What Employers Want

I figured you all were probably getting sick of advice from a "future" media professional- what do I know anyways, right? So, lets hear from a current media professional. I decided to ask my boss Pamela Raymond, CEO and Owner of The Raymond Experience, a niche firm specializing in public relations, event management, branding and focus groups.

Here is what Pamela had to say...

The key to success after graduation is field experience BEFORE graduation. Building a strong network of contacts and getting experience in your chosen field is extremely important in your future success and being competitive in the marketplace. How do you do that?

Internships

Internships give you an opportunity to explore the field and determine if your want a career in the field and it gives you the “reality” not the “dream” of what it means to work full time in that field. It also gives prospective employers insight into your work ethic which could lead to a job offer when you graduate. Employers are more likely to hire a proven commodity (YOU) then an unknown applicant. Find out about internships through your school or simply ask friends and family about their companies.

Networking

Get out and join professional organizations in your field. Many offer student rates. You will gain valuable exposure to decision makers or those who can advocate for you to get that internship or job opportunity. Never underestimate the old adage “It’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know”. When joining a professional organization, take on responsibility by joining a committee. You can shine with your skills but also learn a lot in the process. It is a great resume addition and shows you know how to apply your education to a wider audience.

If you have already graduated or are about to graduate, you can still apply these suggestions but in a modified way. Find a company willing to let you do a project of one to three months as an intern. Check out the websites of professional organizations and attend a public meeting or event and start talking to members about the industry.

Success hinges on what you do to further your experience prior to getting your diploma. Companies no longer find candidates without work experience attractive. Put your best foot forward before stepping foot out of school.

Building Relationships

Like I said in an earlier post - it's not what you know, but who you know. Networking is one of the best ways to market your personal brand. Like Gary Vanerchuk says, "Content is king, but Marketing is queen and the queen runs the household." You can have all of the content regarding your personal brand in the world, but if no one knows about it, then you don't have much.

One way to fix that problem is to build relationships- with everyone you can!

Attending a school like Lindenwood University, students have such an advantage. Every Professor at Lindenwood has had experience within the field they teach in. This is such an advantage for students. It allows for all of the opportunities in the world for students to build valuable relationships and network with the professors they see everyday.

If your not fortunate enough to attend a school such as, or similar to Lindenwood, then still, talk to your professors, you never know who they might know. Talk to friends, a former or current boss, family members, or even co-workers.

The Communications industry is all about building relationship - so if you plan on going into this industry, get use to it. The most rewarding part of my current internship is not landing a placement in the St. Louis Business Journal or on a top-tier blog. For me, the gold medal comes from meeting someone and trying to figure out how I can build a mutually beneficial relationship between that person and myself, and maybe down the road, between that person and my client.

When you really listen to others, you start to gage their interests and passions – with this, you can gain their trust. Trust is the building block to relationships, and relationships should be the foundation of good Communications.

Even though measurement and proving our contributions is fundamental to the success of our profession, it will be easier to do so if we start acting a little more human and a little less like impressions fiends. Don’t get me wrong – I know the value of measurement! It takes time, but so does the creation of any good foundation.

Get Experience

Let's face it- life after graduation can be scary! So scary that you may want to run home to mommy and daddy and call it a day. The good news is that there are many ways to make it a lot less scary. Figure, throughout most of you college career. Your teachers are always saying, "Get experience! As much as you can!" I hate to say it but- their right!

One of the best ways to make life after college is through an internship. Think about it, you get to explore the field that you may want to pursue a career in. You can put it on your resume- always a plus! And, you get to network!

So how can you do it? Easy- build up a personal and a digital network. Discover what it is that you are passionate about, and do a lot of research to find a position that will fit your criteria for workplace values.

Okay, so it might not be that easy. With our economy in its current state. It's a difficult process to find a great entry-level job or internship. From my personal experience; no matter how many time I rewrote my cover letter and reviewed my resume, getting interviews at companies was practically impossible without help from my friends and network.

But it's double.

The key thing to getting a good internship is to explore every opportunity that comes your way. Don't pass anything up, even if you think, "It would just be a waste of time. It's probably already filled anyway." If that's the case, than at least you know that you gave it a shot, but most likely you'll be surprised. Don't give up because as soon as you think their never going to get back to you, they do.

Find Your Brand

Personal Branding

What is it?

How does it work?

What's your personal brand?

You might want to get an idea because here's an FYI- it does matter. When a future employer might Google you- What will they find? Will it help you get a job, or will it prevent you from getting it?

Some positive ways of getting your personal brand out there are through...

• Blogging: You have tons of sites that you can start a blog through. Some of my favorite bloggers out there are just like you and me, young, up and coming professionals.

• Linkedin: This is a perfect professional site that can allow future media professionals to network with current media professionals, because lets face it- these days it's not about what you know, it's about who you know.

• Facebook: This social networking site is a little risky- it can come back to bite you if your not careful. I have heard my fair share of horror stories about Facebook wrecking individuals chances at their dream job. So my advice is to just keep it clean- imagine if your mom or grandma were looking at it, would they approve?

• Create your own website: Can you imagine what this would do for your personal brand! You can have complete control over who you are, what you about and how you want people to see you!

So, how are you going to make yourself known?

How Will Find a Good Internship?

