Blogging the News

Resume

Before you start your internship search, make sure your resume is pristine. The smallest of spelling or grammar errors will immediately get your resume tossed. Spell check it, search for errors and then have ten other people do the same. Ask your professors, family members and friends to read it. The career services center at most universities is terrific for this. Now, as far as content goes, include anything at all relevant to public relations. If you do not have any internship experience whatsoever this your time to get creative (but never embellish!) Before I had any experience working in public relations I worked at a doctor’s office. Occasionally the staff members would have me write blog posts, social media posts, or create flyers. That little bit of experience gave me something to add to my resume as well as something to talk about in interviews. Also, remember that public relations requires writing skills! Join the school newspaper, or start a blog. These are both terrific things to have on a PR resume.

Cover Letter

The same rules apply. Check your spelling, and check it again. Aside from that, the best tip I have for cover letters is to make sure they are personalized. DO NOT send the same cover letter for every job you apply for. It is okay to create one basic cover letter and adjust it, but make sure you include something that is specific to the job. Tell them why you want to work for their company. Also, do not forget to address the letter to a specific person. Do your research. LinkedIn is your best friend.

The Search

My favorite Internship search tools are Internships.com and LinkedIn. Both of these websites post internships regularly. With Internships.com, you can upload your resume once and apply to internships in minutes. Simply search for an internship, click on the post, add an introduction/short cover letter and click send. This is great when searching for your first internship during a time where you likely want to apply to a large amount of companies and do not have very many options. I would not recommend this approach after your second or third Internship. Once you have interned a time or two, you earn the right to be a little bit selective. Make a list of the top 10 agencies for the specific niche you want to work in (Beauty, Fashion, Tech etc.) and search for internships at those agencies. LinkedIn is probably the most amazing career tool that is available to us, twenty-something’s. It has never been easier to network with firms, the people who work at those firms and people that have previously worked at those firms. I have found that recruiters and HR people are very open to chatting with students about potential opportunities. You can begin by searching for the company you want to work for, follow them and send a message to someone that works there.

The Interview

Once you have lined up a few interviews, it is time to do your homework. Never, ever go to an internship interview without researching the company. If it is a PR agency, research their clients, research the person that is interviewing you, and research company reviews. Many times previous employees will post reviews about what it was like to work for the company on Glassdoor.com. Another important thing to research is the company dress code. This will make a big difference in the way you dress for the interview. PR agencies typically have a casual dress code, but that does not mean you should wear sneakers and jeans to your interview. Business casual is typically the way to go for a PR internship interview. Also, remember to practice. Practice reciting your personal story, know your resume very well and have answers ready for some of the most common interview questions. Also, your work does not end after you leave the interview. The next step is to follow up with a thank you note or a thank you email. This should be sent within 24 hours of interviewing.

If you would like me to go into detail about anything mentioned above, please leave a comment and let me know!

Resume

Before you start your internship search, make sure your resume is pristine. The smallest of spelling or grammar errors will immediately get your resume tossed. Spell check it, search for errors and then have ten other people do the same. Ask your professors, family members and friends to read it. The career services center at most universities is terrific for this. Now, as far as content goes, include anything at all relevant to public relations. If you do not have any internship experience whatsoever this your time to get creative (but never embellish!) Before I had any experience working in public relations I worked at a doctor’s office. Occasionally the staff members would have me write blog posts, social media posts, or create flyers. That little bit of experience gave me something to add to my resume as well as something to talk about in interviews. Also, remember that public relations requires writing skills! Join the school newspaper, or start a blog. These are both terrific things to have on a PR resume.

Cover Letter

The same rules apply. Check your spelling, and check it again. Aside from that, the best tip I have for cover letters is to make sure they are personalized. DO NOT send the same cover letter for every job you apply for. It is okay to create one basic cover letter and adjust it, but make sure you include something that is specific to the job. Tell them why you want to work for their company. Also, do not forget to address the letter to a specific person. Do your research. LinkedIn is your best friend.

The Search

My favorite Internship search tools are Internships.com and LinkedIn. Both of these websites post internships regularly. With Internships.com, you can upload your resume once and apply to internships in minutes. Simply search for an internship, click on the post, add an introduction/short cover letter and click send. This is great when searching for your first internship during a time where you likely want to apply to a large amount of companies and do not have very many options. I would not recommend this approach after your second or third Internship. Once you have interned a time or two, you earn the right to be a little bit selective. Make a list of the top 10 agencies for the specific niche you want to work in (Beauty, Fashion, Tech etc.) and search for internships at those agencies. LinkedIn is probably the most amazing career tool that is available to us, twenty-something’s. It has never been easier to network with firms, the people who work at those firms and people that have previously worked at those firms. I have found that recruiters and HR people are very open to chatting with students about potential opportunities. You can begin by searching for the company you want to work for, follow them and send a message to someone that works there.

