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Q.  My boss is very talented, but he sometimes becomes an arrogant, mean-spirited SOB especially with others.  This is driving people to look for jobs elsewhere.  I like my client assignments and enjoy working for a fairly large and well respected agency.  But I don’t like the tension that hangs over the office.  It took quite a while to get this job so I’d prefer to stay for more than a year, but I’m being encouraged to join the planned exodus.  Any other suggestions?  -PL

A.  Follow your head and heart, not the herd. Don’t let others color your attitude since it’s important for you to stay put and gain needed experience. You are right in thinking you should remain where you are for at least a year, ideally longer.

I discussed your question with a few PR friends, including Chicago PRSA chair-designate Abby Lovett.  Abby offers the following three tips for dealing with a difficult boss:

#1 tip – Know. Your. Stuff.  It’s really hard for someone to be a jerk to you if you have done your homework, have the answers and are always prepared, working hard and on time. If you’re doing all of that and they’re STILL a jerk, read on.

#2: Smile.  Again, it’s tough for people to be horrible to people who smile. In fact, it’s incredibly disarming to grumpy a$$holes when you tell them that you like their shoes … or they told a funny joke in that meeting … or you appreciate their help in a shared effort. Of course, no need to be fake/over the top, but the power of a smile never fails.

 #3: Take care of your mental health.  Go for a Run. Read The Onion on the train home. Have a nice date with your partner. Do whatever it takes to get the jerk off your mind. Without releasing the “pressure valve,” a small/slight comment might be the straw that breaks your back … and YOU end up being the one folks tell stories about for years to come!!

I also encourage you to consider having a conversation with your boss.  You can’t tell him he’s a bad boss, but you can ask him to help you understand what success means.  Getting his feedback and direction is important for your career–and he should be impressed by your overture.  Conclude the conversation by asking him what you can do to help ensure his success.  If he doesn’t appreciate this outreach effort, then it might be time for you to leave.

Final piece of advice, keep your own counsel.  Sometimes attitudes improve by simply avoiding the negative nay bobs who always see the glass as half empty.  Focus on what you do well.  Such positive energy makes you valuable to the organization.  It might be time for others in the agency to move on, but that’s not necessarily the case for you.  If the situation remains unbearable, you may decide you need to leave.  If that’s the case, don’t do it abruptly and keep the decision to yourself as you quietly conduct your job search.  You’ll remain more positive about yourself and be less stressed out if you don’t engage in office politics.  Good luck.

It’s tempting to ditch my identity as an intern as quickly as I updated my LinkedIn profile, but the truth is I’m proud of the hard work I put in as an intern, and the insights I gained are just as useful as an entry-level employee.

SO… while you’re working your butt off as an intern to earn that first job offer, follow these three commandments I’ve learned from past supervisors and fellow interns alike:

1.     Be resourceful – Truth:  During the first week of your internship you’ll have a LOT of questions and you might not know who to ask for help.  My suggestion is to do as much research as possible before asking for help.  Read through previous documents written for your clients, pay attention to any emails you’re copied on, and try your best to solve problems on your own before reaching out to your supervisors.  When someone is explaining a project, don’t just sit there.  Take as many notes as possible so when you actually start working you’ll have a reference point, and pay close attention when you receive your supervisor’s edits.  You’ll make mistakes at first, but that’s okay!  Remember your mistakes and learn from them.

2.     If you see something, say something! (Thanks, CTA) – Believe it or not, internships are supposed to benefit YOU!  Depending on the internship, this can be easy to lose sight of, but it’s up to you to get the most out of it.  If you’re into social media, offer to help with a Facebook project.  If you want to learn more about media relations, volunteer to help your team with pitching.  In the same spirit, speak up if you find a way to make things easier for your team or the company as a whole.  Something as small as pointing out a spelling error will show you’re paying attention to detail.

3.     Own it – First, own your projects.  From start to finish, take responsibility for your work and become an expert so you can report on your project’s status at a moment’s notice.  You never know when a client will request an update (although, it will likely be a Friday at 5:00 p.m. J).  Second, own your deadlines.  We all have days when it seems impossible to cross things off the to-do list, so if you’re going to miss a deadline, let your supervisor know in advance.  This may seem daunting at first, but they’ll appreciate your honesty and more often than not they can adjust the deadline.  Last, own your mistakes.  Every intern I’ve worked with has a story of one mistake they were SURE would get them fired.  If and when this happens, don’t panic!  In my experience, if you can prove your ability to stay calm under pressure and find a solution, it’s worth more than never making a mistake in the first place.

