_ By: Sofia Jesani
Major: Pre-Journalism/advertising, '14, pursuing Spanish minor and New Media Certificate
Twitter: @sofiaj91

At our first PRSSA meeting this spring, we had the opportunity to hear from a pair of excellent speakers from Communications 21®, a full-service, integrated marketing public relations and interactive firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Karla Slocumb and Teleen Anderson Lozano joined us to give us the dirt on getting the job you want, what to do at an interview and how to start building your resume now!

Slocumb, whose focus is developing special events, marketing strategies and media relations tactics for a variety of industries, stressed the importance of having social media experience. She pointed out that adding some blog posts or even a link to your blog can add so much more value to you resume. When asked about interviewing prospective employees for her company, Slocumb exclaimed, “You would be surprised how many people can’t write a tweet!” Now, more than ever, social media and internship experience is vital. Lazano and Slocumb gave us the do’s and don’ts while going about the interview process and obtaining the perfect internship:

_What to do before an interview (you would be surprised how much this actually matters!)

• Research the company thoroughly
• Make sure your LinkedIn profile is updated!- “If you’re not on LinkedIn, you should be.” - Slocumb
• Ask who you are going to be talking to because it may not be the person you might have spoken on the phone with
• Ask where you need to go and what time to arrive- “Get there a little bit early but not too early-it’s terrible when they get there too early!”-Slocumb
• Bring copies of your resume and writing samples
• Dress for the job! Remember, you want them to recognize you not by what you wore that day but what you and your resume brought to the table.- “One time, a girl wore bright green nail polish and that’s all we could remember her by.” –Slocumb
  

At the interview

•  “Be genuine with your responses and don’t be afraid to brag on yourself.” – Lazano
• Ask questions!!! Come prepared with at least ten good questions.  This proves that you actually care about the job.
  

Some good examples are:

1.     What is a typical day at the office like?

2.     What is the company culture like?

3.     What is your favorite thing about working here?

After the interview

• Send personalized thank you notes to each person that interviewed you
• If you do not hear back, keep applying to other jobs!
  

If you have any further questions to ask Karla or Telleen, you can visit the communications 21 website, or email them directly below at the email addresses below. We hope to see you at our next meeting on February 1.

Karla: kdempsey@c21pr.com

Telleen: tanderson@c21pr.com