Another school year has come and gone.  The papers have been submitted and the final tests have been taken.  Now that the school year has come to an end, many students and recent graduates will begin their job search.  Although this process can seem daunting, there are many free tools and resources to help.  One of these tools is Glass Door.

Glass Door is a free online job and career community, which allows users to get an inside look into companies.  The website has four different sections, including jobs, companies and reviews, salaries and interviews.  Each section allows users to view different aspects of a company.  For example, the jobs section allows people to search for local jobs in their field.  Users can also read anonymous reviews of companies under the companies and reviews sections.  The salaries and interviews section provides users with information regarding interview questions and average salaries at companies.  Glass Door does exactly what its name implies: it gives users a clear look inside various companies and careers.

By utilizing these features, people can better determine whether or not they are interested in certain companies and careers.  Glass Door is not only beneficial for the initial stages of a job search.  It can also be very helpful in other stages as well.  For example, people can research previous interview questions at a particular company before an interview.   Glass Door can also be used when negotiating salaries.  Many companies ask potential employees for their desired salary.  This can be a very difficult question to answer.  It is important not to aim too high, nor too low.  By using Glass Door’s salaries and interview section, potential employees can look up average salaries for positions at that company.  Not only will this show that they have done their research, this will also help employees get the best possible offer.

For more information on Glass Door, please visit www.glassdoor.com.

The job search can be a long, frustrating process but it is important to remember that there are many free tools and resources to help you along. Happy job searching!

Photo copyright: Articpenguin

Just because a word has the prefix ‘pro’ in it doesn’t always make it a positive point. Procrastination or how college students like to call it, “Let me just check my Facebook real quick”, according to Webster’s dictionary is the act or habit of putting off to a future time; to delay.

Let’s be honest with ourselves, procrastination is an action we are all conscious of when it is happening. It is a voluntary act. When we pick up that television remote and start surfing the channels, it is voluntary. In economic terms, we are deciding that the opportunity cost of us sitting on a couch is greater than starting that 10-page paper that’s due in two days, and we haven’t even wrote our name on the page.

In any profession that you will enter after your college career, time management is a skill that you should have hopefully mastered. As M. Scott Peck, an American psychiatrist and best-selling author, once said, “Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.”

So you may ask, ‘Why is it so important to put dominion over my procrastination habit?’ Well ask yourself these questions then. Do you like the luxury of eating whatever food you like? Do you like wearing designer clothes? Do you like hanging out with your friends at your convenience? Well then you should hate procrastination. You know why? Because procrastination is eroding away on your time, and do you know what time is? Benjamin Franklin said it best, “Remember that time is money.” There is no exact formula or series of steps to take in order to stop your procrastination; it’s just like quitting smoking or deciding to loose weight. Take heed of Nike’s slogan and ‘Just do it!’

Maybe reading this isn’t helping you or even motivating you to get off your buttocks, but there is one thing you can be sure of, the moment when you start controlling your time and stop letting it control you, will be the moment you are one step closer to success. You will be one step closer to a stress free life. You will be one step closer to mental, spiritual, and physical freedom.

As PR students, we are taught many things; how to write an eye-catching press release, how to gain followers for your client’s social media pages, how to effectively pitch to the media, and so on.  Yes, as PR students we are taught many things.  While these skills are very important, we cannot forget the skills we learned when we were young. Manners. Yes, the same skills that we learned as kids can be just as important to your career.  So, for all you PR pros in training, here are some important manners to keep in mind:

1. The cell phone: To PR pros, their cell phone is the essence of their life. Important phone calls must be taken in any situation. But when you’re at a dinnerxs meeting, or anything else for that matter, be sure to remove yourself to take the call. It may be important to you, but you can be sure that no one else cares that your client is in desperate need of some crisis PR.
2. Table manners: As a PR professional, you will most likely conduct some business affairs over lunch or dinner.  Although you may be outside of the office, it is very important to remember that the purpose of this meeting is business.  Keeping that in mind, do not speak when your mouth is full.  Not only can you not be understood, but your dinner partner also has no desire to be showered in salad. Also, be careful when ordering drinks.  You want to make sure you keep a level head when conducting business.
3. Please and Thank you: It seems so simple to say ‘please’ and thank you,’ but sometimes, it gets overlooked. It may just be two words, but by showing gratitude, it shows that you care.  For PR professionals, this can be applicable in many situations: thanking your co-workers, being polite and appreciative to a reporter and  keeping your client at ease.  Although simple, these gestures will not go unnoticed.
4. The Golden Rule: Treat others as you would want to be treated.  This is key.  As PR professionals, we must interact with many different people.  The best PR professionals put themselves in their client’s shoes and act in their best interest.  The more you can relate to your client, the more you will understand their particular needs and expectations.  The more you understand their needs, the better you can fulfill them.