I’m excited to (finally) have more responsibility in my new position and a chance to grow as part of an agency, but one thing I love about my job is the opportunity to work with interns and help them find their true potential.  I know I owe my success to those who have done this for me.

Good luck, and don’t give up!

Allison Bradley is an Assistant Account Executive in the brand practice at Olson in Chicago.  She recently transitioned from interning at Olson to her current position.  Allison graduated from Columbia College Chicago in December of 2010, where she majored in Marketing Communications with a focus in Public Relations.  She completed three undergraduate internships and two post-graduate agency internships.  You can follow her on Twitter. 

As a PR student or young professional, it is critically important for you to understand the impact social media can have in a tight job market.  One of the easiest ways to differentiate yourself from your job-seeking peers is to effectively use Twitter.

Creative job seekers increasingly are using Twitter to land their dream jobs.  For college students working towards a degree in communications, Twitter isn’t just a fun way to connect, it’s actually an audition platform.  What better way to show your Web 2.0 marketing skills than by marketing yourself?  Here are five tips for using the power of Twitter to get the perfect PR job.

1. Clean up your feed. Twitpics of you at that wild party last night and embarrassing Tweets don’t impress prospective employers, who are, indeed, checking your social media presence.
2. Follow the leaders. The top PR firms, both locally and across the country, all have feeds. Follow them in order to get a thorough understanding of the industry.
3. Retweet every day. The best way to keep your name out there – and to flatter your future employers – is to retweet the content they’re tweeting. Add your own comments when appropriate.
4. Tweet for the job you want, not the job you have. Tweet like the industry pro you wish to become, not like a college kid. Your commentary will draw attention. Talking about how you dislike your professor or the latest machinations on “The Bachelor” will not.
5. Network: Perform 360 assessments of your follows and followers. Odds are you need more industry pros, recruiters and other insiders.  And don’t forget family members.

There are many ways to leverage the power of Twitter and other social media in a job search, especially for PR students and recent grads.  Tweet like a true public relations pro whose job it is to promote one product: You.

While you’re at it, follow me @Culpwrit.

With a glut of talent searching for opportunities to differentiate their resumes from peers, some organizations take advantage of the situation by “hiring” unpaid interns to do work that used to be performed by entry-level employees.  This is wrong on many levels, and might even be illegal.

During my class last week, a student raised the issue of paid vs. unpaid internships.  She and others Tweeted my adamant response that interns who have graduated from college or are in graduate school should be paid.  Only nonprofit organizations and agencies that are providing college-sanctioned learning experiences for credit should be permitted have unpaid interns.  My rule of thumb:  If the work performed by the intern is billable or if he or she is taking on responsibilities that allow others to be more billable, then the intern should be paid.  The U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act is more definitive in its assessment of paid vs. unpaid interns.  Prospective interns and their employers should become familiar with government regulations in the U.S. and abroad.

In order to qualify for unpaid interns or trainees, the U.S. Labor Department requires an organization to meet the following criteria:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;

2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;

3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;

4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;

5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and

6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

If the company fails to satisfy any one of these requirements, the worker is considered an employee and must be paid at least minimum wage.

Nonprofit organizations more easily tap unpaid interns, and experience gained from such jobs can be a valuable addition to your resume.  But don’t fill your resume with unpaid internships; it’s important to have both paid and volunteer experience.

Additional thoughts contained in earlier posts: Weighing Paid and Unpaid Internships and An Intern’s Perspective on Internships.

A former colleague last week told me she is leaving her current company, and she showed me a rough draft of her letter of resignation.  My jaw dropped as I read a litany of complaints, many of them superficial.  I asked her if she was excited about the new position, and she confirmed that it’s the perfect job.  ”Then,” I asked, “Why do you want to throw a grenade at the employer that provided experiences that opened the door to this opportunity?”

