Freelancing to Stay in the Biz

The horrendous headlines are everywhere, “Economy in Shambles”, ‘No Jobs”, “Will Take Years to Recover”. We’ve seen it and it freaks us out, however, when you’re laid off or unable to find a position that puts your Public Relations background into use, think about Freelancing.

This is a concept that is relatively new to me. I recently ended an assistant /intenship where I spent eight months working for a variety of clients and gaining a plethora of skills. Still, when the internship came to an end, my many applications submitted to other companies were still unanswered, leaving me unemployed and frustrated.

My dad recommended that I help a few of his friends with Public Relations. Many of his friends own their own businesses or are executives at large companies. Though I only have one freelance position at the moment, I am actively doing Public Relations, while having time to search for positions. I am constantly networking and telling EVERYONE that I am a qualified PR person in need of a break.

Though the economy may not rebound anytime soon, freelancing may keep me in the bussiness and ensure that I won’t get rusty. Check out the following sites for ways to get freelance jobs and learn all about how its done.

List of sites to learn more about Freelance Jobs:

Myspace : Lists freelance jobs.

IFreelance: a wonderful place to read up on freelancing and find jobs to get your name out there.

Online Writing Jobs: Features posts such as “real estate agency looking for someone to write a creative press release for our new real estate membership website. We want one full page press release, and an abbreviated one paragraph version.”

Friends can be a wealth of Knowledge!

From my friend, Louis Pagan. He posted a list of sites that give him ideas on his blog. I think you’ll find them to be as beneficial as I have.

Below is a collection of recent news and links, as well as some super savory links that I keep saved to eyeball from time to time.  If you do what I do in social media, you should be aware of some of these.

What Does Engagement Really Mean?  MediaPost (Mentions #Latism (see previous post)

Facebook & Blog Promotios.  Social Media Basics (Louis gets promotional ideas from here)

Mashable. (The Mashable link is just that…Mashable.  This site is a cornerstone for current lore in socialmedia)

My ‘About’ Page.  (It’s important to be transparent in this industry, so here you can find out more about Louis)

Ideas vs. Work. (Some courses of action require hours of planning, others may take years)

How I Manage Facebook. (Chris Brogan reveals detials)

Online Enemies (Think “Keep your enemies closer to you, than friends)

Latinos in Social Media Heritage Tour Banner!

Latinos in Social Media Tour

Have you heard about LATISM?

The first national tour taking place in three states – NY, TX, FL – during the Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th – October 15th).

This two-day event will provide a networking opportunity and conference presentation, bringing together the leading minds and innovators in social media and technology.

Research Any and Everything!

I recently happened upon a few posts about public relations jobs that require you tell them something interesting about one of their clients. The reason? They want to make sure you actually did your research and aren’t simply mass applying (which I had a friend do, out of 200 applications only received 4 interviews). This is something that may be helpful for the potential employee, however, research used to be what differentiated lackluster employees from great ones!

Some questions, such as-why do you want to work here- help the employer see if you actually want to be a part of their corporate culture and if you did the necessary research to see if you could fit into their organization.

My advice? Even if the employer doesn’t ask you to say what you like about their clients or what is the third word in their mission statement, you should still do your research. That involves studying the website inside and out. I do this by going to the sitemap (when available) and look at every single page. I also look at their clients and any recent press releases on the site. Below are my five basic steps to preparing for a job interview, the research portion.

1. Study the website

2. Google the agency/corporation

3. Go to glassdoor.com and other sites that give you an inside glimpse to the company.

4. Go to msnbc.com, forbes.com and hoovers.com to see if the company has any recent news, concerns and check out their stocks which could help you see if the company is in an upswing.

5. Linkedin.com, it has become my best friend and should be yours as well. LinkedIn has allowed me to connect with several people at a corporation, giving me that “in” that I otherwise wouldn’t have.

Like I said, the above list is just the beginning. Check out blogs, talk to friends, and send out inquiries on twitter. Just do what you have to in order to find out all you can before going into an interview. After all, why do you want to work there if you know nothing about it?

Interviewing Mistakes

At my current internship, I was given the responsibility of interviewing tourist who came to St. Louis to enjoy the All-Star games. I thought I had a pretty good grasp about what the games were all about, until I met a guy from Los Angeles who showed me just how much I didn’t know! At times in your career, you may have to do things that you have little or no experience doing. This video showcases my lack of knowledge regarding baseball. It’s safe to say, however, that after this encounter with this amused guy, I have dusted up on my All-Star Game knowledge and look forward to another round of random interviews.

Reviving This Blog!

