Be consistent, not boring

Building a personal brand means being consistent. But that, is common sense. The real trick, is being consistent but not being boring. 

Don’t sound like  broken record. We get it, you’re qualified for XYZ. You can’t focus on one area, or just one part of your personality to brand. The goal: to constantly reveal a different part about yourself that still reflects exactly who you are in the light you want to be seen in. 

An easy way to do this, is to keep a personal blog. Creating a personal blog gives your audience a true insight to who you are. The best part, is that you pick which parts you want them to know and read about yourself. 

Because you are the author, it is your choice what you reveal about yourself. So choose wisely. And remember, do not be repetitive. Use your blog to be creative and create your own buzz. For help on how to create a successful job, check out this blog post. 

The evolution of “catfish”

Tonight I headed to the OUAB event “Catfish on Campus”.  The event was lead by the host of the hit MTV show Catfish. The show is a spinoff of a documentary where the host was a victim of being “catfished”. A catfish is now defined by urban dictionary as A catfish is someone who pretends to be someone they’re not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances. What Nev later explained, is that the term “Catfish” really is the appreciation of people who think a little differently.

There were so many people actively participating during the event live tweeting. Using the twitter handles @OUAB, @NevSchulman, and the hashtag #CatfishonCampus the audience tweeted about the advice given by speaker Nev Schulman.

Instead of focusing entirely on what being catfished means, Nev took the opportunity to tell his story of growing up and how he ended up as the host of a TV shows. It all starts with his development with relationships.

By nature, Nev revealed his biggest philosophy on successful relationships. It was simple. “Be Brutally Honest with yourself. Find people who are willing do the same.” Surround yourself with honest people was the message.

He then moved on to talk about the power of being kind and surrounding yourself with talented people who motivate you to be better. Nev provided great examples of good PR practices. We are in the business of relationships. Being honest, kind, and making the right connections are all great practices in PR.

It seems that the majority of Nev’s success, came from positive personal PR.

Setting the standard (for yourself)

Building a brand image for positive PR is more than just a snap decision. It requires a process, hence the word “build”.

Although I’ve already given some starting tips on how to create positive PR for yourself, this post marks the start of a segment on steps to build your own personal brand image.  

Step one: Set goals 

 

There are plenty of resources available to help set goals. The power of goal setting is used as a setup for success.  

One of the most important steps to building your personal brand is setting goals. It is not as simple as just choosing how you would like to be perceived by others. You must think about how would you like to be perceived by your audience, and set goals to make this perception a reality. 

First, think about what you want your audience to associate you with. Think about what you stand for, and how to portray this through PR. Then set your goal around these associations and image you want to portray. 

Make sure the goals are reasonable and measurable. For example, your goal could be to create a website about yourself to give an audience a deeper understanding of who you are. You would then create a progress report on steps you take to finish the website. 

Goal setting can be a great way to set yourself up for personal PR success. It is the foundation for building a personal brand.

Hashtags and Health Professionals

Today, I participated in my very first Twitter chat. The assignment was to find a Twitter chat in your related field of study. For me, this means healthcare.

Marketing and public relations are a part of my skill sets, but the healthcare field is my passion. That being said, the two are not mutually exclusive. Marketing and PR in recent years have played a large role in hospitals and the healthcare field. Services as well as good business practices need to be promoted to be successful, even in a high demanded field. 

The tweet chat I took a part of was a community called #HCLDR. This community meets on Twitter every Tuesday night from 8:30-9 p.m.  to talk about different opinions or feelings about areas in the healthcare industry. The chat is monitored by the @HCLDR handle which posted three topics for discussion for the massive tweet chat. 

There were so many participants in the chat it blew my mind. Over 5 different countries were represented, and that is only from the chats I saw.  I felt a strong sense of community amongst the regular attendees. Although it was my first time, I was welcomed by one of the founders of the tweet chat, Lisa Fields. 

The Twitter handle that monitored the chat laid down guidelines for respect. The handle acknowledged that the thoughts were from individuals, not companies or practices and everyone was entitled to an opinion. I was worried that there would be heavy opinions during the chat, but the majority of the tweets were agreeing and encouraging words from one health professional to the other. The following questions were asked during the chat. 

