Ehm, PR?

It is quite interesting to see what you can find when you do just very little Google search on PR. According to Prospect.co.uk, PR pros can work  or in consultancies, which specialise in one sector.

This is quite fun to read as it doesn’t make any sense to me. PR pros can also work freelance and virtually. There is no need to have a physical workplace, when you can work from the comfort of your home. PR Agencies don’t specialise in just one sector. It is in fact quite rare to see nowadays. I’ve seen agencies devoted to more than one sector – technology & consumer for instance.

Prospect.co.uk, then continues with listing the possible PR activities:  

1. interacting with the media

2. writing and editing

3. planning, research and evaluation

4. event management.

Then they go into detail with Lobbying.

OK, so are they really trying to say that as a PR pro, I will need to know how to write, edit, plan, research, evaluate, manage events...? I must be a PR pro already! I am great in doing all of that, OMG, how comes I am not employed yet? I would be a complete and utter STAR!!! BTW, interacting with media means what exactly? Christmas Party dance and drinking?

I am afraid that Prospect.co.uk didn’t get PR at all. The description is so general, that it make it sound like an easy career choice for anyone who knows how to think and write.

PR pros can work in-house, in consultancies/agencies or on freelance basis. It is a challenging career choice that sees them working long hours.

PR activities:

Media relations – contact and follow up

Press Releases, Video News Releases (audio too) – information to contact the media with

Pitches – to get a new client, to attract media and other important opinion makers (or influencers)

Campaigns – creating, planning, running, evaluating

Event Management – organising events or PR stunts for clients to rise their profile, attract attention of the publics and media or to spread the word

Public Speaking - giving interviews or giving media training to clients' Spokesperson

Digital World - Social Media, PR 2.0, etc

(there must be way more ,but I don't know about it yet, as I am not a PR Pro yet)

What is needed: 

#Passion for PR

#Enthusiasm for your job

#Dedication to do better

#Great organisational, writing and communication skills

#Common sense (very much needed)

# ... and more

PR and Twitter

I've been a huge fan of Twitter since the minute I joined it. Now, I use it way more than Facebook. Twitter is a fantastic online tool for people or businesses in any situation, when looking for a job/employees/internship, advice, promoting products and services, networking, etc.

As a passionate PR student I've been searching information on HOW TO DO PR EFFICIENTLY all accros the Internet. The number of people who have a PR blog is large, the number of good blogs about PR is much smaller. Brian Solis is one of the best-known PR people in the Tech industry. He is really influential, therefore people are always interested in what he likes and what he hates.

I've come across 2 great videos "PR in the age of Twitter" Part 1 and Part 2. Brian Solis talks to a media guy scobleizer about Twitter and how to use it for PR. It is quite a good try, but it goes a bit on and on and on..great discussion though.

PR in the age of Twitter, Part 1

PR in the age of Twitter, Part 2

This is Who I am ...

Time after time I receive some really good viral video or presentation. They usually make me laugh and I pass them on. To my surprise I received a request from my friend to assess his personality by selecting a few adjectives that describe him. I did so and then asked my friends to do the same for me. To my surprise here are the results, this is who I really am.

Arena (known to self and others) clever, intelligent, organised, sensible, trustworthy	Blind Spot (known only to others) able, adaptable, calm, caring, cheerful, complex, energetic, friendly, giving, helpful, independent, ingenious, kind, knowledgeable, loving, powerful, proud, quiet, responsive, searching, self-assertive, spontaneous, sympathetic, warm, wise
Façade (known only to self) modest	Unknown (known to nobody) accepting, bold, brave, confident, dependable, dignified, extroverted, happy, idealistic, introverted, logical, mature, nervous, observant, patient, reflective, relaxed, religious, self-conscious, sentimental, shy, silly, tense, witty

