What to do with new publicity people
It doesn’t matter when or why you hired that "new" graduate into your pr department. What you need to do now is understand what you just did.
No, I’m not saying that was a mistake. I want to pass along a few pieces of advice that should help you better understand the new pr person.
After hiring a new staff member most companies usually show them the process used in producing and submitting a press release. Some pr clients, or public relations firms don’t even do this. An article in PRSA gives some advice on the "Ten things you didn’t know about the grad…" I will summarize a few those in that article with my own added advice as well. These are a few things to consider with new pr grads:
- They get bored easily
Typically, grads will keep resumes and revise them only to submit to other companies while working at your firm. To discourage this activity, keep them involved with projects. Provide encouragement while teaching how your company handles pr clients or the media.
- Grads get jobs easily
Sounds crazy, but most pr grads find jobs easily. Some take low paying positions at non-profit organizations to get a start. This only gives them the false idea that jobs are easy to find.
- No mentors for grads
If you hire a talented pr person, take the time to provide some mentoring. The majority of jobs filled are at small companies that cannot provide this time. Therefore, the pr person feels they are a one person department, learning by trial and error.
- Their goal is to own their own PR Agency
The more aggressive grads are looking to one day begin their own pr agency. Keeping this in mind, work with those talented pr people to encourage their dreams. This will help you because that individual wants to learn faster. In the long haul, you too will benefit.
Overall, make sure you have this pr person work with you, not just for you. By doing this, both you and the new grad will make your pr clients look better.
See Also
- Hiring a new grad for the pr department
Finding the right people for your company