit from having you on their team.
4. Brand yourself. Decide what you want people to think of you and stick with it. Stay professional everywhere you go. Your future employer may be just around the corner.
5. Find your passion. It’ll help you decide where you’d like to work in the future. Then do as much as you can to learn all about your future industry while you’re still in school. Get involved in any organization that can teach you more.
6. Join up and show up. At least for me, joining PRSSA is a given, and National Conference in October is a must (www.prssa.org/conference). I’ll see you there!

If you’d ever like to chat with me, you can follow me on Twitter: @elizabethgrace7, or email me at elizabethgracepr@gmail.com. My blog will be coming shortly!

(HK: I met Rachel at the PRSSA National Assembly in March, and I can’t put into words how impressed i was with her drive to be the best and passion for PR.  As the new PRSSA National VP of Regional Activities, I have no doubt she will take the position to new heights and represent the organization beautifully.  Keep an eye out for her, she is undoubtedly a future star of PR!)

Getting the most out of PRSSA

In September 2007 I began attending Boston University as an inspiring public relations professional.  I always knew that I wanted to be go into public relations but looking back, I did not know as much about the field as I thought.  My logic was, “Well I like interacting with other people.  So I must like public relations.”  Thank goodness this elementary logic convinced me to enter the field because it is so much more than being a “people person,” and I was fortunate enough to enter an industry I have been so rewarded by over the years.

I joined the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) as soon as I started school.  I was always involved in organizations in high school, so I figured why not join a pre-professional organization for my major.  I joined our conference committee and assisted in planning a top notch event about social media that attracted professionals from Boston and New York City as well as students from many universities.  So many doors opened because I joined this society, but more importantly, I became more passionate about the field than I thought possible.

I was able to secure an internship in New York City after only completing my freshman year at Nike Communications and was treated as an assistant account executive.  When I entered my first public relations class during my sophomore year, I felt so well versed in the field thanks to my experiences at the internship and PRSSA.

My journey in PRSSA continued as I held the positions of social chair (Fall 2008) and treasurer (Spring 2009) during my sophomore year.  That summer, I interned at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and had another great experience with corporate communications.  I was elected as the President of PRSSA and Regional Activity Co-Coordinator for the following year.

These experiences have led to my election as the PRSSA National Vice President of Regional Activities.  I am honored and will proudly hold this position for the 2010-2011 school year and look forward to the new and exciting challenges it will bring.

This summer, I will be interning at Burson-Marsteller and put my experiences in PRSSA, past internships, and the classroom to good use.  I want everyone to have the opportunity to have experiences similar to mine.  So here are a few tips to send you on your way.

1. Join PRSSA.  (You knew this was coming).  If this blog post is not enough incentive, visit www.rachelsprung.com to read about some of the experiences I have had in this organization.
2. Start a blog.  We are PR majors.  We like to write, and it isn’t hard to write.  You can put aside an hour a week to update your blog, and before you know it, you will have a substantial writing sample.
3. Take advantage of networking opportunities.  It is so important to make these connections and stay in touch with the people you meet.  You never know who knows who.  And just because you are a student, doesn’t mean you cannot help out a professional (whether it is immediately or in the future).
4. Start reading PR blogs.  You learn so much about the industry through other people’s eyes.
5. Be persistent. We may get rejected from our dream job or face unemployment after earning a degree from a reputable college or university.  As long as we stay focused and continue to work hard toward our end goal, it will happen for all of us.

My personal dream is to work at a PR agency in New York City after I graduate from Boston University.  I truly love everything about New York City from the opportunities its brings to the hectic atmosphere to the city itself and more.  I feel alive when I am in New York City and feel that I can grow as a public relations professional in this environment.

Be committed.  Welcome new experiences.  Find out your interests.  Go above what you are asked to do.  And enjoy your life as a public relations professional.

Feel Free to contact Rachel at rachel.sprung@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @RSprung