Advice

Putting the PR in Prepared: Alum Jacky Yoo

By Taren Henry

George Mason Alumni, CUM LAUDE BA Honors Communication with a concentration in PR and minor in Sport Communication
Year: 2012
Hometown: Vienna, Virginia

Throughout our college careers we are told what we need to do to make ourselves more prepared and marketable for life after college. Whether it’s because of age, gender, differences in job markets, or sociological background, it seems like we are always getting this advice from someone that we cannot really relate to. George Mason Alumni and former student body Vice President Jacky Yoo, tries to fill that void for Mason students by sharing her journey from college to the “real world.” She not only exposes some challenges she faced as she got ready for graduation, but she also highlights a variety of programs, organizations, and resources that she took advantage of during her undergrad years. Jacky hopes that through sharing her story, that Mason students will become more aware of the opportunities provided on campus and use them to their advantage.

 What did you do during college to gain experience for your field?

“I studied abroad to England for public relations, had an internship with a public relations agency, an internship with the Director of Communication for Mason’s Athletics Department, was the Assistant Director of Advertising for the Office of Student Media,  had an internship with ESPN, worked a couple of government conferences with an events company, I was an officer for Lambda Pi Eta National Communications Honor Society and through that, had the opportunity to work and attend the National Communication Association’s National conference in New Orleans, did public relations and outreach work for Student Government, and I participated in Public Relation Student Society of America’s (PRSSA) informational sessions and opportunities.”

What other things were you involved with on campus before you graduated?

“I began getting involved the first semester of my freshman year and participated in Fall Rush for Pan-Hellenic Council. I joined a sorority then wanted to do more, so I joined International Justice Mission (IJM), Amnesty International, Students Helping Honduras, Patriot Leader, became an Resident Advisor, MasonLIFE, LEAD Team, LeaderShape, LeaderShape Student Leader, School Of Embodied Leadership (SOEL), Peer Advisor, Student Transition Empowerment Program (STEP) Mentor, Program Board, VA 21, Korean Student Association, Anointed Voices of Unity gospel choir, Rotaract club, completed my honors research project, and Student Government.”

What were some challenges you faced as it got closer to graduation. How was applying for jobs? What jobs did you apply for?

“I didn’t apply for grad school but if I were to go back to school, I would go to law school for something like entertainment or sports law. I applied for jobs ranging from entertainment public relations, sports public relations, marketing, advertising, sales, and event management positions. Applying for jobs is not something I don’t look forward to doing. Ask anyone and you’ll be lucky to find someone who enjoys putting themselves out to be judged solely off of a single-sided piece of paper. Although this may be true, when you finally land that job you’ve been eyeing, the feeling is worth all the work and stress in the end.  

Is there anything you wish you would have done before you graduated to help you get a job after undergrad?

“I wish I had built stronger networks with people outside of Mason. While at school I focused so much on building networks and working with people on campus that I didn’t have as strong of a network in the corporate world where as at this point, it really counts for my . The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that 70% of people got their job through someone they know and let me tell you that through my experience, it’s more like 99%...”

What are you currently doing? Does it tie back to any networks you made in college during undergrad?

“I’m currently a Business Development and Marketing Fellow at Hill and Knowlton Strategies in the D.C. office. My good friend invited me to a public relations fair where we had to submit our resumes beforehand so the companies could select who they wanted to interview. I had an interview with the representative with Hill and Knowlton as well as interviews with multiple agencies, but unfortunately, they didn’t have positions open. A few months later, I received an email asking for a formal interview and was hired! Praise God for my friend for looking out!”

Do you think your involvement in undergrad helped you get your job? If so how?

“Definitely. Although I thought I didn’t have a ton of “real world” experience because of my heavy involvement on campus, I actually did. Through all the leadership positions I had, I was able to utilize and practice my mass communication and public relation skills to create and gain experience my own way.”

What advice do you have for current undergraduates at Mason whether or not they are communication majors or not?

“Definitely have drive and passion for what you want to do with your life. Jobs will come and go- do not be so picky to land the perfect job from jump. I think that’s something that held me back. Also, always do 100% even if something doesn’t have your name on it and of course… Don’t chase money. Be happy and do something you love and the money will follow.”

It is clear to see through Jacky’s story how drive and determination can lead to success. By taking the initiative to figure out what opportunities were available on Mason’s campus, Jacky was able to take her future into her own hands. Like Jacky, it is important that we all take advantage of these opportunities.

