Are You Career Ready?

Several friends are currently looking for work because of company closings and downsizing. A few friends, who are gainfully employed, have expressed concerns about shaky futures with their company.

While none of us can accurately predict the future, we can prepare for it. As someone who handles crisis routinely, I follow certain steps and procedures to ensure readiness.

The same holds true for career preparedness. Here are five steps to keep you career ready:

  1. Update your resume. I review my resume at least once a year, and sometimes more. If I join a board, earn an award, add new responsibilities, I update the resume. It’s best to do it when the information is fresh.
  2. Maintain a list of companies/dream jobs: You may have a good position at the moment, but if there is a company that you dream of working for, follow it on LinkedIn or routinely check its website. That’s what I did with my most recent position. Keep the list and review it regularly. All of my jobs came when I wasn’t necessarily looking, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
  3. Be active on LinkedIn. Speaking of LinkedIn, it’s good to keep your profile updated and to check in at least once a week to review the latest openings in your profession and to see what others are talking about. The top stories often surface during job interviews. It’s also good to share information that would be of interest to others in your network.
  4. Network. Years ago a trusted advisor encouraged me to have lunch at least twice a month with individuals within my network. I took that to heart and went so far as to track my efforts and what was discussed until it simply became part of my career habits. I regularly meet with others in my network to share ideas and best practices, to learn what they are doing, to provide connections to others and, yes, sometimes to ask for something. It’s amazing how many people you will meet with in a year if you make this part of your routine.
  5. Collect work samples. Keep copies of your output offsite. You don’t want to be scrambling on the last day to find a copy of a great press release you wrote so that you have it to share at a job interview. Be sure to also maintain a list of key contacts away from the office. It’s one of the reasons, I find LinkedIn so valuable – I can always reach someone within my network through LinkedIn even if I can’t immediately find the person’s phone number or email.

4 Tips to Rethink How to Pitch Media

Today’s media landscape has greatly changed. Some of the changes include:

  • Reporters using social media for finding stories and fact checking. Ben Sharbaugh, associate director for digital strategy at Harvard University shared at a conference that 50 percent of people hear about news on social media before it’s published anywhere official.
  • Reporters covering unfamiliar beats.
  • Success measured in page views.
  • Copy editing is not a priority at many outlets.

If it’s your job to pitch the media, how do you adapt to these changes? According to Michael Smart, an independent communications trainer, you need to

  • Reframe the traditional stories that you pitch. It’s not enough to pitch the story angle. In addition, include sources, photos and video to create a package for the reporter.
  • Expand the types of stories you pitch. This involves finding unique or creative angles. For example, tweeting out what experts are available, especially if you tie it to a big story, can lead to success.
  • Widen the scope of outlets to which you pitch. Have you ever pitched Vox? You might want to. On its website, Vox says it, “Explains everything you need to know in two minutes.”
  • Refine the way you write your pitches. Smart recommends focusing on a few outlets and then mass sending to others.

 

Summer Blues or Summer Success?

August. Where has summer gone?

More importantly, have I made the most of my summer? With only a month left, I’m giving my summer some reflection – poolside, of course.

Did I read the books I wanted to read? For me, summer is a great time to relax by the pool on the weekends with a good book. At last count, I have finished 15, but I have about five more that I would like to finish before the school year starts. I know where I’ll be this weekend! I also am curtailing my television viewing so I have more time to read.

What defines a successful summer? For me, it’s about being outdoors as much as possible and visiting.SAMSUNG

I always enjoy my gardens (vegetable and flowers), and this year, I did a much better job of keeping up with them. During the hottest days I get lazy, and give in to the heat and the weeds, but on any comfortable days, I was planting, weeding or simply sitting in an Adirondack chair in the midst of the garden enjoying the beauty. That is success!

I mentioned reading poolside, and I count the weekends I can do that. The more pool visits, the more relaxed I am. This year was a great year for visiting the pool with friends.

Did I accomplish what I wanted to do? I had the requisite “To Do” list, which this summer focused on decluttering. Three trips to Goodwill and some filled trashcans were proof that I made significant progress in this area. Even better, I didn’t shop and replace the disposed of items.

The truest sense of my successful summer is that I’m ready for the fall season and the resumption of many extracurricular activities. I’ll miss the pool and garden, but I’m already planning my indoor activities.

Was your summer a success? Post your answer in the comments. Thanks!

Maximizing the Impact of Media Placements

At a former company, I created a highlight video of the year’s media hits to share with key executives and the board. At another company, my team would create a high-level report of media hits at the end of each quarter. It’s an easy way to further increase its visibility.

Why is this important?

Just because your company was featured in a story that made the front page of USA Today doesn’t mean that your key audiences, including colleagues, have seen it. It’s your job to call it to their attention.

The key is to send the clips of the stories to the people who matter. So who matters?

  1. Employees want to see the good work that is being done within their company. It often makes them proud that they work there.
  2. When appropriate share a well-placed media placement with your donors, who will view it as a sign that they are backing a winner.
  3. Customers like to see good press, too, because it validates their choice to do business with your company.
  4. Prospective students and their parents. If you are at a university, sharing the media successes validates that they have selected the right school.
  5. You may have select clips you would like to share with key legislators so you can highlight your company.

To further share your media placements, I recommend posting a summary and or links to the placements to share on your company’s website.

If you follow these recommendations you will be able to maximize the impact of your national news media placements.

Media Requests Provide Opportunity for Success

As someone who works in public relations, I frequently receive queries from reporters seeking a SME, or subject matter expert. Of course, like most in PR, I also have a ton of other responsibilities. I can choose to view the request as a burden. Or, I can choose to see it as an opportunity.

If I view it as a burden, I may simply provide the reporter with the name of a colleague who could answer the reporter’s questions. I also would provide one means to contact the individual.

This approach however, does not provide the reporter with enough information to decide whether it’s worth it to speak with the source. If I only provided an office number, the reporter may not even reach the expert.

I prefer to view the requests as opportunities and, as such, I want to ensure the success of the interview. Not only will this make my expert look good, it also reflects well on my organization. And the reporter will be more likely to contact us in the future for other stories that might benefit the organization.

Here are some things you can do to ensure a media request becomes a success:

  1. Contact your expert and confirm his or her expertise in the topic. Also find out if the expert is willing to speak with the reporter about the topic and has the time to do so.
  2. Take notes while speaking with your expert and compile a few sentences on the topic to share with the reporter. If the reporter is pressed for time, he often may use the quote verbatim in his story. The quote also provides the reporter with greater context.
  3. Find out the best times for the reporter to contact the expert. Also find out the best ways to do so. An office number is useless if the expert is not going to be in the office. If possible, provide an email and cell number (or at least a number that can be used after hours given that reporters have round-the-clock deadlines.)
  4. Respond quickly. Reporters are on deadline and often they will use the first source they reach for the story.