Back in November I put together my portfolio. I had some informational interviews lined up for Christmas Break, so I began to prepare. There is no right way to put together a portfolio, however, there are some things you can do do make it more successful. I will share with you what I've learned in feedback from professionals and professors.
Just promise me that under no circumstance will you allow your portfolio to look like this. Don't think, you could use this as inspiration for "My First Internship." Not only will you destroy your professional reputation, but you might make the professional you're meeting with sick.
Here are some of my tips on how to make yours a winner:
Allow it to have a flow that allows you to tell your story (not necessarily chronological).
Don't lay papers on top of one another. This makes your reviewer curious about what's under there. It's too mysterious. Be clear and upfront about your work.
Use a big portfolio. It should be big enough so that two 8 1/2 by 11 inch papers can lay side by side. This will be very helpful in showing something like a PR plan.
If you live in a rainy state, like the beautiful lush landscape of Oregon, make sure your portfolio has some sort of waterproof cover. Trust me, you won't want to be caught in a downpour without it.
Use Glue Dots to secure your papers to the pages of the portfolio. With these handy little stickies, you can always move a paper. Nothing is permanent.
To display social media or website work, take a screen shot and put that in your portfolio.
Photos are fine, but don't make it look like your aunt's scrapbook.
Don't put too much in your portfolio. Remember that you should be able to present your work in under 15 minutes.
What are some tips that you've heard and found to be successful? Please share! Next week in Portfolios II, we'll look at "How to Present Your Portfolio."
Today, my friend, Jessica Lomelin, will get on a plane and move to Uganda. For the next six months, she will be working for Invisible Children in their communications department.
After hearing about the organization in college, she was inspired and stayed tuned. This past fall, she saw that they were hiring for a communications position. Going out on a limb, she decided to apply and “hoped for the best.” In early December, she learned that the position was hers.
The downside? Jessica had to leave her first job out of college, at Weber Shandwick in Seattle. “I was terrified, I’ll be honest. Weber has invested so much in me. I was afraid that I was going to disappoint them.” In the end, she was, “amazed by how supportive everyone was.” Weber proved to Jessica that they cared about “her growing as a person and not necessarily within the context of the company.” During her time in college, at the University of Oregon (she’s an AHPR alum too), she dreamt of working for an agency like Weber. Despite her “amazing” time at Weber, this wasn’t an opportunity she could refuse.
In Uganda, Jessica will be the “storyteller,” documenting and reporting people’s stories from the ground. She is looking forward to this because she’s, “always been passionate about issues communication. Doing it from the front lines evokes a lot more emotion than you’d get working in an office all day.” “Ultimately, I want to make advocates out of people and to inspire them to do something of their own.”
Education and experience is something she’s been thankful for these last couple of months. “At the J-School, they pushed us to be rock stars. Having opportunities like AHPR in college really helped me.” Once she learned of the opportunity, she consulted her former PR professors who told her that she had “nothing to lose and everything to gain.” Having that network of professors, who years following graduation were willing to discuss and support her decision, made the process much smoother. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that, “You can’t go wrong by doing good.”
Today in 2010, there are so many more opportunities for advocacy, especially with social media. This is driving advocacy by passion and not necessarily dollars.
Looking ahead, she expects that these life lessons will have a lasting imprint. She wants to get the “everyday perspective” of “living and breathing” a culture of people. “For decades the people of Uganda were silenced. It’s their blood, sweat and tears,” she said, “It’s my job to push that out and use different mediums to tell their story,” to raise awareness and to change the world.
To learn more about Jessica and how you can support her in her endeavor, watch her video and follow her blog or Twitter. To learn more about Invisible Children, watch the video below.
For the first edition of Lessons Learned, I’d like to take this opportunity to follow up with you on my informational interviews. Over my Christmas break, I met with eight companies. While the preparation (see “Preparing for an informational interview” post below) may be extensive, the return on your investment is huge.
Here are some general questions and ones that are specific to an agency or corporate meeting.
General Questions: • How did you get started in public relations? • What does a typical day look like for you? • What sort of projects are you currently working on? • What are the greatest joys and challenges about your job? • What do you wish you would have known when you were a college senior? • Do you have any suggestions as to how I could improve my portfolio? This obviously follows the presentation of your portfolio. • Is there anyone else that you think would be beneficial for me to meet with? If you’re given names and contact information, ask, “May I tell them that you referred me?
For agency: • What are some trends that you see changing the industry? The obvious answer will be Social Media, so be prepared to have an in depth conversation about this. • I read through ----- case and was really impressed by what you were able to do for them. What made that campaign so successful? Look up their clients and read through case studies. Have follow-up questions prepared.
For corporate: • Do the executives of this company believe and really invest in public relations? • How many people work in your department? How has that changed over the years you’ve been here? This will provide some insight into how they’re doing as a result from the recession. • How has incorporating social media into your PR changed your conversation with key publics? • How do “soon-to-be college graduates” like me get started in an industry like this?
One of the main things I learned from informational interviews is that the quality of the questions you ask is important for your education on the industry and the person you’re meeting with. It also often directly correlates to the amount to which you will impress the person you’re meeting with. I found certain questions provided great insight. Who you’re meeting with should greatly shape your questions.
Remember to stay curious. Listen carefully and ask follow-up questions.
Welcome to Lessons Learned, a new feature here on Communication Rhodes that will highlight some important lessons that I have learned (and am learning) in my life as a PR student and young professional. I hope that you will learn from my mistakes and find some useful tips along the way. As always, I love your feedback and your advice too! Lessons Learned features are the perfect place to dialogue.
Keep your eyes peeled, the first edition of Lessons Learned will be posted this upcoming Monday, January 25. Until then, have a wonderful weekend and enjoy that beautiful Oregon sunshine!
I pride myself on being the person everyone can count on for anything at anytime. I am highly organized and run my life on a color-coded planner that has every day broken down into 15 minute time slots. I make To-Do lists for every day so that not a single task goes undone.
Problem is, I'm human. This means that very, very rarely...I make a mistake and something slips through the cracks. I wish I were Superwoman, bet she doesn't forget anything.
In the public relations profession we pride ourselves on answering all the calls, drafting a release, following through with that one reporter and writing up key messages for tomorrow's press conference, all while looking fabulous and having a cheerful smile. However, we all make mistakes, sometime in our career it's bound to happen. It's what we do with our mistakes that counts.
Here are some tips for when you slip up.
1. Try not to freak out. I know it's tempting, but breathe.
2. Remember that whoever is in a position above you is human too and they've most likely forgotten something important at least once in their life before too.
3. Apologize. Collect yourself and humbly apologize.
4. Don't make excuses. My father once said, "Excuses are like belly-buttons, everybody's got em." Take responsibility for your actions.
5. Prove yourself to be a responsible and trustworthy member of the team. Trust is earned, so you'll need to work on earning yours back.
Finally, remember that professionalism and good manners count in every situation, even when the blame is on you.
Kristina Rhodes is the firm director of Allen Hall Public Relations at the University of Oregon.
She is a journalism and public relations student, outdoor enthusiast, compulsive organizer, lover of paper newspapers, good coffee, home decor and decorating.
Just promise me that under no circumstance will you allow your portfolio to look like this. Don't think, you could use this as inspiration for "My First Internship." Not only will you destroy your professional reputation, but you might make the professional you're meeting with sick.