I’m a senior. Now What?

By Jenna Bohan

So, you’re finally a senior. All your hard work over the past 3 years is coming to an end, and you can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Although this is supposed to be the most exciting time of your life thus far, the hype over finding a job has many Mason seniors more stressed than hopeful.

Michelle Lee, a Communications major and graduating senior, worries every day about what her future has in store. “It’s so hard to be excited about graduating when the job search is looming over my head.”

Lee has a focus in Public Relations and hopes to work in the fashion industry. “The first thing you hear when you tell an adult that you’re a senior is “Well, Congrats. Good luck finding a job in this rough economy.” “Many of us seniors can relate to Lee’s fears. Luckily, there are many Mason Communication Major Alumni who have graduated, as recent as last spring, and have already found a job.

I’ve hunted down one of our own, Solange Kouchacji a Spring 2012 graduate, to ask for advice on finding a job and getting rid of these senior year jitters.

Kouchacji, who graduated with a communication major and tourism minor, now works for R&R Catering, the official caterer of FedEx Field. She is the liaison between R&R and FedEx Field, and is involved in planning events for clients.

“I never thought going into my senior year that I would be so lucky to have found the job that I have now” says Kouchacji, who just turned 22, “I always thought I’d be stuck waiting tables or doing entry level work to climb my way up the ladder until I found the job for me.”

These seem to be the fears that every GMU Senior is struggling with, so I asked Solange her advice to Mason seniors would be. Her number one suggestion was to get an internship.

Kouchacji said she began her internship with R&R Catering her senior year and was able to apply the things she’d learned about in school in the professional world. Her internship ultimately led to a job offer spring of her senior year.

“Good internships can be hard to find, so start applying early” Suggests Kouchacji, “The paid internships go fast, but regardless of which internship you get, internships lead to a jobs after graduation, they will also help you gain experience and build your resume.”

Kouchacji does not recommend taking your time to graduate just because the job market is down. “Graduate and find an internship if you can’t find a job right away. Don’t just stay in school because you’re scared. The market will pick back up, and without a solid resume, you’ll be left behind.” 

Kouchacji recommends taking the internship course at the same time as your internship, that way you can get school credit for it. She also suggested taking advantage of Mason resources like the career centers, internship and job fairs, and networking with professors.

“The career center was something that I never took advantage of, but wish I did,” said Kouchacji, “I think I would have found an internship much earlier in my college career, and could have taken advantage of opportunities to build my resume.”

The final piece of advice that our fellow Mason alumni had for us was, “Above all just have fun, enjoy your senior year” continuing on to say, “it can be a stressful time, but we’re all still so young, we can’t get these years back.”

So seniors, we’re getting close to the end, but as long as we follow the advice from those who have made it out of senior year (with jobs), we just might be alright. Just remember to enjoy life, like Kouchaji said; we can’t get these years back.

Transition To-Do's: Don't Panic!

By Sarah Flemming-Dahl

College is supposed to prepare you for a career, but what is supposed to prepare you for actually getting into a career? How do you choose? Selecting a career can be stressful, especially for soon-to-be graduates. With so many options, how do you know what career will suit you and if you will be satisfied?

The truth is that transitions don’t need to be stressful. Thoughtful? Yes, but in an exciting way. This is a chance to see all of the choices and find a job that can get you on a great career path.

There are some myths that go along with finding a career after college:

•         There is only ONE career for me.

•         I will be pigeonholed into a career whether I enjoy it or not.

•         I need more and more information before choosing a career.

•         My job must match my major.

If thoughts like these have entered your mind, panic might seem like the most logical reaction, but think again!

Meet Steve Klein. He has been a professor at George Mason University for ten years. At Mason, Professor Klein teaches journalism classes, where students learn the basics of how to write articles. Klein has had many experiences in his career before deciding to teach at Mason and those experiences give Klein an interesting and refreshing teaching style. In his classes, Professor Klein has a real-world attitude. Late papers don’t make it to the press and that’s how the business goes. Through his classes, students get a small taste of what post-graduation will be like.

Klein started writing while he was still an undergraduate in Wisconsin. He wrote for the campus news as well as focusing on sports columns. From there, Klein followed jobs as they came along.

