Advice from Professionals: College to Career

by McKenna Burns
PRSSA Chapter president, Ferris State University

The WMPRSA hosts Third Thursdays, a monthly professional development opportunity for PRSSA students. In these interactive panel discussions, local PRSA professionals offer career insights and answer questions from area university students.

In March 2022, our panelists were  Andrea Clark, APR, Director of Communications at Kellogg Company, Angela Klinske, Senior Director at Lambert, and Avery Jones, associate with Lambert. In April, our panelists were Amy LeFebre, Senior Director at Truscott Rossman, Andria Romkema, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications at the Right Place, Inc., and Grace Swanson, Communications Associate at West Michigan Center for Arts & Technology.

McKenna Burns, PRSSA chapter president at Ferris State, attended both sessions and provides these insights.

During this academic year, I made it a priority to attend WMPRSA Third Thursday panels. I could depend on Third Thursdays for genuine conversations with PR professionals, who offered advice on how to successfully start a communications career. The Third Thursday panels are a great way to network, too.

In the last two Third Thursdays, important themes emerged for those of us students who are nearing the end of their educational career and the beginning of a workplace career:  

It’s Okay to Explore Career Options

Sometimes it can be really stressful if you don’t know what you want to do yet. You watch your friends go to school to be a welder, doctor, teacher. How do you describe to them that you might not know what you want your job title to be? This can be scary but the easiest way to overcome this is to just start. Corporate, agency, healthcare, sports, non-profit--whatever it may be, take a leap! Don’t be afraid to dip your toes in the water. Find what you love to do even though it might not be what comes around first.

Network, Network, Network

Networking is extremely important. Introduce yourself, ask questions, keep in touch, and make those connections. Networking may feel intrusive at times, but that's okay! When networking, follow up with your contacts. After contacting a future employer, coworker, mentor, or any other professional, thank them for their time, and don’t just send the same email to everyone! Emails should be tailored and personalized, which makes you a more memorable and personable candidate.

Expand Your Skill Set, Become An Intern

An internship helps you learn firsthand. You can note your likes and dislikes, add to your skillset, and expand your field knowledge. This is where all the practice finally comes into play. To land a fulfilling internship, make sure that you have an error-free writing sample on hand, a resume customized to your desired position, and knowledge of the employer/position. Keep in mind you’re interviewing them as well. You want to put yourself into a workplace that is a comfortable fit for yourself and your values. If you find yourself possibly stuck in an intern position that you dislike, do not see this as a missed opportunity. Use this as a time to learn what could be done differently, what you would do differently, and build your resume. Nothing is a waste here.

Be Tech-Savvy

With the recent switch to online professional communication, you may have interviews onscreen instead of at an office. This is where you must keep in mind to “zoom as if you’re in the same room.” It’s important with online communication to keep your interactions engaging and do not get distracted. With the amount of hybrid communication now, your future communications work may also have to be online. Show your employer that you can easily change between communication mediums of communication, which is an important employee skill set.

Stay Stubborn

The key takeaway and theme that I was able to pull from these sessions is to be resilient. Have the soft skills and find someone or someplace where you can be trained in the hard skills. Find help along the way, and ask questions. Find what you love and go for it. In my undergraduate program at Ferris State University, we have a motto in the Public Relations program, “do anything, go anywhere.” I always found it hard to believe that quote, but after hearing from one professional after the other about how you must find your passion and be driven enough to chase it, it becomes an easy-to-believe statement. You can’t center your focus around finding the perfect job right off the bat. It’s likely not going to work, and that is okay. Start getting to know yourself, getting to know what makes you tick, what helps you find that motivation. Find the mentors that help you grow your skills and never stop learning from them. Absorb information like a sponge from every opportunity possible. Learn, transition, grow, but more importantly have fun, and make yourself fulfilled and happy.