Drew Titus

Mr. Daniel Alburger

English III

11 February, 2018

Trisha Ostrowski Interview Transcript

1. When considering college, what are some courses you would recommend taking to give

you a leg up on people in the workplace?

Social media is a hot topic right now and I would take any classes that focus not only on using

social media effectively, but also optimizing it. Being a specialist in digital communications will

offer many opportunities. Outside of that, I would take any writing courses you can and some

business ones in marketing and management too. Lastly, any ability to do graphic design and

classes you could take will give you a serious leg up.

2. What would the workload be like for someone planning on going into public relations?

(Hour dedication, class lectures, the works)

In college, the workload really depends on the number of courses you take. I would say that you

want to take a heavier schedule freshman and sophomore years, so you have time to do

internships your later years. For me, I was a reporter and editor on my college newspaper for two

years, so that took some extra time. I also coordinated PR for a large campus organization and

was community outreach coordinator for another. The experiences I gained outside the
classroom were as valuable if not more than those inside the classroom. Over the summers and

during the school year, I did several internships, which increased workload, but were worth it.

Professionally, the workload really changes based on what you have happening with your

organization at any given time. I would say that PR people often have to be on-call for

executives and the media 24-7 and you never know when a crisis could arise.

3. Considering that public relations/community management are not necessarily majors

offered at colleges, what major should someone look into pursuing when applying for

colleges?

There are many options, but I would recommend trying to find a program that at least offers a

concentration in public relations or some courses. I originally was planning to go to law school

and was an English major with a concentration in professional writing. When I realized I did not

want to do law, I picked up a second major in journalism and was able to do a concentration in

PR and a minor in marketing. Many colleagues have been journalism majors, but others have

majored in communications or other fields in undergraduate, going on to get a masters in

communications, marketing, etc. I would recommend going on to get an MBA if you can after

undergrad.

4. Are there any activities/programs that you have partaken in that have shown considerable

benefits from participation?

I have been involved in PRSA and IABC. I would like to have been more involved and would

recommend that early in your career especially. I think anything you can do to network, etc. is

great and you never know who you will meet (getting a job is all about who you know). Many

chambers are starting young professionals groups that also are excellent. For me, I have found it

beneficial to use my skills to give back to organizations I care about such as the schools, FIRST

Robotics, Odyssey of the Mind, my neighborhood, etc. PR skills are useful in many places and

all organizations could benefit from them.

5. When applying for positions at a company, what, if any, research should be done on the

history of the company prior to an interview?

A lot of research should be done. You can look at the history of the company and understand

what they do. You can understand competitors and the challenges faced. You can look at news

stories for the last few years to understand some ups and downs. You can know the backgrounds

of the people you are meeting with by checking them out on social media. You can spend some

time on the company’s social media or look up who tags it in posts to get a feel for its values and

level of employee and community engagement.

6. Can you think of any traits one should have when going into this profession?

Be resourceful and a good problem solver, able to think on your feet and make decisions quickly.

Have great relationship-building skills (which you do!) since relationships are absolutely the key

to success. Be detail oriented, especially since you likely will be the public voice of a company

or organization or the media spokesperson. What you will say matters and affects many people.
Be a good ambassador for your company and organization and its brand. Develop instincts about

where a story or situation will “go” and how it could be perceived by various stakeholder groups.

Be able to meet deadlines every time. Be able to stay calm in a crisis. Be enthusiastic and a

cheerleader for your company/organization.

7. Could you explain your day-to-day?

What I love most about the field is that I never know day-to-day what I might be doing and there

is a huge amount of variety in my job. This is especially true since I am a consultant working

with several different companies and elected officials. I do a lot of strategic planning and coming

up with a list of strategies including priorities and implementation timelines/resource allocations.

For one client, I have been working on a social media campaign to get people to register on a

website or take-action. Today, I’m reaching out to some of those take-action folks to see if they

are willing to sign letters to the editor or opinion-editorials for various newspapers around the

state. I would ghost write those pieces with my client’s messaging and give instructions for

submission to the papers. The people could then tweak them to make them their own and submit.

I also am finishing up a weekly e-newsletter/update for another client and planning a press

conference for another.

8. What steps did you have to take to climb the corporate ladder and gain the position that

you have?

I have been a consultant for 16 years and have worked with many companies, organizations, and

elected officials during that time. I love it because it gives me a lot of flexibility and is always
interesting and challenging. The downside is that the workload can be a little up-and-down, but it

has been 100 percent worth it to me. Before becoming a consultant, I worked with the SC

Department of Commerce in Marketing and Communications for about 10 years where I

primarily served as the liaison with the governor’s communications team. I also was the editor of

a magazine, worked at an advertising agency, worked in college admissions and had a brief stint

in managing several franchise locations for some family friends. I draw on all of those

experiences now. I would say that out of college, any job you can take in PR/media

relations/corporate communications/community relations will give you a good stepping stone for

the future. It really helps if you can work for an organization where you believe in the mission or

are passionate about what they are doing.

9. What have been some different tasks (Social Media Management, Mass Email Drafting,

Distribution of Community Feedback, etc.) you have completed?

I have done all of the things you mention along with many others. Strategic planning, crisis

communications, media relations, public affairs and governmental relations, press releases and

press events, direct mail, event management and promotion, stakeholder communications

planning and implementation, website planning and development, tons of writing of all kinds,

collateral creation (brochures, etc.).