“My career followed a natural progression,” Klein explained. He was working in press, but could see that it was slowing down as technology quickened its pace. Klein left print for the growing online news business. As he was working with online news, he received the offer to come teach at Mason. His career was never set in stone. Even now, Klein is still growing in his profession. At the end of this year, Klein will be teaching a class called “Journalism for the Rest of Us” for the Northern Virginia Writing Project, targeting students K-12.

So what can a new or soon-to-be graduate take away from this? Here are some tips to make the transition from college to career as smooth as possible.

•         Attend workshops for interview skills.

•         Build an outstanding resume and cover letter. This is your first impression. Make sure you know what you are doing.

•        Constantly update and tailor your resume with relevant information.

•          Start getting your works published and create a portfolio. These are tangible things you can show future employers.

•          Get your name out there. Go to job fairs, meet potential employers.

•          Internships are plentiful and diverse. They are a great resume builder and show employees you have real working experience. Do this and you will have an edge over competing graduates.

“Education is life-long. If you stand still, no matter how good you are, you will fall behind.”

Klein gives a wonderful metaphor to emphasis this. Imagine you’re driving. If you are unhappy in the lane you’re in and you want to change, it’s pretty much impossible to do it from a dead stop. There are plenty of other people zooming by and will run you over. Have patience, be positive, speed up and get in there. 

Helpful Hints for PR Hopefuls

By Deja Meko

Is public relations your major? What is your dream job? How do you get your dream job? If you had the opportunity to sit down with a successful public relations practitioner that has been in the communication field for 40 years what would you ask them? You’re in luck because I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity, and was able to sit down with a public relations representative and get the juicy details everyone would like to know.

Who is this public relations success? One of Mason’s very own success stories, Dr. Daniel Walsch.

Dr. Walsch has spent the majority of his professional career with George Mason University, and will be celebrating his 24^th year with the university in January. His original aspiration was to be a news reporter, which he did for a few years. However, in 1976 he was introduced to the public relations world and loved it. He has since received his Ph.D. in communication at Mason.

Dr. Walsch is extremely humble. He said that he did not know if he would call himself a success; however, he considers himself to be very blessed and lucky to be affiliated with Mason. “[It] brings me great joy to have a front seat to all the success the institution has had over the years.”

Q: What are some of the major factors that aided to your success?

A: Dr. Walsch generously gave credit to the group effort and the “fingerprints” of all of the people along the way that were factors to his success. He referred to the familiar saying, “it takes a village” when talking about his success, and goes on to say that he has been a “fortunate project and inspiration of tons of people.”

He tries to learn from everyone and every experience, and tries to take the things he likes about them to use those attributes to help improve himself personally and professionally. Something inspiring about Dr. Walsch is that he sees himself as a work-in-progress after all of his years of experience and expertise in PR and communication.

Q: Are there any tactics or “secret tips” that you can give to PR student that they should know about, or that will give them an advantage over their competitors?

A: “No, I wouldn’t say there are any secret tips.” Dr. Walsch did offer some helpful advice. 

 “We all need to do better to appreciate the ability to communicate and connect with each other, and to do our best to interact with others and brings publics together in the most positive and effective way.” The gift of communication is something that nearly everyone takes for granted, and he believes that is something that everyone can improve on.

Q: What advice do you have for PR student and recent graduates of PR, or professionals in the PR field?

A: “To be the best communicator you can be, and practice the basics of communication.” To be successful in PR and in life he recommends continuing to practice the fundamental skills of talking and interacting with people and writing. “It is a lifetime commitment, but be the best you can be and strive for permanent relationships.”

Q: Do you have any advice for PR graduates currently searching for a job?

A: “There are great opportunities for the communication profession of today and of the future.” Dr. Walsch notes that networking is critical during the job search process; however, with all the advancements in technology it is important to remember the basics. In addition to continuously selling one’s self, one must also remember that “technology is a tool. Nothing is better than face-to-face and personal interaction.” He suggests finding a balance between technology and interaction during the job hunt process, and when possible, “in person is the way to go.”

Q: Are you overall satisfied with your career at Mason?

A: “Yes,” he goes on to say that he has been able to help promote the university, he has been teaching since 2003, and that he is really blessed with his career at Mason. He also says that he is really lucky that he gets to do what he enjoys doing, and if he gets to help the university and people along the way it is like “cool whip on top of the ice cream.”

Dr. Walsch is an extremely valuable asset in the communication department, and Mason is lucky to have such a talented, humble and well-rounded person on their staff.  He hopes his advice will be helpful to those studying the art of public relations.