Carolyn Vassallo

COMM 4091/4092
Networking Assignment
July 21, 2014
Interiew!
"teen #aranowski
$u%li& 'elations Coor(inator
steen%)&as*manan(asso&iates+&om
I thought Steven would be a perfect employee to interview for this
assignment because he is a recent graduate and was employed by Cashman
and Associates after completing a Spring 2014 semester internship with
them. I rst met Steven when I came in for my internship interview during
Spring !rea". #e was very polite and wal"ed me to my car to collect my
par"ing pass$ and said$ %&on't worry$ I'll put in a good word for you.(
)uc"ily$ I got the internship$ and Steven was there on my rst day of wor".
#e was as"ed bac" by Cashman and Associates to complete a post*grad
internship with the prospect of being hired. It wasn't long before he was
o+cially hired in ,une$ and is now holds the title$ -ublic .elations Coordinator.
Steven and I sat down on /onday$ ,uly 0
th
during his lunch brea" to discuss
what it's li"e post*graduation$ and how he made the most of his internship
e1perience. I'm glad that I got the chance to tal" to Steven since I will soon
be a graduate and loo"ing for a 2ob in the same eld. I have considered him
a great mentor and friend during my time at Cashman and Associates.
Interiew ,uestions
1+ -*at e(u&ational .re.aration woul( you re&ommen( /or
someone w*o wants to a(an&e in t*is 0el(1
3or someone who wants to advance in the public relations and special
events eld$ I would recommend a college degree in communications.
Strong writing s"ills are e1tremely important and are listed as a
re4uirement for many positions within the industry. 5ducational
seminars and wor"shops are also great resources for learning about
the industry. Another suggestion that I strongly suggest are internships
and co*ops which provide real world e1perience which is a fantastic
educational tool for students.

2+ -*at is your /aorite .art o/ Cas*man 2 Asso&iates1 -*y (i(
you &*oose t*is &om.any1
I would have to say that my favorite part of wor"ing at Cashman 6
Associates would be assisting media at special events. It's a great
opportunity to tal" with the media personalities and photographers.
7ou also have the opportunity to meet interesting guest and socialites.
3+ -*at are t*e most ne&essary skills /or a .erson intereste( in
working in $u%li& 'elations1
8ey s"ills include great writing s"ills$ time management$ and the ability
to multitas". All of these s"ills are very important for anybody within
the industry to have.
4+ 4ow (i( you %reak into t*e 0el(1
In my sophomore year I was o9ered the opportunity to wor" at an
event with Cashman and Associates which went really well. :hey too"
down my contact information and continued to o9er me opportunities
to help out with events$ some paid and some unpaid. :emple then
re4uired me to complete a senior internship which consisted of
interning for 40 hours a wee". I logged more than 000 hours with C6A
from ,anuary to /ay$ volunteering for every opportunity that became
available. !efore I graduated I e1pressed my interest in continuing with
C6A and was soon accepted as a temporary employee.
5+ -*at (o you e6.e&t out o/ an intern1 -*at (o you t*ink one
s*oul( gain /rom an interns*i.1
Intern 51pectations;
<olunteer for every opportunity presented
-roactive instead of reactive when completing tas"s
=o above and beyond e1pectations
As" what needs to be done
-rofessional attitude
>hat interns should gain from an internship at C6A;
A general understanding of what public relations is and what
account e1ecutives do
:he ability to create a /edia Alert
:he ability to create a press clipping
:he ability to create a monthly recap
:he ability to draft appropriate and engaging social media posts
A sense of responsibility within the o+ce
7+ -*at .arts o/ your (o 8o% (o you 0n( most &*allenging1
:he most challenging part of wor"ing in the public relations industry is
responding 4uic"ly and e+ciently to time sensitive re4uests from
clients. It is always important to ma"e sure do your 2ob well. :his can
be 4uite di+cult when facing a deadline but it is important to do the
2ob well and in a timely manner.
9+ -*at are some o/ t*e .ro%lems an( issues your organi:ations
/a&es1
Currently$ the largest that our organi?ation faces$ in my opinion$ would
be turnover. 5mployees are no longer staying as long as they once did.
>hen employees leave$ their wor" must then be transferred to another
employee who cannot provide the most e9ective and benecial
e1perience because they have missed out on vital information and now
face a time constraint. I both hear and see this occurrence fre4uently
within the o+ce.
