Alumna Q&A Sam Hamilton spring

2013 Media

Relations

Tips & Tricks to a Great Interview

ent

COMMDECEMBER 2012

Volume 2, Issue 3

AN RWU PRSSA PUBLICATION

All About the LookMedia trainingfor the masses

Michelle Lee_COMMunicator

Q&Awith  RWU  Alumna

Samantha  HamiltonCOMMent: What is your hometown?

Samantha Hamilton: I grew up in Lynn, Mass., currently live in Nashua, N.H., left my heart in Wash-

ington, D.C., and will always have a special love for Bristol, R.I.

COMMent: What was your major at Roger Williams? When did you graduate?SH: I was a communications/political science double major, and I graduated in 2011.

COMMent: How did your education/any clubs help you after graduation?SH: I think that, by nature of the communications major, my experience with multiple intern-

ships in several di!erent "elds was invaluable to "nding a job. Employers were always impressed by the depth of work I had done, both inside and outside the classroom. Working in "elds ranging from

public policy to hospitality helped me learn what types of public relations I did and didn’t enjoy, and af-forded me the opportunity to complete real-world assignments. In terms of clubs, I was a member of the

Model United Nations team for four years, which helped tremendously. Going to Model UN conferences helped me gain the con"dence to speak in front of hundreds of people with authority, on topics that I wasn’t always an expert in. Also, it taught me excellent research skills, which is truly invaluable in public relations.

COMMent: Right after graduation, were you able to "nd a job? And if so, what was this job?SH: I was de"nitely a lucky one. I graduated from Roger Williams in May 2011 and started working at Racepoint Group (Boston, Mass.) in June of the same year. It felt like it took a lifetime to get a job, but really I had one lined up pretty quickly.

COMMent: Is this still your current job? If not, what is your current job now and where is it located?SH: It is, I’ve been with Racepoint Group now for almost a year and a half.

COMMent: What are the types of things that you do at your job?SH: On a day to day basis I work on four di!erent accounts, doing scans for industry news and

trends, building media lists, writing and developing pitches, press releases, strategy plans and by-lines, working with the media, managing social media accounts, compiling results report and

managing interns. It’s a lot, but it’s never boring and there’s always something to work on.

COMMent: If your current job isn’t your dream job, then what would that job be?SH: If we’re talking real dream job, I have a vision of someday owning my own restaurant

and then putting my PR skills to work to promote myself. If we’re talking still-in-the-realm-of-possibility dream job, I have a real passion for public policy, and some-

day I’d love the opportunity to move back to Washington, D.C. to work for the think-tank or lobbying "rm doing government relations.

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Special Topics Media Relations course offered spring 2013!

The media relationship is key to successful public relations, whether it’s for a corporation, non-profit or

advocacy organization.“”In this course, you will learn to:

Think strategically about your organi-zation and its key messages.

Understand what is news, and distin-guish news from fluff and fillers.

Understand and appreciate the symbiotic relationship between public relations and journalism/media.

Give reporters usable, on-message information.

Provide radio and television interview-ers with sound bites they can use.

Counsel the organization on best practices in communication during a crisis.

COMM 431 Dr. Hume Johnsonspots

still open!

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Making a !rst impression is something you are only given the opportunity to do once. It can come from a networking interaction as simple as a handshake and two-minute conversation, or an email with your resume and cover letter. While we are searching for internships and future jobs, we are constantly putting our professional information out there in hopes that it will result in employment. Sometimes it returns nothing, other times interviews, and on the best days, a new job or internship.

Recently, I applied for an internship at Citizens Bank with an alumnus, and made one of the biggest, most common mistakes known to applicants worldwide: I misspelled her name. It is from this experience that I stress upon you, my classmates and future professionals, the importance of these following tips.

1. Act professionally: If in person, make sure you are dress appropriately. Having a good handshake may be old fashioned, but is still considered important. If you are emailing, make sure that you are addressing the person correctly. "is means that your !rst email should contain their salutation, not their !rst name. Use proper English and grammar in your email, not slang or acronyms.

2. Proof read, proof read, proof read: "is is stated three times for a reason. You should proof read your own writing AT LEAST three times. "en you should have someone else proof read your cover letters, emails, resumes, etc. "e career center is a great resource that will look over all of this information. If you are in a time crunch, ask a trustworthy friend with strong writing skills to look it over. 3. Spell check: "is deserves a section of its own. "ere is not enough that could be said about the importance of human spell checking, Microso# Word can only do so much. It does not catch incorrect words that are spelled correctly. For example, if you mean to say from, but spell form, spell check will not catch that! Spell check all names, companies, addresses, etc. Misspelling a potential employers name or company could easily lose you a job opportunity in seconds. Most likely, the person reading your application will stop and move on to the next.

