PR for Prima Donnas

Every where you look people are giving out advice like samples in a mall’s food court. Now I do believe that many people have great advice to share, however, check your source or at least think twice about who you are listening to.

In our society is easy to watch shows and movies and directly compare them to our own lives, as if we are living the life we are seeing. The truth is we all have lived different experiences and have relationships that are unique. It is not fair for us to think just because our favorite celebrity is taking yoga classes and becoming a vegan that we would benefit the same way they are from living that lifestyle. More realistically speaking, our friends are not always the best to give advice either. Yes, it is the sad truth of many friendships. Even if this sounds cruel it is critical to analyze your friends. If you always think hmm they do not judge men very well or ehhh I am not sure why they think those shoes look good with that outfit. This is normal, so just remember what you agree with most about your friends. Whether you love their fashion, or the confidence they exude take those qualities and listen to advice in those subjects. Understand that I am not trying to say not to listen to what they have to say, but always remember the life you are living and what is best for you.

Even this blog, for example, you may read something you do not agree with or feel differently about. That is what makes you, you. Read, watch, listen to many things and take something from everything as it applies to you.

“The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.”
-Carl Jung

In honor of Marc Jacob’s birthday, I wanted to write about the legendary fashion designer and his fabulous Spring 2013 collection. This mini-bio of Marc Jacobs can be found on the Vogue UK website. Marc Jacobs is the American fashion designer best known for his eponymous label Marc Jacobs, his diffusion line Marc by Marc Jacobs and his tenure at Louis Vuitton as creative director – which commenced in 1997. In the spring of 2001, Jacobs introduced his secondary line, Marc by Marc Jacobs. He has sought treatment for alcohol and drug addiction twice, first in 1999 and again in 2007 following a relapse. “It’s a cliché, but when I drank I was taller, funnier, smarter, cooler,” Jacobs told New York Magazine in 2005. “I would come into work and fall straight to sleep, and then I would tell everyone to come in on a Saturday because we were behind, and then I wouldn’t show up.”

Through these struggles and triumphs, Marc Jacobs has proved that he can overcome life’s obstacles and still be successful and innovative fashion designer. No surprise that his current Marc Jacobs Spring 2013 collection has wowed the fashion critics.

The New York Times wrote that, “Marc Jacobs clapped and made the sun appear, and then, for Louis Vuitton, mustered the supermodels to look as if they had no strength left to wear anything more than a slip and an overcoat, as they tumbled into their hotel rooms. Pleasure seemed to be the defining mood of the fall collections, whether it was in the sensual textures, the cocooning coats and the unfittedness of the clothes. Some of the more elegant designs may look retro, but they are not predictable.”

For this season make sure to invest in some blouses and even skirts that are decked-out in stripes. Most people would never consider wearing stripes head to toe, however, Marc Jacobs did an amazing job of proving this look can actually work. Changing up the direction and design of the same style of stripes really helps separate the top from the bottom and the vertical stripes will help lengthen your body and even creates the illusion that you are taller. Whether chevron, horizontal or vertical stripes, see what you like best and start by getting a shirt with the pattern to get an idea of what you feel the most comfortable in. Another fashion forward option to sport the stripes trend would be to rock long skirt or pants with vertical* stripes then pair it with a solid top.

Happy 50th Birthday Marc Jacobs and thank you for all you have done for the Fashion World!

“I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect – they are much more interesting”
-Marc Jacobs

We always hear tips about how to act during an interview and in fact my last blog post was just that. Though many people found it to be helpful, I felt like I needed to take it one-step further. Instead of just having a montage of helpful tips I decided to speak directly with the person that has the final decision during this process, the Interviewer. Who better to ask, right? The Interviewer holds the power and they are the ones who conduct countless interviews and fill the positions. Recently, I met with Amber Rice, an account associate for Noble Strategic Partners, a public affairs firm in Austin, Texas. Amber is currently conducting interviews for intern positions and spoke with me about her experience during this process.

Emailing the company: In the body of your email with your application include cover letter in the email or a brief pitch of why you should be considered for the position. Do not just put “Resumé is attached.” Make sure your name is in the subject line and that your name is also in the title of the file you are attaching. “We have multiple resumés of potential candidates and you might have 30 that all say ‘resumé’ in which you then have to individually open to figure out which one belongs to who.” (Make their job a little easier*)

What you should bring to an interview: It is always good to bring several copies of your resumé and writing samples, even if the hiring manager did not ask for them they are good to share if needed. You can have a link in your resumé to your blog, and when asked about writing skills you can bring it up at that time.*

#1 Interview Tip: Amber felt that the absolute Best thing to do during an interview is to Always Relate your job experience back to the position you are applying for whether it is related to the industry or not, it is important to make a connection between the two.

