PRSSA January 2013 Newsletter

7/29/2019 PRSSA January 2013 Newsletter

1/10

InsidetheIssue:

MemberSpotlight

AlumniSpotlight

JanuaryRecap

Adrianaatthe

Presidential Inauguration

TwitterandotherSocial

MediaNews

Upcomingevents

POLYWIRE,January, 2013

2013 Social

Media Revolution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4EwCG8Z498http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4EwCG8Z498http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4EwCG8Z498http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4EwCG8Z498


2/10

Member Spotlight

AlieBakalar. What(company/organization did you work for)?currently work for the Cal Poly Men's Lacrosse Team as a

public relations consultant and social media coordinator. Since

acrosse is a club sport at Cal Poly, the team doesn't get thePR benefits that the NCAA teams get (we have no

epresentation from the Cal Poly Athletic Department). That

being said, the team relies solely on its website cplax.com,

Facebook and Twitter in regards to maintaining its student fan

base and keeping people updated with what's going on with the

eam. Since there isn't a designated communications team, I

mainly work with the head coach and a few of the players to

get things done. My job is to create content to post on the

eam's Facebook and Twitter pages, write any specialannouncements/news stories for the team's official website,

and assist with anything else the coach needs me to do.

. What is your favorite thing about your internship/job and why? My favorite part about this job is that I get to be at all the games, tweeting score updates for all of

ans who can't be there in person. I love that I can connect people to the information they care ab

when they themselves aren't able to. Plus, I love sports as well as the environment and energy th

omes along with a job like this.

Allie is a fourth year journalism major concentrating in public

relations. She has been a PRSSA member for two years

now. She wants to get into sports public relations, and her

goal and dream job is to work in the PR department for the

San Francisco Giants.
http://cplax.com/http://cplax.com/http://cplax.com/


3/10

Member SpotlightWhat did you learn from the experience?

hrough this job, I've learned the importance of social media and the impact that it has on bringing

wareness to a sports team that hardly gets any on-campus recognition. Social media really is anfective PR tool that every team, or business, should incorporate into its PR plan because it allow

eople to become engaged.What is a typical day for you on the job?

typical day on the job differs depending on the time of year. Obviously, when lacrosse is in seaso

ere is a lot more to do. Generally, I keep track of game dates/times/results, how Cal Poly oppone

re doing, game statistics, individual player accomplishments and overall team accomplishments.

hroughout the year, I'm always keeping an eye out for things to tweet about and stories that can b

ritten. I also keep up with college lacrosse blogs and other relevant media to see what others are

aying about Cal Poly Lacrosse.

What was the most interesting task or campaign you completed on the job? ight now I'm working on an awareness campaign for the upcoming 2013 lacrosse season. The

ampaign focuses on implementing certain PR tactics, including the use of social media, to increas

al Poly students' awareness of the lacrosse team. Many students don't know we have a lacrosse

am, so this campaign is part of an effort to bring attention to the men's team, a team that was ran

1 in the nation last year. This will be the team's first real push at gaining students' attention.

Any advice for members on obtaining internships/jobs?

would encourage PR students to get involved with an internship/job that is related to something t

ant to make a career of. I want to go into sports PR after graduation so that is one reason why I

volved with the lacrosse team. Also, don't be afraid to reach out to a firm or organization that you

terested in. The lacrosse team wasn't looking for someone like me; I took the initiative to get

volved and am doing this job without pay or course credit. I simply wanted to gain experience an

ve into an environment that I love. If you have a passion for a certain field, seek out any

pportunities you can get while in college.


4/10

Alumni SpotlightMargaretPack

Company: Breakaway Communications

Title: Account Coordinator

Graduation Date:June 2012

1. Where are you currently working? I

currently an account coordinator at

Breakaway Communications, a tech p

relations firm, in San Francisco. I start

as an intern at the end of October 201and officially started as an account

coordinator this January.2. What is the best part about your job

The best part of my job is not only that

am working in PR but also gaining a b

understanding of the tech industry. I th

it's a great time to work in tech PR

because of how our lives are so

dependent on technology. If you'reinterested in tech, there are so many

opportunities in public relations right no

There are numerous agencies dedicat

to working with tech clients, but there a

also so several start-up tech companie

creating additional in-house jobs.

. What is a typical day for you on the job?The first thing I do when I get to work is create the "daily news" for one of the clients I work wit

This means I scan the news for client coverage, as well as the client's competitor coverage an

trends or key words that are relevant to that client. The rest of my day varies. Some days, a tewill be planning meetings with the media, so it's my job to create "briefing sheets" that willprovide the client with background of the reporter we're meeting with. Other times, I'mresearching relevant contacts and editorial calendars to ensure that we're reaching out to theright media contacts. I also attend client meetings, create coverage reports and meetingagendas, pitch to media outlets and copy edit, among other tasks.