Dominant Traits

72% of people think that katerinahejralova is friendly

All Percentages

able (18%) accepting (0%) adaptable (9%) bold (0%) brave (0%) calm (18%) caring (27%) cheerful (9%) clever (45%) complex (9%) confident (0%) dependable (0%) dignified (0%) energetic (9%) extroverted (0%) friendly (72%) giving (9%) happy (0%) helpful (18%) idealistic (0%) independent (9%) ingenious (9%) intelligent (36%) introverted (0%) kind (27%) knowledgeable (18%) logical (0%) loving (18%) mature (0%) modest (0%) nervous (0%) observant (0%) organised (27%) patient (0%) powerful (27%) proud (9%) quiet (9%) reflective (0%) relaxed (0%) religious (0%) responsive (9%) searching (9%) self-assertive (9%) self-conscious (0%) sensible (27%) sentimental (0%) shy (0%) silly (0%) spontaneous (9%) sympathetic (9%) tense (0%) trustworthy (36%) warm (9%) wise (18%) witty (0%)

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 28.11.2009, using data from 11 respondents.
You can make your own Johari Window, or view katerinahejralova's full data.

New Week and New Me

I found myself strangled with work for University and no time to play. The last two weeks were very exhausting. But my Globalization report: “Media Ownership in the Czech Republic” has been submitted (at last), so happy days. What more, I managed to create a nice database with all media contacts in from the Czech Republic....it may be useful one day. 

It’s funny that every PR agency says "We work hard and play harder". I suppose that it is true in a way, but why can’t you work and play in the same time? Public Relations is fun, you get to be creative and build relationships... OK, so what is the downside of this? I suppose that research, building databases and outreach  is not much fun, but that’s why you have all the unpaid Interns working for you, isn’t it? So why is it that you cannot work and play in the same time? The logo should be “We know how to work hard and play in the same time”

Uni work may seem more daunting and in a way dull. The one big Uni rule is:

“We decided that you have to do it, so do it. Doesn’t matter if it has nothing to do with your degree or if it doesn’t interest you at all.”

Over the last two and half years (nearly), I had to deal with number of things like that. The first place would go to Quantitative Analysis. Oh my, how much I was fighting against the Uni rule, not wanting to obey.  But on the other hand, I could have picked some modules instead of those already chosen for me (if they weren’t core). This way I got to do modules such as the Intro to Management, Marketing and then my favourite Marketing Communications. That was hard work but so much fun! If you select your career, you do it because you having fun doing it, right?

There has been so much pressure on me recently and I wasn’t exactly coping well. I always let thing get to me, unfortunately. So when the offer to do some pampering came, I was happy to give it a try. It was the first Christmas present this year – a makeover in a hair salon and professional photoshoot. I’m not a model so I was only looking forward to the hair cut though. I went for a new hairdo. Te shortest I’ve ever had! It is quite funny to see how a change like this can improve how you feel about things, particularly if you are a woman.

 Do I look like a PR girl now?

So I am back, still searching for the perfect PR Grad Scheme or Job. (Not sure If I want to spend another x years just learning) I’ve applied only for the WPP Grad Scheme so far. I like the idea of trying three different disciplines and then making the final decision. I know that I like consumer PR and technology, but wouldn’t say no to corporate comms or B2B. I just need to try things I suppose. See how I can have some PR fun.

I've updated my PR Portfolio at http://kat4pr.wordpress.com/ and intend to add more things in the upcoming days. It is important that my future employer know what I've been up to, right?

Rising Star under Pressure.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been busy searching for a PR Grad Schemes. I must say that it is not that easy. Some of the big and most desirable companies are already in the stage of closing applications.

Eh? I personally don’t get it.

Why WPP had a deadline on 17th November 2009 when the Grad schemes start in September 2010? OK, they need to select the best candidates for the interviews that will take place in January (BTW, don’t forget about me!) It must be a tough job to be in charge of the selection process. The pressure must be huge! At least I hope that it is, there is lots of pressure on our side too. Being in top 100 (out of nearly 2000 application) is just beyond belief. But I still have my hope.

This whole process of applying for Grad Schemes whilst still at Uni has lots of cons. I am under so much pressure to succeed. I feel like I have to show everyone that I am capable of getting into a good Scheme, finishing University with Honours, have shiny personal life and be always at hand to advice or counsel others.

I am no superwoman!

I also need to get the counsel and feel that you trust me and appreciate everything I do. Since I am a person who would do anything just to be there for my friends and family, I spend a lot of time putting them first. I need to become more assertive otherwise anyone will get to me and will hurt me. Or perhaps just think a bit more about my needs.

