{"id":9844,"date":"2019-03-11T09:15:58","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T13:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=9844"},"modified":"2019-03-08T16:28:47","modified_gmt":"2019-03-08T21:28:47","slug":"three-lessons-from-my-first-two-years-post-graduation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2019\/03\/11\/three-lessons-from-my-first-two-years-post-graduation\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Lessons From My First Two Years Post-Graduation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Two years ago, I was reading Progressions<\/a>\u00a0as a student, trying to soak up as much information as possible before graduating and entering the \u201creal world.\u201d If you are nearing that exciting time, congratulations. There is a lot of pressure on students to have post-grad life figured out, and we don\u2019t always stop to celebrate. So before you read the rest of this blog, take a minute to reflect on your accomplishments\u2014 I bet you have a lot to be proud of.<\/p>\n

As you do plan for that next phase, I want to share three lessons from my first two years of post-grad life.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Culture is more than free snacks.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Unlimited coffee, massages, happy hours, free yoga classes: These are all awesome perks that make the work environment more appealing. However, be careful not to mistake perks for a healthy company culture. Culture is so much more than that.<\/p>\n

    How can you read a company culture before you join the team? Be observant and ask thoughtful questions in your interview. When you ask what people like about working for XYZ Company, what do they say? When my fellow VOXers and I are interviewing a potential new hire, it always puts a smile on my face when colleagues say that it\u2019s the people that they love about working at VOX. So, yes, perks are awesome. But don\u2019t confuse perks with culture.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Don\u2019t say no, and know when to ask for help.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Especially in an agency setting, you\u2019re likely going to work outside of your job description every day \u2014 that\u2019s part of what keeps it exciting. As you work to develop your portfolio and skills, you need to be nimble and flexible, as you will likely be tasked with a variety of projects. Depending on your company, you might have several people leaning on you for support, which presents a lot of opportunity. When you\u2019re asked to lend a hand, don\u2019t say no. That doesn\u2019t mean you have to say yes either. Here\u2019s an example of how to address the situation if you\u2019re swamped or need guidance:<\/p>\n

      The Ask: \u201cHannah, can you please send me a summary of all news mentioning PRSSA?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      Situation One: I\u2019ve never compiled a news summary for this person before. <\/em><\/p>\n

      Response One: \u201cI\u2019m happy to compile a news summary for you. Could you please send me an example so I know what format you prefer?\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

      Situation Two: You are on deadline for another project. <\/em><\/p>\n

      Response Two: \u201cI\u2019m happy to compile a news summary for you. Does your timeline allow for me to send this to you tomorrow morning? I am working on a press release due by the end of the day today. If not, I\u2019m happy to reach out to Emily to see if she can help sooner.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

      Remember, you\u2019re probably not the first person ever to do what you\u2019re being asked, and you won\u2019t be the last. Ask for examples and guidance. Doing this upfront will help you return a stronger work product.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Be open to taking a different path.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        If you would have asked me in March of my senior year where I would be post-grad, I would have told you that I\u2019d be working in Chicago at a 1,000+ person agency. Instead, I started my post-grad career in Indianapolis at an agency of 40 people. Being open to a different path exposed me to new opportunities \u2014 both professionally and personally \u2014 that shaped who I am now and will guide my future.<\/p>\n

        Of course, no article can fully prepare you for the transition from college to the workforce, and that\u2019s okay. You don\u2019t need to have it all figured out. If you\u2019re an active PRSSA member, you\u2019re on the right path!<\/p>\n

        –<\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

        Hannah Riffle is an account executive at VOX Global in Indianapolis. She graduated from Ball State University where she was an active PRSSA member. Connect with her on <\/em>LinkedIn\u00a0<\/em><\/a>and <\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Two years ago, I was reading Progressions\u00a0as a student, trying to soak up as much information as possible before graduating and entering the \u201creal world.\u201d If you are nearing that exciting time, congratulations. There is a lot of pressure on students to have post-grad life figured out, and we don\u2019t always stop to celebrate. So before you read the rest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":9845,"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":[2892],"tags":[76,1569,2356,1303,2331,119,1770,165,3047],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9844"}],"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\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9844"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9847,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9844\/revisions\/9847"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}