August 4, 2008 11:41 am : Comments 000
What exactly is a “people person”? Boasted by many candidates vying to get into the public relations industry as their number one qualification, the phrase is really empty in meaning. Sure, in order to be good at PR you have to be confident and social, but in my past ten weeks at Starkman & Associates I have learned that there is much more to it.
As an English major at Holy Cross I have an innate fondness for the complexities of language. In Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, the two protagonists comment on the power of language when they say “Words, words. They’re all we have to go on.” If I have learned one thing from my internship this summer, it is the importance of words and how they can be both your greatest asset or your biggest threat. Words are the primary tool we use to interpret the world around us and at Starkman & Associates I believe that good writing is the foundation of our business.
From press releases to website content, a large part of my responsibilities over the course of my internship have involved writing. Whereas in the English papers I write back at Holy Cross I can cover up a bad idea or statement with fancy language, PR writing strips language to its bare minimum, leaving no room to hide. PR writing is not about how many SAT words you can use in a sentence, but rather how clearly and effectively you can communicate your ideas. In PR writing, less is always more.
In the wake of the Bear Stearns scandal, I have learned that for better or worse every word counts. From the way one talks to clients on the phone to the way emails sent throughout the office during the day are worded, you have to be ready to be held accountable for everything you say or write. Being able to anticipate how the person at the other end is going to interpret your words is very important. Does this fall under the qualifications of being a people person? Perhaps, but the point is that you cannot simply get by in this industry only with charm.
Although my experience in this field is limited, I have discovered a common trait amongst the people I work with and that is their inability to settle. This company could throw out catchy press releases or become complacent with the success their clients have already had, but that is not the case. The true PR individual is always striving to learn more and do more. They find the most creative project to recently have been done and they find a way to top it.
According to the Public Relations Society of America “public relations helps an organization and its public adapt mutually to each other”. This description is aligned with the views of Edward Louis Bernays, one of the “founding fathers” of PR. PR firms and the media must reach a half-way point in which one does not impose their own ideas upon the other. PR therefore is largely about compromise.
While I do not claim to be an expert, I can say that my time at Starkman & Associates has revealed the public relations industry to be a challenging and exciting world in which only the ambitious will survive.
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August 1, 2008 8:33 am : Comments 001
Among the many reasons I think so highly of my colleagues here at S&A is that they have all advanced themselves professionally by the sheer strength of their talent, enthusiasm, and strong work ethic, not by their ability to play the “corporate politics” game. While it is commonly said that 20 percent of employees do 80 percent of the work within any organization, that is most definitely not the case here. Every member of the S&A team is in full swing well before most companies’ employees are just clocking in for the day.
Given the high performance bar that these employees set, S&A can be a rather daunting place to work, especially for a college junior. Our exacting internal standards coupled with the sophisticated client projects we undertake and the mach speed at which we often work can tax the most ambitious college student. Understandably, we don’t expect our interns to keep up with the pace. We simply expect that they truly partner with us to make their internship a meaningful learning experience.
As I’ve written before, we participate in an internship program by Holy Cross that has been an incredible experience for us. We learned of Holy Cross’ internship program through one of their graduates that we had hired. It’s a rather novel approach – we provide the learning opportunity and, as long as there is a Holy Cross grad on staff, the school’s alumni organization takes care of paying the intern’s seasonal stipend. Every Holy Cross student and graduate that has walked through our door has vastly exceeded our expectations. This summer was no exception.
We had the distinct pleasure to work this summer with Kaitlyn Curley, who became a critical member of our team almost from the moment she arrived. Kaitlyn doesn’t just seek to perform tasks – she strives to understand the rationale behind them, to identify trends, to spot parallels. Her analytical skills are quite impressive. As a result, Ms. Curley took on considerably more responsibility than we anticipated with amazingly little direction.
Kaitlyn has a great work ethic. She always arrived on time and often worked well beyond her designated departure time to finish her projects, even when they weren’t due for another day or two. When given assignments, she would take copious notes and ask insightful questions to ensure she had what she needed to complete the task with exceptional speed, accuracy, and proficiency. We never saw Kaitlyn websurfing, talking to friends, or working on personal matters while on “company time.”
