President Alex Labrie, Director of Membership Rosaria Rielly and Vice President Zachary Libal at the majors meeting for new students.
Photo Courtesy of David Henne
The professional world is all about connections and advertising yourself in the most eye-catching way possible. Sometimes, name-dropping or reaching out to professionals that you have met can make the difference between you and another candidate for an internship. Networking especially may feel like a daunting feat to upcoming public relations (PR) students, but have no fear. The Public Relation Student Society of America (PRSSA) has career-building wizards that are here to help.
By helping their members combine what they have learned in the classroom with the networking relations they have formed as part of the club, PRSSA grooms its students to be the most well-rounded and professional candidates possible.
“In a classroom you learn how to write a press release and some of the real technical aspect of things. But what we try to do is bring [students] a little bit more into the real world, where we bring people who are working in the public relations industry now,” said Alex Labrie, president of Hofstra’s PRSSA.
As a college subdivision of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), PRSSA is “an organization that binds all PR professionals together,” Labrie said. “It is sort of an opportunity for students to network and professionally develop while they are still in the college atmosphere.” They have done this through previous events such as having their executive members attend an annual international conference for PRSSA in San Diego, California from Friday, Oct 18, to Tuesday, Oct. 22. The yearly conference “brings members of the executive boards of many PRSSAs all across the world all together in one place for a weekend so you have a chance to network with other students who are going into a similar field with you … We are obviously very blessed with ours because we are so close to New York City,” Labrie said.
Hofstra’s chapter of PRSSA has their traditional networking dinner on Thursday, Nov. 14, in the Multipurpose Room. During the event, each student will be able to talk to about 10 to 15 local professionals in order to find career opportunities that suit them.
“That’s when we really capitalize on our strong Hofstra alum who have gone into the public relations industry after graduating. We let our current students have dinner with people who were in their situation previously, but they are now working in the industry and have connections, and are able to offer counsel and provide internships and jobs,” Labrie said.
Students can bring anything to the dinner, whether it be resumes, business cards or just themselves, but it’s all about building relationships with professionals in the PR field.
“Just be prepared to network,” said Zach Libal, vice president of PRSSA. In a process similar to speed-dating, after ten minutes of talking to one professional at a table, you switch to the next table. Members get a chance to hear each professional’s journey: their experiences leaving college, earning internships and finding their current job. This gives students the chance to move out of their comfort zone, especially when they are unable to find a professional who represents their interests.
Like anyone getting ready for a first date, students need to prepare themselves, both on social media and in person, to make a memorable first impression. PRSSA aids in this through events and workshops that are open to everyone.
“We will bring in guests and other professional development topics that are interesting to people beyond the scope of a PR major,” Labrie said. For example, they are helping build and break down students’ LinkedIn profiles in their next club meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 13th. On their first meeting of the semester, Wednesday, Sept. 18th, they focused on personal branding, which is a significant skill to master when job hunting.
PRSSA is an essential tool for networking and pushing career-seeking students out of their comfort zones. It is not always easy to meet new people, especially prospective employers.
“[PRSSA] has pushed me to go higher and want to do more in the club.It has pushed me to apply to internships. It really pushes you to get more involved on campus and in the real world,” Libal said.