The Interview

Once you have lined up a few interviews, it is time to do your homework. Never, ever go to an internship interview without researching the company. If it is a PR agency, research their clients, research the person that is interviewing you, and research company reviews. Many times previous employees will post reviews about what it was like to work for the company on Glassdoor.com. Another important thing to research is the company dress code. This will make a big difference in the way you dress for the interview. PR agencies typically have a casual dress code, but that does not mean you should wear sneakers and jeans to your interview. Business casual is typically the way to go for a PR internship interview. Also, remember to practice. Practice reciting your personal story, know your resume very well and have answers ready for some of the most common interview questions. Also, your work does not end after you leave the interview. The next step is to follow up with a thank you note or a thank you email. This should be sent within 24 hours of interviewing.

If you would like me to go into detail about anything mentioned above, please leave a comment and let me know!

Mission Statement

My blog will be a fashion and beauty lifestyle blog. As this is a very broad topic, I have narrowed it down to a few specifics. For the fashion portion, my blog will include photos, advice articles, interviews targeted toward women in their twenties whom are in a similar place in their lives as I am. What I mean by this is I will write about fashion geared toward women in the early stages of their careers, ones that are transitioning from school to work life, ones that are interviewing for their first jobs or internships and ones that are on a limited budget. As for the beauty portion of my blog, I plan to include reviews of new makeup line launches, but I would also like to include a segment in which I review products from NYC based small brands. I would also like to interview experts in the field about trends and tips for the current season. As for the lifestyle portion I would love to write about my personal experiences with internships, working in PR for beauty brands, my search for my first job, my experience searching for my first apartment, tips etc.

The internet, is already saturated with fashion blogs, but I believe what sets mine apart is the target audience. My blog will not feature clothing items that are dramatically out of the price range for twenty-something year old women, as many do. However, I also plan on writing about career advice. I would love to learn as I go along and interview women and professionals that are more experienced than I am. My hope is that young women find my blog as a source for all things related to twenty-something life in New York City. The photos will be original, usually of me. It will include advice along with tips from someone experiencing all of the same life changes that most young women experience in their twenties. The blog will be heavily based on NYC life as I am experiencing these things in this city.

I was inspired by very many blogs that I read on a daily basis but the one that truly represents the niche blog that I am proposing is called KatiesBliss.com. This is a blog very similar to the one I plan to start. The blog posts are split into three main section. Beauty, Fashion and Life. This is what I plan to do as well. What I most enjoy about this blog is the very specific style. The blog feels informal, almost as if I am getting advice from a friend. The advice about life and career choices is also very real and not as formal as some I might read in a magazine. The clothing items posted are always age appropriate, well styled and always in the same style. The photos on the blog are clear, colorful and well edited. The format and design of the blog is clean, simplistic but also a bit feminine. This is exactly the look I would like my blog to have. I have found a few other blogs also written by girls working in PR on the subject of beauty, fashion and career advice but this one sticks out to me, because of the quality and voice.

What I hope makes my blog different from this one is features that she does not include. I have read many books of the subjects of public relations, starting a career as well as the beauty industry. I would love to write a few reviews on these books as well as summarize their main points. I would also like to include listicles, some examples might be “10 Items That Will Make a PR Girls Life Easier” or “How To Spot a PR Girl In The Wild”, “My favorite PR movies”, “My favorite PR girl twitter accounts” I would also like to profile makeup artists, small business owners working in PR, beauty and fashion. In an ideal world, I would include one post about career, one about beauty and one about fashion everyday or find a way to find all three or two out of three into one article every day.

As my blog is in the features category, it will not cover serious causes or events. The purpose is mainly to entertain. It is will also inform and provide a platform for discussion about the topics related to my posts. My other blog when it comes to this blog is to use it as a way to display my writing and learn how to become a better writer. I believe putting my work online, for all to see will inspire me to pay closer attention to my grammar, writing style and develop a personal voice. I am interested in a career in beauty product public relations, which involves plenty of writing. What better way to prove to my future employers that I am able to write about beauty and fashion than by being able to show proof of hundreds of posts? This will also showcase my interests in beauty brands.

Editorial Plan

Types of content

Frequency:
In an ideal world, I would post to my blog daily. 2-3 varied posts a day would be perfect. But, I am going to be realistic and shoot for 2x a week to begin.

Time:
I envision that it will take at least a few days to create one post. I have never blogged before but I imagine that taking photos, editing them, writing a post, editing it, gathering interviews and quotes does take at least a few days.

Post Ideas:
-How to get your first internship
-Mistakes twenty-something girls frequently make in the office
-What to wear to a PR job interview
-The perfect interview makeup look
-10 books every PR student should read
-Internship survival guide
-How to make fall fashion trends work appropriate

Interviews:
-Makeup artists
-PR Professionals
-PR Interns
-Fashion designers

Multimedia:
I plan on including original photos that I have taken, as well as YouTube video both original and unoriginal.

Social Media:
I would like to create social media accounts specifically dedicated to my blog. I would like to create an Instagram account, Twitter handle and Facebook account with the same username/handle as the name of my blog. I will use these accounts to supplement my blog posts.