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Thank you for visiting our blog. TGC is a student-managed agency and unfortunately we do not have funding to operate over the summer. We’ll get our blog running again in September when the new semester starts.

TGC Staff

Every Monday morning people wake up and dread going to work. These people might not enjoy the repetition of their day-to-day work, the lack of motivation they receive from their boss, or maybe it’s just that they hate sitting in their cubical for eight hours each day under florescent lights staring at a computer screen. Staying in these sorts of jobs will continue to make you unhappy, but why wouldn’t you quit the job you hate to do something that you love? I understand. You might lose your steady income, your health insurance, your pension plans, retirement plans and the benefits.

Balancing the passion and your job can be difficult when your day-to-day responsibilities are becoming more demanding and time consuming. It is scary to get out of the daily grind and pursue your dream job because of the high risk, however, I once read that the biggest mistake in life is fearing you will make one. Millions of people follow their passion; there is just some give and take with doing what you love.

In your free time think about what you love to do and make a business plan with long term and short term goals. Make sure to separate wishful thinking from realistic goals. If you want to pursue your passion as a career, you will have to produce products and services that will appeal to your customers. Use your day job to bring in the big bucks but you also have to work hard to become good at your passion so consumers will be willing to purchase your product or service. Supporting your passion might be difficult, but anything that is worth doing will take some work.

Have you ever heard someone say, “Do what you love and the money will follow”? Well according to Marty Nemko, “If you do what you love, you’ll probably starve.” The fact of the matter is that the most popular jobs tend to pay the lowest because employers know that millions of other people want that job even if they have to work over 50 hours a week with no benefits for $25,000 per year. But there is a way you can balance your financial needs with your passion. Some people decide not to make their work their primary source of income. You will oftentimes find lawyers having a side job as a professor or an actor having a side job as a waiter. Find your passion and make time for it and maybe it will eventually take you somewhere

By: Kristen Laschinger

As graduation nears, I find myself having to defend my degree in public relations quite often. There is a huge misconception about the field of public relations thanks to the sugar-coated version the media often portrays.

The notorious example of television’s most misleading PR professional is Sex in the City’s Samantha Jones. On HBO’s website, it states that Samantha Jones “is a successful PR exec who knows what she wants- and most of the time, she gets it. She radiates confidence in everything she does, whether it’s landing a star client, getting a table at the trendiest restaurant or bedding the hottest guy in a room.”

This statement instantly discredits a field of professionals. How dare HBO mention Samantha’s confidence as a PR exec and then put “landing a client” and “bedding the hottest guy in a room” in the same sentence!

The Independent’s article Public Relations also refers to this erroneous Sex in the City stereotype when it references why someone should choose to enter the field of PR, “Because you want to do lunch at the Groucho club. You emulate Samantha from Sex and the City. You enjoy schmoozing and working the room.”

I want to demolish this humiliating misconception and let those who have been greatly mislead know that it is not a never-ending party of schmoozing with celebrities, but actually a lot of hard work with a TON of reading, writing, corresponding and making sure you are always up-to-date.

I am tired of defending my occupation against those who see it as an “easy” major and that my skills will never translate into the so-called real world.

Public Relations is based on daunting deadlines and making sure you are providing a service that will best benefit the client as well as build a respectable reputation of the organization.
A PR practitioner must have a clear sharp mind along with a strong solid will of determination. The industry demands dedication and a hard work in order to build a positive, credible and honest reputation.

You have to push yourself to deliver for your client and unlike Samantha Jones’ success is never a guarantee. In short this is not an easy job, but somebody has to do it….so leave it for those who are willing to work hard!

-Caitlin Regan

Gone now are the endless days of college where the prospect of retiring the WildCat money card and putting down hot pink binder covered with mindless doodles was somewhere way over the rainbow.

In less than 30 days I will have fulfilled my duty as an undergrad. Excited as it is, I cannot help but realize that with this great achievement that brings opportunity, but it also slaps you across the face with uncertainty and unemployment.

Blog Forward, a PR blog devoted to offering advice for those embarking on the job-searching journey, commented on the fact that only a small and rare percentage of college graduates will actually land their dream job. And for those that do, they did not leave their search until the last minute, nor did they ever walk into an interview “winging it.” The site also offers some tempting tips to dazzle future employers or even just networking contacts. Preparing an “elevator speech” is an exceptional piece of advice that I myself could have had handy in several situations where I ended up putting my foot in my mouth and all the way down my throat.

What exactly is an elevator speech, you say? Well, according to Powerful Presentations it is a highly informative introduction pitch of yourself and your skills pleasantly wrapped up in a short little chat, all in about the time frame of an elevator ride. You can use it when meeting someone you ultimately see as a great connection to the PR field, or in other work fields as a means of networking.

