During our New York session of Living Room Airlines, we first heard from Anna Kopco, a digital account manager for Spotify at Warner Music Group, a conglomerate group that owns various record companies. Anna shared tips for landing an internship in a big city, and shared her experience interning for Warner Brothers Films and Victoria’s Secret. Anna stressed that to land your ideal internship, you have to be passionate about the job. Even if you don’t have the most experience, employers will be able to tell if you are passionate about the work. It is also important to leverage your connections when searching for jobs or internships. Don’t be afraid to reach out to previous connections for help or references.
Anna also shared some advice for getting the most out of your internship. As an intern, you don’t have to have it all figured out as soon as you start the job. Internships are a learning experience, and employers expect you to learn some of the job as you go. Her biggest piece of advice is to be nimble and be open to adapting to a new environment. In order to learn, you will have to ask questions and step out of your comfort zone to build connections.
Next, we heard from Lizzie Roman from Edelman, Kayleigh Deitz from Berk Communications, and Leanne Robinett from Yelp in our PR Pro Q&A session. Some of the tasks they work on day to day include writing media pitches, calling reporters, event planning and monitoring, and meeting with clients. Some of their tips for job hunting in New York City include finding people from Ohio State or Ohio on LinkedIn and messaging them to ask them questions, and joining young professional groups to build your network. Additionally, the more experience you have the better, so don’t be afraid to take new opportunities that are different from what you’ve done in the past. When trying to stand out to companies in a city as large as New York, our PR pros recommend finding the hiring manager for the job on LinkedIn and sending them a message regarding your interest in the position. Moreover, remember to follow up with people, as this could be the difference between getting the job or not. Lastly, Lizzie, Kayleigh, and Leanne suggest changing your resume to highlight the skills that you think best match the position you want.
If you’re a graduating senior looking for your first job out of college, our PR pros have some advice for you! Our professionals recommend taking on new challenges or projects to broaden your experience. But, if you know a job is not a good fit for you right away, don’t be afraid to keep searching for something else. It may take time to find the right job for you, but do not let yourself get discouraged. Not getting a job after an interview does not mean that you are unqualified, it just means that there is a better fit for you somewhere else! Lastly, some general advice from our PR experts on what they wish they knew before starting their careers: if you make a mistake, it’s not the end of the world. If you can take the experience and learn from it, you’re only growing as a professional and a person.