If I knew all the words

Throughout college I couldn’t stand having to buy course books and packets- lets be honest I probably only read about 25% of them. This number may sound shocking for most, but it wasn’t until I got into my PR major courses that I actually started reading the books assigned- I mean this was my future.

The first course book that I fell in love with was “Made to Stick: Why some Ideas survive and others Die” by Chip and Dan Heath. This is the first course book I picked up and skimmed the first chapter and found myself actually reading and enjoying the message it was sending. I think that’s when you know you’re in the correct major. I actually found myself pitching this book to my friends starting their own business as a book they should all read!

This book starts out telling you about the authors friend of a friend, this man named Dan who was on a business trip in Atlantic City. Dan was waiting for his flight home, and he grabbed a drink at a local bar. Before he was about to leave a beautiful woman came up and offered to buy him a drink. That was the last part of his night he remembers. He woke up the next morning in a hotel room in the bathtub lying in a tub of ice. Next to him on a table is a note and a cell phone that says “don’t move CALL 9-1-1″ his kidney had been stolen. Typical Urban legend, Nip/Tuck did it two seasons ago.
Anyway, the point is- this message sticks. It’s something you can remember and tell it almost verbatim because its interesting to you.
The book goes on to compare it to a financial strategy of a non-profit organization. How is someone supposed to remember some mummble jummble of a financial statement and make that stick in your mind and even slightly repeat it. I just read it and have no idea what it said.

The Heath brothers do an extraordinary job of hooking the reader in this New York Times Bestseller. Pick it up. Buy it. It will Stick with you.

Visit the website at www.madetostick.com

Today marked my first day in the working world! I began my new position as the Assistant Account Executive at Doyle Dane & Bernbach (DDB) in the Issues and Advocacy department.

I spent most of today in the typical HR orientation, touring the agency and getting to know the background of my client. There was definitely a lot of reading, which I had expected.

Job searching is usually a grueling task for most recent grads (or anyone for that matter), but with our economy, its even rougher. Most of the time I barley had a sliver of hope finding a job in this market, but Brian Solis, PR 2.0 blogger, gave me (and I’m sure many more in my position) that sip of water that will get you through that desert of a job market.

Solis wrote a guest post on Culpwrit about “Tomorrow’s PR Leaders?” Solis says, “As a student, recent graduate, or newly hired communications professional, Social Media and the tools that define social landscape, will quickly become pervasive as you research and observe the markets that are important to the business you represent.” I couldn’t agree more, as a new hire (though it has only been about 8 hours) Social Media has been the tool I turned to the most when researching material on my client.

The first thing I did was sit down and search for blogs pertaining to my client. It helps to understand where your audience is coming from, and the information they are providing. Listening is key. Solis drives the message that when you take the time to listen you truly find the best channels to relay your message. And that is something all young PRos should know!

There is more to understanding RSS feeds, blogs, Facebook, twitter and podcasts. People are listening, we as young professionals need to realize our “Facebooking stalking” skills come in handy more than you may think!

Just last week I officially accepted a position as an Assistant Account Executive at Doyle Dane & Bernbach (DDB) in the Issues & Advocacy department. I couldn’t be more excited to start!

Finding this position took a lot of hard work. I called on my UO instructor and friend , Kelli Matthews quite a lot in the past month for advice, multiple pep talks, and networking. If it were not for Kelli, I would not have received the opportunity to interview with DDB. Kelli reached out to a colleague of hers who was able to strategically place my resume in the right hands.

This resource helped to notify me of organizations that I may not have found by doing a typical Internet search. She was able to help me land a few interviews, which was great practice and experience. Although, this was not the way I received my position at DDB.

When I first started searching Kelli was nice enough to send out a tweet to see if anyone had any leads on jobs in Seattle.In less than ten minutes Kelli had a response from Nedra Weinreich who gave me my first lead with Alison Byrne Fields the SVP/managing director of the Issues & Advocacy Department at DDB. I pitched myself to her on twitter, which turned out to be the lead that got my resume in the door at DDB. Although the position I had originally interviewed for didn’t work out, my resume was still on the table.

About a month later I was contacted again by DDB for the position I accepted just last week. From the beginning I was told to be patient, that the job will come in time-and it did. It was all about reaching out to all of the resources I had at my fingertips and stepping outside of my comfort zone to make a relationship that lead to a job.

When job hunting, make sure you tap into all the resources you have at your finger tips- instructors, facebook, twitter, linkedin, indeed, family friends and relatives. But, also remember to thank them in the end. They are sticking their neck out for you, and deserve to be thanked for taking the time and effort to help you off into the working world.

So may I also take this time to sincerely thank Kelli Matthews for all the help and support in my job search, (especially for the tweet). And also to Nedra Weinreich for connecting me with Alison!

I cannot wait to see what this position has in store for me as I start in a new city as a fresh PR PRO!

This video was passed through Twitter yesterday. I loved it so much I though I would share it. Watch the whole thing. It has a great message no matter who you are voting for, but watch the entire video!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UaRXvRwhOk]