PRSSA

For the latest information on PRSSA meetings and events, please visit our Facebook page or contact us at prssa[at]u.washington.edu.

If you missed our May 21st Social Media Meeting, there's no need to fret. We're providing the PowerPoints for you.

Our featured speaker was Jessica Randazza, Account Executive for Publicis Consultants and social media guru. Her most important pointer? If you want to get into public relations, you need to get into social media and Twitter.

Want more? Download the PowerPoints from our meeting:

• PRSSA of UW: Twitter Basics
• Jessica Randazza from Publicis Consultants: Social Media Presentation

We will also be posting a special announcement on June 1st. Stay tuned!

For more information, please contact prssa [at] u.washington.edu.

Starting Thursday, May 7th, Edelman will be hosting monthly informational roundtable discussions for students and young PR professionals in their office.

Discussions will range in topic from Edelman to the world of PR. These sessions will serve as opportunities for aspiring PR professionals to learn from the experts and hear more about their internship opportunities.

Informational sessions will be held on the first Thursday of each month, from 4 - 5 p.m.:

• Thursday, May 7th, 4-5pm
• Thursday, June 4th, 4-5pm
• Thursday, July 2nd, 4-5pm
• Thursday, August 6th, 4-5pm

For more information, please contact prssa [at] u.washington.edu.

PRSSA is having annual officer elections on April 30, 2009.

Whether you're an existing member or not, being a PRSSA officer is a great way to meet others in the public relations field.

All classes from freshmen to seniors are welcome to apply. Not only will being an officer better prepare you for a public relations profession, but will also help you gain valuable resources.

If you'd like to apply, please download the PRSSA 2009-2010 Officer Application Document and bring it in to our next meeting on Thursday, April 30th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in COM 126.

We look forward to seeing you then.

For more information, please feel free to contact us at prssa [at] u.washington.edu.

Image courtesy of http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/financial-planning/internship.htm

With the recession rumored to continue into 2010, it's more important than ever to nab an internship and to garner as much writing experience as possible.

Whether you're a senior or a freshman, gaining PR writing skills will help you get your foot in the door. Internships not only help you garner more skills, but also help you network and learn hands-on from PR professionals.

PRSSA is offering a free all member workshop this Thursday, February 26th from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. in room 226 of the Communications building.

We'll be going over how to increase your chances at getting an internship, effective ways to nab an internship (including cold-calling), brief tips on building a resume and portfolio, and other ways to market yourself for a prospective internship.

Sam Horn, public relations and marketing manager at Seafair, will be joining us for a speaker presentation on how students can amplify their marketability in getting an internship. Horn will also discuss an internship program at Seafair.

For more information, please feel free to contact us at prssa [at] u.washington.edu.

It's a scary time for PR job seekers, but finding a job in a trade that's seeing massive layoffs and job cuts takes persistence and a lot of networking.

Since last year, the dismal financial outlook has echoed around the world and is predicted to continue into 2010. Gaming giant Electronic Arts just announced Wednesday that they will be shedding 1,000 people from their UK marketing and public relations department.

Earlier this month, Seattle Times published an article announcing another round of lay offs and will be reducing the newspaper's width by 1 inch to save on newsprint.

Despite all the disheartening news, there is a positive note for seniors graduating college this year. Yesterday, the University of Washington Career Center offered an educational seminar for students interested in finding jobs within the communications field. Senior PR Manager for Puget Sound Energy Andy Wappler spoke at the seminar saying the massive layoffs are hurting only those in middle and senior level positions and benefiting recent graduates.

According to Wappler, "seasoned" professionals are being replaced with recent graduates who are cheaper to keep and cost less to train. Wappler says another advantage graduates have is that they are typically more tech-savvy than their senior counterparts.

Jacque Coe, communications director at the Washington State Lottery, also spoke at the seminar and offered advice for students interested in communication careers. "Be persistent," she said, adding that if an employer says they're not hiring, ask if they know anyone who is hiring.

Networking was another key theme at the seminar. Mathew Bernardy, a former UW graduate and consultant for the Imagine Cup marketing campaign at Microsoft, recounted his post-college job hunting experience. "It's really all about who you know and how you can market yourself," Bernardy said.

Other advice included:

• Creating LinkedIn accounts
• Cold calling potential employers
• Working on writing and editing skills
• Obtaining non-profit internship positions
• Offering pro-bono PR services to further develop writing skills

Even in the current economy, Coe said students seeking employment should remain hopeful. "There's gold in them thar hills," Coe said, quoting a popular phrase coined during the California Gold Rush.

For more opportunities to work on your editing and writing skills or for preparing your resumes and portfolio, PRSSA offers many writing workshops to help students find jobs within the public relations field.

E-mail us at prssa [at] u.washington.edu for more information on membership and resources available to members.