Topic 1: What healthcare innovations or discoveries are you most thankful for and why? (ex: penicillin, insulin, CT scanner) #HCLDR
Topic 2: What can we, as healthcare leaders, do to encourage innovation at work & in the healthcare community? #HCLDR

Here are a few of my responses to the questions above:

 

The positive energy from the chat gave me confidence in my industry of choice. The whole reason behind the chat, is to remind healthcare professionals why they love where they work and how to connect with professionals across the country and globe. What a great way to promote your personal thoughts. Feeling #teamblessed to have participated in this chat.

You’ve got mail

Communication has drastically changed over the past 20 years. In the world of PR, it is all about mastering all forms of communication. In the work place and the classroom, e-mail is one of the most common forms to communicate.

Whatever profession or field you may go into, chances are you will be using e-mail to communicate with others. This means it is crucial to master writing an effective e-mail.  E-mail is often the first impression a co-worker or client will have of you.  Communicating your ideas clearly can be tricky, but if done correctly will give you credibility in the work place.

Tips for Positive PR through e-mail

1.) Use an appropriate subject. Never leave the subject field blank. The subject should be relevant, and no longer than about 5-6 words. Do not make the subject vague. The goal is to persuade the reader to open the message.

2.) Know your audience. This seems to be a reoccurring theme for PR. When writing an e-mail, it is important to know your relationship with the reader and the appropriate tone to use through an e-mail. If you have never worked with the individual before, you may want to be even more polite and formal than usual.

3.) Do not treat an e-mail like a personal conversation. Although it may seem like an e-mail is a private conversation, the forward button erases any sense of privacy via e-mail. Be aware of the information you are sending, and make sure that e-mail is the right channel to use.

4.) Proofread, Proofread, Proofread, and then Proofread again. Like mentioned before, this is your first impression. Take the time to perfect the message grammatically. Grammar errors could be the quickest way to lose credibility.

Although an e-mail seems like a simple way to communicate, it is important to keep these tips in mind.

For more information about how to write an effective E-mail check out click here.

Personal PR everyday

Today, I went to class in a rather casual outfit. I wore a long sleeve sweater, jeans, and flats.  For me, this is rather dressed up for class. When I started to think about how I was dressed, I realized how many impressions are made about a person simply by what they wear. 

I pass by hundreds of students, professors, and other people on campus each day. Although the majority of these people I don’t know personally, they probably got an impression of me by the way I was dressed. 

Personal PR means being to communicate to the right audience who you are. With this in mind, it is important to take each day to take a step back to understand your audience. You represent yourself each day. You also More than yourself, you represent the student organizations you belong to, the University you attend, and the family you’re from. 

Just like in any forms of writing, it’s important to keep a clear consistent voice across channels. When you’re going to class, be aware of your peers and teachers as they are your audience. What you say, how you participate, and your physical appearance are all opportunities to promote yourself in a positive way. 

In a lot of ways, you are how you appear to be. Susan M. Heathfield talks about the importance of your image in communication and networking. So remember your audience in each situation, and communicate yourself effectively.

Social Media Meltdown

As a young twenty-something I am confident that I am comfortable using social media. However comfortable I may be, I have yet to master the art of using social media for positive PR.

I think all college kids go through struggles with using social media in one way or another. In high school, social media was just a means to keep in touch with friends and share our lives with the world. Now, it is used for both personal and professional reasons.

If you’re like me, you’ve had at least one or two social media meltdowns. It’s an outlet that can easily be interpreted in a wrong or misleading way. In the world of public relations, promoting yourself to the world is a tricky task.

Thankfully, there are plenty of tools and resources to help clean up your social media worries. The first tool to use in steps toward social media cleanup is www.simplewash.com . Simplewash is designed to look at both facebook and twitter to bring questionably inappropriate comments, statuses, tweets and photos posted associated with your profile to your attention.

Many people our age have separate accounts for his or her professional and personal lives. This tactic is often used to ensure content is appropriate for a specific audience. Due to differences in personal and professional lives, this tactic often helps people clean up their social media personality.