In the light of the recent changes (or rather attempt to change things) I took one day off and went to the town centre to have a look around shops and so on. It was quite nice to do something by myself, with no one I knew around. It did get a bit lonely in the end though. The first person who actually spoke to me yesterday was this random 40-something guy at the bus stop. He asked me what country I was from. When I told him he said “Oh, I thought so, you Czechs are nice people” Hmmmm. What did he mean with that? I usually get some stupid comments or invitations to do whatever...I always ignore these things. But this guy put a smile on my face for some reason. Perhaps I needed to hear something nice.


Today is Friday and I have many things on my agenda for today and the weekend so I should better start with number 1. There is an assignment on “Ownership of the Czech Media” due next Wednesday. All I know is that some 90% of Czech media are owned by foreigner companies. I still haven’t found a link to Rupert Murdoch but I feel I am getting close.

 Photograph: Saul Loeb/Getty Images

Being an Involuntary Twitter Spammer

This week, together with many others, I’ve become a target of hackers on Twitter. Unfortunately, I didn’t see it coming! Why was that? Aren’t I experienced enough in the online world to assume that not everyone wants to network but also make my day a real pain and laugh like mad on my account? I must admit my 6th sense failed this time.



I received an innocently looking DM from @thegreenmama. She is really interesting person to follow so when she DMd me I didn’t find anything wrong and I clicked on the link that was added to her tweet. Yeah this was only the beginning. The link was phishing. And I stupidly enough entered my log-in details. Someone kick me right now please!! But nobody did...

 After few hours many people @ or DMd me that my account was compromised. The number of DMs went from 50 to 65 in just 20 minutes and even more came later. This would be fantastic if it was in any other occasion. I did change my password as soon as I found out but still felt very ashamed for having to apologise for my stupidity. Sorry folks one more time!

I’ve changed my opinion about social media after this. They are fantastic, can give us lots of freedom, let us ‘meet’ all sorts of great people but in the same time they can compromise our credibility and literally ruin our online lives within seconds. Something we all have been building for months can be gone in a blink of the eye. Poor @thegreenmama, I don’t think that she noticed the attack on her Twitter account because I’ve just received another suspicious DM from her. Please, somebody tell her! I tried but no luck...



As I said, I am going to come back down to Earth now and see if I can save the broken bits of my social media presence. I need your trust in me and my decisions. I failed once, I‘ve learned from my mistakes and I will be much more careful from now on.

Grad PR Job Hunt Cont'd

As I mentioned in my previous post my job hunt has started. In the search for the perfect 2010 PR Grad Scheme I decided to do something slightly unusual – visit the Autumn Graduate Fair sponsored by The Independent. It was quite hard to find it to start with, particularly if you go with friends and you are not in charge of the map –thnx Howie :) The venue for this event was located in between Victoria and St James' Park in the beautiful Royal Horticultural Halls.


I must say that I found it slightly disappointing. Since I am passionate about Public Relations and all that comes with it, I really don’t want to apply for IT Consulting, HR or Finance Business Placement. I may consider Management Consulting or the fancy Bloomberg Summer Internship programme but I am a PR girl...
 
I wish there was more of these Grad Job Fairs available in London before Christmas. I should perhaps consider organising one that will serve the need of us, PR & Events Management & Marketing & Advertising & Marketing Communications & Journalism & Sociology etc. graduates. I don’t want to sound like a person that moans about everything, but honestly there was nothing for me on the Show. I received this interesting email prior to the event with a list of matched companies, based on my profile and preferred sectors. One of them: ‘Cisco Systems - Associate Sales Representative’ – seriously? What a joke! I hate sales.
 
There is one good outcome of this. I finally found the time to sit down and update my C.V. and start working on my online PR Portfolio. The latter still needs some polishing since I want to include my student assignments too. At the end of the day I am a PR student and what else can represent what I am capable of better than examples of my hard work at Uni?

I noticed this poll at LinkedIn: ‘When hiring a public relations employee, what area is most important?



