Shop Talk

So, how is everyone doing? Are we still hanging in there?

It always seems as if things become hectic from November to December, no matter what you’re doing. Things have been busy on my end. From prepping for and staffing Pinkalicious the Musical (go see it - it’s such a treat and the cast and staff from Vital Theatre are simply wonderful - plug, plug) to getting stuff together for the Festival to the kettle campaign at The Salvation Army, it’s felt like a whirlwind of activity. I don’t mind it in the least because I like to be busy during the day, but at night, I feel rather run down and not in the mood to do much else. Add to that, my MBA studies on Saturdays, which I’m quite surprised to say are almost finished, and I’ve been one busy little bee.

One of the opportunities I’ve had during the last month was to attend a PRSA Pittsburgh professional development session presented by Jeff Krakoff. Formerly the founder of Krakoff Communications, Inc., Jeff now serves as Director at Burson-Marsteller, Pittsburgh. “Breaking Into the Competitive World of PR,” a session mainly geared toward students and young professionals, detailed as you would guess, tips and advice to keep in mind when pursuing internships or that first career position.

Public Relations is a tough business to break into and it’s nice to have a professional association reach out to the next wave of young professionals by providing a kind of “crash course,” if you will, on what to do and what not to do. In addition to Jeff’s presentation, several PRSA members were on hand to evaluate résumés and portfolios, which I found to be very invaluable. Getting real pointers from seasoned professionals is nothing like say, asking a friend to look with an objective eye. I highly recommend that you seize the opportunity if/when it comes along.

Jeff (via Jasmine H.) was kind enough to allow me to share the slides from his presentation on this blog. I hope that those of you who are still in college find something that you can take and use. Heck, even if you’re a young professional, I hope you gain something, too. I sure did.

Next up will be a presentation this Wednesday by Rob Key, founder and CEO of Converseon, described as an “industry leader in new media strategies.” (It also just happens to be Paull’s firm)! I’m very much looking forward to attending the session and hearing what Rob has to share with us.

And now, Jeff’s presentation slides. Enjoy!

*Property of Jeff Krakoff & Burson-Marsteller, Pittsburgh. Used with permission.