Dear VCU MASC 323

First of all thanks so much for reaching out to us. All 126 of you have done a great job of reaching out to us at THP as part of your assignment. That aggressiveness (I will get back to that in a minute) will serve you well in your future careers as public relations professionals.

Apologies for not personally getting back to you individually, so in the spirit of not wanting to disappoint, and to set an example as a good role model, here are the questions you asked and at least my answers to them. I’m hoping this is also representative of others at THP, but since I’m the boss.…

Question #1: What are the two most important things a young PR professional should know?

It is not as much about knowledge in the “I should know these two things, definitions, practices” kind of way, but more in the “you should know this” way. You should know that you’re not expected to know everything. In fact, you should come into your new career willing to learn, because frankly there are plenty of things that school just can’t teach you. It can teach you theory or practices but it may not be able to teach you what it’s like to work in a true team or work environment. If you think you know everything and that’s your attitude coming in, you will likely bother the folks who have been doing this for a while. That does not mean that you can’t come and contribute right away, in fact we expect you to contribute. We just don’t expect you to know everything.

The second thing you should know is to “listen first.” You don’t need to impress us with your knowledge. Most new PR folks sit in their first client or team meeting spending their time thinking “what can I say that will really impress my boss and the client,” when they should be listening, taking notes and just getting informed. You can better impress us later by showing that you listened and understood and then contribute based on what you heard.

Question #2: What materials would you recommend a new PR graduate include in his or her portfolio?

Writing samples, lots of writing samples. And not just news releases, but a variety of writing samples like articles, blog posts and commentaries, if you’ve written them. We need to know you can write. Also, if you’ve collaborated on campaigns you can bring those, but make sure they are materials that YOU personally have worked on. We can smell someone taking credit for others work from miles away.

Question #3: What is one skill you would suggest a current PR student might want to acquire to make him or her more competitive for jobs after graduation?

HAVE. NO. FEAR. That may not be a skill but it is something that I personally look for when I’m talking to a perspective Hodger. That doesn’t mean you need to be obnoxious, but you can’t be afraid to pick up a phone and answer it (some people are) or, more importantly, pick up and phone and represent us or a client to pitch a story, ask for information, etc. This also goes for public settings like social events. In an agency setting, our hope is that you will grow into someone who will not only do the work presented to you, but someone who will eventually network and look for new business opportunities. The first step in this process is to not be afraid.

I hope this helps. And I hope posting on our blog will allow all of you to share it, read it and discuss it.

A helpful note for your instructors: my answers to these questions haven’t changed for a while so please feel free to share them with the class next semester, as well. While we’d love to answer everyone’s request that came into our email inboxes, our website and our voicemails, it’s just impossible to get back to everyone in a timely fashion.

Best,

Jon

PS: If anyone else wants to chime in on these questions, please comment below.

(Photo: lecture hall by Kai Schreiber on Flickr)