A Education
B Current media Contacts
C Writing ability
D Previous agency experience
E Spokesperson experience’


What would you pick? Only one answer counts. Isn’t it fantastic?

I always thought that a person comes in a package. We all have culture background that affects our life choice, ethics and many other things. I will have BA in PR but does it mean I have great writing skills? I have done very relevant PR internship but is it enough? I have worked on a large media contact database but is it what you expect? I don’t have experience as a spokesperson but can’t I learn it? I wonder what will be the result of this poll. Here is the link. So feel free to vote. Don't forget to let me know what you picked. I am curious.

Overall, this week wasn’t very successful in terms of finding one great looking PR Grad Scheme. Hope that the next week will be better. I’m staying optimistic.

Search for a Grad Job Position in PR Starts Right Now

I have noticed that some great and very desirable to work for communications organisations and companies are receiving application for the Graduate Scheme for the year 2010 already. The WPP has a deadline for the Fellowship Programme 2010 on the 17th November for instance! That is really early! I suppose they want to find the right candidates who will spend the time working for them in different positions, possibly across the world. I have to start working on my PR portfolio ASAP so I will have time to submit a presentable and worth the time to read application.

WPP Group is one of the organisations I would love to work for once I graduate. There is still so much to discover in PR and Communications in general and being accepted into the fellowship programme would mean a lot to me. I feel like I have so much to offer and I am not frightened to fight for what I deserve. I really don’t want to end up as some real estate receptionist or anything similar. I am a naturally committed person who loves PR and doesn’t let anyone down. I even hate to be late.

Due to the fact that I am 24 already, I think I have a clearer idea of what I want to achieve in my life. I want to prove to myself, that I am capable of delivering a fantastic job and being rewarded financially. Having an internship is a great experience but it doesn’t pay anything for all the time spent working really hard. I need to see some results and in return some appreciation.

I know I have what it takes but unfortunately it is not enough. Over the next two weeks I will have to undertake a huge research into the deadlines as well as update my CV. I want to be original and I have some creative ideas that I want to do before I apply. I know that it means lot of extra work, alongside Uni stuff and so on, but it is a key to attract attention and win my interview. My PR portfolio is going to be simply awesome!

Well, I should better start right now!

Back to Uni - This Time as a SENIOR!

After nearly a four-month break I returned to London Metropolitan University to finish my studies of Public Relations & Events Management. As a senior I have obvious advantages. I know the location of most of the lecture and seminar rooms, I know that if I need something from the undergraduate centre I should better email or call than queue for hours in hot and steamy corridors of the Stapleton House, and so on. It is fun to watch the freshers who are constantly getting lost with their timetable and a map in their hands. Oh gosh, how long has it been since I was a fresher? Feels like ages ago.

I had to make some changes to my timetable at first. I swapped year long Dissertation module with Project module (spring semester). Over the summer I have realised that I am much more interested in Public Relations that in Events Management so my choice was clear and easy: Public Relations Dissertation/Project. I am already thinking about the topic and I think I have a pretty good idea of what I am going to devote my individual work to.

My timetable for the autumn semester is as the following
1. Venue Management for Events
2. Public Relations Strategy
3. Current Issues in Events Management
4. Globalisation and the Mass Media

I am lovin’ my modules. I’ve been to all of them already and I think I will have so much fun this semester. All of the assignments are so interesting and I already know that I will learn a lot. Venue Management for Events will see me attending an event – Elton John’s concert in Wembley Arena as a volunteer and observing the venue services and facilities – this is so exciting! The lecturer is the ever so fabulous Nicole Ferdinand.

My lecturer for Public Relations Strategy is already well known to me from the previous semester: Gareth Thompson. He taught the Technology & PR module. We will have to work in groups to create a BRIEF presentation as a client to an agency and then individually come up with the appropriate PR strategy based on the brief. I can’t wait to crack on this one.

Current Issues in Events Management are taught by a new young lady who is so fabulous. She certainly knows what she is talking about. The assessment of this module is a report and then an exam. I think that once I do all the readings I should be just fine. It is all about the common sense.

