{"id":6714,"date":"2016-01-23T18:25:19","date_gmt":"2016-01-23T23:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=6714"},"modified":"2018-08-22T10:15:47","modified_gmt":"2018-08-22T14:15:47","slug":"interntalk-the-benefit-of-informational-interviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2016\/01\/23\/interntalk-the-benefit-of-informational-interviews\/","title":{"rendered":"InternTalk: The Benefit of Informational Interviews"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Courtesy<\/a>
Courtesy of Creative Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This January, PRSSA is hosting its first-ever Career Development Month. Everything this month revolves around one central theme: \u201cLaunch Your Career.\u201d As public relations pre-professionals, we are all eager to learn and network in these formative college years so that when it\u2019s our time to enter the workforce, we\u2019ll do so successfully. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re looking to launch your career by holding your first internship or by obtaining a job at your dream company, you likely have many tools at your disposal including the vast network you\u2019re likely to build through PRSSA. But what if your network doesn\u2019t include your dream employer?<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s where informational interviews come in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jay Magee, APR<\/b>, client services manager at Community Hospice of Northeast Florida and a previous president of the PRSA North Florida Chapter, says informational interviews are \u201cyour chance to begin selling yourself, building your own personal brand, discerning potential career directions and forming career goals and values.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

These interviews are a gateway to an internship. Whether it gives you the networking opportunity you need to get that position or is a chance for you to find out if this really is the company of your dreams, obtaining one of these interviews takes time and effort. Like any other part of career development, it\u2019s an investment that will pay off in the long run, so invest wisely, says Magee.<\/span><\/p>\n

So how do you get one of these opportunities? Magee recommends seeking opportunities such as luncheons to network in-person with PRSA members. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Public relations is about relationship-building, so seek face-to-face opportunities with the people at your dream companies, and you\u2019ll have an advantage over the rest,\u201d Magee said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>
Courtesy of Creative Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If an in-person meeting is not possible, that\u2019s okay. Connecting online on LinkedIn can work to your advantage. Magee recommends personalizing the connection request or InMail, as opposed to using a generic greeting. If these individuals are alumni of your university or a part of PRSA in a different city, don\u2019t be afraid to mention those \u201cpoints of commonality,\u201d as Magee says; they\u2019re great conversation starters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of how you connect with a professional, ask if they would mind setting up a brief 10-minute conversation. If they say yes, seek to learn as much as possible about them, their industries and their firms. Be genuinely interested in what they do, and ask for advice. After the call, or visit to their office, if you\u2019re able to arrange one, keep in touch. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany professionals want opportunities to give back to the next generation of professionals, but we get so busy we don\u2019t seek them. Give us the opportunity!\u201d Magee said. \u201cBe consistent, and consistently interested, and you may find a new mentor who, like a strong internship, can enrich your career for decades to come.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Veronica Mingrone is the 2015\u20132016 vice president of career services, and a senior at the University of Florida. Follow her on Twitter <\/span><\/i>@veronica_min<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This January, PRSSA is hosting its first-ever Career Development Month. Everything this month revolves around one central theme: \u201cLaunch Your Career.\u201d As public relations pre-professionals, we are all eager to learn and network in these formative college years so that when it\u2019s our time to enter the workforce, we\u2019ll do so successfully. Whether you\u2019re looking to launch your career by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2894],"tags":[33,76,2392,51,2414,28,560,363,324,2393],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6714"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6714"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6718,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6714\/revisions\/6718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}