Hoosier PRSA Blog

Networking: Half Day with a Pro Opened Doors for Alison Moore

The benefits of time spent with professionals in an industry are valuable. That's true for any college student preparing to enter the workforce. Besides an internship, Half Day with a Pro offers PRSSA members the opportunity to learn more about the communications industry. Alison found her experience at Conseco Insurance to be extremely rewarding. She currently works the Fishers Chamber of Commerce. Her's Alison in her own words. 

By Alison Moore, Communications Coordinator, Fishers Chamber of Commerce

When I joined PRSSA at Ball State during my senior year, I was a unique situation. Having been a broadcast news major for the first 3 years of college, I had some preconceived notions about the public relations field…but it interested me.

Having always been the “peacemaker” amongst my peers, I wanted to find out why PR and the news media constantly butt heads, hoping I could find a solution. My advisors at Ball State let me substitute my upper level telecommunications classes for some public relations classes so I wouldn’t have to change my major as a senior (thank goodness!). Since I was entering these PR classes with virtually no prior PR knowledge, I decided to join PRSSA as a way to immerse myself in public relations outside of class time.

Shortly thereafter I learned about Half Day with a Pro. I decided to sign up because I thought it would be a great way to meet a potential employer. I was placed with Conseco Insurance in Carmel. I got an inside look at the insurance industry…an industry I didn’t even realize had a need for a public relations department. I learned so much about Conseco as a company; but most importantly, it opened my eyes to how a public relations department runs on a day to day basis. I learned that just about every company has a need for a communications department, whether it’s internal or external communications.

Because I participated in Half Day with a Pro at Conseco, I later networked my way to an interview with the communications manager and the CEO.

Half Day with a Pro opened my eyes to all sorts of possible careers in the public relations industry. Though I didn’t get a job in corporate communications doing only PR work as I would have liked, I did get a job at a Chamber of Commerce as the communications coordinator, one that I never would have thought to apply for prior to Half Day with a Pro. I’ve also noticed through numerous interviews that potential employers are impressed that I had an opportunity to shadow the communications manager at such an established company.

I would recommend Half Day with a Pro to EVERYONE. In fact, I wish I could do it again! It opened so many doors for me.

Half Day with a Pro - Registration Now Open
For over a decade, Hoosier PRSA has hosted its annual Half Day with a Pro program in which PR students shadow PR Professionals during the morning. Our chapter is proud to continue the tradition this year on Wednesday, November 11.

What is Half Day with a Pro?
More than 100 students from universities across the state come to Central Indiana once a year to learn first-hand what PR pros do on a daily basis. It gives students the opportunity to see the real world of PR, observe team meetings, participate in brainstorm sessions and ask questions about your industry and environment. The information gleaned will will help these student better determine which direction they want to pursue after graduation.

Below you will find links to two forms:

• Professionals registering to host students  - Professionals - Half Day with a Pro
• Students registering to be hosted - Students - Half Day with a Pro

Please contact Morgan Greenlee at morgan.greenlee@conradhotels.com, or by phone at 317-524-2516 for more information.

New Pros Unite - Is your contact info up-to-date?

Are you new to the field of public relations? Have you recently graduated from college and are looking to network? Are you seeking further professional development opportunities in the field of public relations? Well, the Hoosier PRSA New Professionals group is for you!

The New Pros committee is planning many fun, social activities for this summer and beyond. New Pros events welcome PRSA members, nonmembers and students.

If you are a New Pro and want to be in the know, please submit your contact information to Kallie Bonnell at newpros@hoosierprsa.org. You can also learn more about these opportunities by clicking on the new pros link on the chapter Web site. 

Congrats to Cardinal Communications

Cardinal Communications, Ball State University's nationally affiliated, student-run public relations firm, was selected as the top student-run firm in the nation at the PRSSA/PRSA International Conference held Oct 24-26 in Detroit.

The firm was the only student-run firm from among the more than 270 chapters in the U.S. to receive the 2008 Dr. F.H. Teahan National Chapter Award for Outstanding Firm. The executive staff also participated in a panel presentation for students interested in improving their firm.

Advancing the professional

On Nov. 12, more than 100 students from around the state will come to Indianapolis for our chapter’s annual Half Day with a Pro program. During the morning, these students will visit PR pros around Indianapolis at their place of work, ask questions, seek advice and generally absorb as much information as possible.

Not only is this a great opportunity for the students, it’s a great opportunity for the pros as well. It’s a chance to reflect on why you got into public relations in the first place, a chance to consider where your career is headed, a chance to consider why you’re a member of PRSA, etc.

Some of our visiting students will also join us for our monthly luncheon. For many of them, this will be their first taste of a PRSA event. It’ll give them a chance to see what our chapter does when we come together and how we are trying to “advance the profession and the professional.”

Personally, I joined PRSA after I finished graduate school at Northwestern University near Chicago. I hadn’t really heard much of it but I became familiar with it during my grad studies. Several of my professors were APRs. It wasn’t until I moved to Indy when PRSA really started to help me advance.

It has been a valuable networking tool and helped me become acquainted with dozens of pros in the area. As a freelancer, it’s help me find work. It has given me an education and sometimes it has challenged my thinking. PRSA has also been a great way to round out some of my experiences. For example, as director of internal communications for the chapter, I prepare our monthly newsletter. I now record the minutes at our monthly board/committee meetings and just recently, we’ve started this blog. Thank you, Hoosier PRSA for the opportunity!

Shameless plug: If you’re interested in volunteering for a committee in 2009 or beyond, let our president-elect Jennifer Mahoney, APR, know. We could always use some help. My guess is it will help you as well.

Ryan Puckett
Director, Internal Communications
Hoosier PRSA