How to Neogiate during a Job Interview

In yesterdays case studies class we learned some invaluable tips about how to neogiate during a job interview to make sure you get the most out of your job and salary. Professor Shelton covered some of the basics that any college student should know when going on the hunt for their very first job.

• First and foremost everyone always wants to know is how much should they expect to make and what to say to that question if an employer asks how much do you expect to make? $35,000 is the average first year salary that a college graduate in PR should expect to make. Now if an employer ever asks you the question " How much do you want to make" Professor Shelton gave us some invaluable advice never answer it, or say neogotiable, but do not give a actual amount.


• We also discussed what a 401K is. We learned that is it important to know what your benefits are and whether or not the company offers a 401K retirement plan is. The best plan is one that matches you. For example if you put 5% of your paycheck into your retirement plan and then your company does the same so therefore 10% of your money is really going into the plan. You also, want to know whether or not your plan is vested and when does it become vested. Majority of companies become vested after one year which means that after one year the money in your fund is yours.


• It is important that you also ask how often do you get paid because there are several different ways that a company can pay whether it be biweekly, bimonthly, monthly, etc. Looking at the package that they offer you is important as well. The package is the number of days off, number of vacation days and sick days. Also, do they roll over and can you bank them or at the end of the year do you lose what days you do not use.

• Lastly, you need to look into the health care package they are offering and whether or not you are going to opt into this plan. When looking at the health care package you need to see what your premiums and deductibles/co pays are going to be. This is important to understand because part of you health care costs will be left up to you majority of companies do not cover all of your insurance. Therefore, the remaining costs are deducted out of you salary before you even receive your paycheck. In addition you will want to know when your benefits will kick in and what are their offers for vision and dental. An important note is if they offer the dental you want to take the dental.

Remember these are only the basics you want to remember when in that job interview, it is still important to go and do your own research and make a list of the questions that you want answered during the interview.

In Family Court, a Reckoning for Gibson's Erratic Career

In the recent article, In Family Court, a Reckoning for Gibson's Erratic Career, the NYTimes discussed the future of Mel Gibson's career.. That is, if he even has one.

For those of you who are unaware, Mel Gibson was recently dropped by his agency and banished from appearing in an upcoming movie "The Hangover Part II" because of recordings that emerged on the web of him ranting in racist terms at his wife, Ms. Grigorieva.

But my only question is, what do these allegations have to do with his ability to produce films or star in movies?

Taking his career into account, let's rewind to movies such as "Braveheart", "A Passion of the Christ", and "Leathal Weapon". All of these films were directed by Mel Gibson. Would these films have been any less successful had they been produced today after the allegations of his wife? I do not believe so.

Mel Gibson, who is now in family court fighting for legal rights for his year old daughter now has to defend himself to a family law judge who has more power than he may believe. The film industry seems to be waiting on the legal system's decision of Mel Gibson before releasing two films he stars in. Being safe much?

The media has decided because he is on trial with his wife, his career and ability to produce films should be on trial as well. Now, does that seem very fair? You decide.

Press Agent Ronni Chasen Murdered

So maybe I didn't know the full story of what happened when I discussed this in class Friday, but I wasn't too far from the truth.

Early Tuesday morning, November 16, Press Agent Ronni Chasen (left) was shot five times in the chest while driving, crashing her Mercedes-Benz into a pole. It is assumed she was on her way home from the premier of Burlesque in LA.

Bryan Alexander and Lindsay Powers of Hollywoodreporter.com report:

A Beverly Hills Police spokesperson tells THR: "On November 16th 2010 at approximately 12:28 a.m. Beverly Hills police officers received info regarding shots that were heard in the area of Sunset and Whittier, shortly after a collision was reported in the same area. Units arrived and discovered a newer black Mercedes Benz E-350 involved in a solo crash to the light pole. The lone female occupant was located in the vehicle with apparent multiple gunshot wounds to her chest. Beverly Hills paramedics transported the victim to a local hospital where she was later pronounced deceased. The investigation is in the preliminary stages and no further information is available at this time. At this time there is no suspect, info or motive for this crime."