Dear Reader,

When I originally started this blog, its entire focus was finding a job right out of college. However, as time passes and my experience in public relations grows, I find this blog taking on a different tone, one of informing you about the trends, ideas and latest facts taking place in the world of public relations.

Since I acknowledge this, along with the name-Real Word PR-this blog will feature more posts about ways to do your job effectively.

I have yet to find a full time position, yet that hasn’t stopped me from behaving as if I have a full time job. I read about trends, I network and above all, I treat my internship like it is paying me $100,000 a year (which it isn’t)!

With all this in mind, I would like to thank you for following this blog and for giving me a place to put ideas and sources that I come across. From here on out, this blog will focus more on the industry of advertising, marketing and public relations. However, as the job search remains important in my life, there will be posts on how to find a job you love and where you can make a difference.

Thanks,

Seville

Twitter Video: Make a Choice

In the weeks since my last post, the world of Twitter continues to captivate and provide new and exciting opportunities for media professionals and job seekers! The Wall Street Journal did an interesting piece on the choice to Tweet or Not. What are the ramifications of not having a presence on one of the fastest growing social media platforms?

Twitter is loaded with reporters, Social Media Experts, Marketing, Advertising and PR Agencies and oddly enough, people itching to give you a job. Its another way to network and in my opinon is a resource that cannot be ignored! Join me on the platform and check out a few of my influential tweet friends! You’ll be happy you did!

What are you Tweeting About??

Twitter is the main part of any Social Media plan nowadays, so why not know how to use it. There are countless people out there claiming to be “Social Media Experts” which irks me because they can never prove it.

To keep you from making a claim that can easily be proven false (one day those “experts” will have to answer some real questions and they won’t be able to!) Below is a portion of an interesting blog post I found that will help anyone new to Twitter sound like a Tweet Pro in no time!

Messages (aka “tweets”) are 140 characters long. Be concise, be direct and say what you mean.

Twitter-Jargon:

• DM = Direct Message (send a direct, private message to another Twitter user)
• RT = retweet (to retweet means to repost someone else’s tweet)
• # = is a hashtag. Hashtags are associated with specific trends and topics. For example, “{Rules of PR} Making Your Brand http://bit.ly/FbUgy#jobadvice #pradvice”
• Followers = the people who “add” or “follow” you on Twitter
• Following = the people you have “added” or are “following” on Twitter
• @ = comes before someone’s Twitter name and is basically their Twitter address. For example, @Sevfletcher
• Pls = Please
• EM = email
• BTW = by the way
• w00t/wOOt = expression of “yay” or some type of excitement
• TYT = take your time
• WTF = What the F*** (NOTE: Don’t use this if you are like me and looking for any type of employment, after all your Tweets can be read by the world! Be professional.)
• WTH = What the Heck
• TIA = Thanks in Advance
• Tweet-up = an in-person meeting/gathering of Twitter folks (NOTE: Look for these opportunities, after all, you always need to network!)
• ppl = people
• IMO = In My Opinion

Hope this is helpful, Twitter is amazing and I must admit addictive, but to matter in the Twitter world you must be relevant, the next post will address how to keep up on current news and trends.

How Interesting are You During Interviews?

In an article on the Sweet Careers blog, the author asks how interested are you in your field and are you conveying this interest to potential employers. Below are a few of the questions that you should ask yourself BEFORE walking into an interview.

• Are you staying current with trends, technologies, and news that impact your field?
• Are you reading relevant journals and trade magazines?
• Are you networking with professionals either via professional associations, online communities, or both?
• Are you actively contributing to the field, even in basic ways, like participating in conferences, writing blog posts, commenting on articles, attending lectures, taking classes, volunteering?
• Are you looking for ways to advance the field by pursuing new or innovative approaches to current practices?
• Are you keeping your occupation-specific skills current?
• Have you identified role models or mentors whom you might shadow or, at the very least, emulate?
• Are you working to enhance your skills either in formal settings (i.e. taking classes) or informal ones (i.e. volunteering)?
• Are you developing a network of professional colleagues both locally and nationally (or even internationally)?

Also your interest must also extend to that company. I thought the following questions should more than prepare you to go into the interview confident that this is the correct organization and position for you.

How interested are you in working for this organization?

• Have you read the organization’s mission statement?
• Have you become intimately familiar with the products/services provided by the organization?
• Have you read at least 3 articles about the organization written by a third party?
• Are you conducting informational interviews with employees or supervisors at the organization?
• If the organization is in a different geographic location, have you researched the city where the organization is located?
• Are you aware of the organization’s impact on its local and professional communities?