On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of attending the PRSAChicago luncheon with over 120 other industry professionals. The topic of the luncheon was "Making Communications More Effective with Social Media Tools" and it included a public relations all-star panel. While the content was fantastic, one of the biggest things that I personally got out of the luncheon was the true sense of community within the public relations field.
The table that I sat at contained a mix of people that were relatively new (graduated last year) and veterans (20+ years) in the field. As we chatted before and after the panel, the one thing that struck me was how interested they were in my background and what I was doing now. Not only that, but they were quick to offer suggestions, advice, and general words of encouragement to me. More than once I thought to myself that I must have traveled across some unseen boundary between our world and an alternate universe, because I have rarely experienced a group of strangers so willing to open up and share knowledge.
I must point out that this experience was not only confined to our table but extended to other attendees at the luncheon, including the president of the PRSA-Chicago chapter. I have a new found outlook and renewed vigor in my search for a home within the PR and Communications field.
This is not just where I want to be, this is where I need to be.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Throwing caution to the wind...
I already know what many of you will say before I even make this post, but I still felt the need to get a little bit off my chest. You may (or may not) know that I am currently seeking a position in either the public relations or marketing field. In that quest I have been presented with several "opportunities" that, while I don't want to call them outright scams, have been questionable. At best. A recent email I received went something like this:
Burl,
We have seen that you are someone who would bring strong abilities to our company. The interview process is entirely for your benefit to find out more about our company so that you can make an informed decision as to your interest level. None of this can be done in an e-mail properly. This would be a great time to detail exactly what we do so you can make a much better decision. We would love to have you join us for an hour and a half on Wednesday, March 17th so you can see and hear all the details. It would definitely be an hour and a half well spent to possibly change your future. I have an opening, should I schedule you?
Respectfully,
"Ms. X"
Area Vice President
"XYZ Company"
Normally, I would just hit the delete button on my keyboard and move on, but something about this email made me pause. With my resume posted on several different locations and having become more active on various industry-related boards and communities, could this possibly be a legitimate inquiry? I wrote back:
Good evening "Ms. X",
Before I could commit an afternoon for an interview, I would need to know a little bit more about the position you are seeking to fill. Is it a public relations or marketing position? A sales position? Commission based or salary or a combination? I am sure that you understand my hesitation to immediately walk into a situation with such limited information and I look forward to your reply.
Thank you in advance,
Burl Gregory
The way I looked at it, if the interest was for a real position, "Ms. X" would be happy to provide these basic items of information and even appreciate my interest. The reply I received:
Burl,
You have to ask yourself if you are worth spending some time to pursue whether this opportunity can help you change your life? You will never know unless you come out and listen. Out of respect to my company, I am not going to try to describe ten years of success in a few short sentences in an e-mail. We have seen that you are someone who would bring strong abilities to our company. The interview process is entirely for your benefit to find out more about our company so that you can make an informed decision as to your interest level. None of this can be done in an e-mail properly. This would be a great time to detail exactly what we do so you can make a much better decision. We would love to have you join us for an hour and a half on Wednesday, March 17th so you can see and hear all the details. It would definitely be an hour and a half well spent to possibly change your future. I have an opening, should I schedule you?
Respectfully,
Ms. X
Area Vice President
XYZ Company
Ok. The Area Vice President of a company can not (or will not) disclose they type of position that she is contacting me to interview for? Is the company a front for the CIA or organized crime ("I can not disclose the nature of our business because others may be listening...")? For a company that has "ten years of success" why can I not find a listing for it on Google? And I realize that an interview is also an opportunity for the prospective candidate to learn more about a company, but isn't it primarily for the company to learn more about the candidate?
Needless to say (but I will say it anyway), I will not be attending this "interview" with XYZ Company. I actually didn't even bother to reply to the second email.
Tip for (legitimate) employers looking to hire: You find a decent candidate's resume online. Send them an email or give them a call, but give at least a basic idea of the field you are looking to employ. You will set yourself apart from the many "get rich quick"scams offers and you may be surprised by the quality of your results.
Burl,
We have seen that you are someone who would bring strong abilities to our company. The interview process is entirely for your benefit to find out more about our company so that you can make an informed decision as to your interest level. None of this can be done in an e-mail properly. This would be a great time to detail exactly what we do so you can make a much better decision. We would love to have you join us for an hour and a half on Wednesday, March 17th so you can see and hear all the details. It would definitely be an hour and a half well spent to possibly change your future. I have an opening, should I schedule you?
Respectfully,
"Ms. X"
Area Vice President
"XYZ Company"
Normally, I would just hit the delete button on my keyboard and move on, but something about this email made me pause. With my resume posted on several different locations and having become more active on various industry-related boards and communities, could this possibly be a legitimate inquiry? I wrote back:
Good evening "Ms. X",
Before I could commit an afternoon for an interview, I would need to know a little bit more about the position you are seeking to fill. Is it a public relations or marketing position? A sales position? Commission based or salary or a combination? I am sure that you understand my hesitation to immediately walk into a situation with such limited information and I look forward to your reply.
Thank you in advance,
Burl Gregory
The way I looked at it, if the interest was for a real position, "Ms. X" would be happy to provide these basic items of information and even appreciate my interest. The reply I received:
Burl,
You have to ask yourself if you are worth spending some time to pursue whether this opportunity can help you change your life? You will never know unless you come out and listen. Out of respect to my company, I am not going to try to describe ten years of success in a few short sentences in an e-mail. We have seen that you are someone who would bring strong abilities to our company. The interview process is entirely for your benefit to find out more about our company so that you can make an informed decision as to your interest level. None of this can be done in an e-mail properly. This would be a great time to detail exactly what we do so you can make a much better decision. We would love to have you join us for an hour and a half on Wednesday, March 17th so you can see and hear all the details. It would definitely be an hour and a half well spent to possibly change your future. I have an opening, should I schedule you?
Respectfully,
Ms. X
Area Vice President
XYZ Company
Ok. The Area Vice President of a company can not (or will not) disclose they type of position that she is contacting me to interview for? Is the company a front for the CIA or organized crime ("I can not disclose the nature of our business because others may be listening...")? For a company that has "ten years of success" why can I not find a listing for it on Google? And I realize that an interview is also an opportunity for the prospective candidate to learn more about a company, but isn't it primarily for the company to learn more about the candidate?
Needless to say (but I will say it anyway), I will not be attending this "interview" with XYZ Company. I actually didn't even bother to reply to the second email.
Tip for (legitimate) employers looking to hire: You find a decent candidate's resume online. Send them an email or give them a call, but give at least a basic idea of the field you are looking to employ. You will set yourself apart from the many "get rich quick"
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