I had the pleasure of meeting today’s TDMJ PR Pro a few weeks ago, and was so compelled by her story that I knew you would be, too. In addition to being a new wife and mother like myself, Mrs. Lara is a tenacious public relations professional who started out in the world of academia and leveraged a thirst for knowledge and willingness to work hard to create her own  opportunities. For Lara, this has translated into a pretty impressive career track only a few years out of college-not bad for someone who didn’t study communications in college! Already a senior account exec with several  agency positions under her belt and a consulting practice in the works, Mrs. Lara is one to watch.

Name: Jacqueline Lara
Age: 26
Current City: Silver Spring, MD
Job Title: Senior Account Executive, Lyons Public Relations
Owner, Mpact Communications
Length of Time in this Role: 18 months

Web Site |LinkedIn|Twitter

Mopwater: Describe your path to PR. How did you wind up in this field?

JL: My path to PR was nontraditional, but I wouldn’t change it for the world because each step has molded my experience. I received my B.A. in Sociology and a business certificate from the College Park Scholars program at the University of Maryland.  While I enjoyed my major and loved analyzing groups of people and their behaviors, as well as organizations and the key factors influencing their effectiveness, I often wondered what profession I’d pursue after college.  I felt pigeon-holed between working in HR and becoming a social worker.  Neither of these options appealed to me, so I took a few communications courses and was intrigued by the power of words and the way media pundits ‘spun’ messages to advance their platforms. Read the full story

Name: Colleen Moffitt
Age: 39
Current City: Seattle
Job Title: Founding Partner & Author

Company Name: Communiqué Public Relations
Book Title: “Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR”
Length of Time in this Role: Five years since founding Communiqué
On the Web
Facebook
Blog
Twitter: @SeattleCM

Mopwater: Describe your path to PR. How did you wind up in this field? (Be sure to mention your course of study in college).
CM: My path to PR was not direct or necessarily a traditional one. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Puget Sound with a minor in Business Administration. While in college I also earned a certificate of study from Centre Universitaire d’Etudes Francaises (CUEF) of the University of Grenoble III.

After graduation I worked in the public sector for a few years before being hired at Microsoft as a recruiter. There I was responsible for finding and attracting some of the nation’s top technical talent to the company. I developed strategic recruiting plans for Microsoft’s consumer and hardware divisions and helped attract key talent from Moscow as part of an acquisition.

I joined RealNetworks (Progressive Networks at the time) in early 1997 to drive technical recruiting for the company. Ready for a new challenge, I moved into a program manager position in 1999 where I managed product-review programs, key customer relationships and product development. During my seven year tenure at RealNetworks I had an opportunity to work on it server solutions as well as its Windows and Mac based consumer products.

The experience I gained in these roles – influencing, negotiating, interviewing with various audiences including technology editors, product reviewers, customers, partners and executives – led me to public relations, to found Communiqué PR and to author “Strategic Public Relations: 10 Principles to Harness the Power of PR” Read the full story

Name: Spring Harris, 28

Current City: Los Angeles, CA

Looking For: PR Agency Work

Our Notes: We could go on all day. She takes initiative, and is not afraid of a challenge. She’s an engaging writer with a vibrant voice. Plus, she speaks and writes French! Que c’est beau!

On the Web: University Sponsored Site, Coming Soon

EduStats: University of Southern California
Candidate, M.A. Strategic Public Relations
Graduation Date: May 2010

Skills: Strategic Planning, Social Media, Crisis Communications, Media Relations, Writing, Editing, and  All Things French

Mopwater: What made you want to get into this industry?

SH: Honestly, I fell into this industry. I graduated in 2004 with a double major in International Relations and French and I planned to go to law school, but while writing my personal statement, I couldn’t think of a single reason why I wanted to go. Needless to say, it was time to rethink my plans! I decided to take some time away from finding a career and competed as a professional high jumper for about a year before I entered the workforce. My first jobs were less than appealing, but I realized that I enjoyed writing, and when I got the chance to work as a business development/marketing coordinator I jumped on it. To sharpen my skills, I took a few marketing and public relations courses at a local community college and immediately started applying the lessons to my job. However, in the PR course as a final project I designed a campaign for the LA Sparks to increase game attendance and I loved every second of creating it! I decided right then and there that I wanted a career in PR. I applied to USC Annenberg’s M.A. in Strategic Public Relations program and since August 2008, my life has been consumed by PR and I couldn’t be happier! Read the full story

I’m doing something new today. I come across amazing, talented people all the time.  I profile some of them for Test Drive My Job, Senior Counsel or How to Pitch. But occasionally I meet very impressive people who are looking for work.  Brilliant, talented and eager to work in PR and communications, I wish I could put them all in a building and start my own mega-firm! And someday, I just might.

Just because you don’t have a job does not mean I won’t profile you. If you’ve impressed me with your job-seeking skills and hustle, you might just find yourself on Mopwater PR + Notes.  Like Karyn Watkins.  I “met” her on Twitter.  She was tweeting about her search for PR work in DC, so I contacted her and we met for coffee.  Currently living in her hometown of Chicago, Karyn writes The Fabulous Giver–an amazing blog on philanthropy. She also writes a philanthropy column for the Examiner.  Very tech and new media savvy. Sharp young lady. Check her out–she won’t be “retired” for long!

Name: Karyn Watkins, 25

Current City: Chicago, Illinois

Looking For: A Healthcare or Non-Profit PR Job in DC or Chicago

Our Notes: Great writer, awesome personality

On the Web: The Fabulous Giver

Mopwater: Can you give me  a quick description of your decision to leave advertising and move into PR?
Karyn: Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work in various facets of marketing communications from sales to advertising. I’ve learned so much from each experience! However, it’s becoming very clear that the Internet is changing the way that people interact with each other and with companies. I knew that I wanted to be a greater participant in the conversations happening between people, businesses, and donors about various brands, initiatives, and organizations. So, it seemed only natural that I switch it up and move into public relations.