The lady lecturer for Globalisation and the Mass Media is so passionate about her module. She has completely captivated my attention. We will attend the London Film Festival in Week 3 as a part of this module, which is just so fantastic! We are going to see a new British film ‘The Scouting Book for Boys’ at the VUE cinema in Leicester Square.

As I said before, this semester is filled with excitement and a strong will to discover and learn new things. It is something I never experienced before, I used to be scared of doing things like presentations or group work. But now I look forward to everything what this semester brings along! Fingers cross that my attitude will stay this positive.

What I Have Learned and What is The Next Step

I can’t believe that my internship is over now. Fabulous 5 weeks that I will never forget.

When I look back I can see how much I’ve learned and grown. As a Uni student I know the theory, but that is NOT ENOUGH!!! Things have become easier and more understandable now ... simply I know what is expected from me when it comes to PR. I have a clear idea of my future full time job position now.

It is the end of August and I have someting like six months to concentrate on my dissertation. In January I want to begin looking for my graduate job and start sending out copies of my C.V. I must say that I feel that I have a huge advantage already. I’ve already been there and know what is expected from me. I know that I won’t be held by my hand and that I will have to show 100% commitment, enthusiasm, creativity and will to deliver a fantastic job.

Working with lots of different clients can be challenging though. I’ve learned how to prioritise my weekly tasks when it comes to 2 clients and it was tough sometimes. Having a job in a PR consultancy is even more demanding yet fun in the same time. You work on lots of different projects and try hard to deliver them all. Time zones will see me work around the clock but hey, it is all totally worth it. I may moan about working long hours but that is the career I’ve chosen to proceed. I haven’t decided whether I am going to do fashion, technology or any specific PR yet. No, I think I am quite versatile and able to get to know any industry. I suppose that my first full time position will determine it all.

Hai Media Group gave me a chance to learn a lot about online PR. The rest is up to me. Since I take my laptop everywhere (even on holiday) I think that I could be good in online PR and social networking one day. Who knows? My professional life is not decided yet and I want to discover a bit of everything before making my final decision.

My last week with Lisa Devaney was one of the best ones. The Press Release finally got approved! This happened tiny bit too late – towards the end of the contract but still. We didn’t waste our time and published it online. It is now live on PR Web and on the PitchEngine, this backs up our hard work and add credibility to our communication. I was the one in charge of publishing the press release on the Pitch Engine so I can say YES I know how to do it! Great for my C.V. too and we’ve had more than 100 hits over the last 4 days!!

During the upcoming weeks I will monitor the situation with this client and look for blog posts that can be added to my portfolio. I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a professional portfolio of my PR cuttings. The only thing that I have to do now is to find the right place for it. I was thinking worldpress perhaps...? Not sure.

Since my internship is over and the beginning of my senior year at Uni still a few weeks away I decided to treat myself and take some time off to summarise my thoughts about dissertation and PR and everything. Right now I am sitting on a gorgeous balcony that belongs to my fantastic apartment it Lagos, Algarve (south Portugal) and I’ just hit published.

###

Waw, WHAT A WEEK!

I have been busy since 9 am on Monday. Pitching, Following up on emails, making shipment request, creating social media presence for Hai Media Group as well as for our big American client, updating my database, sending out facebook messages, etc etc etc.

Ha! Now that it’s Friday I can say I did it all plus more. Lisa Devaney has been keeping me pretty busy! But hey, I am not complaining. I am quite enjoying creating ‘relationship’ with bloggers. I already noticed that my pitch perhaps goes straight into the spam box so if I follow up on this, most of them are very kind and excited about getting free samples and writing a review on them. I would be for sure. Give me a great product and I will give you a fantastic review! I am really looking forward to reading these reviews. I was also promised to see a short video...can’t wait! I am sure it will be great!

I have actually managed to get my first ever cutting!!! How great is that? And there will be more, just it’s taking more time. Now I am looking for the best place to create my online portfolio. Maybe wordpress? That would be quite appropriate for a PR wannabe girl. Or is there something better out there? Not sure, will do some research.

