I ♥ PR

Public Relations, that is! 

It was fate that led me to chose my major. As cheesy as that sounds, it's totally true. I was the Public Relations officer for my high school Community Service club. It started out that I love the club, and wanted to do more to contribute my part for the club. The Public Relations Officer position was the only one in which I would run unopposed and it was the one that suited my personality the most. As a result, I ended up absolutely loving the position. 

When the college application came, I never considered anything but business. Again, after getting accepted to SC, I had a semester to reconsider my life's goals. I thought business wasn't something that I wanted and I was looking at the 150+ majors SC had to offer and stumbled across PR. And boy am I glad I did! 

It wasn't until this semester when I became fully exposed to the world of PR and what it had had to offer. Both of my PR classes are amazing! I know everyone thinks it's a super glamourous job with all the event planning, and the parties, but it really takes a lot to be successful at it! I've already written a few pitch letters and had mock-pitches. Believe me, it is NOT easy. Yet, I don't know why, there's just something about PR that draws me to it! 

But of course, the USC Annenberg Program certainly maximizes my academic experience. Great professors, great school, and great opportunities! Just today, we had our ground breaking for the new school ground breaking--I even got a free shirt! And President Nikias even said that with all the new technologies, it's going to be "the best journalism program in the world."PR is en route to being a complete independent program. But as of right now, it's still under the journalism program, and it's nice to share the limelight! :D

Photo taken by PRSSA USC

Anyways, I digress. As I was saying...opportunities. 

I'm a part of the PRSSA of USC, and they hold lots of panels for professional networking. Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the Fashion PR panel which featured Alumnus from the Fashion PR industry--such as Bloomingdales, Monique Lhuillier, BCBG, and even Samantha Slaven! 

I learned some invaluable knowledge that I thought I'd share with you all :)

Here are some of the most important points: 

1. If you want to go to New York, go!-- As you know by now, my ultimate dream is to be New York, and one of the questions that came up was what did they suggest for those of us who dream to be in the big city. Two of the alumnus hopped on the plane as soon as they got their diplomas. They loved being in the city, but both of them eventually came back. However, they suggested that even if we have the slightest desire to be in New York, we should definitely try moving to the city--just to get the experience. Because New York is such a fast-paced city, it really boosts work efficiency. 

2. Get yourself out there by creating a blog- Well, I'm a step ahead! The ultimate paradox in the job world is that if you don't have an internship, you can't get hired. Then how do u get your first internship?! Cuit, the social media engagement director form BCBG, suggested to just create a blog. Because a blog can be a terrific platform to express yourself and show off your personality. And one can essentially blog about anything! I chose Fashion because I always have a love for it. And look at me now, I'm writing up a post about PR and the panel I went to yesterday. 

3. Be knowledgable -- If you apply for a job at a company, you should at least know some basic info about the company and the industry. For example, if you apply for a job in the fashion sector, and the interviewer ask what fashion magazines do you read? And you can't answer that question, then it's questionable why you would want to be in the industry then if you don't even have the most basic of knowledge. 

Basically, if you're interested in the marketing/advertising/PR industry, the gap that used to separate the three is closing, and PR should be definitely something worth checking out :)

Hope you enjoyed this slightly different post :D

XOXO, 

Joanne