PRSSA Kent welcomed current members and interested students to Franklin Hall on September 3 for the annual kick-off meeting. President Meghan Caprez introduced all of the officers in the packed-to-capacity second-floor classroom.

The officers split into groups and circled around to discussion tables so every attendee had a chance to listen to the officers speak about their positions, committees and the PRKent program.

Caprez and VP of Professional Relations Samantha Tuly discussed various types of programming PRSSA offers throughout the school year, which includes the biweekly meetings each detailing a relevant PR topic and Communications Connection, PRSSA Kent's annual networking event.

Secretary Hanna Moore and Intercampus Liaison Erin England treated attendees to more detail regarding Communications Connection. Those interested in serving on the planning committee can contact England.

Co-VPs of Membership Erica Batyko and Kristen Kobe detailed benefits of becoming a PRSSA member. Benefits include opportunities to attend local, regional and national events, network with professionals and peers, obtain access to internship and job openings and participate in a variety of workshops, committees and activities. All exclusive opportunities help to build experience, portfolios and resumes for PRSSA's valued members.

PRSSA/PRSA Liaison Cindy Deng and Community Relations Manager Amanda Knauer spoke with attendees about the PRSSA National Conference. This year, the conference is taking place in Washington, D.C. Those interested in attending National Conference in the future can contact Deng for more information.

Co-VPs of Fundraising Rachel Gill and Anna Lemmon discussed PRSSA's planned homecoming fundraiser. Those interested in serving on the Homecoming Committee can contact either Gill or Lemmon.

Web and Content Producer Casey Braun and Social Media Manager Chelsea Graff offered more opportunities for attendees to get involved. Braun is putting together a web team to produce quality written and multimedia content for online publishing. Graff is assembling a social media team to offer resume-building social media experience. Contact Braun or Graff for more information.

VP of PR Gabrielle Woodard explained to students the benefits of signing up for the PRSSA Kent newsletter, featuring internship opportunities, Chapter updates and current PR topics.

PRSSA will host its next general meeting on September 17. Officers will discuss surviving the PR sequence at Kent State University.

Public relations students are constantly challenged by internship and post-graduation employers to seek relevant work experience. Kent State University offers PR students many opportunities to gain that experience on campus. PRSSA Kent invited four professionals to speak to students in round-table discussions about job opportunities at Flash Communications, IdeaBase and the Department of Recreation Services.

Luke Armour, Coordinator of Flash Communications

Flash Communications is Kent State University’s internal communication team, hiring public relations and communications majors to create content for the university’s website, newsletter and magazine. According to Armour, students produce 10-20 pieces  of writing for their portfolios after just one semester working with Flash.

As a member of the Flash Communications team, students can:

• write university news and feature stories
• create unique blog posts according to personal special interests
• develop social media content
• work special university events

To apply for a position at Flash, email Armour a résumé and a list of completed JMC classes.

Allison Ewing, Associate at True Digital Communications

Allison Ewing ’11, PRSSA Kent professional advisor and former president, returned to her alma mater to talk about the experiences she had in college that made a good impression when she applied for internships and jobs. As a student, Ewing worked at Flash Communications and used the work she completed there to gain an internship at Akron Children’s Hospital.

“At Flash, I was mentored,” Ewing said. “The edits on my stories helped me to grow as a professional, and I think that really set me apart when I was applying for my internship.”

Ewing also said that her involvement in PRSSA helped her stay organized and learn leadership skills that she uses at True Digital today.

Abby Millsaps, Marketing Coordinator of the Department of Recreation Services

Each year, Millsaps hires six to nine students for the Department of Recreation Services’ marketing team. In addition to writing press releases and creating social media content, students on the marketing team get to help plan and run special late-night events, such as the Outlast the Outbreak zombie apocalypse event this past fall.

Millsaps will be looking for a new team member this April, so students should check the Recreation Services website for a job posting sometime in March, regardless of their class standing.

“My team is mostly juniors right now, but I never rule out underclassmen,” Millsaps said. “Underclassmen are great because I get to have you for a few years. You have the opportunity to work your way up to a leader of the team.”

Evan Bailey, IdeaBase Operations Manager

“Every job is different,” Bailey said, “like snowflakes: perfect and completely different.”

