Chicago: The Windy City blows advice my way pt. 1

When I went to Chicago this weekend, I knew I would be meeting a handful of PR professionals who would have a lot to say about how to get into the field with advice on what steps to take to make it that way. However, I really didn't expect to leave the city with so much inspiration I am heavily considering going to the nearest Target, buying a calendar of the year 2011, and counting down the days until I graduate and can move here.

I learned so much that I can't put it all in one blog post, so I'll be creating a couple to try and get the more important points across.

Over the course of the day, I got to meet and speak to Allan Schoenberg of CME Group (@allanschoenberg), Mike Pilarz of Burson-Marsteller (@mikepilarz), Erin Serkaian of Back on my Feet(@erinserkaian), Todd Blecher of Boeing, as well as Pam Weaver (@pamweaver) of PR Newswire. Unfortunately, our group was too big to go everywhere together, so we had to be split into two groups and because of this I didn't get to meet Amber Porter Cox of Golin-Harris (@amberportercox). I did, however, hear a lot of great things about what advice she gave. I recommend everyone follow them! They helped us all out a LOT.

The first thing I'm going to talk about is the process of finding a job or internship and the advice our speakers offered.

Todd and Mike both stressed the importance being professional from every corner, including basics such as spelling. You would think it was a given to avoid text speak in professional e-mails, cover letters, and resumes, but that's not the case. No "u"s; spell it out as "you" or risk being ignored. Likewise, know exactly how to spell the name's of people you write to in an e-mail or cover letter. Misspelling a name could get your resume tossed in the trash before it's even looked at!

Also, find your niche and make it grow. As Mike said, "Context is a communicator's greatest asset. Know your job better than anyone else." This means if you're interested in entertainment PR, know it like the back of your hand. If you're interested in corporate PR, know the ins-and-outs of your dream company and figure out how you might fit in. Read the trade publications, Google until you just can't Google anymore, go NUTS.

Keep in mind it's always best to take the job you're offered in today's economy, but know where you see yourself in the future. As a fresh face in the field, you'll start to brand yourself based on your experience which will shape who you are as a PR pro for the rest of your life. Always keep the end in sight and know when you want to end up, because heading in a corporate direction when you would like to move to sports PR may prove to be a little difficult over time.

That's all I've got for now. Look for another part to my Chicago saga coming up sometime soon!