Although in the recent past I may have lost some job opportunities by not perfecting my interviewing skills, you can be sure that now I have my handy-dandy speech carefully crafted and ready to go!
Elevator ride, anyone?

-Caitlin Regan

My major is harder than yours. I am learning more beneficial information for the future than you. My school has better professors than yours.

We are all guilty of having these assumptions about our lives whether we want to admit it or not. In college, our advisers make us feel that we couldn’t have made a better choice than the program we are in, or that the college we are attending has the best classes for our major. But when we line up the departments at different colleges, how do we really measure up?

I never really worried about this until I realized there is an entire world of public relations outside of the halls of Chico State. On my first job interview, I was asked how I thought our program prepared me for the entry-level position I was vying for. I began to wonder if other universities were creating their own public relations specialists that I had to worry about.

At California State University, Northridge, the department of journalism offers seven concentrations, including public relations. Under the description for the program, it specifies that the university “asks students to apply what they have learned to actual situations.” There isn’t a requirement to be involved in an internship program, but students are encouraged to acquire professional experience.

It seems rare that many universities require their students to participate in an internship as a portion to their undergraduate degree. San Diego State has a selective internship program provided, in which students are placed on-site at various businesses.

Not to toot my own horn, but after viewing these requirements for public relations programs at other California State Universities, I have to admit that it seems like those of us at California State University, Chico are very well prepared for the real world. As a part of our degree, we are required to participate in an internship program, whether it is through Tehama Group Communications, our own student-run public relations agency, or as an intern at another site in the community.

There is an inconsistency among the public relations undergraduate programs and many improvements that can be made. One blog titled “Fixing PR Undergrad Programs” has five ideas listed for how college public relations needs to change. Among the list of tips included being knowledgeable in the new technology hype, knowing the importance of ditching flip-flops for heels on a job interview, and understanding how to really communicate with journalists.

Not to mention, with the rising popularity of social media, many traditional public relations courses may have to alter their curriculums to suit the trends of the times. While knowing the traditional basics to public relations is essential, we are also responsible for learning what the future holds.

I feel fortunate that I have gained great experience in my field at Chico State, but I know that there are some other cutthroat professionals roaming nearby, trying to land my jobs. There’s no room for mistakes in this dog-eat-dog environment, and being thrown into the process when there is a massive economic blow at hand just makes it that more interesting.

-Lindsay Wright

Marketing yourself is important in your social and professional life. With every new person you meet a first impression is formed and it usually sets the tone for the relationship that follows. The first impression only takes 30 seconds for a person to evaluate and form an opinion of you and it is almost impossible to reverse it.

According to Carreerbuilder.com, “In a study, untrained subjects were shown 20- to 32 second videotaped segments of job applicants greeting their interviewers. When the subjects rated the applicants on attributes like self-assurance and likeability, their assessments were very similar to the interviewers’ who had spent more than 20 minutes with each applicant.”

This opinion is based on your appearance, body language, your attentiveness and your attitude. It is extremely important to know how to create a good first impression especially in a job interview or while meeting a new client. Here are some tips:

1. Be on Time: It is always better to show up early than arriving late. It also shows how important the meeting is to you. Respect the fact that they are taking time out of their day for you.

2. Stay Calm: Be Yourself. Stay Confident. Other people can sense that you might be uncomfortable or nervous which can create the wrong impression and cause a tense situation.

3. Present Yourself Appropriately: The way you dress can be a perception of your credibility. Your attire should not be revealing, tight or sloppy. Be clean-shaven with an appropriate haircut/color. Appropriate dress can vary between corporate cultures so be sure to do your research.

4. Smile. Try it in everyday life. Smile at people you walk by on the street, they can’t help but smile back. It is almost contagious. A smile can change someone’s mood, put someone at ease and lighten a situation.

5. Be Confident. Know your worth and what makes you valuable. Realize your strengths.

6. Be Aware of Yourself: Make sure your body language reflects your confidence. A study by Albert Mehrabian of UCLA found that 55 percent of communication is received from body language. Match and mirror the other person’s body language. Be sure to stand up straight, smile, make eye contact and always introduce yourself with a firm handshake. Everyone has nervous habits. Be aware of yours.

7. Be Polite: Turn off your phone, make sure your full attention is on them and remember that “thank you” goes a long way. Be respectful to everyone you meet because you never know their influence on the person you are trying to make a good impression on.

By: Kristen Laschinger

Everywhere we turn, something new is going green. Green cars, green homes, and now green pr. Being an ally with the planet is essential, and public relations professionals have realized that joining forces with green organizations is the wave of the future. And if their clients aren’t delving into this trend of being environmentally conscience, they most likely will be.