The momentary delight of writing an overly direct or nasty letter of resignation is soon diminished by the word-of-mouth rumblings that such letters often cause.  Inevitably, the person writing the letter becomes the focus of concern with people asking “what is her problem?” or worse.  Your letter should be as diplomatically positive as you can write it.  Most firms will arrange an exit interview on your last day.  Come prepared with some positives about your experience, and be prepared to respond to inevitable questions about issues that might have driven you to this decision.  Remain as positive as possible, and carefully frame any complaints or recommendations that you might feel necessary to share.  You can say more in an exit interview than in a letter that remains in your file forever–long after others involved are no longer at the firm.

If you’re at loss for the right words, check out these resignation letter samples from About.com. Don’t worry if they appear too generic for your current state of mind.  Your career and long-term reputation will be better served by a bland, positive letter of resignation.  Final note, you must resign in person and in writing–not by phone.  The face-to-face discussion is important for your reputation and your letter remains in your file long after you’re gone.

Q.  I have had a few interviews with an agency that now wants names of references, including one or two co-workers who could talk about my teamwork.  No one at my current agency knows I’m interviewing and I’m uneasy about letting them know anything when I’m not sure I’m getting a job offer.  What should I do?  -TS

A.  You are right to be cautious.  Reference checking normally occurs when a job offer is pending, but your situation is different.   You have not been told they plan to make an offer upon completion of reference checking.  Assuming you don’t have a co-worker who can be trusted to keep such a juicy secret, offer to provide names of individuals who worked with you in past jobs or college.  Explain that absolutely no one at your current agency knows about your potential move, and that you’re uncomfortable with confiding in co-workers without knowing the likelihood of an offer.  The firm should understand it’s unreasonable to expect you to provide a reference from a current employer.  A breach of confidence could jeopardize your future at your current agency should the job offer not come through.

This is a good reminder about the importance to rely on family and mentors for advice when it comes to job searches while you are currently employed.  Some job seekers are totally open with co-workers about their job search activities, thinking no one will escalate the information to supervisors.  Such information invariably reaches others, including management.  The loyalty issue could affect future consideration for advancement in your present firm.  Some people float such possibilities to put pressure on management in the hopes it results in an improved situation with a current employer.  That’s a dangerous roll of the career dice.

As pending graduates begin planning for their 2012 job searches, the question I hear most is:  “What’s the best starting point for a career–agency or corporate?”  I weighed in on a LinkedIn discussion about this topic today, and decided to add some points here.

Although most of my career has been spent in corporate jobs, I have become a firm believer that the best training ground for PR talent is in an agency setting.  In most cases, you’ll receive the broadest experience from an agency position.  Larger corporations generally assign new hires into specific aspects of PR–media relations, digital, internal communications, etc.  While the work can be very fulfilling, the narrower experience doesn’t translate well to an agency setting–unless the agency is searching for a specific expertise. 

Agencies also offer more job opportunities as corporations continue to outsource cost center-related functions.  Corporate downsizing over the past decade has helped spur the growth of agencies since critical communication activities still need to be performed.  When corporations decide to add to their PR teams, they increasingly look to their agencies for talent.  They know agencies generally do a good job of training employees, and most agency employees have learned the importance of agility and multi-tasking. 

If  you’re in a corporate position and think you might eventually want to join an agency, you should make a special point to develop and maintain a network outside your company.  This network can help validate you with those who might be skeptical of your ability to move from a corporate to agency position.

I stopped making new year resolutions several years ago after realizing most were null and void by the second week in January. 

Instead of lofty, unrealistic goals, I committed to shorter lists of things I might actually be able to achieve.  As they came to mind, I jot them down on Post-It notes and 3×5 cards and tuck them into my pocket.  When I get home, I pile them on my dresser where they await days when I have time to tackle some of them. 

So I enjoyed reading this week’s Wall Street Journal column by Sue Shellenbarger.  She confirms the value of “to do” lists and offers tips to turn them into real accomplishments–including for your career.

Sue quotes New York author and time management expert Julie Morgenstern who says a well-maintained list is “an essential tool for staying grounded, for saving your energy and for doing things rather than trying to remember what to do.”  (My lists are anything but well maintained–hence my first “to do” for 2012…and there’s now an app for that). 

Morgenstern says the best to-do lists are limited to specific tasks that can be tackled right away and finished in the near future.  Be specific.  Instead of listing “solve client issue,” write, “spend one hour defining the scope of client problem.”  She also says you need to put a time estimate for each task or you’ll risk having too many tasks and not enough time in the day to accomplish them.