I was lucky that this alumnus allowed me to resubmit my information and learn from my mistakes, therefore getting me an interview and an internship. However the opportunity I was given is rare, and to be honest, had I not applied through an alumnus, I probably would not have even gotten an interview. Learn from my mistakes and my words of wisdom and be professional!

Lauren Drano!_COMMunicator

First Impressions Last a Lifetime

About

This year I attended the Public Relations Student Society of America National Conference held in San Francisco,

have learned sitting in the classroom. My favorite session was called “Spectacular Events on a Shoestring Budget.” Noelle K. Afualo, Director of Public Relations at Simon Wong Engineering spoke about how to effectively plan a

Here are some helpful points I learned:

- Decide what kind of event you are planning, and then create a list of goals. - Figure out a solid budgetyou change anything? - Be creative! It drives the program, and makes everything much more interactive. Make sure you promote your event with ample time for people to put it in their schedule. - Write down a list of everything you want for the event to revisit after the budget is

. Can you get any of it for free? - Find and take care of them in an out of the box manner. - The event committee must be . If either one of these attri-butes comes into question, cut them loose. - Do your research!What did they like or dislike about last year?

Caitlin Galeotti_COMMunicator

Spectacular Events on a Shoestring Budget

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All About

the Look

Presentation is everything. As a public rela-tions student, I have been taught in my courses that you can have a great idea, but it does not mean anything unless you can make it happen. Before you can put your idea into motion, you have to present it in a way that convinces others to get on board and support you. The presenta-tion is what the audience pays attention to. The importance of presentation also goes for yourself, or your client, speci"cally when it involves an in-teraction with the media.

Preparing yourself, the CEO of your organization, or another company representative for the tricks of the media is a di#cult task. Dr. Joseph V. Trah-an, CEO of Trahan & Associates, gave an invigorat-ing presentation at this year’s conference in San Francisco, CA, titled Media Training.

During the presentation, Dr. Trahan spoke about everything from what to wear during an interview to how to prepare responses to any question. He explained how in media relations, the most im-portant aspects are referred to as the three C’s: control, competence, and concern. Ultimately, as a media trainer or when appearing in the media, you are in charge! Dr. Trahan stressed that you must never lose control, even if the reporter asks

Chelsea Escher_COMMunicator

you a question from left "eld. You also must be competent and teach people how to not step out of the lines. Lastly, you must always show con-cern. Respect and support can quickly be lost by any public if your representative does not show concern for any issue.

Dr. Trahan stressed that “everyone gets media training, even the coast guard.”

Another helpful tip, among many, that Dr. Trahan spoke about was the 5x5x5 rule. This rule comes into play during the preparation step. To get ready for the reporter’s questions, use the 5x5x5 tactic. First, what are "ve good questions you want the reporter to ask? What are "ve bad questions that reporter could ask? What are "ve ugly questions that the reporter might ask? By going through the process of answering these random questions, you will prepare your representative, or yourself, to be ready for anything the reporter might throw your way. Also, you will be able to practice articu-lating clear and accurate answers.

When prepping for stand ups and news confer-ences, something many public relations profes-sionals do, Dr. Trahan recommended that you do one hour of prep time for every minute of airtime. This seemed like a lot of time to me, but devel-oping responses during an interview is extremely important. I learned that you must never repeat a negative question. Never. Instead, you must re-ply with your command messages or main talk-ing points, essentially what you want people to remember. So what are command messages? I asked myself the same thing. Dr. Trahan explained that command messages and talking points are statements and information that you work into responses that explain your position on a topic or an event.

Dr. Trahan shared so many important and inter-esting facts about media relations and the neces-sity of training your representatives to appear in the media. Like I said before, presentation is everything.

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Theresa Agonia_COMMunicator

Master the

InterviewFrom pageant interviews where I have been in front of a panel of six people, to

job interviews where I have been interviewed by the founder of a company, to interviews with just another manager, I think I have just about been in every type of interview situation. Through all of my experience, I have been able to feel very comfortable for each interview I go on. Since it’s internship interview season, I wanted to share some helpful tips to help you nail your interview:

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1. Walk with con!dence. From the second you enter the door, show whoever is interviewing you that you are ready and prepared for this interview. Even if you’re nervous, walk with con"dence and show that you are con"dent in your-self to be considered for the job.

