Student Relations
Nashville PRSA is dedicated to helping advance the education and professional development of public relations students. We offer the following outreach programs to students involved in the PRSSA chapters at Middle Tennessee State University, Belmont University, Lipscomb University and Austin Peay State University.
PRSA Annual Scholarship
We are now accepting applications for the $2,000 PRSA Nashville student scholarship that is awarded annually to a public relations student who demonstrates academic excellence, campus service and professionalism in the practice of public relations.
With an open, competitive process, the recipient will be selected by the Young Professionals Committee. The selection will be based on the criteria outlined in the document below and finalists will serve as hosts and be recognized at the 2010 Parthenon Awards banquet on April 28, 2010.
The deadline for the 2010 scholarship application is Friday, April 16, 2010.
View the Scholarship Criteria and/or the Scholarship Application.
PRSA Luncheon Sponsors
Nashville PRSA will sponsor a student for the first PRSA luncheon that he/she attends. This involves paying for the cost of the student’s lunch and having a member sit with them during the program if possible. Attending a PRSA luncheon is an invaluable networking and learning experience for students. Subsequent lunches are $30 for students.
Internship Directory
If your company or organization has established an internship program for public relations students, we can help you publicize the internship in our internship directory. This service is only available to PRSA member companies. The directory will be distributed to local universities.
FOR PRSA MEMBERS ONLY
Any PRSA member who is interested in participating in one or more of these programs should contact Lauren Reed at lreed@perituspr.com.
Student Relations News & Events
“Landing That First Job”
By Heather Schablik, Account Executive
Katcher Vaughn & Bailey Public Relations
Senior year of college is definitely the most stressful. In addition to the normal tests and papers that define college education, there seems to be an ominous cloud of uncertainty hovering on the horizon – the real world. And as the days and weeks tick away and graduation grows closer, you lose count of the number of times you hear the question “What are you doing after graduation?”
As much as everyone would love to hear there is one no-fail approach toward getting a job after graduation, the fact remains that such a trick is non-existent. For most college graduates, the thought of finding that perfect job is like finding a needle in a haystack. However, there are some basic rules that, when followed, can make the job search process a little less painful.
- Start early –The best advice is to start early. No employer is going to penalize you for showing initiative and getting your name in front of them before anyone else. This is definitely a case in which the early birds land the best jobs.
- Put your best foot forward . . . on paper. Every PR student has, at some point in his or her educational career, created a resume for a class or internship. Now is the time to take that resume and perfect it. Have a teacher or past employer critique it, and be prepared for some constructive criticism. Resumes aren’t just documentations of past jobs and GPAs – they are a first impression which can determine whether or not you get called in for an interview. Also, prepare a portfolio with writing samples that you can present to potential employers. A resume can speak volumes, but writing samples go even further. In the PR field, the thing that differentiates the good candidates from the great ones is their writing skills.
- Practice makes perfect – This rule applies to many aspects of the job search. First, if you have the opportunity to do an internship take it. If you have the opportunity to do two or three, even better. If you have the chance to do a couple in different areas of PR, perfect! Internships give you valuable hands-on experience that you cannot get anywhere else. Also, almost all universities have a career placement center – take advantage of the mock interviews they offer. I’ve yet to meet anyone who has had the perfect interview the first time they walked into an office, so get that “dress rehearsal” out of the way before you ever step foot in the door.
- Do your homework –Unfortunately, homework doesn’t end when you graduate. Before you go into an interview, research the company and learn as much as you can about them – when they were founded, who the management team is, what their corporate mission is, and some of their clients or more notable projects. Also, have at least two good questions prepared ahead of time to ask them, and make sure they reflect the research you’ve done.
- Don’t give up – There is nothing more frustrating than interviewing for a job, thinking it went really well, and finding out that you didn’t get it. Best advice on how to handle the situation? Talk to the interviewer and ask for constructive criticism – what did they like, what didn’t they like, why did they choose the person they hired. Be prepared to hear both positives and negatives about yourself. Most employers will be impressed you even thought to ask. Next step – don’t give up. Learn from the experience and use that knowledge in your next interview.
There are no easy solutions to bridging the gap between the classroom and the office, and as the public relations major grows in popularity across the nation, so does the competition for entry-level positions. Just remember to be prepared and be yourself, and the rest is going to fall into place. In the meantime, take advantage of every opportunity to get experience through internships, PRSSA or other extracurricular activities. When it comes down to comparing two PR graduates, you want to be the one that shines through as the most qualified one.
Heather Buckner graduated in May 2001 and joined Katcher Vaughn & Bailey upon graduation. Katcher Vaughn & Bailey Communications is a full-service public relations firm specializing in media relations, corporate communications, public affairs and issues management.
