During the 2009 PRSSA National Conference, I have had the opportunity to hear some great speakers from a variety of disciplines within the industry. One of my favorite sessions so far was from Ron Culp, Director of Ketchum’s North America Corporate Practice, and Kevin Saghy, an Account Executive at Ketchum Chicago.
The basis for Ron and Kevin’s presentation was providing students with a look from both senior level PR professionals and junior pros who are making their mark in the industry. With information from both presenter’s friends and colleagues, the presentation provided great insight into how students can most effectively make an impression in the workplace.
The conversational style and witty back and forth of the presenters aside, it was the quotes from the (older) and (younger) horse’s mouths, as Kevin humorously categorized them, that packed the most punch.
When asked to provide an example of what young professionals can do to succeed, John Iwata of IBM replied, “They don’t confuse activity for results.” This answer really stuck with me. I feel like too many times young professionals feel the need to constantly be doing busywork, just to maintain the appearance of a good work ethic. Or it could be that you have a great work ethic and want to make the most of your time, but if the work you’re doing is contributing somehow to the end result, you’re not going to be seeing a promotion any time soon.
A particularly rewarding aspect of the presentation was the summarized verbal Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the rookie/veteran insights. For example, both groups were asked what young professionals should NOT do. The senior level management said that PR upstarts should not be credit-hogs, looking to bring more attention to themselves or their contributions to the project. Additionally, it was a consistent message that young professionals should not come in with their own, individual agendas.
“In a culture where teamwork is paramount, there’s really no room for self-promotion,” Nicole Merritt of Cox Communications said.
The young professionals, on the other hand, focused on removing the appearance of the sense of entitlement. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had 5 internships globally, when you start out in a new organization you have to pay your dues.
After the session, Kevin talked about an intern who worked with him that always had a positive attitude, no matter what task was given to her, which led to more responsibility and more enjoyable tasks later on.
For those PRospective employees out there, remember to convey a sense of being a team player who is ready and willing to work in your cover letters and interviews. Have you been a part of an intramural team in school? Done a lot of group work for an organization you’re involved with? focus on those attributes to frame yourself as a team player who’s not just focused on that next promotion. If you try too hard to be a social climber, you may notice your rocks slipping 0ut of your fingers.
Do you have any tips on how to succeed in the workplace? What have you seen that is/is not successful?
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