#1 Pet Peeve: Not showing interest. Amber shared that when some potential candidates come in, “They are just wanting any PR job, not interested in what we do and not prepared/understanding what we do.”

Everyone says dress for the job you want, not for the job you have. Apparently it happens too many times where “candidates will come in wearing something they would wear to class, for example jeans. Always wear at least business casual, better to be over dressed rather than under dressed.”

50/50 Rule: Interview should not be all about you. Every time you say something about yourself Always relate it back to the company.

Have questions prepared: Amber shared that if she was in the interviewee’s position she would ask, “What is a typical day like?” or “What social media tools do you/the company use?” It’s great to be specific. The most impressive questions that a potential intern asked was, “What is the biggest obstacle currently facing the company and how would I as an intern be able to help solve this issue?” This sent the message that they cared about the company and were already taking the initiative to try and offer what they can to the company in order to help everyone prosper.

Follow-up: Always send a thank-you email/or card either that day or next. Also, always realize that if the hiring manager does not get back to you quickly that they are probably busy with other things (don’t freakout). Amber did say that it is appropriate to ask after the interview/during when you will be hearing back if they do not mention the timeline to you.

Hope these tips help you during your interview process! The pointers Amber offered were very beneficial for myself and I know I will be applying this advice in the near future. Any other helpful tips you would add to the list?

Everyday there are articles that are posted specifically about great interview tips that you “just have to follow.” With so many articles from numerous publications circulating around it can be easy to get tired of reading them and feel a bit overwhelmed. That is this post features some of the most helpful interview tips that are currently out there. This method just seems like a more organized and functional way of sharing helpful information, hope you agree.

Interview: Prep time!

Save your résumé with your full name in the title before sending it to the company. Simple, but effective.
After you’ve sent your résumé, wait at least a week before calling or e-mailing the company. Check-in via email or practice what you will say with a friend before you call. Be careful about writing down what you will say because you do not want to seem too rehearsed.
Practice in the Mirror: Practice in the mirror before your interview so you can actually see what your interviewer will be seeing. This is a great exercise to help you monitor your body language and allow you to feel more comfortable and confident during the actual interview. Or another option would be to record yourself on your laptop and play it back and conduct a self-evaluation, which is similar to what people do when preparing for an important presentation.

Interview Time: Brace yourselves!

Don’t get ahead of yourself: The initial interview is not the proper time to ask about compensation or vacations. Too soon, they need to see that you want the job, not just the benefits.
You have two ears and one mouth: “Listen twice as much as you speak.” Might sound strange, but don’t think of an interview as a time to talk all about yourself. You need to show them you are the one that truly cares about the company and how you can be benefit the brand.
Ask Questions: Prepare questions, but don’t feel restricted to only use the ones you came prepared to ask. See how the interview goes and what questions come up organically.

Post-Interview Advice:

Write down the names of your interviewers and send them each a handwritten thank-you note. Try to send it ASAP and be sure to add a personal note such as a little detail the interviewee mentioned that most people would not pay attention to.
When you receive an offer, feel free to ask questions about the pay level or other benefits. Now is when it would be appropriate to ask those kind of questions.

These are the top-tips from various credible articles all in one place. Hope this helps! Leave comments with additional interview tips you have found to be the most helpful for you!

Most of these tips were from various PR Daily articles. Click on the tip to view the complete article.

Today Vogue posted their Guide to Fall 2013 Fashion, which excites any fashionista. The color of the fall season is always the foundation for any trendsetter and the next hue to lookout for is blue. Top fashion houses such as Valentino,Chanel and Calvin Klein proved that blue suits them well on the runway. From dresses, shoes, skirts and accessories the collections had a pop of blue.

Now it is never too early to start adding this color to your wardrobe. The great thing about blue is it really does look good on any skin tone so play with all the different shades and see what fits you best. Since it is just the beginning of Spring, a great hue of blue to go with is teal. Whether it is pieces of clothing or accessories start deciding what your favorites are.

Here are some more affordable looks that will be great for the Spring season all the way until Fall: Vince Camuto, Express, H&M, BCBG

Be on the lookout for blue pieces to add to your closet and of course work what you already have!

In the PR realm, and any professional environment for that matter, you are constantly invited to events where you can network and meet people. Everyone knows that you only have one chance to make a lasting first impression. A first impression involves taking into account what someone is wearing. Now one of the worst feelings when meeting new people, especially being in a professional setting, is arriving under dressed. Unfortunately, it seems to be a constant occurance where guests show up under dressed and therefore underwhelm.