Although there are differences in personal and private lives, it is important to keep a common voice across all channels and profiles. The content may be different, but it is crucial to remember that professional or personal, you are only one person. You cannot be more than one person, so make your voice consistent to promote yourself positively.

What do you mean I’m a senior?

It feels surreal that four years ago I started my college journey.  Although I don’t want it to end, I have come to terms that it is time to start thinking about life after college.

Sure it’s always been in the back of my mind, the whole “career” thing. I was just having too much fun to think about becoming a (gasp) real person.   In reality, it’s the premise for why I’m here paying for an education in the first place. The more I think about it, the more excited I am to put everything I have learned to work.

However, before I can get too excited about starting my dream job, I need to search for it. The idea of job searching for a full-time career can sound daunting and exhausting. There is no doubt in my mind that competition for entry-level positions intensifies each year. The number of qualified college graduates to do the job makes me feel lost in a higher-education school of fish. So the question of the hour (quite literally): how do I stand out among my also talented peers?

Well, I’ve begun the process and it seems like one big chance to put my pubic relations skills to use. Here is some advice on how to properly promote yourself during your job search.

1.) Use Key words in your resume
It’s no surprise that the internet has made the job search process much easier. However, it may be easy for a resume to be lost among a stack of electronic resumes. To search through this stack, most companies will use key words to filter the qualified and not qualified (or at least in their eyes). Take a moment to think of strong action verbs or adjectives a recruiter may look for. Some words to consider may be “leadership” or “multi-tasked”. It is also important to consider the industry of the job you are applying.  For example, an ad agency may look for key words such as “designed”.

2.) Know your strenghts

The most important tool to promote yourself, is understanding your skill set. There is no way to create good PR without knowing what you’re good at, knowing when you’ve displayed these strengths. Sell the recruiter not only on what you’ve done, but who you are and how these two match up. Unsure of your strengths? There are plenty of resources like StrengthsFinder to help you pin point those key strengths.
3.) Network, network, network

In an impersonal digital online based job search, knowing or meeting a person in the company face to face is increasingly valuable. Use your school’s resources to connect with recruiters at job fairs. Attend as many information sessions about the company as possible. Reach out to friends and family to see what contacts you may have to land you that first job.

4.) Don’t settle

Okay, so you may not get your dream job right out of college. It’s important to be realistic, but don’t jump at just any job. Your first job out of college may be the most important job you take. It will be a place where you’ll master failure and develop your foundation.This blog agrees with me.

So relax, take a deep breath. (I need to take my own advice). The job search process isn’t as scary as it might seem. Just a little personal PR, and you’ll have them convinced you’re the best candidate for the job.

Buckeyes, Dogs, and Hot Sauce: These are a few of my favorite things.

Welcome to Personal PR by Krista! A personal blog about current events in a twenty-something-year-old’s world with an focus on public relations.

For my first post, I want to give my readers a little background about myself.  My name is Krista. I am a senior (please hire me) at The Ohio State University studying Business and Professional writing. Born and bread an Ohio girl, I call Cincinnati my home where my two beautiful Australian Shepherd pups (pictured below), parents, and older brother live.

I’ve spent the last four years obsessing over the buckeyes, falling in love with new friends, and putting an excessive amount of hot sauce on every thing I eat. College means the best of times and the busiest of times. As I try to sort out what I want to do with the rest of my life, I am blessed for my experiences during my college career.

Two summers ago I interned with McGraw-Hill Education in the marketing operations department. My junior year of college I worked twenty hours a week as a communications intern with University Communications here on campus. Last summer, I spent two months in Sydney, Australia where I studied, traveled, and interned with a medical device company. Currently, I am a marketing  intern for OhioHealth.

Through my experiences inside and outside of the classroom, I am constantly reminded of the importance of public relations in the business world. Being able to communicate ideas clearly to an audience is a life-long skill that I am constantly working to master. No matter what profession, nor what field, communication is essential. That is the theme of all my future posts.

My personal field of interest is healthcare. Often an industry looked over on the business side, I’m excited to share my experiences as a marketing and communications intern for a healthcare system.

Now that you all know a little bit about myself, feel free to follow me on my communications journey.