Back in Athens, there is a stereotype of the “Scripps kids” as being highly involved, very confident and exhibiting an eagerness to learn. I can report with certainty that our hunger and passion for journalism and PR is not unique to our neck of the woods, but is shared across the country.
With the current state of the economy, it seems that our generation seeks an omniscient power to descend upon us and give us the answers to our questions of whether or not to go to grad school, if we should choose agency or corporate PR and what makes us stand out from our competitors in the job market. While I’m sure most professionals, advisors and professors have opinions of what the answers to these questions should be, I’m beginning to see that in reality there is no one answer.
I admit that I am guilty of asking these questions to everyone who will listen to me, lately emphasizing the grad school inquiry. Not only is my incessant interrogation likely annoying, but in reality nobody has a clear answer for me, and they shouldn’t. Decisions about something as important as my career need to be those that I can personally be proud of and stand behind.
As public relations students and practitioners, we are so focused on our clients and our other “publics” as we strive daily to please them, but I would argue that we are forgetting one very important key public: ourselves. There is no possible way that we can be all things to everyone in this industry—there are simply not enough hours in a day. And while I’m not advocating limiting yourself by any means, deciding what your key values are and finding something you are passionate about are integral steps to becoming the professional you want to be.
Some overall advice from the PR pros at National Conference:
•Be hungry and demonstrate hard work, but also be a team player.
•Always show your thanks and gratitude. That extra mile can go a long way.
•Present A+ work all the time.
•Become an expert in something—it will set you apart.
•Listen to the conversations going on about your company.
•Passion is not a substitute for planning.
•Never limit your creativity.
•Be who you are.
What else would you add to this list? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