Working on building the relationships with my bloggers reminded me of how important it is to see them as normal and nice people and not just as a tool to get the message across. Public Relations are really interesting and as I am getting into in more and more I always discover something new. You need to communicate and relax, don’t push anyone into doing things for you but don’t ignore and don’t be lazy to reach out. Online Public Relation or so called PR 2.0 deals with relationships on a different level – that practically means - via emails. Yes, one of the main differences from the traditional PR is that you spend more time indoors, with your laptop or blackberry and you work unbelievably long hours for clients around the globe.

The last fact makes you spend long hours on compiling huge research into the media structure of different countries. You may think that everybody speak English but nope. The world is not an English –speaking oasis.

Sadly, my Internship is nearly over, I have only one week left now. Then, who knows...

Working on it!

Oh God! I’ve just pitched to some of the most influential bloggers in the US! Hope that they will get back to me soon. I can’t believe that after weeks that I’d spent on building my database I finally started pitching. And in fact, that my boss trusts me enough to do it all by my self –well, with help of course. Lisa created a pitch for lifestyle and parenting bloggers and other media and I just modified it so it will better suit the needs of my bloggers – garden, DIY and Lawn. Taking into account that I didn’t even know what lawn was in the very beginning, I have moved a long way since then. Yeah, laugh at me, but I really didn’t know that you can call the bit of grass in your garden that you cut every other Sunday A LAWN.

The pitch was, of course, checked by Lisa. She made some changes in the beginning. I suppose that she understand the lawn culture & US passion for soccer and football much better that I do. Well, there is no doubt about it. She comes from NY, the best place in the world to live in. (that’s just my opinion)

Unfortunately, some blogger they just don’t want to be reached by PR or don’t want people to know their email so in some cases, I had to fill up an online contact page asking for the provision of their email. This required me to come up with a friendly message rather than send the pitch. It feels like you have no control of whether they will receive it, read it and respond to it. Ohh, frustrating.

At one point I was so thankful that my lecturer for Communication and Technology at London Met, Gareth Thomson, made me start using Twitter. I used it to DM my blogger asking for the email and luckily she DM me back with the much needed detail. How great is that? Nowadays, you don’t need to call anywhere, you go online, send a few emails, post a new tweet, update your blog and facebook page and there you go. You can have a ‘conversation’ with anyone in the world. I wonder what the world will be like in 10 years from now. The technology innovation is so fast.

I have sent out most of my pitches by Friday and now I am getting ready for the follow up as some may think that I was a spammer. Hello, it’s PR people! Don’t be scared :D :D You can actually get something good for free and help yourself to make your blog more popular so get back to me! :)

After a whole week in-house I was so happy to leave my office on Friday and go to the Tuttle Club. I don’t know why but I always manage to be there first or second (that was just ones that Lloyd, the person behind this fantastic club, made it there before me). Me and Lisa we always work, we take our laptops and work beside each other. It’s fun and it also shows the huge commitment that we have. This Friday she introduced me to this very important lady in PR – @Barb_G You can say that she knows what she is talking about in PR. I would love to have her confidence and self esteem. Well, working on it :)

Coming out of my shell

My second week as an intern for the Hai Media Group has been great. My blog database has turn into a massive list of essential bloggers and their contact details, I went to an exclusive party for audioBoo, I also learn a lot about social networks and many more.

To start with I discovered www.alltop.com. This website helps a lot when you are trying to find the right blogs for your PR 2.0 strategy. Technorati blog directory seemed great at the beginning but the blogs tend to appear more than once, which only mean more work for you.
It would be fantastic if somebody managed to get all those categories, names, and contacts into one online database or programme. I think that people would be willing to pay for it. It would save so much time! I know that FeaturesExec and Media Disc can do a lot but still...the online world is different every day.

Just in the middle of my hunt for bloggers, the hidden reality of living in London came unexpectedly and hit hard. My boss Lisa Devaney had a serious incident with a ruthless biker in the middle of the day! He nearly poked her eye out! When I received the news I was completely horrified. Middle of the day, a busy street and the last thing you expect is this to happen. We all should learn a lesson from this. We don’t know what is going on in other people’s minds. The reaction that we expect may not happen at all or happen but in a completely sick way. And you can end up with a swollen eye or maybe worse.