Knowing what type of company you want to work for is key when developing your resume and preparing for an interview. When you find that company and get an interview you have to know your stuff. You have to think in terms of- what can I do for you, not what can they do for me. After all it is about the company you're trying to impress. A few things you can do to help you get the job you want:

• Find the right job/internship for you: You'd be amazed to see how much a little online research can do for your searching. Google will be your best friend! You can complete a local job search through a search engine, like Career Builder.

• Research the job you want: Once you find that job/internship you want, you need to learn about the company, do everything you can to know about the company up, down, forwards, and backwards.

• Post your resume: Job sites like Career Builder and even Craig's List let you post your resume online. One cool thing that a lot of companies are starting to allow, is that you can create a career profile on their website that allows you to upload a resume and search available jobs. You can also choose key words that, when match a job posting, the website will automatically send you an email about that job.

With all of the advances in technology, finding a job isn't about flipping through the paper anymore. So doing a little on line research is key.

Turn it into a Conversation

When it comes to interviews you most likely assume; sweaty palms, a red face, stuttering through your answers to the questions you can't even remember and thinking, "This is the longest interview of MY LIFE!" But don't worry you not the only one that feels that way. The trick is not to look at the interview as a lie detector test, but more of a conversation with people who are doing what you hope to do one day down the road.

From my experience, the key to changing attitudes about interviews is- probably not what most of you want to hear, but it's to be prepared. Believe me, the latter has been invaluable- no matter what type of interview I've had.

Once you sit down and the interview begins, you'll probably think, Did I prepare enough? What type of questions should I be ready to answer? When the interviewer is done asking questions and looks at me and says, "Is there anything you would like to ask me?" What do I say? Yes, no? If I do have questions, which would be beneficial to ask?

One thing I've learned is not to be shy about asking questions, this shows that you're truly interested in the company.

I have a list of questions I always pull from that match what is most important to me in a work environment:

• What is the typical career path for an entry-level employee?
• How can my position help the company achieve it's goals?
• What's the company's vision for the future?
• What's the ratio for teamwork versus individual work?
• How is the company organized? How often do entry-level employees interact with executive leadership?
• How do you think your competition views you?
• How can my position help the company achieve its goals?
• Does your company have a mentorship program? Is it formal or informal?
• How does your company's evaluation process work?
  
• Do you have professional development programs? What types?
• How did you get where you are now?
• How would you describe the culture here?
• May I have your business card?

This last one is important, you just spent the last 30-60 minutes speaking to an individual within the industry you are trying to break into. You never know when their business card might come in handy.

Having questions prepared is critical- and not to make you look better in the eyes of the interviewer, but to help you understand the company and position better. Think of things you need to know about the company before agreeing to work there, and don't be shy about asking the person interviewing you. And if your having trouble thinking of your own, check out this website...

What are some other good questions to ask during an interview?

What Will Make You Stand Out?

When thinking about life after college, I'm sure most of us think, "Okay, we're college students, employers can't be expecting too much from us... can they?" Turns out, they can and they do. We all know the dilemma: if you want to get a job, you need experience, but to get experience you need a job! It's a vicious cycle in this dog-eat-dog world.

You want to know one of the best ways to get the job you want? Give the job the attention and effort it deserves. Did you know that interviewers make up their mind about you- the potential employee, within the first 30 to 60 seconds that they meet you! That means you have less that one measly minute to convenience them- you're it. Before you even get that 60 seconds to impress them, you first have to impress them enough with your resume to get them to call.

Like Erin's sister said- in college they expect you to write a 10 page research paper comparing Dante's Allegory to that of Aristotle's poetics, but when it comes to building your resume... good luck, your on your own

Building your resume is the #1 most important thing to start you in the right direction to landing that dream job:

• Start early: Don't wait until your senior year to start! It will far to late to rescue a dwindling GPA or join every organization that comes your way. Give yourself enough time to build a good resume that you can be proud of.

• Get involved: Although clubs and volunteering may seem so high school, this will give you experience for your future career or improve your grad school application. What employer wouldn't be impressed by the President of the Red Cross, or someone who was proactive enough to start their own club? It's also a great way to meet new friends and help out your community.
  

• Grades do matter: GO TO CLASS!! I can't stress that enough. What are you going to tell your future employer when he/she asks why your GPA was so low, "oh... well... I just didn't fell like waking up and going to class mos of the semester..." Yeah I'm sure you'll be the first one hired after hearing that. Most of the time participation makes up 30-40% of our grade. So that means even if you bombed the assignment, at least you were in class and gave it a shot.

• Get experience: The best way to show that you actively care about your future is to get experience. Whether it's through a school internship or an internship you found on your own. Take every opportunity that comes your way! I am willing to bet that 95% of the time employers will give that entry-level position to the recent grad that has had real world experience. Imagine how good it looks to employers when a fresh college grad has already had two, maybe three internships. Internships usually offer to give college credit, and if you're lucky... they are paid, but hey, beggars can't be choosers!

When you sit down to write your resume, just ask yourself, "Is my future worth it?" I mean heck, we pay close to $20,000 a year for an education, your future better be worth it.

What are some other good resume tips and/or pointers?

Got it!

So after racking my brain all morning, I finally got it...well I think. My final project will be a "how to" guide for us future media professionals.

Professor Falk is always saying...."You want to be a future media professional? Well, get in line!" So, I hope to help make that line a little shorter for all of us. I will provide some tips and advice that I have acquired along my three year journey to becoming a future media professional....and I hope to in turn, help you.

To be continued....