To say that Kaitlyn is quiet is an understatement. She is one of those people who you never know quite what they are thinking and, like my colleagues Jackie and Jeff, can keep her opinions and emotions VERY close to the proverbial vest. I also know that she plays lacrosse, as I caught her one night trying to quietly sneak past my door in her field attire. Although Kaitlyn is slight of build, I strongly suspect she is a terror with a lacrosse stick. You know what they say about the quiet ones – they’re always the ones you have to watch out for!
Today is Kaitlyn’s last day with us, and we are all noticeably disappointed for it. We will miss her spirit, her great work, her strong ideas, her fresh enthusiasm, and her company. Good luck in school this year, Kaitlyn, and don’t forget to call us first when looking for your first full-time job. It would be our great honor to have you back on board.
I’ve often wondered if Holy Cross makes its students great or if it simply has a knack for attracting great students. Regardless, I’m impressed how everyone I’ve met from this well-respected institution is intellectually well-rounded and inculcated with enviable values and discipline. If anyone knows of a Holy Cross graduate interested in initiating or continuing their career in public relations, please send them our way.
Let’s just say that résumés with Holy Cross on them tend to move to the top of the pile at S&A.
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August 10, 2007 11:16 am : Comments 004
In May, Fortune ran an article about the proper care and feeding of so-called Generation Y employees. Bruce Tulgan, the founder of “leading generational-research firm” RainmakerThinking is quoted saying that “this is the most high-maintenance workforce in the history of the world.” Hyperbole aside, it seems that someone forgot to tell that to the students and graduates of the College of the Holy Cross.
For the past few years, our agency has participated in an internship program offered by Holy Cross that has worked out remarkably well for us. Not only do we get top-notch students with a keen interest in learning rather than just fulfilling their academic requirements, Holy Cross covers the cost as long as we have a graduate on staff. That perk is just one of many benefits for employing Senior Associate Anthony, aka “Mr. Fire Hazard” (the ever-growing pile of discarded newspapers and magazines on the floor surrounding his desk must be seen to be believed). I also hear he can get us a good deal on Boar’s Head mortadella, but that’s another story for another blog.
The Holy Cross interns we’ve had here have been truly outstanding. Without exception, they have been extremely hard-working, eager to impress, and quick to embrace any challenge. We’ve been extremely impressed with their writing and analytical abilities, as well as their level of intellectual curiosity and engagement. They always showed up for work on time, often well before they were expected. It’s become abundantly clear to us that Holy Cross students are a cut above.
But hey, don’t take my word for it. For some additional insight into Holy Cross, I highly recommend Diane Brady’s story in BusinessWeek last March on the lasting influence a compassionate and visionary Jesuit priest named Fr. John Brooks has had on several prominent African-Americans who attended Holy Cross during the Age of Aquarius. One of the people Brady profiles is Stan Grayson of M.R. Beal & Co, who is both a client and a valued friend.
When Brian Giapponi, our Holy Cross intern this summer, first showed up two months ago, he walked into an office of people with extremely high expectations of him. He can thank the performance of the Holy Cross juniors and seniors who previously sat in his cubicle for that welcoming gift. Simply put, he rose to the challenge of their “beat that, newbie” legacies head on and upped the ante for next summer’s intern in the process.
Brian had spent the 2006-2007 academic year studying in Scotland (needless to say, he and Jackie quickly bonded over recollections of haggis, Edinburgh’s architecture, and the stunning vistas of the Scottish countryside). Less than a week after stepping off the plane, he showed up at our office, eager to learn about public relations. He immediately established himself as a valuable member of the S&A team.
Brian is wickedly smart, doggedly determined, extremely gracious, and the true embodiment of a team player – just like his mentor Anthony, who along with Meghann, our director of client services, immediately recognized Brian’s talent via his communications with our office while he was still overseas.
Brian gave us his all � and then some. He frequently showed up early and stayed an hour or two beyond quitting time to finish up work that could have waited until the morning. A Master Googler, he was also a quick study on the myriad PR-specific research services we subscribe to, always delivering on research requests with speed and precision. He is a good sport and took the occasional ribbing well. He was always smiling, always happy to lend a hand, always eager to learn something new.
Today is Brian’s last day with us as he will be heading back to Holy Cross in a few weeks for his senior year. It is our great hope that he has been bitten deep enough by the PR bug to rejoin us after graduation. Regardless of the career path he chooses, he will be incredibly successful and any employer would be lucky to have him.
Brian, you’ve done Holy Cross proud and we will miss you.
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