;+ <o you *ae a /aorite &lient, i/ so, w*at makes t*em stan( out
to you1
/y favorite client would have to be Sha"e Shac". I probably en2oy
them the most because I believe that I would act similarly in their
situation. :hey give bac" to the community 4uite a bit. /any of the
charities they assist are animal charities$ which I thin" is a great cause.
Although I en2oy may en2oy Sha"e Shac" more than other clients$ I try
and not treat them di9erently.
9+ 4ow s*oul( I .re.are /or 8o% interiews in t*is 0el(1
.esearch the company and condence is "ey. :o be condent you have
to "now what you are tal"ing about. Always do bac"ground research on
the company so that you can bring up specics when answering
4uestions. Another piece of advice is to as" 4uestions. :he more
4uestions you as"$ the more you learn. If you don't have any 4uestions
for future employers then you seem unprepared. Securing a 2ob is a
big commitment for both the employer and the employee$ so if given
the opportunity to as" 4uestions$ ta"e advantage of it.
10+-*at *as %een t*e most interesting e6.erien&e you *ae *a(
in t*e in(ustry1
/y most interesting e1perience within the industry would have to be
volunteering at the >awa >elcome American festival. I was wor"ing
with Cashman and Associates and was as"ed to assist with the /ayor's
private birthday party. &uring his party I was bartending for him and
his friends$ while listening to a wonderful free concert. It was a
spectacular event and I had a great time.
I(enti/ying $otential $ro/essional Organi:ations or =rou.s!
$u%li& 'elations "o&iety o/ Ameri&a >$*ila(el.*ia C*a.ter?
-.SA -hiladelphia
120 !loomingdale Ave
>ayne$ -A 1@0A0
-.SA -hiladelphia is one of the largest chapters of the -ublic .elations
Society of America. :his chapter provides opportunities for professional
development$ mentoring$ and networ"ing for communications professionals.
Serving as the region's most well*"nown communications 2ob ban"$ being a
member of -.SA -hiladelphia provides opportunity to earn accreditation
through the A-. e1am$ which is -.'s most distinguished title.
-.SA members must devote at least B0 percent of their time to the paid
practice of public relations or to the teachingCadministration of public
relations at an accredited college or university. /embers must adhere to
the -.SA /ember Code of 5thics 2000. 3or those who are currently
unemployed$ prior wor" e1perience Dwithin the last ve yearsE must meet the
above re4uirementsF or meets the following; you hold a degree in -ublic
.elationsF you hold another academic degree program which meets the
standards for a -.SSA charter$ you hold -.SA certication for 5ducation in
-ublic .elations or you have achieved accreditation in -ublic .elations.
$*ila(el.*ia@s Airst Boastmasters
/eetings held at; -hiladelphia -rotestant #ome$ GB00 :abor .oad$
-hiladelphia$ -A.
Contact person; 7vonne >illiams$ 21B*B1A*@H1@
B*e Mission o/ t*e Clu%!
:he mission of a :oastmasters Club is to provide a mutually supportive and
positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to
develop communication and leadership s"ills$ which in turn foster self*
condence and personal growth.
B*e Mission o/ Boastmasters International!
:oastmasters International is the leading movement devoted to ma"ing
e9ective oral communication a worldwide reality.
:hrough its member Clubs$ :oastmasters International helps men and women
learn the arts of spea"ing$ listening and thin"ingIvital s"ills that promote
self*actuali?ation$ enhance leadership potential$ foster human understanding$
and contribute to the betterment of man"ind.
It is basic to this mission that :oastmasters International continually e1pand
its worldwide networ" of Clubs$ thereby o9ering ever*greater numbers of
people the opportunity to benet from its programs.
Boastmasters International Vision!
:oastmasters International empowers people to achieve their full potential
and reali?e their dreams. :hrough our member Clubs$ people throughout the
world can improve their communication and leadership s"ills$ and nd the
courage to change.
/embership re4uirements include completing a /embership Application and
submitting it to the <ice*-resident along with any fees. &ues are paid
semiannually$ and are about J40. :here is an initial payment of J20 which is
charged for your spea"er's manual pac"age. /embers must be 1A or older.