Job seekers or those who resolve to change jobs or get promotions in 2012 might start their “To Do” lists with re-assessing their resumes, expanding personal networks, attending at least one professional event a month, volunteering, etc.  Be as specific as possible.  Make your 2012 “To Do” list the one resolution you adhere to in the new year.

The above headline and artwork caught my eye as I was reading today’s Wall Street Journal.  Author William Poundstone poses some of the actual questions raised during coveted Google interviews.  It’s now clear why one in 14 high school students applying to Harvard is accepted while only about one in 130 applicants lands a job at Google.

During one of my first corporate interviews, I’ll never forget being asked a series of strange questions, but none were as thought provoking and tough as those being asked by some companies today.  OK, perhaps the sick question posed to me many years ago asking if I would be upset seeing a mean dog on fire was thought provoking albeit extremely weird.  After reading the questions below, you’ll get the point:  expect the unexpected in job interview questions.  If you don’t know the right answer, at least be creative with your response.  BTW, I missed all but the balloon question (but that one was asked at Microsoft, not Google).

The article and Poundstone’s book, Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google, point out the importance to be prepared for the unexpected in all interview situations.  Interview advice has been covered here in over 60 posts such as 8 Tips for Acing a PR Job Interview and  Be Prepared for 12 FAQs.  Being prepared for the dozen basic questions isn’t enough today if you consider the following Google question:

You are shrunk to the height of a nickle and thrown in a blender.  The blades are about to start.  What do you do?

Answer:  In short, if were you shrunk to 1/10 your present height, your muscles would be only 1/100 as powerful—but you’d weigh a mere 1/1,000 as much. All else being equal, small creatures are “stronger” in lifting their bodies against gravity. Were you shrunk to nickel size, you’d be strong enough to leap like Superman, right out of the blender. Think of the feats performed by fleas in a flea circus.

If you face similarly tough interview questions, do what Poundstone suggests, begin your response with “it depends. . . .”

In recent days, I’ve heard from a couple of job seekers who said they’re suspending their search efforts until January.  Indeed, many agency and corporate executives are winding down for the year and most will be traveling or taking time off during the next two weeks.  But this isn’t the time to slow down your job search.  Instead, adjust your focus to target social and family events as a way to expand your network.

Here are the 10 holiday networking tips I’ve found to be most effective:

1.  Attend holiday events.  That includes sometimes dreaded family gatherings.  Bring your business cards and a 30-second “elevator speech“.  I heard from someone this week who landed a full-time as a result of a lead from her aunt at the family’s Thanksgiving dinner.

2.  When in public or attending a social event, dress to the level of the position you wish to land.  If the job you’re seeking is business casual, don’t wear jeans and untucked shirt tails to social events where you might encounter someone with a job lead.  If they don’t envision you in the role, they won’t mention it.

3.  Escort a friend or relative to his or her office party (assuming guests are invited).  This is a great networking venue; co-workers enjoy meeting friends of their colleagues.

4.  Be positive and optimistic.  No one wants to hear a sob story about the difficult job search process.  People want to help those who are positive and enthusiastic about the careers they want to pursue.

5.  Engage in 2-way conversation.  Don’t be overly anxious to impress since it often leads to too much one-sided conversation.  Most people enjoy talking, especially with people who are interested in what they are saying.  A former colleague of mine who is particularly adept at sales says:  “When you’re talking, the client is judging, when they’re talking they’re buying.”

6.  Seek advice.  Most people love to offer their advice to young people beginning their careers.  Ask questions that demonstrate our interest in knowing more about what they do.

7.  Follow-Up.  Send a note or email to most of the people you met.  Keep the message short, ideally mentioning something from your conversation with them and close with a brief request that they keep their ears open for possible job leads for you.

8.  Develop contact spreadsheet of all social contacts, noting their jobs, email, phone number and interests.  This becomes a great resource during your current search or during a future search.

9.  Send holiday cards.  With fewer and fewer people sending holiday cards, yours will stand out–especially if you include a personal note.

10.  Stay in touch.  When you see a news story that might be of interest to that individual, drop them a note.  I receive five to 10 such emails a month from individuals I’ve met over the years–an effective way to subtly keep your name top of mind.