What I gained from Real World PR 2011

I must say that attending Real World PR 2011 was one of the best experiences I could have gotten, especially being a college student new to the world of PR. I will admit that at first it was a bit intimidating just knowing that everyone there is pretty much looking for the same internship/career, but once I left the conference, I felt so much more confident that I am in the right industry and that I can be successful in the public relations field. I was able to network with several skilled individuals and it was a bit relieving knowing they were in the same place I was not too long ago. There were three different sessions that I attended during the conference:

Corporate World or Agency Life? "Never under promise, always over deliver"
In this session, I learned the differences between corporate and agency. Most of the professionals that are in corporate actually started out in agency or non-profit. The main idea that I learned out of this session is that you have to start somewhere and you need to take what you can get just to build your experience. Building skills and gaining more experience is a must in the Public Relations industry and you begin to learn more about who you are as an individual. Your first internship does not have to be the perfect one. You also must need agency experience before working for a corporation. I also learned that the one question that professionals like to hear at an interview is, "What can I do day one that will make your life easier?" Being able to stand out at an interview is very important since the Public Relations field is a highly competitive one.

Get the Interview, Land the Job.
During this session, I learned there are three main ideas that professionals look at when someone goes into an interview. 1) great attitude- very positive and knowledgeable about what they want and what they can provide. 2) Initiative- do whatever you can do. 3) persistent- but without being overly persistent.
It is also important to have relevant experience on a resume. If you worked at a diner for 2 months, that is not important unless you can make it related to what the internship/job is asking for. Also, it's important to add specifics. For example, if your press releases got published, where exactly did they get published at. Tailor your resume for every single job and make your skills fit that specific job description. Be ready at every single event, always have business cards handy and even carry around a resume. You never know when a PR Professional will be sitting next to you during an event. It is also important to know about the company and what they are looking for-be prepared and give a firm handshake. Follow up after the interview and make it within reasonable timeframe. The STAR approach is a must when giving specific scenarios- Situation, Task, Action, Results

Work Hard, Play Hard
This session appealed to me because I have an interest with hotels and tourism. the ACVB had a representative as well as InterContinenal Hotels Group and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. I learned that non-profit is 85% attractions and there is always going to be the need to fundraise. The positives of working for non-profit are: showing off and gaining experience for the company, meeting people from around the country, charity events, leads to direct results, very hands on, lots of energy and fun. There are negatives that come also: doing more with less money, close to bottom of pay scale, and biggest challenge is crisis.  Courses that are beneficial to take are research courses, creative writing, marketing, fundraising, foreign language (which Spanish is my minor already, yipee!) and industry trends

Besides attending these sessions, there was time for a resume critique session and a career expo, which I found both extremely beneficial. I would not have missed this conference for anything and I am so glad I was able to attend. I am on my path to success in the PR industry!

Bobcat PRSSA at Real World