2. Remember non-verbal com-munication. Sit up straight dur-ing your interview and be sure to make eye-contact to whoever is speaking to you. If there are mul-tiple people interviewing you, be sure to make eye-contact with each person while responding to a question. Sometimes what we don’t say verbally can be considered more highly than what we do say.

3. Dress the part. Show up and let your interviewee know you mean business. This means you should wear appropriate attire to your in-terview. If your interview is with a fashion agency, wear something trendy. If your interview is with a corporation, a business meeting out"t might be more appropriate.

4. Stalk (Research) the company. Take advantage of Google, Twitter, and their website to know as much about the company you’re trying to work for before you show up. Jot down at least three facts you found interesting and make it a point to bring them up during your interview.

5. Bring a portfolio. By bringing a binder of your writing samples whoever is interviewing you will be able to see your capabilities to write press releases, feature articles, etc. It also shows them you’ve been busy while at school. Also remember to bring an extra copy of your resume -- just in case!

6. Follow-up. After your inter-view, be sure to send a follow-up e-mail or handwritten thank you note to whoever/however many people interviewed you. Thank them for their time during their busy schedule and show them you are still interested in the position.

Over the summer I was given the incredible oppor-tunity to intern at Prentice Art Communications in downtown Manhattan. This was more than just an internship; it shaped my views on the "eld of pub-lic relations and introduced me to the world of art, which I have found a new love and passion in.

Finding this internship was not di#cult, but land-ing it was. I spent last spring semester in Florence with not a care in the world about my usual course of study. I was taking classes in Italian culture, lan-guage, and sculpture. I was traveling to a di!erent country almost every weekend not wanting to be-lieve my time in Europe was coming to an abrupt end. Reality set in when my parents began per-sistently asking me what I was going to do for the three months I was home for the summer without any plans or a job. I decided that I was going to "nd an internship in New York, a task that was a very challenging from an ocean and time zone away.

It was almost too ironic that my professor was posting internship opportunities on her Facebook page for students that very day. I scrolled down my news feed until one caught my eye: A public relations internship in New York at an art "rm. I was very intrigued and more dedicated than ever to "nd out how I could make this dream a reality especially having no experience in art. After a few back and forth emails exchanging my cover letter and resume, I was so excited when I set up a Skype interview.

After the initial excitement, an overwhelming fear set in. My "rst thought was that my Internet con-nection in Florence was terrible at best. My sec-ond was that I have never had an interview using Skype. Did I call the interviewer? Did they call me? Where do I set up my laptop? How do I make this less awkward than it will inevitably be? It turned Alice Sol_COMMunicator

Interview out all my fears subsided within the "rst two min-

utes and it was not awkward in the least. Shannon, my interviewer, also studied abroad her junior year, and recently graduated from Boston Univer-sity and had a lot in common with me. Immedi-ately I felt comfortable talking about my experi-ence in public relations and the interview went very well, even from Italy to New York. When I re-ceived an email a week later congratulating me, I was overjoyed. I was looking forward to jumping into an internship in in the world of art.

I live on the New Jersey border of Pennsylvania, which gave a whole new meaning to the word “commute.” I drove 25 minutes to the train station to reach Penn Station. Then I took the subway to 8th Street, which was only a block away from my o#ce. After the "rst week it became routine; the distance was worth it because I really loved being at work. I was able to completely explore contem-porary art and the publicity that artists and gal-leries wish to receive. I was so fascinated by the New York art scene and how skilled my co-work-ers were. Every week Prentice was getting place-ments in top publications. I was accompanying my co-workers to gallery openings and working on projects that I was truly interested in. The small "rm size allowed me to learn "rst-hand from the owner of the company, Bettina Prentice. She built the company herself and proved to be a huge mo-tivation.

It was a great feeling to leave my internship feeling like I learned so much. In today’s world it is becom-ing increasingly easy to communicate with people from countries away. Distance is just a small factor when looking for a job or internship. Technology has made public relations an ever changing and evolving "eld.

From  Florence  to  the  big  apple

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Editor-in-Chief

Sofia Giovannello

COMMunicators

Theresa AgoniaChelsea EscherCaitlin GaleottiMichelle Lee Kyrie PerryAlice Sol

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Contact: rwucomment@gmail.com