This past Friday, I attended the Real World PR conference in Atlanta. The Georgia chapter of PRSA put on the conference for students or graduates interested in public relations. This conference included various seminars, a luncheon with a keynote speaker, a resume critique, and career fair. This was a great opportunity for attendees to continue to learn more about the industry and how they can improve various aspects of themselves to try to obtain a job in the public relations profession.
I was able to attend a seminar on the corporate versus agency aspect of the industry. The speakers were successful PR professionals from the Atlanta area who helped explain the differences between the two types of public relations careers you can pursue. I also attended a seminar on how to “Seal the Deal” in interviews. Two women from human resources at successful public relations firms in Atlanta give tips and hints on what they are looking for in resumes, interviews, and follow-ups. Other seminars included were tips for social media, making yourself marketable, and tips on how to make an impressive portfolio.
The most helpful aspect of the conference was the resume critique. I was able to meet one-on-one with a human resources professional who told me specific aspects of my resume that needed to be changed. I came home and completely redid my resume! I feel much more confident in my job search after this conference because it gave me a new resume and new knowledge to use to hopefully successfully find a job!
What I’m really trying to convey in this post is how important it is to always be ready and willing to learn more about any industry that you’re interested in working in. This conference gave me helpful and relevant advice and information that will possibly put me ahead of other applicants during my job search. If you’re given the opportunity to go to conferences, informational sessions, seminars, etc., you need to try to attend as many as you can! You will never know everything about your industry and even once you find a job you will realize how much more you can learn. The more you learn, the more you have to offer a future or current employer.
This post was written by Casey Bolt and was originally published on The Classroom to Cubicle Project.