A job at IdeaBase, Kent State’s student-staffed advertising agency, is no exception. Students who work at IdeaBase have paid positions in an agency setting with clients as small as local businesses or as big as national brands like Little Tikes.

“To work in an agency, you have to be a chameleon,” Bailey said. “When you’re working with a client, you have to have character, charisma and confidence.”

Public relations students typically complete the following tasks at IdeaBase:

• facilitate both quantitative and qualitative research
• create content on social media and websites
• proofread promotional materials as needed

Any interested students should email Bailey a cover letter and résumé.

Public relations students are faced with many career options after graduation. Should they pursue a career in agency public relations? Corporate? Nonprofit? At the Oct. 23 PRSSA meeting, public relations professionals Stephanie Jansky, Tami Brown and Abbey Linville participated in a panel discussion to educate members about the different areas of PR.

Nonprofit

Jansky, Cleveland Clinic’s manager of communications and public affairs, provided insight into the world of nonprofit public relations. More often than not in a small nonprofit organization, there will be no “public relations” job title. It will function under a different umbrella such as fundraising or community involvement, she said.

“The risks are lower in nonprofit,” Jansky said. “It’s an easy place to learn because there isn’t as much pressure. You can afford to mess up sometimes.”

Brown, general manager of the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, said nonprofit work was worthwhile thanks to the culture of nonprofit organizations and the people working in the industry.

“There is so little money and so much that needs to be done,” Brown said. “In nonprofit, you know the people are not there to get rich. They really believe in the mission of the organization.”

Corporate

Linville, an account executive at Dix & Eaton, said there is a major misconception about corporate public relations: Students think that they will be stuck in one industry for the rest of their careers if they choose to pursue a career in corporate PR. This is simply not true, she said.

“If you pick the right company, you may want to stay in that industry,” Linville said. “You can have a lot of diversity in your work. You just have to find the right industry for you.”

Jansky agreed. Focusing her career in healthcare public relations, she said that practitioners must have a genuine interest in the corporations for which they’d like to work for. When interviewing candidates for a position, companies can easily see through the facade if an individual tries to fake interest.

Agency

Agency public relations appeals to professionals who need variety in their work. Linville said a practitioner in agency PR always has a changing schedule.

“Working in an agency, there is a lot more flexibility day-to-day,” Linville said. “Sometimes you’re working with a PR person from the client itself, sometimes you’re working with someone else. You rarely get to see the CEO, so it’s a big deal when it happens.”

Linville said that most recent graduates pursue a career in agency because it has the most entry-level jobs.

“Corporate entry-level jobs usually only guarantee you a year-plus of work,” Linville said. “Agency can be more realistic.”

Additional Tips

Linville also shared how her career as a public relations student at Kent State prepared her for a career in agency public relations. Her projects, especially in Case Studies and Campaigns, helped her land her first job.

“Kent State set me up for everything,” Linville said. “I learned how to network, how to write a résumé. I had to create a LinkedIn profile, and it’s so important in the professional world to keep that updated.”

Linville also recommends that students get to know their professors and Campaigns advisors and keep in touch with them after graduation; they can provide guidance on projects or help find new job opportunities.

Once a student has found an opening, the professionals offered these tips while interviewing:

• Dress to impress: Wear a suit.
• Don’t misspell anything in a résumé.
• Research the company before the interview.
• Prepare at least five questions to ask the professional at the end of the interview.
• Don’t talk too much: a lot of public relations positions require listening skills.
• Don’t talk too little: don’t be afraid to show your personality.
• When the interviewer asks about weaknesses, be honest and tell them a real weakness.

Overall, students shouldn’t corner themselves into one area of public relations.

“Be flexible,” Brown said. “Keep half of your heart open to other possibilities.”

Katelyn Luysterborg, PR Kent alumna and former PRSSA Kent Chapter president, spoke to students about personal branding both online and offline at the October 9 meeting.

Luysterborg, manager and social media specialist for Cleveland-based interactive marketing company Rosetta, shared her “Dos and Don’ts” of personal branding.

Do

• Be yourself
“Above all, make sure you’re being yourself,” Luysterborg said. “It sounds like a ‘duh.’ Don’t try to be something you’re not. Find out what you’re passionate about and let it shine through.”

• Define your goals and focus
Just like public relations practitioners create goals and objectives for clients, Luysterborg recommends that students create goals and objectives for personal branding and online networking. “Know what you want, make those connections, and make sure everything you do and say is in line with that,” she said.

