culpwrit

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.

Don Tassone

When I recently retired, Ron Culp asked me to “share my thoughts” with those who are just starting out.

Of course, there is already a ton of great insight and advice in the postings on this site – on topics from better blogging to managing your boss.

But I want to touch on something else:  values.

Specifically, understanding your own values – what matters most to you – and making sure your values fit with those of the organization you represent.

Of course, to be successful in PR, you’ll need strong PR skills.  You’ll need to be a great communicator.  You’ll need to understand social media and how to pitch a story.  You’ll need to manage projects, build teams and shape strategies.

But you could do all these things exceptionally well and still not be fully successful – if your values are inconsistent with those of your organization.

Great PR professionals instill confidence because they believe in what they’re doing.  They work for organizations whose values they not only share, but protect and advance.  They are people you can trust because you can feel their conviction.

This doesn’t mean that you’ll agree with every decision your organization will make.  Or that one set of values is somehow better than another.  Or that any organization is perfect.

But values shape the way an organization thinks, how it decides and what it does.  Values define an organization, and how well an organization lives them can either distinguish it or destroy it.

I spent my entire career at Procter & Gamble – where “superior product quality” is a core value.  P&G makes terrific products.  But sometimes even the best companies slip.

If there is a quality issue at P&G, the company immediately recalls the product in question.  Not necessarily because it’s dangerous or some government agency said to recall it.  But because to continue to sell such a product would be to violate what P&G stands for.

As a spokesperson for P&G, knowing this made all the difference for me.  If you share your organization’s values, you will represent it with a full heart.  And you will be able to help your organization stay true.

Your success in PR will depend on much more than your proficiency.  After all, there will always be someone whose technical expertise is deeper – or some  vendor which is less expensive.

Your success will depend on how well you use your skills as a full member of an organization whose values you share, and bring forward, every day.

Last year, John Smale, P&G’s CEO early in my career, spoke to our senior management team in Cincinnati, where the company was founded in 1837.

“There are some important things that haven’t changed during the course of this company’s life, and that is the basic character of this institution – our values,” he said. “These are the things that make P&G a great company.”

Don’t settle.  Know what’s most important, and let it guide you.

Go where you’ll do your best work – and make the most of your gifts.

Don Tassone retired this year from P&G as Vice President-External Relations after serving 31 years in various senior PR positions.  He is a graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Kathryn Beiser

I continue to believe that graduating from college with a liberal arts degree is one of the best ways to prepare for a career in public relations—my courses in history, political science, sociology, psychology, and even French have served me very well these past 25 years.  But during my senior year at Northwestern, after a slew of on-campus job interviews that went nowhere, I wished I’d focused on something that made me more employable. 

 
With the end of senior year looming, I made the time-honored decision of many a liberal arts major:  I applied to graduate school.  Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism had just launched its Master of Science Program in Corporate Public Relations (now the Integrated Marketing Communications program), and since I’d had a couple PR internships and run a major campus event, the program seemed like a good fit with my 21-year-old self.  Mind you, I wasn’t certain I was headed for a career in public relations, but I had to commit to something or face the unattractive idea of returning home to live with my parents.

Turns out it was a great decision.  I loved the Medill program, and realized that public relations was an excellent career choice for me.  Right after school began, I found a part-time position with Morton Chemical, which taught me that if I could write about industrial coatings, I could write about anything!  And when the time came for my program internship, I lobbied Medill for an agency position instead of a corporate role since I’d already worked in-house.  About half-way through my internship, I was hired as a full-time account executive.  Needless to say, I never saw the light of day during my last six months of school given all my commitments, but finishing my degree with a job in hand was worth it.

These days, after spending 20 years working for some of the finest agencies in the world, I’m heading up Corporate Communications for Discover Financial Services (I figured it was time to see if I could actually do what I’d advised my clients to do for so many years!).  It’s been an exhilarating ride.  While I loved my agency experience—the clients and senior counselors with whom I worked made every day interesting and instructive—being in-house again has ignited an even deeper passion for our profession.  There’s just something about really getting to know a business and its people that has made my role more rewarding for me.  And I’m fortunate to have an incredibly talented and enthusiastic team, which makes coming to work each day a real pleasure.

