Holly, the Great

This post is a part of 20SB’s Looking Back Blog Carnival, and Ben & Jerry’s is awarding free ice cream to lucky bloggers and readers!

Although I started this blog so I could talk about technology, communication and my job search, my initial entries are embarrassing, to say the least. I think I tried to hard at first, trying to straddle the line between relating to other 20-somethings and keeping my personal life private. Most of the entries are saccharine, superficial and...boring. I did find one, though, that I think shows how much I've grown as a professional (and a blogger). Fired was originally posted in November, 2007.

Speaking of new technology, a friend of mine was recently fired from her internship.

It's really an amazing story. Kate* is very intelligent and field-savvy, and she got a position with a very important news source. As part of her learning experience, and to use in her final project for school, she created a blog in which she wrote about her experiences. Kate is very witty, and it showed in her entries. Unfortunately, the newsroom director was not amused and had Kate fired. She will not earn credit, she will not pass go, and she will not receive her $200 stipend. Kate, understandably, was very upset by this development, especially when she learned that the HR department had been calling her internship adviser and promised that she will never work for this very important news source again.

When I found out, I was stunned. Kate was not writing about the sexcapades of politicians. However, she must have written something that the news director thought portrayed the very important news source in a negative light. I would tend to agree with this news source, especially if Kate had breached her internship contract, but I do not think they handled it well at all.

As I mentioned earlier, the internet is so new that we don't know what to do with it. This is also the age of Ugly Betty, Back to You and Devil Wears Prada. We love to hear about the behind the scenes scandals of big-name companies. It the grand scheme, Kate's blog was harmless, and probably would have served to humanize this news source.

Should Kate have remained anonymous? Absolutely. And it is unfortunate that the news director found out about the blog. But should the very important news source have fired Kate? No! With her writing ability and witty tone, they could have capitalized on her, granting her some guidelines about what should and should not go into the blog and a general time frame for when information can get out.

It's unfortunate that Kate lost her job over a blog, but it is more unfortunate that these big corporations aren't better taking advantage of them.

* not her real name

Posted by Holly Grande at 4:07 PM 0 comments  

Labels: career, communication

A few weeks ago I drove 11 hours to visit my parents in Atlanta. I had been meaning to have my car looked at by our mechanic, and an interview in Atlanta offered a good opportunity. It was a long drive, but I passed the time listening to news radio and, for about an hour in South Carolina, rocking out to a local Country station. I left at an absurdly early hour, so I got in in the late afternoon—my dad and sister knew I was coming, but my mom had no idea. After she yelled at me for keeping it a secret from her, she admitted she was glad I was visiting.

It was the first time, I think, that I felt like a “real” adult while at my parent’s. Sure, my old room was converted into a guest room four years ago, and I have been living pretty independently since junior year, but for the first time, I felt like a guest as much as a daughter. It was nothing outright—maybe it was in the little differences, although I am not quite sure what they are.

It’s strange how people evolve. In a moment of reminiscing, I pulled out some old photo albums one afternoon and looked at photos from elementary school. At 23, I’m the oldest daughter, and it is weird to think that my parents were my age when they had me. My dad likes to joke that I was the “beta version” (insinuating my little sister is the better version, of course). In a way, it’s true. Every experience, every new thing I learned, was new for them, too. Even this is new for them, and I can only imagine what it is like for them to have an adult child.

When I left to come back here, something even stranger happened, though. As I walked through my front door, I thought, “Oh, it’s nice to be home.” I caught myself as I thought it. I live in a house with two other girls, and while it’s a nice place, I had never thought of it as home.

For most of my post-high school life, my parent’s house was home. No matter where I was—New York, Boston, DC—my parent’s house was home. I know it’s not anything monumental, but it’s a pretty big moment for me.