5/10

Alumni SpotlightWhat would you say is the biggest difference from college and the working world?I think the biggest difference between college and the real world is that youre not receiving grades for wto gauge how well you're performing. Instead, it's your job to know that you're putting in 100%, otherwiseyou wont be the only one who suffers it might be your team or even your client. No one is going to tell

how to manage your time, but they will notice if you're not able to complete a project by a deadline.

What is the best advice that you can give to CP PRSSA members?The best advice I can give to Cal Poly PRSSA students is to get as much public relations experience ascan prior to graduation. There are so many graduates competing for entry-level public relations jobs ywant to make sure that you are a valuable asset to a company and can prove it with your experience. Byreaching out to people in the chapter, PRSSA provides a great opportunity to find internships and other opportunities. I landed a year-long internship at a small PR firm, On the Horizon Communications, durinmy last year at Cal Poly, and I was chosen (and really only knew about the opportunity) because I reachout to the PRSSA member who held the position before me. Two PRSSA members now hold the interns

position.

Any tips on how to get internships/jobs?It'svery important to get to know as many people in the industry as you can you never know when aconnection will land you an interview or even a job. I had applied for a position and hadn't heard back fomonths, but then found out my aunt's friend had a son who worked for the PR firm. I reached out to himwithin three days, the recruiter emailed me to schedule an interview. In this case, it wasn't that I didn't mqualifications, but I needed a way to stand out among the hundreds of resumes the company received.

Another very important tip to be prepared for is to know that many entry-level PR jobs to start as three-

month internships. I don't think I realized how true this was until I started the job search and interviewingThis is especially common at PR agencies. It doesn't matter if you have prior internship experience (as did), many public relations firms still want to make sure the candidate is the right fit for their company. Mof the internships are paid in San Francisco (where I work and live), but sometimes the internships are npaid. Depending on the city, it is sometimes more common to have either paid or unpaid internships.

One more thing that I highly recommend -- if you have the opportunity, don't be afraid to take a break beyou start the job search. I traveled for six weeks before even starting to look for a job -- even though I knexactly what I wanted to do and where I wanted to work. You've worked really hard these past years incollege and deserve a break. Job opportunities will still exist when you return, and once you start a job,you'll realize that taking some time off does not make a difference in the long run. You have your whole

to be in an office all day!


6/10

January RecapGames, Ice Breakers, Coffee, and Donuts!

Crisis Communication with Maggie from Cox Barnett Cox & Associates
http://www.facebook.com/bcabrand?group_id=0http://www.facebook.com/bcabrand?group_id=0


7/10

January RecapEvent Planning with Tracy McConnell from Hearst Castle

Getting ready for CP PRSSA GivesBack

Keep collecting your clothes!


8/10

Adrianas internship with Public Policy Solutions,

gave her the opportunity to travel to Washington D

for the 2013 Presidential inauguration and to work

closely with former President Bill Clinton.

Here is her story-

I visited Washington D.C. for the 57th Presidentia

inauguration. I traveled and spent my time in D.C.

with two of my colleagues from my internship at

Public Policy Solutions, Inc. One of my colleagues

just took the position of Staff Assistant for

Congresswoman Lois Capps and as a result I was a

to spend time with the Congresswoman and her tea

had the opportunity to shadow Congresswoman Ca

aff, as well as join tours of the Capitol and Congress buildings. I am most grateful for having the

pportunity to create such a vast and beneficial network through my internship at PPS. My time in D

nd at the inauguration were monumental and it was

efinitely a life experience I will never forget.hrough PPS I was also given a second opportunity

o work with former President Bill Clinton. As oneould imagine, working for such a prominent figure

as a privilege. From my time at PPS, I learned that

elationships are vital to one's success and that if

ou are ever given an opportunity to do something,

o it. Always say yes, if it means doing something

or your future and for those who have helped you

et to where you are.

Adriana Hidalgo takes on D.C. !


9/10

Tweeters You

Should

Follow

Internships.comInternships.com has over 60,000

internships and posts more everyday. Theytweet internships that are located all overthe United States, so start following them

and get your dream internship!

PR NewsPR News is the public relations professional's

resource for ideas, strategies and tools tomaximize communications and social media

efforts.

Who ever thought 3D Printinwould exists??

Whats the hype withVine?

Vine is the new way to see and

share life in motion.

See why Mashable say Vine is so

hot.
http://mashable.com/2013/01/29/vine/http://mashable.com/2013/01/29/vine/http://mashable.com/2013/01/29/vine/http://mashable.com/2013/01/29/vine/http://3dea.openhouse.me/3dea/http://3dea.openhouse.me/3dea/https://twitter.com/PRNewshttps://twitter.com/PRNewshttps://twitter.com/internshipshttps://twitter.com/internships


10/10

Upcoming Meetings

February 7th:

We will be discussing

National Assembly. This

year National Assembly

will be in Albuquerque,

New Mexico on April 4-7.

February 14th:

We will be having a fun Valentines

Day themed meeting, so dontmiss out!
http://www.prssa.org/events/Assembly/http://www.prssa.org/events/Assembly/

Documents

PRSSA January 2013 Newsletter