Mopwater: How is the search going? How long has it been? What is your ultimate  goal?
Karyn: I’ve been “retired” for almost five months, but honestly, I didn’t start my job search until January of this year as I wanted to focus on writing and volunteering. So far though, I think that the search is going well. I’m not saying that the opportunities are endless, but in all fairness, I can’t totally blame it on the economy. I have a specific idea of the tasks and creativity needed to do my next job, and while I’m willing to compromise a little, I can’t compromise it all strictly because the Dow Jones tells me that I should! After all, I courageously and voluntarily left my previous employer to pursue my ideal career path and I just can’t throw that away.

My ultimate goal is to land in a public relations or communications position within the healthcare or nonprofit sector. I am either looking to stay in Chicago or relocate to the Washington D.C. Area. There are pros and cons to each decision, but I’ll just have to weigh the opportunities once they become available to me! Read the full story

I’m dedicating today’s post to the job seekers among us. It’s difficult for me to ignore the fact that so many people are out of work right now, so instead of offering you best practices for the job you might not have, today I’m all about helping you get the PR job you’ve been dreaming of.

I know you’re conducting an active search by scouring job boards, newspaper classifieds and even talking to recruiters. But here are a few things you can do to improve your chances of getting noticed by people who are looking for someone like you.

1. Head to the Top. Talk to people who know people—preferably people who know lots of people. Befriend the heads of your local (and national) professional organizations. Request a sit-down with leaders in your field. I know what some of you are thinking. “Why would the leaders want to talk to me?” You’d be surprised at what people are willing to do when you ask them. Find someone who knows your target and request an introduction. If you don’t know someone who knows the person you’re trying to reach, use Google or LinkedIn to connect the dots. Make a phone call or send an e-mail introducing yourself. Detail your experience and your goals. Ask for what you want. They may not have a job to hand you, but chances are, they’ll know someone who will. And be patient. Once you begin talking to the right people, and they begin mentioning your situation to their people, something will eventually open up.

2. Go On Informational Interviews. I love informational interviews and make a practice of doing these a few times a year, even when I have a job. For PR people, especially, it’s a great idea to get in front of people who practice different types of PR if you’re thinking of changing your focus. Informational interviews are great because there’s absolutely no pressure on you or the interviewee. Your host doesn’t feel pressured to “give you something” and you’re not competing for an open spot at their company. However if something should open up for you, that’s great,too.

When I was finishing up at Howard University, I spoke to an English professor about my writing goals. She mentioned that her sister was an editor at the Washington Post and I should set up an informational interview. Well, the sister turned out to be Marie Arana, the Washington Post Book World Editor-in-Chief at the time (in short, a really big deal). Marie connected me to several other Post editors who agreed to do informational interviews with me as well. They gave me invaluable advice about journalism and writing that I have repeatedly used and actually passed on to several people who have come to me for advice. But all this came about through a simple request: Sit down with me and tell me about what you do. No strings. No pressure. Read the full story

Today’s TDMJ profiles James Walker, an incredible social media specialist who is just starting his career in PR. James is a junior project manager for APCO Online , a division of the global agency APCO Worldwide. James works in Washington, DC and I discovered him through his insightful tweets about PR and his informative blog Gen Y PR Prescriptions.

When he met me recently at a DC Starbucks, James told me how important it is to claim a piece of the social media pie for yourself if you’re a PR person calling yourself a social media strategist/expert (read: start your blog!) Hopefully I’ll be able to get the video footage of that timely interview up this weekend, pending tech support. For now, here’s James:

James S. Walker
Washington, DC
Age: 22
APCO Worldwide
Junior Project Manager, APCO Online
length of time in role: 6 months

Blog: Gen Y PR Prescriptions
Twitter: @Jaywalk1
Linkedin: in/jswalker

Mopwater: Describe your path to PR. What made you want to get into the field?

JW: I discovered PR right around the time I decided to declare a major at George Washington University. I made a call home to check in and mentioned that I was planning to major in Communication. My mother replied: “What kind of job can you get with that major?” I said: “Umm…(scratching head) you know…Communications positions.” At that point, Communication just seemed interesting, but I knew that I would never hear the end of it if I didn’t come up with a good answer, so I went to work.

After reading books, taking career assessments and browsing hundreds of sites, I decided that PR was it. Glad that I figured it out, I called back home and made a compelling case showing how I would get a job in PR. Her response: “So… what exactly will you do?”

Reflecting back on my answer to her then reminds me of the opening for MTV’s The Real World – “You think you know, but you have no idea.” I have worked (internships and full-time) in a number of Communications roles since then, from university relations and special events to CNN’s Crossfire at GW to public affairs and crisis comms shops to a health care communications firm and now a global communications agency.

In my short time in the industry, I’ve worked steps away from James Carville and Donna Brazile, helped prepare for prescription medication product launches, developed materials for patients with chronic pain and diabetes, and proposed social media strategies for tech giants. Each position taught me something new about the industry and myself, allowing me to grow both personally and professionally.

Mopwater: What aspects of the industry are you most excited about?

JW: I am most excited about the role the PR industry already is and will continue to play in the development, promotion and adoption of social media among businesses and other organizations.

I think the industry is well positioned to not only teach groups how to engage in social media but also to provide communications counsel on how to engage in a way that benefits them and their audiences, the people they serve. Read the full story