In 1993 Chasen was named senior vice president of worldwide publicity at MGM. She also worked for Rogers & Cowans.

For the full story, click here.

I was shocked when I saw this story covered for a few minutes on the 11 oclock news the other night.

It's a scary world out there...its darkness seeps through, even through the brightest stars of Hollywood.

Pawtucket Red Sox Internships!

The Pawtucket Red Sox, Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, are currently in search of 6-7 interns to begin work in January/February 2011. These internships are designed to offer marketing/Public relations students the opportunity to garner significant experience with a premier minor league baseball team by managing a public outreach campaign from January – May 2011. For more information check out full details by clicking HERE or visit RWU Hawks Hunt Job ID#5708. APPLICATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 29TH!!

Young Professionals need to Develop Credibility and Influence in Social Media

I learn in school constantly about being an active consumer of media and participating in the use of social media by using Facebook, Twitter and blogging about what I am reading and learning that is occurring in the news and in the PR realm. My Professor constantly tells us to be consumers of the media to build credibility for ourselves and show that we are active social media users.

In a recent article I read on ComPRhension, they discussed the importance of knowing social media as a young professional, especially given that many PR professionals now have been thrown social media and are trying to grasps its use and importance for their clients, without having the knowledge of which sites are more popular for their target publics and what social media should be used for.

Yet, the other side is simply this despite young professionals grasp on social media some of the old standard rules still apply, this is that quite simply that you need to develop credibility and influence. Developing this can be as simple as retweeting tweets because it is important to maintain the idea of two-way communication in social media just like within traditional media. According to the article only 1 in every 300 Tweets are retweeted. Now if you look at the number of people on Twitter that number does not seem so bad, but the simple fact is as young professionals we need to make sure that we are engaging and forming those relationships now with credible journalists and media outlets.

It is important to remember just having a lot of followers does not matter it is the content of the information that you are putting out their and who is recognizing that. This is what will get you notice in social media by journalist not your number of followers. In short it is the social media in the PR world use the same concept as with traditional media maintaining credibility and understanding the news will help you develop influence and respect.

Taking Command of Your Messages-Greg Radner

Looking on PRSA.org, I found this article regarding the DC conference this year and message control. It's an interesting account by Greg Radner, head, PR Services, Thomson Reuters. This short article is applies to what Comm 300 is learning now - developing and delivering messages.

With more than 30 sessions related to social media management at this year’s PRSA 2010 International Conference in D.C., it is clear that figuring out social technologies is a priority for public relations professionals, even if it takes them out of their comfort zone. Public relations is about controlling your message, but trying to take control in a communal environment is often a losing battle.

The Conference provided a perfect case study when Mickey Mouse made a surprise appearance to promote next year’s Conference location of Orlando, FL. Shortly after the session, an e-mail was distributed to the PRSA blogging crew asking us not to use images of Mickey in our blog posts. It was to prevent unauthorized commercial use of the image, but it got me thinking about control of content in the age of real-time news. Armed with cell phone cameras, images of Mickey had already been shared through Twitter and other social networks across the Web by many of the non-blogging attendees.

As Charlene Li suggested in her Tuesday morning keynote address, PR professionals need to learn how to “give up control but still be in command.” To that point, I spoke with many attendees who stopped by the Thomson Reuters booth with questions on how they can better manage the monitoring and measurement of their communications once they are released into the marketplace. It’s an issue that is top of mind across the industry, and the exhibit hall was filled with providers offering solutions to help address this need.

Today’s tools allow PR professionals to listen to and participate in the conversation, rather than trying to tame the message. Here, knowledge is power and the social sphere provides a rich river of gold. These tools allow for real-time monitoring of the online conversation and employ measurement tools that can extract market sentiment and opinions from the discussions. So, while you cannot always control the message, you can listen in on how your message is being received and use that information to respond as necessary.

