Emerson College PRSSA

By Peter Jones, PRSSA Sports Chair, Spring 2019

One of the most recognizable ESPN personalities, Stephen A. Smith, spoke at the fourth annual Al Jaffe Speaker Series, March 27 at Emerson’s Paramount Theatre. Smith  discussed his career, journey to ESPN and mentality when it comes to forming opinions for his many shows. Smith was his usual, outspoken-self something he attributed to his upbringing in New York City and overcoming his dyslexia in grade school. Getting a basketball scholarship to Winston-Salem State University helped propel his career in sports media by providing Smith with what he called his biggest attribute, his work ethic.

Growing up with dyslexia, Smith learned to outwork people from a young age by overcoming his learning disability by “burying his head into his books.” Smith spoke about his time at Winston-Salem State University where he balanced classes, playing basketball and having an internship. He spoke about the importance of this time in his life and continuing to get better each day, as he continued to drive home the narrative of effort and hard-work.

“You got to put in the work, it’s going to be an uphill climb. You don’t get to have a degree and a good paying job without having to work for it,” said Smith.

Smith also preached on the emphasis of having tough skin in the dog-eat-dog world of sports. He spoke about how you do not apologize or retract a statement you make, unless it is morally wrong. Smith revealed he wakes up every morning with two agendas on his mind, “How do I make my bosses more money, and how do I get a share of it.”  

Having one of the most recognizable names in sports media come and speak at Emerson was an incredible opportunity for all students across many majors. His intelligence was personified in the way he carried himself as well as his answers to Al Jaffe. Stephen A. Smith is advertised as one of the best sports pundits in the country and it is safe to say he lived up to that billing.

Emerson College is always a wonderful place to share thoughts and ideas! PRSSA wants you to join the conversation on social media. Are you following our social media platforms and part of the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter? Click at the bottom of the page to be part of our story!

Beyond Emerson, PRSA Boston wants to create a larger network of college students within the greater Boston area to start a dialog, virtually meet some new friends and share your experiences.

By: Brittany Jarvis, PRSSA Special Events Chair

On March 19, PRSSA collaborated with Caroline Knight from the Career Center to jumpstart a series of workshops. The first workshop focused on tips and techniques for building the perfect resume and cover letter. From the session here is a compilation of all the tips we required.  

Resume Tips:

• What story does your resume to tell—Show progression, responsibility and eventually indicate a focus.
• No resume is one size fits all—It’s important to create a master and target resume depending on what job or position you are applying to.
• Organize your experience into sections—Organizing your experience can help to personalize your resume.
  • Relative Experience: Experience that is directly related to the position you are applying to
  • Additional Experience: List clubs and activated that relate to the field you are applying to
  • Selective Experience: Experience that may not be related to the field, but is still beneficial to add.
• The importance of bullet points—Under each experience list three to four bullet points that indicate the most important skills learned. Use an action verb to start, present an outcome for each point and really put an effort into each one to best represent yourself.  
• Skills—List three to four skills that stand out and appear unique (i.e. computer (social media), language, relevant technology (equipment), website software). Don’t use soft skills, they should already be weaved into the experience sections.
• Include one relevant link—Decide what best represents you and your work and include a link to either LinkedIn, digital portfolio, website or social media.  
• Proofread—Staring at a resume for so long could mean missing a mistake. Find a friend or go to the Career Center to have an extra set of eyes look over your work before sending it out to employers. The Career Center has walk-ins Tuesday through Friday from 1-3 p.m., or students can schedule appointments with their designated advisors.  Students can also submit to an Online Resume Review.

Cover Letter Tips:

• The purpose of a cover letter—A cover letter is meant demonstrate that you the applicant have a set of the required skills for the position. It is a chance to connect past experiences to the position.
• Content and format—A cover letter should be three to four paragraphs long. Use keywords from the job description and the industry. Also highlight two to three experiences that may not be on your resume.
• Sending out a cover letter—If you are sending in an application through an online portal it is best to submit your cover letter and resume as a PDF. However, if you are sending your application through email make the cover letter the email. Employers often don’t have enough time to read a lengthy introduction email on top of a cover letter so make them one in the same.

*Other Cover Letter and Resume Resources

 

by Anna Newton, PRSSA Secretary, Spring 2019

On Feb. 19 several members of Emerson College PRSSA visited Boston-based Shift Communications to learn about the ins and outs of a successful, data-driven PR agency.

PRSSA members spoke with Shift staff members  Megan Gaffney (Account Director) and Brittany Joyal (Senior Account Executive). After a tour of the offices, Gaffney and Joyal escorted the Emerson College PRSSA members to a conference room and walked the students through a typical day at an agency. Gaffney and Joyal explained how a Shift Communications staffer would typically make a plan at the beginning of the day, meet with their team to discuss objectives and continually work on differing projects for clients.

Both professionals also emphasized the importance of media relations. They stated, in order to catch the eye of a journalist, never send irrelevant content, format the content in a way that is digestible to each journalist, give journalists 24 hours to respond and never call a journalist. Gaffney and Joyal also highlighted the need to create and sustain positive relationships with the media. Some tips they provided include always putting the journalists’ name in the subject line and sending personal emails when possible.

Joyal, who started her career at Shift as an intern, told members how to impress interviewers when applying to Shift Communications. She stated that an interviewee should express what makes them unique and a good fit for the position. Joyal also said the interviewee should be extremely well-versed on the organization and have completed thorough research, mention the organization’s blog posts and ask questions regarding industry trends.

After the event, members mingled with the Shift professionals and asked questions. Gaffney and Joyal provided the members with their contact information and encouraged them to reach out with any lingering thoughts or questions.

 

By Erin Jaibur, PRSSA President, Fall 2018

On Nov. 29, the Emerson College Chapter of PRSSA hosted its first official event with guest speaker Morgan Chicchelly. Chicchelly was the Coordinator for the Communications and Policy Department, Chief Technology Office in the Mayor’s Office for the City of New York. Her experience in the Public Relations field is vast including positions in Social Media and Public Relations Manager for the Farm Bureau Financial Services and an Associate at Burson-Marsteller (Washington D.C. Metro Area).  

Chicchelly’s presentation at Emerson on Thursday covered topics all college students need to know, including office etiquette, managing work relationships, landing your first job post-graduation, and of course, LinkedIn management tips. Over 40 students were in attendance to listen to Chicchelly’s advice, ask questions, and network. One of her many LinkedIn tips was to have a good summary.

“Especially when you’re transitioning into in a new career role or starting in a career field in general, this is a good place to give your own personal elevator pitch,” Chicchelly said.

After her presentation, students were invited to participate in a Q&A session, connect with Chicchelly online, and help themselves to refreshments and snacks. The PRSSA executive board is looking forward to hosting even more events in the future, and they are grateful to Morgan for her time and effort. Stay tuned for more updates on what’s to come for Emerson’s very own PRSSA!