These days, with less money in everyone's wallets, open positions in PR firms are quickly being filled up with competitive and skilled potential candidates.

Whether your portfolio case is looking a little empty or you need a way to spice up what you have, now's the time to start.

This Thursday we're offering a Portfolio Building Workshop for PRSSA members that will help students build a career in the public relations field.

Along with tips and tricks in portfolio building and formatting, we will also be hosting a professional guest speaker from PR firm Edelman.

The Resume Building Workshop will be held on Thursday, January 29th, from 6 - 7:30 p.m. in room 304 of the Communications Building.

Because the COM 304 lab only has 22 computers available, laptops are recommended. You will also not be able to save resumes onto your UW FTP account via lab computers, but will be able to send them to yourself via e-mail.

Please don't hesitate to e-mail prssa [at] u.washington.edu if you have any questions.

Thank you to the hundreds of people who donated to our Fall Denim Drive.

Although we didn't reach our goal of 1,000 pairs of denim jeans, jackets, and scraps, we received tremendous support from our community and received 850 pairs!

To our Washington community spanning from Whatcom County to Tacoma, as well as support from our friends, family, and school, PRSSA of UW would like to give a big thank you for making this denim drive a huge success!

November 20th Resume Building Workshop

In today's current economic slump, many PR firms are receiving hundreds of resumes a month from prospective job seekers, heightening competition among even the most qualified candidates.

To help our members start off with an edge, we're holding a Resume Building Workshop this Thursday, November 20th, at 6:30 p.m. in room 304 of the Communications Building.

The purpose of this workshop is to help members work and build on their resume, whether they need help with formatting or need help adjusting their resume for a PR profession.

Workshop Session Itinerary:

6:30: Presentations & Announcements

• PRSSA club announcements
• Speaker presentation: Tamara Wilson from Wilson PR
• PowerPoint presentation

7:30: Resume Editing

• Resume building PDF file will be sent out to those attending the session
• Resume editing

If you plan on attending, you will need to bring:

• An editable electronic copy of your resume (e.g. Word document) so you can work on it during the session.
• A laptop if possible.

Because the COM 304 lab only has 22 computers available, laptops are recommended. You will also not be able to save resumes onto your UW FTP account via lab computers, but will be able to send them to yourself via e-mail.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to e-mail prssa [at] u.washington.edu.

We're proud to be partnering with Access Cotton, a non-profit organization that's a part of Cotton Inc., for our 2008 "From Blue to Green" Denim Drive.

Our Denim Drive goal is 1,000 pairs of denim jeans or jackets that will help Habitat for Humanity build housing insulation for families displaced by Hurricane Gustav and Katrina.

Kicking off Wednesday, October 15th, we'll be accepting denim donations at Red Square.

You can also donate denim throughout the month of October at drop-off locations on or around the Seattle UW Campus. The drive will end Friday, October 31st.

All denim materials are accepted, even those with rhinestones or other decorative items, colored denim, and denim scraps.

Drop-off locations will include:

• Odegaard Undergraduate Library (OUGL)
• Husky Union Building (HUB)
• North side of 45th & 17th
• Communications Building

To read more about our partnership with Access Cotton and information about their non-profit "From Blue to Green" denim drive campaign, please visit http://www.accesscotton.com/Cotton-Blue-To-Green/.

For directions on how to get to these drop-off boxes or for any inquiries regarding the drive, please e-mail uwprssa [at] gmail.com or prssa [at] u.washington.edu.

Help families displaced by Hurricane Katrina and Gustav rebuild their lives. Donate your old denim this October.

Our website has been reactivated after a summer-long hiatus.

Officers and members, please mark your calendars for our next meeting on Tuesday, October 7th at 6:30 p.m. in Suzzalo. This will be about the Denim Drive.

Our next official officer and member meeting is Thursday, October 9th at 6:30 p.m. in COM 126. Mark this on your calendars.

More updates will come shortly.

We are having a mandatory meeting at the Tandoor Restaurant Monday, July 28th at 5 p.m.

Tandoor is located at 5024 University Way. For more information, please visit their website at Tandoor Indian Restaurant.

We will be discussing the National Conference, which is right around the corner.

Please push back other committments for this date.

See you all there!

Campus U is hiring PRSSA members for a Universal Pictures film promotions internship.

The promotion company (which is actually its own division within the Universal Pictures Marketing department) started in September 2006 and is designed to take advantage of peer-to-peer marketing at top college campuses across the country.

So far, it's been a huge success for the past two years among campus representatives.

If interested, please download the files listed below for more information about the program and how to apply.

Please send completed documents to meghan.brattin@nbcuni.com.

UW PRSSA is getting a fresh face lift in only one more day! Design inspired by nodethirtythree who contributed their layout on Open Source Web Design.

Please submit any bugs, broken links, or errors to uwprssa@gmail.com.