POLYPR NEWSWIRE, OCTOBER 2012

Inside the Issue Letter from the CP PRSSA President Alumni Spotlight National Conference Upcoming Events

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations ocers ~ Daniel J. Boorstin

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Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually benecial relationships between organizations and their publics
~ PRSA Denition

Presidents Letter
Welcome to Cal Poly PRSSA! My name is Chelsea Kitta, and I am currently serving as President for Cal Poly Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). I believe that being involved with Cal Poly PRSSA is one of the most important activities you can do to set yourself apart from your peers. A few weeks ago six Cal Poly PRSSA members attended National Conference in San Francisco and were told how important is to be apart of this national organization. Many top PR agencies stated they specifically look for PRSSA involvement on resumes and some eliminate all applicants who dont show any PRSSA involvement on their resume. Cal Poly PRSSA is a national professional organization that is part of a network of more than 300 collegiate chapters nationwide. Our chapter is focused on providing members with the opportunity to enhance their public relations, communications, personal branding, and professional development skills. As a Cal Poly PRSSA member you will have exclusive access to internship and job opportunities, industry professionals, interactive skill-building workshops, relevant agency tours, opportunities to attend PRSSA national and regional assemblies and conferences and more! If you are interested in joining, the deadline for dues has been extended to Thursday, November 15th. Dues are $75 for the whole year and will include a membership card, shirt, and all of the invaluable benefits mentioned earlier. Fifty of the 75 dollars goes straight to PRSSA headquarters and the $25 is what our chapter is able to use to hold PRSSA events, socials, workshops and more. Set yourself apart from your peers and be involved with something that will directly contribute to your future success in your field! Cal Poly PRSSA is relevant to anyone who wishes to learn how to professionally develop themselves for success in their future careers. Many of our members are pursuing careers in public relations, marketing, communications, advertising, event planning, sales, business, design and more! We are focused on your success and will do everything that we can to ensure that you are prepared and confident for your future career. If you have any questions or would like more information about Cal Poly PRSSA, please email cpprssa@gmail.com, like us on Facebook, check out our website and view our latest video showing how PRSSA has helped us and can help you! Best, Chelsea Kitta Cal Poly PRSSA Chapter President

PRSSA ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Brenna Collins
Graduation Date: Sping 2012 Company: SessionM Title: Manager, Publisher Services Description: SessionM is a mobile advertising company, based out of Boston, that engages app users by offering rewards for achieving certain goals within the app. As a Publisher Services Manager, I primarily assist app developers with integration issues of our platform on their app, help come up with achievement goals within the app, and help bring new apps on board with our platform. I have a list of clients that I work with http:// on a daily basis, which is great because I'm still using my www.linkedin.com/in/ public relation skills but through a completely different outlet. brennalcollins Whats the best part about your job? The best part of my job is working in the start-up environment. SessionM is almost a 2 year-old company that was developed by the creators of Apple's mobile advertising platform, iAd. Since it's so new, there's only about 40 people, and I work with 3 other guys in the San Francisco ofce. Working for such a small company is a lot of fun because you feel as though you're not just another cog in the machine, but rather, you help create the machine and make it function. I love coming to work feeling as though what I'm doing helps the company in the long run. What advice can you give about getting an internship/job? The best advice I can give about nding jobs and internships is networking. It is so important to keep in touch with people in industries you're interested in. I graduated in Spring with no jobs or internships lined up and no clue what career path I wanted to head down. Through a random message to an old friend, I landed an internship at another mobile advertising company, which gave me a foot in the door to where I ended up. If I was searching for jobs by myself, without the help of friends or acquaintances, I would probably still be unemployed. So many people are incredibly willing to help you nd jobs, you just have to ask them. If you wanna check out the company here's the website: www.sessionm.com

PRSSA National Conference

in San Francisco

What We Learned...

Travel the World with PR - Need to be aware of cultural nuances - PR markets differ in working practices, key tactics, legalities, and communication style. - How to Break In: - Intern at an organization with global offices - Study a second language -Follow global events

Fashion PR -Dont necessarily have to be in LA or NY because there are plenty of headquarters for major brands around the country. - Genuinely love the product that you are promoting - How to Break In: - Pick a brand that you are passionate about and use it frequently - Start as a shop boy/girl - Wear the brand at your interview and all throughout your rst week at the job

Resume and Cover Letter Tips Resume Tips: - Save your resume as a PDF before you send it off to future employers - Have a appropriate Save As name e.g. First Name Last Name - Dont include an objective - Keep the layout simple - Ensure all blogs/websites mentioned in resume are up to date!! Cover Letter Tips: - Keep it short: Only 2 to 3 paragraphs - Make you to concentrate on why you are a perfect t for the company - Always proofread before sending! - State that you plan to follow up, but never give a specic timeline

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) -IMC is broadening PR -Monitor different messages through different departments -To get more experience have an internship, do volunteer work, take your school courses seriously -Study experts in your eld, nd a role model Networking Tips: - Reach out to past employees - Look through your high school alumni contacts - Market yourself differently: have a balanced blend of personal & professional.

Sports PR -Spend time with anyone you can learn from -Build relationships with collegiate athletes at school -Try to get clips at a student newspaper -Put together a campaign for a local business -Details matter, it all starts with a phone call Plan Spectacular Events on a Budget - Creativity drives the program - Raffles are better than silent auctions - UNDER PROMISE & OVER DELIVER - Know your budget - Have a sponsorship program - Bring the fun!

Social Media & Elections - People online are much more politically oriented - Facebook users are 2x more likely than non-users to be engaged in politics - Campaigns mostly use social media for dissemination - Increased social media participants doesnt necessarily increase political knowledge - Other people will take over your image if you dont with online media

Upcoming Events
Hearst Castle
Saturday, November 17 at 10 am Wear comfortable shoes, bring a jacket and camera Only 30 spots, so reserve your spot ASAP! The castle will be decorated for Christmas! Christmas

Next PRSSA Meetings! - Thursday Nov. 8th : Press Release writing workshop - Thursday Nov. 15th

Journalism vs. PR