Oklahoma State University PRSSA

Abby Fox and Megan McGuire, 2008 OSU public relations alums, joined OSU PRSSA for pizza at The Hideaway for a professional panel. Fox spends a lot of her time at work writing and got her job at the OSU Foundation because she interned with them. The hardest adjustment to working life for Fox was cubical. During her job search, she struggled because she didn’t have enough experience. She also suggested finding a mentor. McGuire works for the Oklahoma City All Sports Association where she manages events and the intern program. She says she writes a lot of press releases as well. When she applied for jobs, everyone wanted five years of experience. She thought about where she wanted to work to find a job. She suggested looking at what the client does and play to your strengths–be honest. She also said that internships are essential, volunteering and any other experiences help. A long term internship vs. a bunch of short internships doesn’t matter as much, McGuire said. Many short-term internships provides a variety. For wardrobe, Fox built hers up as she went along. McGuire and her roommate borrowed from each other for awhile. Use your contacts–if they’re doing something you want to do, keep in touch with them, McGuire said. Keep in touch with people–especially those from OSU who’ve gone through the same classes. Network as much as possible and use career services, Fox said. When negotiating a salary, have an idea of what you’re worth. When interviewing, try to get a feel for who your superior is, Fox said. Research the job, ask questions and think about basic interview questions like, “What’s your greatest weakness?” Know and realize you have weaknesses. Have confidence and it’s OK to not have the answers. Have a can-do attitude, McGuire said. For starting PR professionals, pay varies but non-profits pay less than corporations, McGuire said. Take every opportunity you can. Fox said that media tracking was kind of tedious and that writing press releases was not creative work, but her favorite part of working is managing projects and talking to people. McGuire said that things change and that to help navigate, you should ask questions and think out of the box. As for what a professional does in a day, it depends. The more writing, the more you’re out of the office, Fox said. The more managing the less you’re out. Meetings and productivity are also a challenge, but PR has a lot of fields and everyone should find what works best for him or her. During slow times, McGuire likes to brainstorm. McGuire would eventually like to get her masters. Fox doesn’t think that a master’s program is for her, but if it’s something you really want to do, you should do it. In the PR field, experience is more emphasized than education. But Fox says that in some cases people can make more money with a master’s and it’s always good to learn more and educate yourself. Both Fox and McGuire don’t do much hard news writing. McGuire said that taking feature writing and a foreign language would have been helpful. Fox thought that some creative writing classes would have helped her be more rounded. As for job searching, prepare yourself and don’t get discouraged or stressed out. In the working world, you don’t get as much feedback to know where you stand, Fox said. But do the best you can and your boss will see that and value it.