Six Degrees of . . . Networking!

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Kate Perrin

We couldn’t have made it to our 20-year milestone this year without having built relationships through meetings and events, sponsorships, speaking opportunities and getting to know the men and women who make up our industry. In short, through networking.

As you may have read in the July 2 guest post, Alicia Aebersold has used PRofessional Solutions’ services over the past 19 years while at different organizations.  She came to know of us is at the end of a long chain of events that demonstrate the power of networking.

In 1995 at a Public Relations Society of America – Nation’s Capital Chapter meeting, I met a gentleman retired from military public affairs who was an adjunct professor at American University – my alma mater. I happily agreed to speak to his class.

The following semester, a student from the class approached me to see if she and a partner could develop a promotional campaign for PRofessional Solutions as the project for a class they shared. I met with them and provided the needed details and information about how we run as the first temporary public relations staffing agency in the area. At the end of the course, they took me for a celebratory pizza dinner after receiving an “A” for their project.

Subsequently, I got a call from the National Governor’s Association about a need for a PR temp. It turned out this same student worked at NGA and had shared with her boss — yes, Alicia Aebersold — how a PRofessional Solutions’ temp could help get everything done for their annual meeting at the White House! 

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KPMG Makes Sure Interns Dress for Success

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Kate Perrin

Interns and new graduates are notorious in tales of inappropriate office dress, and many companies provide them with office attire guidelines.  But a recent story in the Wall Street Journal reported that accounting and consulting firm KPMG LLP puts on a fashion show for interns and gives each a $200 gift card and special discounts to get them started right.

In addition to a welcome dinner and a fashion show with campus recruiters modeling the business casual clothing the firm favors.  Then, approximately 1,200 summer interns each received the gift cards to Men’s Wearhouse, along with a free silk tie, for the men or to Banana Republic, along with an office-appropriate piece of jewelry, for the women.   According to KPMG national campus recruiting director Kathy Schaum, more than 90% of their U.S. interns receive an offer of employment and 90% accept it, making the investment in them worthwhile. 

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People Who’ve Been Part of PRofessional Solutions’ 20 Years: Alicia Aebersold

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

As we celebrate our 20th year in business, we’d like you to hear from some of the hundreds of people who’ve helped build our success over 20 years. Please Alicia Aebersoldmeet Alicia Aebersold, Associate Director of Aligning Forces for Quality, part of the department of Health Policy at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University.

The early formula of each story consists of a crisis which needs extraordinary help to resolve. At the decisive moment, Mighty Mouse comes to the rescue. — Wikipedia on “Mighty Mouse.”

“Here I come to save the day!” — Mighty Mouse

It is not stretching it to say that Kate Perrin and Melanie Jordan and their team of temporary PR staff are superheroes. Time after time I have been in a crisis that needed extraordinary help to resolve – and time after time, PRofessional Solutions dispatched a mighty hero at just the right moment to save the day.

Help me do something I don’t know how to do.

Our big national meeting was fast approaching and we were down not one, but two staff in the office of public affairs – including the director – at the National Governors Association. To put it mildly, I was in a panic.

I was the director of publications, not public affairs! Yet here I sat, facing a major national meeting that included things like managing press and onsite logistics. Writing and editing were my thing – media relations was like speaking Chinese. Yet I had to deliver.

That was the first time Kate Perrin and PRofessional Solutions saved me.

I called Kate based on the recommendation of a colleague, and described the peril I was surely facing. I asked her how a temp could help with something this complicated, that requires this much knowledge of our organization and its work, my only experience with temps being with very helpful people at the administrative level. She assured me I was in good hands.

The temp arrived and immediately got to work. He got himself up to speed seemingly instantly, and soon was drafting press releases, contacting reporters, prepping press kits, and supporting the planning for the White House press corps. The meeting went off perfectly and I looked like a hero, though the real hero was our temporary staffer.

Help me take time off and know things are covered. I called PRofessional Solutions again when planning my maternity leave at my next job at the Treatment Advocacy Center. We were in the midst of a big media campaign and I didn’t want to worry about taking time off or have my hard work come to a grinding halt.

So Kate dispatched another hero to my side. We worked together for two weeks so I could leave to have and care for my baby knowing there was someone in my office who knew the ropes. She stepped in perfectly, covering what needed to be covered, keeping things moving, and generally ensuring that when I returned, I could pick up the reins again with no hassle.

Help me when we have too much work and not enough people.Two jobs later, now at Aligning Forces for Quality, I had proposed an exciting new project that my current staff couldn’t handle in addition to their workload. (I know, I know…) Professional Solutions sent me a communicator who seamlessly integrated into our team, taking over the new project in total and reporting to me.