Here’s a quick look at my career thus far:

• Editor of Employee Publications at Morton Chemical Division of Morton Thiokol (about 1 year)
•  Account Executive  & Account Supervisor at Ruder-Finn (2 years)
• Account Supervisor at Hill & Knowlton (3 years)
• Founding member of Caduceus Communications, a start-up firm specializing in healthcare PR (2.5 years)
• Vice President at GolinHarris (2.5 years)
• Managing Director and Global Client Leader at Burson-Marsteller (9+ years)
• Vice President, Corporate Communications, and Member of Management Committee for Discover Financial Services (will be 6 years in January)

What people say about you can make or kill a job offer, yet many job seekers don’t invest the time to ensure effective references.  Some blow it entirely.

Case in point:  I was surprised to receive a call last week from a company seeking a reference for a former co-worker.  The applicant had not advised me that I might be contacted for a reference.  Since I’m a fan of the applicant, I agreed to answer questions about her although I didn’t know anything about the company or position.

Here are my five tips that will avoid a reference-checking faux pas:

Seek Permission.  Before providing names, always ask people if they will serve as a reference.  Don’t take it for granted, even if you’re friends.  This asking process ensures a stronger reference.

Get Full 411.  Verify full name, title and contact information before passing along to a prospective employer.  (The above job seeker used an old title and email address since we hadn’t been in touch with each other for over a year).

Recap Career.  Don’t assume a reference recalls all details of your career.  Provide him/her with a few bullet points that summarize your career–emphasizing accomplishments, not just job titles.  Keep it short and simple.

Talking Points.  Briefly describe opportunity to reference and provide two or three bullet points about why you would be perfect for the job.  Anticipate questions that might be asked of your references, including the proverbial question about your strengths and weaknesses.  It’s possible to turn potential negatives into positives.  For instance, you became a better writer after taking a writing course or you have sought out special training to improve other skills.  This demonstrates awareness and  initiative to improve.

Follow Up.  Once you hear about the job, follow up with your references–win or lose.  I didn’t hear back from the above candidate until I learned from one of her co-workers that she, indeed, landed the job.  A thank-you note is essential for closing the loop, plus it helps keep the reference enthusiastic about you and your career.  That’s especially important when you need a reference in the future.

Q.  One of the guest lecturers in my class mentioned the Arthur Page Society several times during his talk, and my professor says the organization is something I should aspire to.  From the Page website, I can’t determine how you become a member and what they do.  I see you’re a member, so please let me know what I should know.   -SA

A.  Comprised of 400 of the senior-most PR professionals in their respective agencies and corporations and several prominent PR academics, the Arthur W. Page Society (AWPS) is arguably the most prestigious public relations group in the world.  The organization is dedicated to strengthening the role of public relations through its programs and network.  AWPS was begun nearly 30 years ago by senior PR executives at AT&T and named after the late Arthur W. Page, who in 1927 became the first person to hold the title of Vice President of Public Relations at the communications giant.  Arthur Page definitely had a ”seat at the table” of management, in the community and government.  He’s considered the founder of the modern practice of corporate public relations.  (For more on his life, check his biography on the Arthur W. Page Center’s website.  The Center is based at Penn State University and is not part of AWPS).

In order to be considered for Page Society membership, individuals need to hold the top PR position in a company or significant agency.  Most members are chief communications officers, agency CEOs or well-published PR academics, although several former agency and PR heads remain members after stepping down from their former positions.  A select group of academics who are recognized for their thought leadership in PR also are members.  The organization holds two major conferences a year, one in the spring and the other in the fall.  The spring meeting is open to potential future Page members, while the fall meeting is members only.  AWPS also holds periodic regional meetings and has an excellent program for future leaders of the profession who are serving in key roles within their organizations.

Over the years, AWPS has focused its meetings around seven principles that convey Arthur Page’s PR management approach.  I’ve tried to adhere to these principles throughout my career.  These are great words of advice as you launch your career:

• Tell the truth. Let the public know what’s happening and provide an accurate picture of the company’s character, ideals and practices.
• Prove it with action. Public perception of an organization is determined 90 percent by what it does and 10 percent by what it says.
• Listen to the customer. To serve the company well, understand what the public wants and needs. Keep top decision makers and other employees informed about public reaction to company products, policies and practices.
• Manage for tomorrow. Anticipate public reaction and eliminate practices that create difficulties. Generate goodwill.
• Conduct public relations as if the whole company depends on it. Corporate relations is a management function. No corporate strategy should be implemented without considering its impact on the public. The public relations professional is a policymaker capable of handling a wide range of corporate communications activities.
• Realize a company’s true character is expressed by its people. The strongest opinions — good or bad — about a company are shaped by the words and deeds of its employees. As a result, every employee — active or retired — is involved with public relations. It is the responsibility of corporate communications to support each employee’s capability and desire to be an honest, knowledgeable ambassador to customers, friends, shareowners and public officials.
• Remain calm, patient and good-humored. Lay the groundwork for public relations miracles with consistent and reasoned attention to information and contacts. This may be difficult with today’s contentious 24-hour news cycles and endless number of watchdog organizations. But when a crisis arises, remember, cool heads communicate best.

Q.  It’s been over a month since I interviewed for a job.  While they appeared extremely encouraging at first, I’ve heard nothing since a positive email exchange a week after the interview.  After two weeks, I called several times but only got voice mail and no response.  Suggestions?  -CA

A.  Other than making too many phone calls, you have done all you can do at this point.  I encourage job seekers to adhere to a 5-step process for job-interview follow up.

During the interview when you are asked if you have any questions, inquire about the anticipated timing for a hiring decision.  (If they say two weeks, mentally double it since I’ve never seen a search move as promptly as hiring managers might desire.)  Next, be sure to send a short thank you note immediately after the interview–ideally handwritten, but email is becoming the norm and is quite acceptable.  Handwritten notes simply are rare and, therefore, more memorable.  Third, seven days after the interview, send a follow-up email note expressing interest and inviting them to contact you if they have any questions.  In that note, you also might briefly mention anything you’ve seen about the company/agency in the news since your interview.  Nothing that you are aware of the news will indicate you have more than passing interest in what’s happening at the organization.  Your fourth step should be one phone call timed to when you were told they might be making a decision.  Don’t sound desperate.  If you get voice mail, leave relevant contact information and wish them luck with the hiring decision, noting that you know it is not an easy process but you are keenly interested in the position and feel you would help them achieve their objectives.  If you get no response within a week, write off that organization so you can focus on other opportunities rather than dwell on what have gone wrong with this one.

No response suggests something has happened within the organization (internal hire, loss of client, etc.) that has altered hiring plans.  In some cases, over-worked HR staffers simply fail to close the loop with other candidates. Whatever the situation, it’s time to move on.

Q.  I’m a May 2010 PR grad and am still looking for permanent employment.  I’m finishing up an internship now (this will make three, one with a large agency), have been volunteering on a PRSA committee for almost a year now, and have had some discussions with various firms regarding entry-level slots over the past few months but keep getting hung by the “candidate with more experience” rope.

 I’m wondering what my end game should be.  The obvious goal (for practical and financial reasons) is/was to work in the field for three to five years before going to grad school, but what if it’s just not possible?  What concerns me is the very real possibility that when I finish a graduate program, I’d be competing for the same AAE positions I’m competing for now with only a BA to my name.  Still, it’s not as though I can be a professional intern forever. -KM

A.  You raise interesting questions about breaking into PR these days.  As mentioned in a recent blog post, it is important to find a job–even if it requires a momentary detour away from your desired profession.  Once you land a full-time job, use it as the staging ground to develop your game plan to break into public relations.

Many employers will help pay for your graduate degree, and many companies will be open for your to be considered for PR positions internally once you gain experience.  So focus on companies that have strong communication programs.  When I was a manager of corporate communications at Lilly, I discovered PR superstar who was a pharmaceutical sales rep in Los Angeles.  He knew the company’s products and we needed someone who could discuss them with the media.  He did his job well, and quickly advanced.  He later went on to top jobs at Mercedes and Toyota.  You can’t look at the next job as something that locks you out of PR…use it as a vantage point/stepping stone into the profession–even if it’s through the back door.

Regarding a masters degree, it makes the greatest sense for you to pursue one after landing a full-time job.  Waiting a while also will give you some time to determine exactly what type of degree will help you the most in the future.  Graduate degrees do, indeed, provide you with deeper skill sets, experience and maturity that will help advance your career.  Regarding the need for a potential move, you definitely should consider doing so if the right position is available outside your current location.  I moved several times during the first 10 years of my career.  I also switched job focus from media to politics before I finally landed in corporate PR.  This dreadful economy requires career detours, but try to figure out ways to join an organization that logically leads to opportunities that provide potential segues to your eventual goal.