Bite Communications is one of several public relations companies revamping their style to sustainable standards. With their “Bite Cleantech Practice,” they are teaming up communications experts with consumer brands to build green strategic plans.

Wal-Mart is another company working to change their company’s image by holding a month-long campaign in support of sustainability. The Earth Month Campaign encourages shoppers to shop with the term “environmentally friendly” in their minds and is promoting the ability to shop sustainabley at a legitimate price.

Although being environmentally conscience is important, is the merge of public relations and sustainability important? Some may believe that the creation of public relations and marketing strategies are the only solutions to stopping global warming in its tracks. Without the reinvention of products and operations, companies won’t know where to start to get on the right track.

Although the coined term “going green” may be an exhausted label, public relations professionals who are involved with the trend will make the best of both worlds – literally.

-Lindsay Wright

Special Projects Manager

Social media and blood don’t mix, or do they? The second most trafficked social media network Facebook, according to comScore, is now asking its 70 million users worldwide, “What is your blood type?”

Takes All Types, a New York non-profit organization is hoping that users will respond with donations to blood shortages specifically on a blood-type basis while raising awareness for blood donation overall.

Facebookers can chose to be alerted via their profile, phone, fax or e-mail when their blood type is critically needed in their regional area.

As social media continues to play a key role in everyday life, this proves to be a great motivational step towards helping people’s realization that they can do something small and still make a huge difference in the lives of others.

Ben Bergman, a New York recruiter for online media companies who started the program with his partner, Richard Hecker said, “We were reacting to our sense that most of what was on Facebook was too academic or frivolous.”

With a miniscule budget of only $500 and the help of software developers and public relations people, they had immediate positive interest from hospitals and blood banks.

As Facebook continues to grow, the market audience for this idea of philanthropic outreach will multiply. This emerging market audience is not going away any time in the near future, and it will be a whole new medium for the world of PR.

-Caitlin Regan

Social media can be used for PR through many different forms, including message boards, e-mail, instant messaging, music sharing, podcasts, picture sharing and blogs. PR practitioners can now even pitch stories online that can be easily scanned for keywords that can lead to story ideas. However, the Internet is not always used for good reasons. It is important to remember anything on the Internet instantaneously becomes public information.

Hiring managers are conducting background checks on the Internet looking for inconsistencies on potential hires’ resumes. Currently student lives may revolve around day kegs and floating down the river, but using your MySpace or Facebook as an advertisement to what a great partier you are will not help you in your job search.

Job searching in the digital revolution has proved to be more difficult because any information posted on the Internet is easily accessible by anyone who searches for it. According to a survey by Ponemon Institute, 35 percent of hiring managers use Google to conduct online background checks on job candidates, and 23 percent look up people on social networking sites and about one-third of those Web searches lead to rejections. Social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Xanga and Friendster reflect someone’s character and sometimes even alter egos. These sites may help hiring managers define a person’s character or judgment. It amazes me what people put on the Internet, not realizing the long-term effects it could have. Job candidates who post risqué photographs and commentary on sexual escapades, excessive drinking and recreational drug use make themselves look immature and unprofessional. MySpace pages are available to anyone who signs up but young people imagine that the adult world does not know about it.

If you are job searching it is important to filter information that you put on the Internet and what your friends put up about you. Businesses still use traditional resources to check applicants such as resumes, references and background checks. Some big businesses hire professional investigators to check job applicants’ academic degrees, criminal records and credit reports. But some smaller businesses involved in the digital world don’t have the financial resources to professionally search these applicants and instead search for potential job candidates online.

Anyone who posts anything on the Internet should not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. In fact, everything that’s ever been posted on the Web can be searched. Here is a checklist if you are questioning the content in anything you want to post online:

· Don’t put up anything you would be embarrassed to have your Grandma see.

· Consider whether you will be proud to show it to your future children or significant other 30 years from now. Would you want them to see a picture of you blacked-out at a fraternity party?

· Will a recruiter find appropriate? There might be a difference between what you and a recruiter think is appropriate, for example “smokin’ blunts” is not an appropriate description of an interest or hobby. Your judgment may be under question when you allow this information to be viewed publicly.

• Be thoughtful about what you post, and think about whether you need to post it.

Simply put, do not post things that are embarrassing or potentially damaging to your future career. Make your Facebook or MySpace pages more professional and more career oriented. Redesign your Facebook and MySpace pages into marketing tools. Let your friends know you are job hunting and ask them to take down inappropriate pictures of you and do the same for your friends. Good luck on the job hunt!

By: Kristen Laschinger

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