What a gift! In this case, he essentially became a high-level temporary full-time member of our team on a short-term basis, not only covering the project, but helping me think through ways to improve and innovate.

Kate and Melanie and their roster of public relations pros are always ready to fly to the rescue, true superheroes, without the capes.

 

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Are Boomer Communicators Vanishing From the Workforce?

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Kate Perrin

Job markets have been essentially flat since October. And, while the unemployment rate has slowly reduced back toward non-recession levels, the proportion of the working-age people with jobs is barely over 6 in 10. It hasn’t been that poor in over 30 years.

Where are the missing workers?!

According to an article by Tom Raum of Associated Press, it appears that significant numbers of long-time unemployed workers continue to give up the search and leave the workforce. And, Carl Van Horn, professor of public policy at Rutgers University where he studies workplace dynamics and employment trends, reports that, “they are disproportionately older workers.”

“We have a large number of older (unemployed) workers who are not old enough to retire, yet they are facing discrimination in the workplace and have found it nearly impossible to get another job,” says VanHorn.

 Even here in the Washington, DC area where jobs are more plentiful and communicators have a better chance of employment success than in most parts of the country, once downsized it can be a year or more before senior level professionals find a new position. As forthose seasoned pros still looking – or contemplating giving up and going solo – PRofessional Solutions would welcome their applications to become temporary associates.

And according to the AP article, it may be unrealistic to hope that the jobless rate returns to 5 percent or below (the informal standard economists pointed to as a typical employment level outside of recession). In February 2011, economists at the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank noted that the “new normal” might more likely be around 6 percent.

Even that would be welcome by some. Generation Opportunity, a U.S. nonpartisan youth advocacy organization which keeps close track of job levels for younger adults, reported even higher effective unemployment rates for those under 30. “My generation deserves better than an economy in which a 15.4 percent effective unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds is considered a good month,” said Patrice Lee, director of outreach for the organization.

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Employees Generally Satisfied, But Wary, says APA

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Kate Perrin

While most employees surveyed reported being satisfied with their jobs, fewer than half said they’re happy with factors such as professional grown opportunities.  More troubling, only about half of these U.S. workers felt their employers are upfront with them and a quarter went so far as to say that they simply don’t trust the companies they work for.

These findings were reported by the American Psychological Association (APA), which began asking about trust in this year’s annual workplace well-being survey.  They polled 1,562 working adults in January and February.  (Disclosure: The APA has been a client of PRofessional Solutions, LLC on several occasions.)

While the head of the APA’s workplace initiative, David Ballard, attributes employees’ distrust and cynicism to unhappiness that they haven’t seen what they perceive to be a share in the gains of the recovery (wages have barely budged since 2009 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics), PRofessional Solutions wonders about other possible contributors, like communication.  What are employers doing to communicate the realities of today’s business challenges to employees?  Do they share information about competition, business costs, state of sales, and issues that influence their business?  And, do employees feel free to explore ideas to improve productivity, new projects or products, and other ways to contribute to both organizational and personal success and growth?

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Write Tight or Say Good Night!

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

From PRofessional Solutions LLC’s February newsletter:

Kate PerrinAs a journalism major at American University, PRofessional Solutions’ CEO Kate Perrin learned to “write tight”. You might assume that the age of Twitter posts has encouraged brevity. It hasn’t.

“Whether pitching their cause or writing about themselves, a lot of PR people are very ‘wordy’,” Perrin reports. They use too many adjectives, descriptive phrases and lengthy sentences.

One tool she learned in a writing workshop was helpful with her own staff in the non-profitNickels world. “I told everyone that when I reviewed copy I would charge a nickel for each word I could remove without changing the meaning of a sentence. Although I didn’t collect, I wrote the sum I could have made on the edited paper.”

The best kind of writing starts with a strong lead, and in application cover letters good writing can be hard to find. So Perrin was excited when one cover letter began, “The most important thing to know about me is that I am a succinct writer.” Wonderful! However, the writer went on for two full pages.

“I have to assume she didn’t actually know what the word ‘succinct’ meant!” says Perrin.

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5 Tips for Successful PR Writing

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

From PRofessional Solutions, LLC’s February 2014 newsletter:

writingPR is still all about writing despite the attention being given to social media tools like Twitter, Instagram and Vine. The cornerstone of the industry has and always will be strong writing skills. It’s the number one request from our clients. The better you write, the more success you’ll achieve for yourself and your employer. Here are our top five tips for successful PR writing:

1. Always define acronyms. It’s tempting to shorten text by using just an acronym for an organization with a long name, but be sure to explain the acronym first so readers understand the reference.

