Do you ever feel like this?

Don’t worry, we do too.

That’s why we are looking forward to our next meeting, tomorrow, Jan. 24  at 7 p.m. in Daniel 411.

Hawken Brackett will be coming from the Michelin Career Center to hold a workshop on how to to get a job.

Bring your resumes, cover letters, interview skills and computers tomorrow because we’ll be working on them!

Brainstorm your questions and come ready for answers.

See you all tomorrow!

For those of you who missed the meeting last night, don’t worry, we’ve got you!

After listening to Taryn’s great insight, we put together a list of her best advice.

Taryn’s Top Ten

1. Dressing properly for an interview is crucial- Research your prospective employer’s clients. Are they creative? Are they investment bankers? Dress according to their clients. If they’re creative, wearing a suit is most likely not the best choice, in fact, some people will count you out for wearing a boring old suit. On the other hand, if you’re interviewing with a company who works with investment bankers, break out that suit.

2. Create your own personal brand- Decide who you are and what you want to convey to the industry. Your personal branding will make you stand out.
For Taryn, everything she has is pink and sparkly. That’s her thing. Find yours and be consistent with it.

3. Treat the media like a new girlfriend or boyfriend- Answer every phone call, immediately. Drop everything you are doing to talk to them. If they want something done, do it, quickly. It doesn’t matter how it gets done, or what they want, just make it happen. Your success directly depends on them.

4. Learn to write like a journalist- You should always pitch something to a journalist that they would print exactly as you’ve written it. It goes back to number 3, make their lives easier.

5. You MUST stay connected with the industry- You should constantly be plugged into trends in the PR world. Know what’s happening, know every media outlet, know the new and know the old. The hardest part about PR is the rules change, and they change fast. Don’t get left behind because you don’t know what’s going on.

6. ALWAYS follow up- Taryn says 90% of the time she will only get a response after she’s followed up. It’s critical to make sure you are being heard and seen. Oh, and hand write thank you notes to as many people as you can, it goes a long way.

7. Under promise and over deliver- Know what you can realistically do for a client in your head, then drop whatever you tell them a little lower. Don’t sell yourself short, but by promising less and then delivering much more, you’re setting yourself up to really impress your client.

8. Ask for help- You never know where asking for help can lead you. It could be a chance to meet and network with new people or a chance to learn. Don’t ever be afraid to ask people to help you.

9. Volunteering for the right cause- We all know volunteering our time and energy is important, but just don’t volunteer for the sake of volunteering. Don’t volunteer for a cause only to say you support that cause. Know your talents and abilities and Volunteer where you KNOW they can make an impact.

10. Don’t get discouraged by “NO”- PR is an industry notorious for liking the word no. Don’t let this discourage you. Keep going, someone will eventually say yes. Applying for jobs? Keep in mind it will be hard and you will hear no, but once you land your first job you’ll be set for the rest of your life.

Our speaker will be Taryn Scher from Greenville, S.C. Here’s some background information on Taryn for you to know before you meet her.

Taryn Scher graduated from University of Maryland with a BA in Journalism
and moved to NYC with big aspirations. She landed her first PR job by
accident at a luxury fashion house on 5th Avenue in Manhattan and learned
the necessary tools to succeed in the industry. Upon moving to South
Carolina in 2007, Taryn started TK PR, and quickly enlisted clients from
coast to coast in the luxury lifestyle genre including beauty, fashion,
food, wine, travel and more.

Taryn’s clients have received print and television features in US Airways
Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams,
NPR, Fox Business News, O the Oprah Magazine, The Doctors, Men’s Journal,
Real Simple, Time Magazine, People StyleWatch, Redbook and many others.

In addition to running her own PR business, Taryn is a regular on WSPA’s
Your Carolina morning show where she serves as a shopping expert and on
WYFF where she hosts a monthly segment called “Schering Secrets”. She also
serves as a fashion editor for TOWN Magazine. Taryn was recently named
South Carolina’s 2011 Small Business Administration Young Entrepreneur of
the Year.

Hope to see you all there!

We hope everyone is having a great semester thus far!  Our first meeting was a huge success, and we had a great turnout!