Posted by Holly Grande at 3:06 PM 0 comments  

Over the past year, I have spent many nights and weekends online, and contrary to popular belief, I was not playing World of Warcraft. I knew well in advance that my internship would be coming to a close in mid-May, and I would once again be part of the hordes of unemployed. Fortunately, social media and online search tools have made the job hunt just a little bit easier, particularly for those of us in public relations and communications. While I don’t have a position quite yet, prospects are bright. Here are a few of the sites that have helped me in my search.

Craigslist

Perhaps the most obvious and easy to use listings of open positions, Craigslist is filled with jobs waiting for applications. But Craigslist’s ease of use is also its downfall: with no filter and a self-censoring “Flag!” system, you are as likely to find one-shot gigs listed as entry-level positions as you are associate positions requiring five-plus years of experience. Fortunately, the search function makes searching for jobs a little less messy. Instead of perusing the full listings (or even just the Marketing/PR section), try searching for terms related to your industry. I use “entry-level PR,” “public relations,” “public affairs” and “non-profit communications,” to name a few. Search the jobs category as a whole, too—sometimes great positions are posted to categories you wouldn’t normally expect.

Idealist.org

My new favorite Web site, Idealist lets you search thousands of listings in the non-profit sector for the positions right for you. You can pare down the jobs by type, from volunteer opportunities to internships and full-time positions. Overall, the site is very clean and easy to navigate, and I like that you can search for areas that interest you most. However, don’t discount running a broader search, too—I found some nice openings in organizations from across the board.

USAJobs

I thought my dad was joking when he sent me a link to USAJobs.gov. He said, “No, wait, take a look. Barack is looking for PR people.” Admittedly, I was surprised to see that my dad was right—and, apparently, on a first name basis with President Obama—there are jobs for PR professionals with the US government. The site is not too difficult to navigate, and you can narrow down results by your region and industry. The site also has special options for current students, veterans and seniors as well as information about hiring trends. You may not find a listing for press secretary, but there are tons of surprisingly interesting openings available.

Twitter

I am not shy about admitting that I landed an amazing internship with Edelman because of Twitter. Twitter is a great place to get a heads up on who is looking for new talent. Some great Tweeps to follow include @HeatherHuhman, @SocialMediaJob, @ComeRecommended and individual HR departments, such as @EdelmanHR for the Edelman London office. It is also a good idea to keep an eye on the conversation around #entryPR and similar tags. Oftentimes, in between links to job openings, users will post advice and links to articles about landing an entry level job.

Organization Web sites

If none of the positions listed on the aforementioned Web sites catch your attention, why not go right to the source? Many PR and Ad firms list positions in the career sections of their Web sites, and it is a good idea to check the sites regularly for new positions. Visit O’Dwyer’s to access their database of PR firms, and take a look at each organization’s Web site. Some companies, such as Porter Novelli, even offer an RSS feed to help you keep track of the latest openings.

Some other sites worth checking out are: One Day, One Internship, One Day, One Job, Career Builder, Monster, Opportunity Knocks, Brazen Careerist

Do you have any advice to add about your experience searching for a job? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Posted by Holly Grande at 4:06 PM 2 comments  

Labels: advice, career, communication, social networking

Next week will mark my final week as an intern at Edelman. I'm nervous and excited, and a little sad.

Overall, the experience was amazing. I learned more about social media, public relations and technology in these few past months than I could ever have expected, and there is still so much more to learn.

I made friends, too. Great friends with life experiences and knowledge to share over intermittent trips to the kitchen or ice cream cooler. I know I will keep in touch with everyone, but it will be sad to say goodbye.

I don't know what the future holds, but I am confident that good things are ahead. Wish me luck.

In other site news, I am working on updating hollygrande.com. My portfolio, experiences and bio have all been updated.

Posted by Holly Grande at 9:10 PM 2 comments  

Labels: career, friends

This blog is currently on hiatus. Feel free to browse the archives or visit my sing-a-long résumé.

You can also view a list of my favorite blogs here.

If you would like to be notified upon my next entry, you can subscribe to the RSS feed here.

Posted by Holly Grande at 9:50 PM 0 comments