2. Eliminate clichés. Finding alternatives to clichés makes for clearer writing. Instead of using “bring it, try “perform at a higher level”. Rather than saying “call the shots”, use “exercise authority”. (For more examples of common clichés and ways to cut them from your writing, view Kate Perrin’s blog post, Wage War on Clichés!)

3. Avoid jargon. If someone outside the field won’t understand it, don’t use it. For example, if you’re writing about a medical topic, don’t assume your audience knows what “vitals”, “BP” and “EEG” mean.

4. Make it absolutely clear what action you want from the reader. Spell out your expectations, including a call to specific action.

5. Be concise–short words, short sentences, short paragraphs.

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People Who’ve Been Part of PRofessional Solutions’ 20 Years: February Profile

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

Each month this year we want you to hear from one of the hundreds of people who’ve helped build our success over 20 years. This month, please meet Greg Hernandez, FDIC Office of Communications, our first government agency placement.

greg-hernandez-fdicBecoming a G-man
I was a broadcast journalist for more than 20 years and decided to leave the industry in 1994. What does a former reporter do in Washington? Media relations.

In 1995 I was a consultant for a number of firms. While pursuing other assignments, I found PRofessional Solutions through an ad for Washington’s first PR temp agency. NOAA Public Affairs at the Commerce Department was my first assignment and I had covered NOAA news conferences on hurricanes and other weather events while at ABC news.

After two weeks on the job, the two department directors asked if I’d be interested in a full-time position. I worked the assignment for PRofessional Solutions for nearly a year before a position was created for me.

This year marks 19 years in the federal government. I’ve worked as a spokesman for NOAA, U.S. Mint and the FDIC. I was deployed to Cape Cod for the search of John Kennedy Jr.’s plane, witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and had a front-row seat to the financial crisis where hundreds of banks failed. I owe it all to Kate Perrin and PRofessional Solutions. Happy Anniversary!

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Blizzard of Babies–The Sequel?

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Melanie Jordan

Blizzard of BabiesFor most companies, severe weather provides nothing but logistical and financial problems. That’s not the case for PRofessional Solutions, LLC. Snowstorms and hurricanes often bring us increased business nine months later in the form of maternity leave coverages.

In February 2010, back-to-back snowstorms closed the federal government for a week and wreaked havoc on the metro area but brought us a “Blizzard of Babies” near the end of the year. And while the arrival of the stork brings “oohs” and “aahs” over the little newcomer’s photos, our clients can’t ignore work handled by staff on maternity leave. Our phone was ringing off the hook with requests for PR professionals for maternity leave assignments.

Currently, we are speculating as to whether or not winter storm Pax, immediately followed by Valentine’s Day, will have a similar impact causing a spike in pregnancies in the DC area. We’ll let you know in November if Mother Nature and Cupid’s arrow hit the mark again! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

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Wage War on Clichés!

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Kate Perrin

My favorite e-newsletter comes from Robert Deigh of RDC Communications/PR, LLC and author of “HowImage Come No One Knows About Us?”.    This month he has provided a list of some of the most frequently used — and irritating! — clichés that we see and hear every day from our fellow communicators.  I was relieved that I have fallen into the trap (gasp!) of using only a couple of the expressions on Rob’s list.

Let’s all check out his list and the reader-friendly alternatives he has provided and then clear them from our presentations, materials and web sites and return to the clear, direct language of which our audiences are more confident.

ROBERT DEIGH’S WORST OFFENDER LIST OF CLICHES AND SUGGESTED REPLACEMENTS:

  • At the end of the day (ultimately)
  • Drill down (look for more detail)
  • Granular (more detailed)
  • Take it offline (talk after the meeting)
  • Best of breed (most successful)
  • No brainer (easy)
  • Brainchild (invention, idea)
  • Brain dump (briefing) 
  • Pick your brain (get your advice)
  • Rock Stars (Bruce and Sting are; Jack Welch and Bill Gates — successful as they may be — are not)
  • Get my head around (understand) 
  • Take it one day at a time (that’s how it works)
  • Close the loop (tell everyone involved)
  • Low-hanging fruit (easiest to accomplish)
  • Push the envelope (exceed limits)
  • Win-Win (mutually beneficial)
  • On the same page (agree)
  • Future plans (just “plans” – ALL plans are future)
  • Task force (working group)
  • Drink the Kool-Aid (this was part of a 1978 mass suicide; maybe time to retire this one?)
  • Currently (present tense is always implied unless you say otherwise)
  • Leading or cutting edge (innovative)
  • Mission critical (essential)
  • The perfect storm of…(the right conditions for)
  • Touch base (contact)
  • Crunch time (near deadline)
  • On their radar screen (we have their attention)
  • Slam dunk (see “No brainer”)
  • If you build it, they will come (there is demand)

What other clichéd expressions can you think of that you would like to see people drop?  Share them here!

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