Our first guest speaker was Kay Roper. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications at the University of Georgia. At UGA, she was the VP of their PRSSA chapter, so she was very excited to come speak to our chapter.

Currently, Mrs. Roper is the Marketing Coordinator for the Children’s Hospital & Cancer Center of the Greenville Hospital System, University Medical Center. In her day to job, Mrs. Roper wears a variety of hats. She loves that every day at work is different and unexpected.

Her main job is to educate people of the Upstate that there is a Children’s Hospital in Greenville. She also works with project teams to create marketing strategies in the Cancer Center of the hospital. She has done many innovative things such as live tweet during a cochlear ear implant to let Upstate residents know the surgery is available at their hospital.

Throughout her career she has held positions such as pharmaceutical sales representative, Radio Sales executive, Marketing Director at the South Carolina Children’s Theatre and other many jobs that led her to her current position!

For Kay, there are four things every PR Pro must be: Flexible, Available, Creative and Helpful.

A big thanks goes out to Mrs. Roper and all our members who attended! We look forward to seeing you all at our next meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Taryn Scher of TK PR in Greenville, S.C. will be speaking.

Check back soon for details on location and time!

A recognized expert in media relations, crisis communications and strategic PR planning, Barry began his career in Atlanta working with global PR firms Fleishman-Hillard and MS&L, serving such clients as Anheuser-Busch, General Motors, Champion Sportswear and Mattel Corp. He also established the first in-house PR department at one of the Southeast’s largest residential developers and later joined the Atlanta office of integrated marketing agency MRA Group, where his clients included The Athlete’s Foot and Bio-Lab Pool & Spa products.

Barry joined Erwin-Penland in 2001 and has helped the PR team win numerous awards and more than triple in size during his tenure. In 2008 he took a brief detour to join Pittsburgh’s MARC USA, one of the nation’s largest independent full-service agencies, directing PR efforts for a diverse client roster including Rite Aid, All-Clad Cookware and the American Dental Association. He returned to EP in 2010, the same year the agency was recognized as one of the Best Places to Work in PR by leading industry publication PR News, and most recently expanded EP’s PR capabilities by establishing a presence in New York City to better serve the agency’s national clients.

In addition to overseeing day-to-day PR activities for Erwin-Penland and its clients, Barry serves on the agency’s senior management team, participates in business development efforts and contributes to EP’s Diversity & Inclusion Council. He also sits on the Carolinas Council of the American Association of Advertising Agencies and is a past board member of both the Georgia and South Carolina chapters of the Public Relations Society of America.

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Clemson graduate Mike Money is in his third year with the Clemson Athletic Department. As the Director of Marketing, Money is responsible for marketing and promoting football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. He is the administrator in charge of supervising the cheerleading and Rally Cat squads. He also manages the WestZone Club area and assists with corporate sponsorships.

Money got his start as a graduate assistant in the Clemson marketing department where he worked from 2000-02. In 2002, he moved to Greenville, NC where he was hired as the Assistant Director of Marketing for East Carolina University. Money worked at ECU from 2002-06, ultimately becoming the Director of Marketing. During that time, he was responsible for developing and implementing marketing plans for the Pirates football, basketball and baseball teams.

Money graduated from Clemson with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 2000 and received a Masters Degree in Human Resource Development in 2002.

Money is from Asheville, NC and is married to the former Courtney Mitchell of Hazard, Kentucky.

Author Business Owner and Motivational Speaker Kelvin (KT.) Jones Lives to inspire the hearts of Entrepreneurs/PR GURUS and others, seeking life changing moments. From his workforce to Dreams program to his “The snooze button is not your friend” talk. He will strive to ignite your mind body and soul in a way that will force you to confront the Status Quo in your life and kick it out the front door!

KT. holds a Dual Degree in Marketing/Public Relations from Benedict College. He is a leading authority in the Marketing /Public Relations arena and he is also a co-star in the Go for no Movie Documentary Film “yes is the Destination no is how you get there”

His Ground breaking new Book: THE 80 POUND CHIMP OR THE 800 POUND GORILLA WHICH ONE RU ? (a cut the crap guide to marketing and life)  is selling all over the world !!  www.gorillaspeaks.com www.amazon.com