Thursday was a highlight of my week. I was heading to the exclusive audioBoo party held down at SUN Microsystem. Lisa overcame the shock from the incident, which was very brave of her as her eye wasn’t properly healed yet. My very own beautiful business cards arrived and we were ready to network.

This certainly sounds like fun for most of people but I was tiny bit nervous as I didn’t know anyone there. I am a member of the famous Generation Y, people who understand technology, computers and the online world but when it comes to face to face contact ... Oh dear! I am not good and I know it. Well, need more practice I suppose and lots of courage. I didn’t really feel like coming to the party at all but Lisa made me come, which turned up to be the right decision. The party was fun! You got to talk to really great and well respected people. As a Uni student you only sit and listen to the great people but there you can actually join in a conversation about the future of the newspapers (or something). Isn’t that great? I think that every Uni should think of putting on event for students as well as lecturers.

Internship is considered to be a hands-on experience. Students are supposed to learn and improve all sorts of skills to become more competitive in the current job market. Unfortunately some people end up making teas and coffees and picking up dry cleaning. This certainly doesn’t apply to me and I am thankful for that. I am slowly coming out of my safety shell and getting used the idea that I am a PR consultant (at least for the time of my internship).

The next week will bring even more interesting things but for now, let’s enjoy the rare sunshine that decided to come to London this weekend.

Exciting first week as an intern for Hai Media Group

Last Friday I became the Summer 2009 Intern for Hai Media Group, a multimedia PR 2.0 consultancy based in London. The offer came through Twitter, which is nothing really exciting nowadays, right? I was following Lisa Devaney, my current boss, for couple of weeks and she, apparently impressed by my tweets, gave me the chance to learn.

My first week was an exciting and challenging one. We met up for an interview in ICA and straight after that went to Tuttle club meeting. What a fantastic event! Anyone can join in and network, share knowledge and learn and more.

I met quite a few interesting people and all that in just couple of first minutes of my official internship! How exciting, looking forward to the next week...my first one.

###

Monday – I received a detailed email with info on my PR 2.0 internship. WAW! 4 pages! Lots of interesting tasks though! Don’t know where to start but cannot wait! As I intern mainly from home, I had a Skype video phone call with Lisa (first of many) and straight away started off on media/blogger research for my first HMG’s client. In addition, I began working on my second project: creating a more comprehensive social media presence for HMG. Plus I set up my LinkedIn, MySpace and FriendsFeed account (I already am on Facebook and Twitter, who isn’t really...actually I would be able to find one person and my parents).

Tuesday – Another big client is in the game! I was asked to stop doing what I was doing and start off on blogger research for the new client. I started shaking, why? Maybe little bit of a stress or perhaps my brain started speeding while trying to figure out how exactly am I gonna squeeze all of that in just couple of days, max weeks? Needed a cuppa and biscuits...

Wednesday – green green green, so many green/eco friendly/sustainable/eco conscious bloggers, but which ones are the most influential? A million thanks to Alexa.com. What a useful online tool, I’ve just learned to use. I can see the traffic rank of each of the sites, which helps me to come to a decision to add or not to add a particular blogger to my already fast growing database. BTW I even figured out how to share this document via Google document share tool. All by myself, starting to think that I am brilliant...

Thursday – Oh no! My land line phone doesn’t have the function for making conference calls! Oh, D'oh! Never mind, next time, right? I was actually invited to sit in at a conference call with the new client, who is based in the US. And I missed the chance.... Therefore I work on my database and clean it up a bit plus search for missing contact info/email/mobile/whatever. Why some people don’t share their contact details on the Internet? I mean, they are missing out this way. They will fail to benefit from possibly the next big thing! This is really driving me a bit mad...

