Tips and Advice for Rising College Graduates

By Libby Hudson, Bobby Ceresia & Kate Hazelton

As graduation quickly approaches for many college students around the country, so does the process of job hunting. While trying to juggle classes, exams, projects and assignments, searching and applying for jobs easily becomes a job of its own. The process can seem overwhelming, with rising grads unsure how or where to start, and questions usually pile up during this difficult time.

Because of that, we wanted to provide a one-stop shop that gives all our top pieces of advice for getting into and becoming successful in the world of public relations. As recent (or semi-recent) grads ourselves, we remember exactly what this process was like and how it felt to transition into the working world.

That’s why we’re happy to share some common questions we see from college students regarding the PR industry and working at Weber Shandwick.

How can I best network myself and begin to make connections with employers in my industry of interest?

Network — live and online — as much as you can while in college, especially as you get closer to graduation. Connect with people on LinkedIn who work at PR agencies, organizations with a PR function, or with those who were in your program at your university. Then, offer to take these new connections out to coffee or ask if they’d be willing to hop on the phone or on a Zoom call to talk about their jobs and any openings their company might have.

Your university’s career fairs are also there for a reason! Be sure to attend and talk to as many professionals as you can. Additionally, look out for any classes or sessions professors have set up where companies or professionals will be the guest speakers.

Lastly, continue checking on career web pages for openings, and if a job application lists a contact email, reach out to them.

What kind of experience is needed to go into PR?

At Weber Shandwick, we don’t necessarily require previous PR or agency experience before you intern with us. Of course, it would be a bonus and excellent background to have, but we understand agency experience can be hard to come by while still in college. That’s why we don’t expect our interns to know everything about PR when starting with us. This is an ever-evolving field that keeps us on our toes daily.

We look for experience as it relates to campus clubs, committees, other internships, portfolios samples of work, etc. With the industry constantly changing, we also no longer look solely for traditional PR backgrounds. Experience in social media, digital, marketing, advertising, customer service, sales and more could provide just as much value to excelling in the PR industry.

Are internships the best way to get your foot in the door?

If you do have the opportunity to intern at an agency — absolutely take it! We view internships as an extended interview, giving you the chance to feel out agency life and learn the ropes before you make the leap to a full-time job.

Classes and projects in school are great for gaining a base level of knowledge around PR, but interning at an agency will enable you to learn way more about the inner workings than a class can teach. The internship at Weber Shandwick St. Louis acts more as a pre entry-level role, and one of the top perks of this position and working above your level is that you’re not doing traditional “intern work.” You’re able to get out of your comfort zone early in the internship and begin doing projects that are outside the job description to help you grow quickly, all with the support of your team and managers wherever needed.

Once I have the position, what are the best pieces of advice to stand out and be successful?

The first few months of an internship are extremely important. As mentioned above, these months are treated like an extended interview process while you learn how an agency works and how to work best with your colleagues. There are three traits we consistently see in successful interns:

1. Time Management: One thing that’s extremely important in the world of PR, or within any career, is time management. As you work to balance multiple accounts, assignments and deadlines, it’s important to have a checklist of what you have due that week to ensure you’re hitting all your deliverables. Triage appropriately. Everyone has their own methods, but as long as it keeps you on track, then it’s doing the trick.
2. Flexibility: With time management in mind, it’s also important to be flexible. With the world around us constantly changing, there’s a chance your to-do list could be rendered useless based on client deadlines, urgent requests or what’s going on in the outside world. It’s important to keep a cool head and priorities in-check, so if something urgent pops up, you know where to slot it in your plan for the day. Flexibility is most efficient when paired with open communication on your teams. Everyone has been in your situation before, and sometimes deadlines are flexible. Just speak to your manager and get on the same page.
3. Proactivity: Sometimes your day may be full of deadlines and assignments, but other times you may see yourself with some time to fill, especially during an internship. At the same time, raise your hand, early and often, for assignments out of your comfort zone. These are excellent opportunities to be proactive and reach out to your teams, manager or the wider office for projects. Weber Shandwick is a deep network with many different brands and projects to help with, and it could lead to a new account, committee or niche within PR that you didn’t realize you’d enjoy until you worked it yourself. Plus, it helps you stand out to your coworkers and senior staff if they see you offering to lend a hand, especially if they otherwise don’t share any accounts with you.

If interested in working with us or learning more about Weber Shandwick, please check out our career page. Our internship applications for our June-December session will be opening up soon!