A Professor's Thoughts

We (public relations professionals) seem to talk a LOT about the importance of networking. Or, at least, I do. As I told my Curry College students before, and now hammer into the heads of my students at The University of Tampa, “Networking is sophisticated fishing. You find the location(s) where you have the best chance of connecting with someone who might be able to help you, and you ‘fish’ there.”

To succeed, though, you have to do some advance work. You have to do your research and figure out which “fishing holes” will be luckiest for you.

In just about every major city where I’ve lived and worked, there have been at LEAST two or three professional organizations serving the communication profession and, of those, at least two specific to public relations. And each one of those offered a wealth of information, contacts, and possibilities.

But, again, you have to do some research…usually involving attending meetings of each organization to see which one(s) “felt” the best and seemed to offer the most opportunities.

“How do I get started,” you ask? The simple answer for current students is, “Talk to your faculty adviser or your PR professor or anyone on faculty who’s also connected to the local PR community.” He or she should be able to provide you with some initial contacts.

If you’re a recent…or even a not-so-recent…grad, do some research to see which organizations are in your area. Here in the Tampa area, we have the local Tampa Bay chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, the local chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, and the local chapter of the American Marketing Association.

My advice? Check ’em all out…you never know where you’re going to run into that person or those people who can point you in the direction of professional opportunities.

And, once you identify the organization(s) that you sense will benefit you in your search…get involved.

You don’t have to join a professional organization to attend its meetings and do your networking. Granted, you’ll usually pay a different price than members, but the end benefits will be more than worth it. And, when you do find the right organization for you, you’ll completely understand the benefits of actually joining.

Finally, I said “get involved.” That’s how I got my start both in public relations itself and in my now nearly 40 years of membership in PRSA. I attended meetings in Boston of the local PRSA chapter and the Publicity Club of New England. Both were..and continue to be…amazing networking resources, and I have made a gazillion friends over the years in both.

But PRSA really clicked and, at one of the first meetings I attended, the then-president urged attendees to volunteer for some committee positions. I raised my hand, was given a spot on a committee, and the rest is, as the saying goes, “history.” Active involvement at local chapter, wider district, and finally national levels. And I continue to this day here in the Tampa area with the Tampa Bay Chapter, PRSA. I also occasionally attend local FPRA events when the guest speaker appeals to my “gotta learn more” nature.

But you have to be proactive. You have to seek out the opportunities. You have to “fish where the fishing’s good.” And professional networking truly is “sophisticated fishing.”

Okay…we’re limping slowly to the end of summer. I wrapped up my summer semester course (online) this week and am in the final throes of calculating grades. It’s been a good class (in my head, of course), and I had a chance to virtually meet some up-and-coming communication professionals heading toward graduation from The University of Tampa.

I’m not entirely sure that they understood the underlying message each time I said to one of them or to all, “Let me know what I can do to help you,” but they’ll figure it out pretty soon.

The “world” outside the campus gates is changing dramatically and rapidly. As the (now-stock) phrase goes, we’re experiencing a “new normal.” Businesses are scrambling to adjust to new ways of operating as well as new expectations from both customers and employees. And it seems like something else pops up just when you’re finally coming to grips with your most recent adjustments.

So why am I talking about this? Simple. These often-eagerly-hopeful young men and women who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting are looking to us…the “older, experienced generation”…to help them get a start in the career field that they have chosen.

This expectation, however, anticipates that we have a solid understanding of just what the job market is going to be like in anywhere from six months to a year and where the opportunities might lie. Which means, in turn, that we have to be solidly plugged in to the specialty area(s) where we got our own experience…as well as the general market.

It’s not a hopeless situation, I hasten to say. It will be more difficult without doubt. But it’s not a lost cause. We, as mentors/advisers/sounding boards for our eager disciples, just have to ramp up our own networking initiatives to ensure that we’re on top of as much as possible before dispensing advice to our eager audiences.

The best way to describe the whole situation is “Buckle up, sport. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.” But good things WILL happen. You just have to believe in yourself.