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Name: Betsy Veal
Age: 24
Company Name: Robin Shepherd Public Relations
Years With Company: 3
Previous Jobs: Student intern in Marketing, Communications & Public Relations with Shands Hospital, summer camp counselor, journalism reporting student tutor
Education: BS Public Relations, minor in German, University of Florida
1. What is your official job title?
Account Executive and Intern Coordinator
2. What is the job title you'd give yourself?
"She Who Actually Knows Where Everything Is In This Office"
3. What makes your job unique?
4. How did your college major/graduate school degree help prepare you for your career path?
College courses gave me some of the basics, but the very best thing I did was to intern. I spent three semesters with the PR department for a hospital and one semester with an agency, so I learned how to actually handle situations that come up. The classes were fine, but until you've been faced with a news reporter calling you for info on a tight deadline about a client who wants to say "no comment," you can't really understand.
5. What necessary career information was missing from your studies? How did you pick up those skills and knowledge?
Much like my answer above. Basic things such as using "Bacon's" to find media information or knowing how to use an editorial calendar were not taught on campus. I learned those practical skills in my internships.
6. What difficulties did you encounter entering your chosen field?
I lean toward the introverted side, but not severely, so it's an effort for me to less quiet in an extrovert-dominated field! I have adjusted -- after a while, you get to know who's who in the industry in your area and it's not so tough to just strike up a conversation. Really, I'm a pretty amiable person who's game for anything new, so I didn't have trouble with too much of anything. I work for a boss with a very good reputation and I've also made a good name for myself. Those two things work wonders.
7. Why would you recommend your company or job?
I'd recommend my company in particular because I have a boss who gives us incredible freedom. If we have ideas, we are free to pursue them and see how they go. If the idea doesn't work out so great, well, just try something different the next time and learn from your mistakes. I'd recommend my career field because you meet a variety of fascinating people, and are constantly challenged with all kinds of projects. I just find it very fulfilling. Of course, you also have to put in long hours and deal with crabby clients sometimes, but that's all part of being a public relations professional! And, when things get too tough here, we start rubber band wars to ease the tension!
8. How does the size of your company impact your sense of job satisfaction?
My company has about 53 people. When I was a student intern in 1993, there were about 25 people. The incredible leap in number of people has really impacted job satisfaction because you are no longer the small, close-knit family. I feel like a veteran with newer people who come on board who think that they know it all already. My advice is that whenever you join a new company, hang in there and try to learn the existing ways of doing things and company philosophies before launching into how they could be better if they did this, that, and the other.
9. What three things are most rewarding about the work you do?
- seeing the smile on the client's face when a campaign comes through successfully or a printed piece is done right
- getting free tickets to events, like the symphony, concerts and art exhibits.
- the people I meet
10. What three things are most frustrating?
- clients who don't understand physical limitations -- "Can't the printer work over the weekend to get this piece printed?" "Why can't you have film made today for this ad??"
- when co-workers get stressed out and are of no help to you on a deadline
- clients who think you trying to price-gouge them -- we have to make a living, too!
11. What three things are most fun?
- going to those free-ticket events
- seeing your hard work come to fruition
- all of the "mutual friends" you run into in this business
12. How do you handle work stress?
I vave rubber band fights with co-workers; and get out of the office for a while, even if it's only for lunch. I don't take my work home with me at all.
13. How big a role does technology play in your career?
Big. We are an all-Macintosh shop, doing work with QuarkXPress, Photoshop, Illustrator, PageMill, etc. I use the Internet for research and some public relations when appropriate. (I'm a big opponent of 'Net junk mail and spamming.) We e-mail news releases to members of the media who have requested to receive info that way. We e-mail each other internally which cuts down on time hunting down somebody who's wandered away from his/her desk.
14. How do you distinguish yourself from your co-workers?
We all have different styles and personalities, so that's one way. I also handle different accounts, so while one co-worker does more automotive and mortgage banking work and another one does insurance, I do healthcare and some banking. I work in a PR department of 8 people and we are pretty close, like a small family within the larger company. (As a whole, we're a full-service advertising and marketing agency.) This camaraderie distinguishes us from the others, I think.
15. Which popular song best describes your working life?
"Life's Been Good To Me So Far"
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