These manners are fundamental in any PR professional’s career.  So, while you are learning how to compile a media list or memorizing your AP Stylebook, don’t forget the skills you learned before your college years.  Mind your manners.

Whether you’re planning to travel the world or just two states over, it can be the most incredible experience. While the actual vacation portion of your trip is the time to relax or explore, it’s the planning of your trip that doesn’t jump out as “fun.” But did you know that there are several travel booking sites that provide with you more than just clicking and choosing hotels and flights?

Through social networking, you are able to better your experience as a traveler. Here are some ways you can make the most of your vacation.

Dopplr: Dopplr, also known as the smart traveler guide, allows you to share personal and business travels plans, find unique tips for cities around the world, and get travel advice from other travelers. Anyone can join this site, so users are given the information on where to go, what to eat, and where to stay from other travelers that have explored that specific place.

Meet & Seat: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has created a Meet & Seat for travelers. If you want to find out what interesting people will be boarding the same flight as you, you can use Meet & Seat to view other passenger’s Facebook or LinkedIn accounts. This way, if you find similarities to you listed in their profiles, you can choose to be seated next to them on the flight. This sets you up with the opportunity for great conversation…and a new Facebook friend.

CouchSurfing: CouchSurfing is perhaps the most interesting site I have heard to look at while planning a trip. What is it? It is a social networking site for travelers that need a place to stay while exploring the world. This is no hotel operation. You find and locate a person and stay with them in their home. There, you will be provided with all sorts of information on the best places to eat and visit. On a tight budget? Then CouchSurfing can be perfect for you. Money is not required to stay with the host, but dinner is a great way to thank them.

Travellution: Travellution is a networking site that allows you to connect with others about similar dream vacations. Here, you can connect, share, and even plan trips with others around the world that want to visit the same places you do. Travellution really opens the door for a great opportunity to travel the places you love, and improve your experience by being side by side with others who love it too.

So, when you’re planning your next big trip, be sure to visit these sites for a beneficial experience!

By Lauren Charbonneau, Chapter Member

Internships can be overwhelming, but they can also be one of the best experiences you have throughout your college career. That is if you allow it to be.

While it can be exciting to step out of the classroom and see the real-life version of the things you’ve been learning; it’s also a great way to gain a reference to use when applying for a job after graduation. Here are five tips for making a favorable impression:

Be on time. It’s a small gesture that can go a long way. The first time I met with my supervisors, to discuss my performance, they made a point of saying how much they appreciate that I show up on time.

Treat others as you would like to be treated. It makes me feel good when people smile at me, call me by my first name, or offer to help me when it looks like I’m having difficulty. Therefore, I go out of my way to do the same for others, whether I work with them directly or not. So don’t be shy- look happy, introduce yourself to people, and help someone refill the water cooler or figure out how to work the copy machine if it looks like they’re struggling. If you’re stepping out to grab a coffee, offer to pick one up for someone else. This will make people more inclined to take the time to help you when you need it.

Pinterest is the latest addicting social networking craze to hit the web, with 2.7 million users.  It’s a virtual bulletin board where a user can bookmark images and ideas, such as decorating tips, beauty tips, recipes, and craft ideas.  To bookmark something, you “pin it” and then your pins can be shared on your boards, which serve as the method to organize all your pins.  Your followers can see these boards and have the option to repin any image, as you do with those of the people you follow.

Users can also repin something directly from the web themselves, if you use Google Chrome you can use a “pin it” plug-in from your browser. A user clicks on “pin it” while on a site and all images come up from that page, an image is selected, and then it’s pinned and selected for the user’s board.  Pinterest is also a platform for brands to share images and drive traffic to the company website, which will hopefully increase sales.

