Tip Of The Week: Prep For PR

Welcome Back to Tip Tuesday! Every Tuesday in July, JMU PRSSA will be highlighting our best tips that you can use to help build your knowledge in Public Relations and become more engaged within the industry. As we inch forward toward the new semester, it is essential to understand how we can begin to prepare for the new school year as aspiring PR professionals.

Research The Different Paths In PR You Can Take

In the prior Tip Tuesday blog post, we discussed the importance of researching to find which PR path fits you best to better network. While this can be helpful in networking, researching can also help find out which courses or even which concentration can help you to dig deeper into whichever interest you would like to be involved in. The SCOM website has great resources and information about the different concentrations and courses offered as well.

Take Advantage Of Your Resources

Whether you are a freshman or a rising senior, there is always something new you can learn from your professors and advisors. JMU has set up an institution built upon helpful resources that are easily accessible. By speaking to these advisors and/or professors, you can build your knowledge by hearing many first-hand accounts of being in the industry or knowing different instances in the industry that may help you determine the path you would like to take within your education.

Set Goals For Yourself

After having discussions with the people around you, networking, and using your resources, come up with a plan of goals you would like to set for yourself that will help you become well versed in PR. For example, maybe it is taking a new course that you may be interested in or setting up a time to talk to JMU alumni you met on LinkedIn. By slowly building up the small short-term goals you have for yourself, you can begin to explore what your long-term goals may look like once leaving college.

Find Your Passion and Run With It

PR is not easy! It takes a lot of dedication and a lot of hard work but it also takes passion. You must be passionate about what you do in PR or else you will not enjoy the work you do. So when researching and networking, figure out your WHY. Find out WHY you decided to take this path and continue to run with it. Your passion will always stand out to the people you find yourself connecting with in this industry and it will be the thing that makes you the most successful.