Guidelines To Building Your Personal Brand Web 2.0 Style

The three-day Texas Public Relations Association Southwest District Conference in Frisco, Texas, offered workshops, breakout sessions and networking opportunities for PR professionals and up-in-coming PR professionals. 

I learned more in three days than I have learned in the four years in college from a real-world perspective on how PR professionals tackle challenges in the field, especially during the economic recession. 

One breakout session, which has been on my mind since the conference is "How To Build Your Brand During a Bad Economy," presented by Larry Vincent, group director of Siegel+Gale in Los Angeles, Calf. 

Vincent explained ways for companies to maintain their brand equity during this economy. Vincent's three guidelines for branding during bad times are (1) simplify your architecture, (2) tap brain power and (3) align your message. 

As a future PR practitioner and job seeker, I realized the three guidelines could apply to building my online brand name as another means of getting my name out there. 

The more creative you can be and network the greater success you'll have in acquiring a job through building your online brand. Whether you use a blog, VisualCV, Twitter or Skype you're building your personal brand. 

If you can remember these guidelines while applying for jobs, speaking with professionals in person or online, it'll give you an edge over the 1.5 million May graduates who will be looking for a job in the upcoming months. 

Until next time. 

Best, 

GPaul

Twitter the new Facebook

This blog is dedicated to everyone who has asked me about "Twitter" and its purpose. Well here it is ladies and gentlemen enjoy. 

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.  

Twitter messages may be tagged using hashtages, a word or phrase prefixed with a #, such as #okstate. This enables tweets on a specific subject to be found by simply searching for their common hashtag, provided that the user has tagged their tweet. 

Here's a  great YouTube video titled "Twitter in Plain English."

It explains what Twitter is all about and how it works. 

I predict in a year Twitter will surpass Facebook in users and become the No. 1 social media Web site. 

Until next time. 

Best, 

GPaul

The Top 5 "Best-of-the-Net" PR Web sites

After further review of the most effective and beneficial PR Web sites, which contains up-to-date job openings, blogs, articles, newsletter and free weekly subscribes, I've developed a list of the Top 5 "Best-of-the-Net" PR Web sites. 

Each of the following Web sites not only inform recent graduates about what's going on in the PR industry, but also ways of continue improving your strategic communications skills in every sector in PR. 

The Top 5 "Best-of-the Net" PR Web sites 

1. O'Dwyer's PR Market Place - Online access to inside news public relations, including firms, insider analyses, jobs and publications. 

2. PRWeek Jobs - A new, fully searchable database let's you look for jobs by company, industry, job title, level of experience and location for FREE. 

3. International Association of Business Communicators - Access to industry information sources for searching business communication topics. Plus current and free PR job board provided to members and non-members. 

4. Twitter - Following PR Pros and building relationships with those pros often informs you on job openings, meeting and conferences on "hot topics in PR." 

5. Public Relations Society of America - PRSA provides in depth PR resources, member and agency lists, links and several superb publications, including Strategist and Tactics. 

There you have it, the Top 5 "Best-of-the-Net" PR Web sites. 

Until next time.

Best, 

GPaul

Sales vs. Public Relations. Which route should "WE" take in May?

It's February. Only three months until graduation, which is an indescribable feeling; however, after a month of proactively searching for jobs, I've found more than half of the jobs in PR are intertwined with Advertising and Sales. Which is one to do? This is a hot topic among my peers upon graduation, which was brought up via Twitter. 

Both PR and Advertising/Sales have different goals and objectives. PR is two-way communication in an effort to build mutually beneficial relationships. On the other hand, Advertising/Sales is one-way communication through controlled messages to generate sales. 

However, both PR and Advertising/Sales has a common goal, which is to build long-term relationships with either a client or various publics. 

"Selling is listening, not telling," which is similar to what PR professionals do through research. We don't tell our publics what to think or how to feel, they tell us what they think and how they feel. If we listen correctly, like a seller, we can change the publics attitude through increasing awareness or a PR campaign, which can improve the image of an organization or increase support for a non-profit organization. In effect, resulting in an increase in revenue the client, which is the goal of sales correct? 

Though PR and Advertising/Sales professionals may agree or disagree with my thoughts on PR and Advertising/Sales, I've realized we share a common goal. But is one to seize an opportunity to acquire a job in sales upon graduation during a slow economy? Or take another PR internship? So many options. 

Until next time. 