So how do you sign up? You would think it were as simple as Facebook or Twitter, you would be wrong though. Pinterest is an invitation-only site, getting an invite however is not that difficult. I’ve seen people post on Facebook asking for an invitation and easily get it. With Pinterest becoming the new “it” social networking tool it’s only natural for people to take to their other social outlets for invites. I however didn’t even have to request one; a relative just sent me one.  Yes, it was that easy.

Speaking of Facebook, users can link their Pinterest profiles to Facebook and tell all of their Facebook friends what they’ve been pinning.  The interconnectivity of this social media is interesting.  It’s great to see your friends’ tastes and interests. It is yet another way of getting to know a person on a more personal level, well as personal as it can get without it being face-to-face.

Most people use Pinterest for inspiration for future projects—a decorating project, party ideas, wedding ideas, etc.  Personally, I feel rather inadequate when trying to come up with creative ideas when party-planning or planning any type of decorating project.  WBZ Channel 4, the CBS affiliate in Boston, did a story recently on the obsession with Pinterest.  They profiled a few local Pinterest users and one woman said something to the effect of, “I’m not creative, but I copy things well.”  That’s how I am.  I don’t come up with fabulous decorating or party ideas myself, but I can get easily copy other ideas or get inspiration from a site like Pinterest.

I have a Pinterest account, and have since winter break, but I unfortunately have little time to use it and figure out my way around the site.  One day, when I didn’t feel well, I logged on to see what the fuss is all about.  I liked it and found it interesting, but I don’t know how often I’ll have time to use it.  Every few days I get an email that I have a new follower on Pinterest and I feel like I am letting them down.  I am a sad and boring Pinterest user.  I like the concept, but in this world of growing social networking, it can be hard to keep up. Maybe I’ll depend on it more in the spring when I host a family gathering.   Have you discovered Pinterest yet?  What are your thoughts?

On February 12^th, I sat down to watch the Grammys like millions of people did around the world. I didn’t need to watch with anyone because I could just log onto Twitter to read people’s reactions to the show. Everyone seemed to be anxiously waiting to hear anything and everything they could about the death of Whitney Houston. Personally, I was just waiting to hear the beautiful sound that came out of Adele’s mouth. I have no problem admitting I am totally and completely obsessed. Number one Adele fan right here, I’ll tell the whole world. I did think everyone else was wonderful, but I’ll just stick to the highlights. I promise not to make it all about Adele.

The show kicked off its all-star line up with the very handsome Bruno Mars. I thought he was hysterical in his gold jacket that matched the rest of his band and dancers. He even had me laughing when he told the crowd to “get off your rich asses.” It’s safe to say I fell in love with him with this single performance. His voice sounded great and his dance moves were flawless. Most of my friends tweeted to him in hopes he would see it and fall in love with them too. The night’s performances were only uphill from there; performers included Chris Brown, Rihanna and Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Nikki Minaj, and many more!

The big winner of the night was Adele, starting off the night with six nominations and ending with six awards, including album of the year. Every time she got on stage to receive an award you could see how genuinely thankful she was, bringing some of her colleagues close to tears. And I can’t possibly talk about Adele without mentioning her performance, for which she received a standing ovation, need I say more. She made it clear that it was going to take more then throat surgery to keep her from doing what she was clearly born to do.

While the performances are the best part of most award shows, one award show that does not need any of that in order to have millions of viewers tuned in is the Oscars. This past Sunday, I along with thousands of viewers around the world took to Twitter to share our thoughts on the night’s highlights.

With no performances taking place, it is up to the host to really capture the viewer’s attention. This year’s host, Billy Crystal, did just that, and people would agree with me. As Jay Leno pointed out outside the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Crystal was the guy who changed how the Oscars are hosted. The late night host moved on to say, “He’s the guy that really started this whole thing of putting yourself in the movies…. everybody else has copied it but he’s the guy that really originated it.” Crystal did not disappoint, opening with a montage that featured guests George Clooney and Justin Bieber, and concluded with a song about the nominations for best picture. Overall, he really knocked it out of the park with his hosting duties, but what else would you expect from the nine-time host.