Cocktail attire means a suit for men (throw on a tie with it if the look works for you). If it is a daytime event usually a navy suit would be best, and if it is 5 o’clock or later then definitely go with a gray or black suit. For women, a short dress that is not your typical ‘Sunday Dress’ is best. Not a gown and not too short either, because you need to still dress for a classy event so not something you would be seen wearing to a sketchy bar or club. The rule to remember that everyone seems to break is Do Not wear jeans under any circumstances. Ladies and gents, it does not matter if you are wearing a suit jacket with a shirt and tie, it is not okay to pair that with jeans (tacky), even if your blouse has beautiful lace detail it is not acceptable to pair that with the nicest jeans you own. No and No. The safest option is of course the classiest option, the little black dress. You can always dress this look up or down, and for cocktail attire just be sure to accessorize with elegant statement pieces either silver, gold, pearls, or crystals. Put a pair of cute and maybe even colorful shoes with it to really set the tone (preferably not flats).

Tips on how to get the details about what to wear, just ask. Ask anyone that is also planning on going to the event ‘do you know what you are wearing yet?’ Also, if it is an reoccurring event you could always either check-out their website for pictures that were taken the previous year or do a little Facebook creeping and see pics of past attendees and get the scoop that way. Just always remember it is better to be over dressed rather than under dressed.

“One is never over-dressed or under dressed with a little black dress” Karl Lagerfeld

We all constantly hear the term, ”personal brand” and how to create your own. Now some people are not too fond of this concept, while others have thrived off it and built their own self-proclaimed personal brand. After reading numerous articles about this particular topic, it seems to be a good idea to add a little spin to this and turn it into to something more creative and fun. In lieu of the Oscars, and watching the gorgeous dresses inundate the red carpet, this is a time where everyone is talking about the top designers. Choose which brand you are most drawn to and see what that might say about your personality as a PR professional.

Chanel: If you are drawn to Chanel as a company you then you most likely aspire to be seen as the Classy PR Professional. You value class, elegance and feel that professionalism is important in order to have a productive workplace. You feel that exuding confidence is always necessary and are never scared to take the reigns on a challenging project. Your dominance is seen as a strength, but be careful because it can rub people the wrong way.

Vera Wang: Are you a Vera Wang type of girl? Or shall we say the Coy PR Professional? This might mean that you are bit shy, at least compared to your fellow peers in the PR world. This does not mean that you do not have a lot to offer or a big personality, just that you are not the one to offer it up and open up to anyone and everyone. In the workplace you are known for getting a lot done and typically staying out of the office drama. Your demure persona is your strength, just do not let others take advantage of this because some may see this as a weakness.

Alexander McQueen: You might consider yourself as a Daring PR Professional that is not afraid to push the envelope. Your personality speaks for itself and is something that you are not afraid to showcase. The excitement you have about various projects keeps everyone stimulated and having high energy keeps people on their toes. This type of personality is great for PR, just be careful not to stand in your own way. Some people may see your boisterous personality as off putting and your daring ways as weakness and perhaps immaturity. Be sure to still remember the importance of professionalism and continue to make bold choices.

Versace: If you are drawn to this fashion house you might be an Extravagant PR Professional. Your spunky, and sometimes flirty personality can get you into some great networking opportunities and maybe even a few messes too. Those that love this brand are usually vivacious, young spirit that loves working on new projects and can sometimes spread yourself too thin. Your enthusiasm can get you started on a lot of great ideas, but be careful to not have so many that you are not accomplishing anything in the end.

These are all based on personal opinion and understanding. Do not let these constrain you as a professional, but instead broaden your scope. Any others you would like to add?

Now everyone knows that interviews can be nerve-racking, even for the most experienced professionals. There are various sites and paid sessions dedicated to coaching people on how to have a successful interview. There are so many websites and companies focused solely on this subject, this illustrates how nervous and sometimes unprepared a lot of people feel before going into an interview. Recently, PR Daily posted an article about how to speak body language during an interview. This article breaks it down and gets straight to the point discussing some of the big “No No’s” when it comes to interview etiquette.

The brief section in the article that talked about ‘Fashionista Blister,’ is a subject that is important to expand upon. The article made a good point about not wearing something too bold and busy, when it comes to an interview at least. Keeping it simple and wearing muted colors is always a safe route to go. Blacks, cremes, grays, navy, plum and all around neutrals are safe options. The one piece of advice most everyone has heard before is to ‘not wear red to an interview.’ This is not necessarily something that a PR Prima Donna tends to agree with. Now maybe wearing a bright firefighter red is not the best idea, but it is not the worst idea to throw a red accessory in the interview attire mix. When you wear nothing but neutrals you can quickly fall to the back of the pack or be easily forgotten. Yet, on that same note you do not want to be the interviewee remembered for their mustard color dress with a just as colorful blazer. On the other hand, you could be remembered as “Oh yeah, the woman with the unique ring really answered that question well.” May sound a little far fetched, but think about how you remember people you have just met. What was that girl’s name again? You know, the one who was wearing that beautiful emerald green necklace? Be memorable, but for the right reasons.

