5 Back to School Tips for PR Students
So many of the habits we all still use today at Curator were created during our time in college. As you head back to school this fall, here are a few tips from our team that help you get ahead in school and/or set you up for success as you transition into the working world:
1. Plan your term. At the beginning of the semester (or quarter), map out all your due dates on a calendar or planner that's visible to you. That way you know when to begin working on an assignment/give yourself enough time to do it and nothing seems to come out of left field or accidentally gets forgotten. This skill will come in handy when it’s time to plan for big client projects and you need to give yourself enough time to make sure than 30 different things come together in perfect harmony for a product launch.
2. Get to know your professors. Set-up time to meet your professors one on one. This will give you an opportunity to share your goals for the class as well as future career goals and get advice from them. Practice making your goals SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound), as you’ll need to do that in the future.
3. Curate your writing portfolio. PR professionals need to be able to write well. Two really good writing samples are better than 10 mediocre ones. Show only your best work.
4. Schedule informational interviews. The goal here is to build your network, not get a job (immediately). You’ll learn about companies you might want to (and not want to) work for in the future and they’ll learn about you. You’ll meet people who could become future bosses, coworkers or clients. It’s a great way to build your PR connections beyond your internship(s).
5. Learn to cold call. Your job will absolutely, 100 percent, without a doubt entail calling people you don’t know (journalists) on the telephone. Practice by calling restaurants to place your order or to make a reservation instead of doing it online, or by calling customer service instead of using the company’s chat function. PR people like other people who are not afraid to pick up the phone and call someone.