The big winner of the night was The Artist, taking home the Oscar for best picture and actor in a leading role. However, one of the best moments of the Oscars in my opinion, was Octavia Spencer’s acceptance speech for best supporting actress. Personally, I was rooting for her. I watched The Help and she did a superb job in her role as Minny Jackson. Through her emotions she really showed how honored and truly touched she was, as at times it was hard for her to verbally express her thanks.

One aspect that both award shows shared was the time they took to honor Whitney Houston. The Oscars stuck to tradition by including her in the ‘In Memoriam’ montage, which paid tribute to numerous fallen stars; among those stars was also Steve Jobs. The Grammy’s kept their tribute focused solely on Whitney Houston, with Jennifer Hudson singing Houston’s classic “I Will Always Love You.” The words really seemed to speak to everyone during such a tragic time in the music industry. The song itself was so emotional, and you could tell it was hard for Hudson to finish the song. I thought she did a terrific job, and so did everyone else on my Twitter feed.

Overall, both shows were a success based on the response on Twitter. It’s such a change from a few years ago when you had to wait a day or two to see the performances on YouTube, or repeated on TV. Twitter opens up a whole new world and allows for reactions in real-time. I was completely entertained by checking Twitter on my phone and glancing at the trending topics as well as the things people I follow were tweeting. I probably could have gotten away with not watching either of the award shows and still felt as if I was watching by staying on Twitter!

The Super Bowl, a time for family, friends, fans, and rivals to all come together and enjoy American sports. And more importantly, the commercials! Although, this year’s match up proved a tough loss again for the Patriots, it was a great day for top advertisers and social media outlets. Name brands like Volkswagen and H&M not only wowed viewers with clever and eye catching images, but hashtags, Facebook pages and smart phone apps as well.

What does this mean in the name of advertising? This integrated marketing and communications tactic enables fans to promote, review and comment on products in real time. With Web2.0 technologies changing the way users interact online, advertisers have jumped on the bandwagon, and with great success.

Effectively representing integrated marketing and communications is Audi. Their #solongvampires commercial caught the attention of both vampire fanatics and haters. Their humorous approach in advertising headlights left fans tweeting long after the game. By engaging viewers, Audi increased their social media database, and therefore their fan base. By the final 30 seconds in the 4^th quarter Audi was a trending topic on twitter! 

Fans and advertisers have the same concerns: being present in real time conversation. Social media savvy fans took to their laptops, tablets and smart phones during the game casting their votes on the best and worst ads of the Super Bowl. The Mullen Agency in Boston hosts the #brandBowl allowing followers, fans, and critics to vote on their favorite Super Bowl ads. At the end of the game Doritos, H&M and Chrysler were in the top three spots, and there is no wonder why.

Doritos used their classic knack for out of the box humor in this year’s big game ads. 

H&M used the perfectly athletic and slightly tattooed physique of David Beckham to advertise his cheeky new underwear line. 

Chrysler used the masculine rustic voice of Clint Eastwood to brand the “Halftime in America” ad. This bold ad tugs on the heartstrings of Americans while building hope for a booming future. 

Viewers, PR and communications fanatics also jumped on Mashable.com to discuss their opinions of ads with business writers and professionals. The online discussions allow viewers to have a voice and advertisers to gauge the effectiveness of their campaigns. So we can only hope our votes, promos and reviews help to build bigger, better and more out-of-the-box commercials next year! Maybe they will even keep some secret for the big game.

Some other ads we liked that you might like as well:

http://youtu.be/q33drZUXSzY

http://youtu.be/c7q1Ry0udQY

http://youtu.be/mcxQa-0TX9g

1. Stalking is completely acceptable. Sure many states have laws about following people and knowing intimate details about their life but in public relations it is pretty much a requirement. We need to know what is happening with the people around us. It allows us to be better in tune with trends and changes in our world. Also it helps to know where your future boss lives in case you want to plan a run around his/her neighborhood.
2. Being a know-it-all is a desirable trait. In elementary school it was bad to be that annoying kid with all the answers and always saying, “My dad says…” but now you are the champ. Knowing a little bit about everything is not enough in public relations, you need to know a lot about a lot.
3. You answer business calls on personal time. As far as we know there is no such thing as personal time. Company’s collapse, news breaks and videos surface outside of the 9 to 5 slot and you need to be ready. So if that means answering a call on your 21^st birthday outside of a bar with a tiara on your head then that’s what you do.
4. You have a love-hate relationship with journalists. Whether we like it or not we need journalists; it’s a tough fact of public relations. So yes we get super excited every time we meet a journalist or even future journalist because it means that we might have an in the next time we pitch a story.
5. You have ridiculous amounts of friends. People may say that you can’t possibly be friends with all of your “friends” on Facebook but guess what you know every single one of those 1,132 people and you dare someone to test you.
6. Your OCDs are your strengths not weaknesses. It might drive your roommates crazy that you need to color coordinate the dish towels or set the TV volume at certain levels every time but guess what it works for you. This  makes you great at organization and allows you to switch from task to task without confusion.
7. You never say no. Teachers always say that can’t is not acceptable but in a PR mind “no” is the bad word. We always say yes, even when there is no time, no energy and no way. Work on the weekends, absolutely, put in more hours at your unpaid internship, of course, write a couple blogs during finals week, why not. We can’t say no; otherwise our heads might explode.
8. Multi-tasking is the norm. Your parents may wonder how you can write a paper and watch Grey’s Anatomy at the same time without getting distracted but you are still trying to figure out how they read a book in a silent room. Multi-tasking is a way of life not a focusing problem. You can concentrate on one thing at a time but why would you when you could be solving 10 problems at once.
9. You can talk your way out of anything. Sometimes honesty is the best policy but why not just bend the truth. PR isn’t about spinning the facts it’s about changing your perspective. You are always that person that friends call when they just don’t know how to approach a paper and you can talk your professor into changing the final exam to a final presentation any day of the week.  You may not always know the most about a topic but you can talk circles around someone until they are convinced that you do.
10. You spend more time checking your social networking sites than you do on homework. This doesn’t mean that you aren’t good in school this just means that it literally takes you longer to go through your 10 different social accounts and be active then it does to write that 15 page paper on media impacts on teens. We have to know how to utilize all of these tools so if that means having a Facebook, a Twitter, a LinkedIn, a foursquare, a Yelp!, a Tumblr, a Stumbleupon, a Pinterest, and a Google+ account then that is what you gotta do. Sorry world lit professor.

So stand up proud PR majors don’t feel like a loser because you can’t stop talking about work on your free time and don’t feel embarrassed about the number of people you say hi to on campus every day; these are all the things that make you a success in PR. And to all those other majors who scoff and look down at us all I have to say to you is, don’t hate cause you ain’t!

San Francisco-based startup Tout was apparently having the same thought. This year, Tout debuted a short-form video blogging service, combining the convenience of tweeting with the fun of sharing videos. Users can post video status updates called “touts” limited to 15 seconds. The site operates a lot like Twitter. Users can follow each other, topics are grouped using hashtags, other users can be tagged and touts can be “re-touted.” Since it’s designed to be used with Facebook and Twitter, users can share touts instantly with friends and followers.

Watching a tout is like reading a tweet with full color, sound and action to back it up. Whether I’m spending free time at the beach or working a company event, I now have a way to let my friends and followers know exactly what I’m experiencing as it’s happening. This could be the next big thing for performers, special events companies or anyone else who could benefit from being seen and heard.

The movie “We Bought a Zoo” is making great use of the service, using it to post clips of moviegoers’ comments after seeing the film. Any company, brand or mission could use the service the same way to generate buzz. The Weather Channel has been touting coverage of tree damage after a storm in Pasadena, CA. Tout could have a hugely beneficial impact on disaster relief if used the same way in the wake of a hurricane or earthquake. Tout can also be used purely for entertainment. Shaq recently touted himself singing “I Believe I Can Fly” aboard a flight.

While the concept behind Tout is big, the community of users is still small. Many big names, such as Lady Gaga and the Boston Celtics, are not active users. A lot of people are using it in a more personal way. Aside from Shaq, The Weather Channel and the people behind “We Bought a Zoo,” some of the touts I’ve watched are people telling the camera that they just cooked dinner or that they’re about to watch the football game. One woman touted her dog in a Santa costume.

But whether I want to increase business or just share a memory with friends and family, I can get people closer to the real thing than I ever could with 140 characters. In the “About” section of their website, Tout asks, “What’s happening in your life?” Their answer: “Don’t type it- Tout it!”