Friday = Tuttle Club on the itinerary! Where to start? Missing my morning bus (have to wait for 20 minutes for another one, sometimes I wait even more than that!!), laptop over my shoulder seems much heavier that it actually is. Tube – horrifying! Victoria and Piccadilly line – all hot, dusty, noisy and me standing all the way!! (like 45 minutes – with now even heavier laptop over my shoulder) Hate to go by the tube! Wish I lived closer to the central London, but... Running the famous Duke of York Steps down only to find a little notice on the door asking me to go back up the steps (grrr) and enter from the other side. I have to save money and get one of the smart phones, maybe even iPhone, to stay connected to Twitter 24/7! Tuttle Club is all chatty and friendly as always, seeing old faces and some new ones too. (haha, talking like if I wasn’t a newbie there too!) 3 pm a webinar on Social Media Networking and how to use it for a company. Interesting attempt but I know that all anyway. If anyone needs a lesson on that, feel free to get in touch: @Kat4PR

Weekend!!! Time to switch off, NOT. I am starting to get the feel of working as a PR consultant – never ending work! But there is lots of fun on the way so definitely worth it. Now, let’s finish my cuppa and go back to my projects. Glad that my boyfriend thought of me and brought a sweet pastel de nata.

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How Not To Get a Job in Public Relations

As a PR student I am constantly looking for an opportunity to boost my C.V. by doing work experience or internship in a London based company or a consultancy. I have updated my CV, worked on a personalised covering emails/letters and then I just wait for the phone call. The part when I get invited to come for an interview can be the most scary one. Therefore, I always try to prepare myself for the type of questions that might come up. This doesn’t work all the time and I sometimes find myself thinking how to answer a question like “What is your biggest weakness?” in a positive way.

I have recently come across “How Not to Get a Job in Public Relations” post by Newman PR and I was shocked. It is a well-written real-life story about a fresh Uni graduate who was looking for a summer part-time internship in PR. She was one of the lucky ones to be selected for an interview but unfortunately she didn’t impress and when asked to write a most press release, she failed immediately. This is not as shocking as what came after. The interviewer offered her a constructive criticism about her press release, which was intended to help her in her future job applications. This is a good thing, right? Usually the potential employers don’t even bother to get back to you if you haven’t been selected for the job position. She should have thanked for it but instead she got offended and replied in a very angry, selfish and completely inappropriate matter attacking the consultancy’s culture and employees. She went as far as contacting the two co-founders claiming that the interviewer harassed her!!!! Hello?

I would be more than happy if after unsuccessful interview I (receiver) received an email explaining why and giving me some constructive criticism. Why, you may ask. Well, nobody is perfect and we learn as we go and having the knowledge about what did I do wrong would help me to learn from my mistakes.

This post by Newman PR actually gave me some great advice what can I expect from an interview. I didn’t know that I could be asked to undertake a writing test to prove my skills. I was also unaware that I could create a PR portfolio of mock press releases, etc. This is a good tip to all of us wannabe PR practitioners. Did you for example know that the way we communicate via emails can say a lot about our character? I know that now…

Real Madrid - £80 million - Cristiano Ronaldo

I have just found the latest information on Ronaldo's transfer to Spain and I am really shocked. Real Madrid is ready to pay £80 million just to have the magical footballer in the team. How shocking!

Look around, we live in the time when the threat of global environmental disaster, poverty, suffering, and illnesses is so real but yet we still spend £80 million on one footballer. Isn't it shameful? £80 million could save so many vulnerable lives, contribute to enhancement in scientific research, or build houses and schools for people living on the edge in a number of countries worldwide.

This is my tweet from this morning:

I cannot believe that Real Madrid is up to splash £80 mill on Ronaldo! There is poverty, hunger, illnesses, suffering...am really disgusted.

And some reactions:

JGbraineruption@Kat4PR thats soccer. Remember how much LA splashed on Beckham. BILLIONS.

mennojansen@Kat4PR I totally agree, especially during these times we live in now. Although I like soccer, this is absurd.

This only shows that we live in a society that knows about the problems but doesn't do enough or anything at all to change it. And what more, successfully cover things up. Since when we waste so much money on sport? I like football but there is a line between being fair and being unreasonable. If Manchester United accept the money and spend them on some goodbye party for Ronaldo, I will have to stop supporting them because I won't have the respect for them anymore.

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Intro..

Hello there,

one question to start with our conversation: how are you today?

My name is Katerina and I study PR & Events Management at London Met. 2008/2009 is my second year so there is only one year to go before I join the real world of PR.

I intend to reflect on my experience with Social Media as well as global news that affect our everyday lives.

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It is my first attempt to blog ever so hope I will do it right.