There’s a rich vein of information out there, so get out your tools and start mining it.

While I wasn't at the DC Conference, I'm curious to find out if those who were there thought about the use of Mickey Mouse to promote next years conference. Did you think of the implications of distributing Mickey Mouse's trademark across social networking platforms? In a world where everything exciting, new, fun, engaging, etc. is immediately shared via texts, blogs, tweets, status updates, messages, and other outlets, I think it's quite the task to share a message while hoping it's imagery or logos to not be subsequently reproduced. Mickey Mouse had no choice but to be subjected to picture-taking. Almost every technological device can capture an image - phones, computers, cameras - is it realistic to expect people not to share his surprise arrival? If there is anything to come away with from this experience, it's from Charlene Li's aforementioned keynote address:

"PR professionals need to learn how to “give up control but still be in command.”

Kik, The New AIM for Smartphones

First, there was AIM, ADIDO and Yahoo!Messenger then we had Myspace. iChat and Skype came along with the inventions of the webcam. Now we all Skype, iChat, Google chat and use Facebook online to interact with our peers, families, friends and professionals. Now there is Kik Messenger is this just a fad or the next big thing like AIM was or Skype is.

Now what is Kik messenger, it is free-real time text messenger. Now it allows you to create a screen name or a username, depending on what you like to call it and chat back and forth between your friends on cell phones. Yet what makes it any different than texting between you and your friends? It is suppose to be quicker and more social than traditional SMS texting. Kik currently supports the Blackberry, Android, and iPhone.

It is apparently a fad that is quickly catching on Kik has had to upgrade their servers to handle the amount of people downloading their new application twice now. They ended up with a million users in just 15 days. Now as you log onto Facebook you see your friends updating their statuses with their Kik usernames. It is safe to say the only real determining factor of the success of Kik is how long will it last or will it just disappear when the next app for the smartphone comes out.

Networking 101

Some interesting information I found on the PRSSA job center page about the myths and truths about networking.

What is it?

A supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.

What can people do for you?

• Offer you a job/internship, now or in the future.
• Introduce you to someone else who is hiring.
• Give you information about other companies/agencies that have openings.
  

Myths and Realities

Myth: You should only network with people who can help you get a job.

Reality: Don't set limits-think broadly-people may know someone else who can help you get a job or internship.

Myth: You need to know the "right" people to network effectively.

Reality: It's up to YOU to create the connections that will eventually help you.

Myth: Strangers resent you asking for help with your job/internship search.

Reality: If you approach people properly and make reasonable requests, they will most likely help.

Create a Network List of Contacts

Think of your list in the shape of a pyramid, broken down into levels.

Level One
These are people you are comfortable approaching for names and other requests. These are your friends, neighbors and relatives with whom you have regular contact. This level consists of about 10-15 people.

Level Two
These are your colleagues and acquaintances that you see occasionally. These people know you and are willing to help you-you may deal with them on a professional level (i.e. your doctor).

Level Three
This is the toughest level. These are strangers-people you have yet to meet. You have heard about them from someone in level one or two, or you found his/her name in a directory (i.e. The Blue Book) or a newspaper.

Now that you have organized your networking contacts into levels, it's time to put them into a database.

Network Database

This should include:

• Name
  
• Title
  
• Company
  
• Business address
  
• Home address
  
• Phone number
  
• Fax number
  
• E-mail address
  

It would also be helpful for you to explain:

• Nature of this connection (i.e. met at PRSSA National Conference Career Expo)
  
• Names of other people or companies they gave you
  
• Priority-how valuable is this person to you?
  
• Comments-record meetings you may have had, any letters you may have sent, etc.
  

Example

Here is an example of what you can say to a potential network contact:

"Hi, my name is_______ and I got your name from _________. For the past ____ years I have been studying at _______. During that time I've had the opportunity to develop my PR skills in the areas of ________. I will be graduating in ________ and am looking for _______.

Be articulate, speak naturally and have confidence.