Best, 

GPaul

Spin vs. Framing

The three words PR professionals don't want to be called are spin doctors, flacks and lairs. These three words has the power to challenge and damage the credibility of PR professionals with the media, public and the organization it represents. 

Whenever there's a crisis, which threatens the life of an organization, PR professionals are often blamed for "spinning" the truth in order to present an organization in a positive light. 

"Positive light" in the court of public opinion is lying because the public believes organizations are only considered about it's image and reputation rather than its publics. This ideology of the publics view of PR professionals in a crisis isn't true. 

PR professionals adhere to the PRSA Code of Ethics, which includes the following: honesty, advocacy, expertise, fairness, loyalty and independence. This is a worldwide professional standard of all PR professionals and also young professionals. Therefore, it would be unethical to lie ever. 

The job of a PR professional during a crisis is to be open and honest, communication with the masses, take a proactive role in solving the problem and NEVER say "No Comment." One more thing, PR professionals "tailor" or "frame" its key messages to communicate to the masses, which is not "spinning." 

PR professionals admit the organization made a mistake, show concern, explain what steps are being taken to solve the problem, REINFORCE key messages, REMIND the public of the organizations previous success and let the public know that everyone makes mistakes It's only how an organization recovers from a crisis that will say a lot about an organization. 

What are your thoughts on "Spin vs. Framing?" 

Until next time. 

Best, 

GPaul

Applying the Four-Step PR Process to Everyday Life

The four-step PR process of research, action, communication and evaluation, R.A.C.E, has been ingrained in future and current PR professionals brain from its first introductory PR class. After using the four-step PR process throughout my college career and internships, I realized it not only applies to PR campaigns, but also life. 

For example, job searching. Research the company you want to jump start your career (research). Then you submit your resume and cover letter (action). After you submit your resume and cover letter, then you'll receive a confirmation e-mail, depending on the company, in which they have received your information (communication). Last, the human resource person will evaluate your resume and cover letter to see if you fit their needs, which will hopefully turn into an interview and then a job (evaluation). 

Ironically, the four-step PR process can also apply to our new president-elect, Barack Obama. Obama research the problems facing the U.S., propose legislation to solve the problem, communicate with the American people on his position and then evaluate his decision accordingly, which will be four years from now when Obama is up for reelection. 

Everything I do or see, I'm beginning to view it as a four-step PR process, which results in the success or failure. Call me crazy, but in my opinion it's true. 

Until next time. 

Best, 

GPaul 

Job Fairs Online. Who would have thought?

Recently, I've been reading blogs and articles about the most effective ways to job search in a "not-so-friendly economy." Applying and searching for jobs can be tendencies and stressful, but it doesn't have to be. 

Wouldn't it be nice to have a employers come to you? Better yet, in the comforts of your own home. Well look no more, VisualCV is offering its first EJobFair. It's easy and simple.  With EJobFairs, you can interview and connect live, one-on-one, from your home computer. More than 30 actively hiring employers will be live on Tuesday, Feb. 3 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. To register visit visualcvjobfairs.com. 

VisualCV is an online service that helps you build an online resume and professional portfolio, which you can view my VisualCV at http://www.visualcv.com/gpaul. It's a great way to build your network and develop an online presence to have an edge over other future graduates. 

The job market and how we search for jobs is changing, why not be on the forefront of that change? 

Until next time. 

Best, 

GPaul 

Top 5 Job Seach Web sites for 2009

With 2009 well underway, the search for a job in PR begins. Critics say the job market will continue to decline until the economic crisis is over; however, this might not be the case. Through my research, there are many companies opening businesses, firms, manufactures and power plants, which create jobs.

I've been proactively job searching for at least two weeks because I graduate in May and would like to have a job when I graduate. After two weeks of job searching, I've developed a list of the top 5 job searching Web sites for 2009.

1. CareerBuilder
2. LinkedIn
3. PRSA
4. Monster
5. Indeed

What all of these Web sites have in common is it's ability for job seekers to search for jobs based on location, salary, company, industry and qualifications, which is key for recent graduates. Searching for PR jobs can be discouraging because a lot of the positions want applicants to have 3-5 years experience in the field, not including internships.

However, the job search Web sites I mentioned above let's job seekers search for entry level positions, which to my surprise there's a lot.

Hopefully, with a new year will come more jobs and the economy will slowly recover.

Until next time.

Best,

GPaul