This past Friday I was given the opportunity to attend the Real World PR conference at the Loudermilk Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The event was put on my PRSSA-GA and had attendees from all over the country who came out to learn valuable lessons and tips from public relations professionals around Atlanta. Several members of Clemson’s chapter of PRSSA piled into three cars at 5 o’clock in the morning to make the sleepy drive down I-85 to Atlanta.

After a few wrong turns, we arrived at the center in time for registration and breakfast. The opening session featured a speaker who talked about the value of networking. Ellen Hartman from Fitzgerald+CO Public Relations gave same valuable tips on networking that included preparing a great elevator speech that includes our name, school, major, number of internships, and skill sets.

My first seminar was called Agency or Corporate. Mike Neumeier from Arketi Group , Ellen Hartman, and Ray Crockett from the Coca-Cola Company discussed similarities and differences between corporate and agency public relations positions. Some bonuses of agency public relations were variety and global accounts. The differences between agency and corporate PR can include pace, pay, and security. It was a very insightful presentation that gave me a lot to think about in terms of my future job search because I currently have experience with corporate public relations with my internship at Skyline Exhibits & Design . I’m also interested in agency experience so this seminar definitely gave me something to think about for my future.

The second seminar I attended was “Seal the Deal: What You Need to Know to Land the Job.” Sharon Jones from Ketchum and Tia Jackson from Porter Novelli were there to give us the scoop on what human resources is looking for in terms of resumes, interviews, and follow ups. They stressed the importance of networking whether it’s online or face-to-face. They recommended using LinkedIn for social networking especially. They stressed the importance of having no typos and consistent fonts throughout your resume. Your resume can catch the attention of employers if it has keywords that are included in the job description. You have 15 seconds to engage the employer, so you better make sure your resume is perfect! A helpful tip they gave us in terms of phone interviews was to put a mirror in front of you during it to help show your emotions.

The conference also included a presenter on celebrity PR from DKC Public Relations & Marketing in New York City. Sean Cassidy discussed how celebrity and entertainment public relations has evolved from focusing on publicity to brand building. It definitely sparked my interest in entertainment public relations!

My favorite part of the day was the resume critique and career expo. HR experts from various PR companies around Atlanta gave one-on-one critiques and tips on how to make our resumes better. I went home and completely redid my resume and I am so thankful I was able to get that feedback. I feel ten times more confident about my job search because of this conference and PRSSA-GA and everyone involved has my complete appreciation for putting the event on! I encourage everyone to attend next year or find similar events coming up!