Always wear something that you feel comfortable in and is not just something you would just use for an interview. The next person walking in could be wearing the same exact thing, but they would never even know because you truly made it your own. What you wear really does reflect how others view you and can either better your chances of getting the job or work against you. The most important thing to keep in my, no matter how cliche it sounds, your personality really is your best accessory especially in an interview setting.

“Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it.” — Yves Saint-Laurent

In the fashion world most models get booked based on their runway walk/experience. For the rest of us non-models, however, we get hired based on a little item called a résumé. As everyone knows, résumés are extremely vital and having a good one compared to a great one can mean a world of a difference. There are little steps that you can take that will make a major difference. Pull up your resume and let’s get to work!

First thing to look at on your current résumé is if you have any repeating verbs at the beginning of your statements. For example, “Assisted marketing team…” and then “Assisted with events…” The word ‘assist’ is usually the word most people have on their résumé is often repeated. Even if you find it on their once, it’s not a powerful word, so let’s change it to something that is. There is actually a helpful Government web page that specifically lists different actions words you can use to better your résumé.
For Assisted you could use other words such as:

Advocated
Assessed
Demonstrated
Facilitated
Guided
Represented

Once you have replaced certain words with better verbs then you can really begin to pick apart your own résumé. What is just as bad as boring and bland words? Overused words! PR Daily recently published an article that specifically addressed the most over used words on résumés. The article looks at what to leave out in order to stand out. I think we can all admit that at one time or another “team player” was somewhere on our résumé. In fact, I think it’s still there… The article then breaks it down and that “Working well with others is a must for any role today. Provide examples of how you partnered with colleagues or individuals in other departments to meet an objective,” is a better way to get across the fact that you are indeed a’team player.’

The reason you should do this after you have changed words that you have repeated is so you can really learn what you want to say, but then realize how to say those things even better. The important thing to remember, is not to just always follow the advice of various blogs and websites. The real objective should be to always learn something to where you are then able to apply it in your daily life without having to always refer back to the article or post. Now go out into the work field and strut your stuff!

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different”
Coco Chanel

At the beginning of any Blog or Website it is important to set a foundation and explain to your audience why you are worth reading. Well I am here to address the necessary basics that every PR major needs, and I am not just talking about a little black dress. As fashionista’s we know that it is quintessential to have fashion’s basics in your closet. The same goes for the PR world, there are a few foundational steps you need to take to ensure a successful future.

The great thing about basics is that they are fundamental, straightforward and most importantly, simple. The first simple steps to truly being a PR Prima Donna is figuring out how exactly to learn more and where to go to become involved in this wondrous world. The perfect place to start is with what you already have. Using your current Social Media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter by following PR professionals and company’s you hope to work for is a an easy start. Hearing what they have to say is not only a great way to get involved, but also a great way to stay updated with new things taking place in the Public Relations realm. Now those are obviously the foundation, but let’s take it one step further. Anyone ever use the handy-dandy Google Reader? I learned about it recently and it makes it easy to keep up with various blogs you are interested in and also has a search tool that allows you to find blogs that match your interest. Also, everyone realizes how helpful LinkedIn is for presenting your online résumé, but remember it is also a great place to learn more about various PR Agencies. Especially, when searching for jobs, LinkedIn is an outlet that they will definitely post it on.

Once you become familiar with the PR professionals and different companies then not only do you gain knowledge but you can also use this as a platform to become involved in the conversation. Tweet at them and voice your opinion by becoming part of the discussion. Who knows, they might just answer back or offer up helpful advice. As a side note, specifically with Twitter, you will notice once you follow the top PR people and company’s it will lead you to more.

Now that you have the basics get started and put yourself out there! Throw on your little black dress and take these first steps as PR Prima Donnas!

“Look for the woman in the dress. If there is no woman, there is no dress.”
Coco Chanel

PR for Prima Donnas

Think Twice About Every Piece of Advice

Happy 50th Birthday Marc Jacobs!

Through the Eyes of the Interviewer

Interview Tips Worth Mentioning

Tuesday Tips: Blue is on Cue

Dress for the Occasion According to the Invitation

Personal Branding in PR: Which Fashion Brand are You?

When it Comes to Interviews Less Really is More, Fashionably Speaking

Résumés are Your Runway

PR Basics: The Little Black Dress