• Be personal and engaging
Luysterborg suggests that writing for a blog or on social media can showcase interests and skills. Social media is all about making connections, Luysterborg said, so students should cut back on talking about themselves and focus on creating conversations with others on Twitter.

• Google yourself
Luysterborg said students don’t know what’s being said about them unless they actively pursue that information. She recommends that everyone Google themselves so they are knowledgable about the information a potential employer could find about them online. If an employer brought up something they found online during an interview, students will be prepared to explain themselves openly and honestly.

Don’t

• Be all business all the time
As mentioned in the “Dos,” employers want to see potential employees be themselves. Being all business all the time may make an applicant seem fake. Interviewers often use the “layover test” to determine if an interviewee’s personality fits with the culture of the organization. As explained in the 2013 film “The Internship,” the test asks whether or not the interviewer would want to be stuck in an airport for six hours with the potential employee.

• Be too casual
With the previous point said, being “overly casual can come off as sloppy.” 

• Be too private
To an employer, being too private can imply that a potential employee has something to hide. Some people have specific social media accounts for their own personal use rather than for business. It’s okay to have personal social media accounts, but if an employer sees that someone’s Facebook page is very private, they have a reason to be suspicious of the person and his or her activities on the internet.

• Be afraid to network
Students should take advantage of every networking opportunity offered to them, especially through PRSSA. These opportunities could lead to jobs or internships in the future. Luysterborg encouraged students to reach out to professionals at events and follow up with them afterward through email or LinkedIn.

Kent State and PRSSA alumna Jenn Yokley, Corporate Communications Manager for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena, shared insight on sports and entertainment public relations at the September 25 meeting. 

Yokley started as the Cavaliers’ Communications Coordinator and quickly advanced, thanks to her devotion, hard work and knowledge of the public relations field. Her usual day includes monitoring social media, addressing any problems online and creating media kits, press releases and promotional material. 

While speaking at PRSSA, Yokley shared a few tips for being successful in sports and entertainment PR:

1. Network. Yokley expressed how important it is for students to get involved with the people they see and work with every day, including professors, classmates, professionals and alumni. She said networking will help students grow as professionals and meet people in the field who can expose them to new ideas and potential job opportunities.
2. Small tasks make the world of difference. Yokley said when she started as a Communications Coordinator, she did everything from taking fan photos at Cavaliers games to copy editing. She said students should never think they are above anything, and if they have a go-to attitude, it makes the world of difference when a company is thinking of offering them a promotion or trusting them with larger tasks.
3. Let your personality shine.  When Yokley is interviewing potential interns or new employees for the Cavaliers, she looks for people who can “let their true self shine.” She said there is a huge difference between who a person is on a piece of paper and who they really are, “so take a deep breath and be yourself.”
4. Follow your passion.  In sports and entertainment PR, practitioners have heavy workloads, stressful days and long nights. If a student is passionate about this area of PR, then it is all worth it, Yokley said. 

Because entertainment and sports public relations is considered one of the most difficult and stressful fields in PR to break into, Yokley also shared some of the more challenging aspects of her job. She told PRSSA that she must expect the unexpected every day. 

“Sometimes, you think you are so prepared and then a player gets hurt or a concert gets cancelled, and you think of how much work you just did to promote it,” Yokley said. “It’s the little things here and there that you get caught up on.” 

Yokley also said a lot of big problems at work start from small mistakes. To avoid the little mistakes, she advised:

1. Constant communication. Yokley said practitioners must communicate everyday with fans, executives and co-workers. Everyone is headed in a different direction, and that’s when problems arise. Communicating effectively will save practitioners from starting big problems.
2. Realize not everyone is going to like you. Yokley said this was one of the biggest struggles for her during her first year of work. She said PR practitioners will be surrounded by co-workers they may not get along with every day, so they should develop a thick skin, be above it and remember to stay professional.
3. Never think you’re too good. The smallest tasks are the ones bosses remember. Yokley said PR practitioners can never think they are too good to do those smalls tasks. It will pay off in the end. 

To wrap up the meeting, Yokley advised students to avoid pigeonholing themselves into one area of public relations and to keep an open mind so they don’t pass up the job opportunity of a lifetime.

“Talk to people, take chances and get involved.”

Follow Jenn on Twitter at @jennyokley.