COMM 2322 Assignment :: Interview with a PR Pro

For this assignment (COMM 2322 only), you will choose and interview a public relations professional, and then write about this interview at your blog. This post will be a minimum of 500 words. Post your recap on your blog, and in the Course Materials area in BlackBoard, you’ll need to provide me with the PR professional’s contact information information (name, title & company, phone number and e-mail address).

Due Date: See BlackBoard

Though a face-to-face interview is preferred, a phone or webcam interview is acceptable. An interview that is e-mail or text-based only is not acceptable.

Schedule your interview at least a week before this assignment is due, preferably two. PR professionals sometimes have unpredictable schedules, and it’s possible that you may need to reschedule.

Include an introductory paragraph that introduces the PR professional, including title and company, educational background, etc. Mention your connection to the professional (how you found him/her) and how you conducted the interview (face-to-face, phone or webcam).

Questions/Topics you need to include:

• What’s a typical week like? (If no week is typical, then what was last week like?)
• Tell me about a project you worked on that you are especially proud of.
• What do you do to keep current in the PR industry?
• What do you wish you would have known before starting your career in PR?
• How important is writing in your career?
• What three tips would you offer someone just starting out in PR?
• After interviewing this person, are you (the student, not the practitioner) more or less likely to want to have a career in PR? Why?

Some questions you may wish to ask:

• Did your education prepare you for working in PR? How?
• What has surprised you the most about working in PR?
• How has PR changed since you entered the field?
• How does technology affect your daily work?
• When your company is hiring for an entry-level PR position, what makes a candidate stand out?
• What professional organizations are you involved in? (For example, PRSA, IABC, etc.)
• Ask for feedback on your resume
• More informational interview questions

Some things you may wish to do:

• Include a photo of your interviewee. (This can be a photo he or she provides or one that you take yourself.)
• Link to your interviewee’s LinkedIn profile and/or blog.
• Conduct the interview using Skype and two webcams. Record the interview with Vodburner, and post the interview at your blog.

Questions?

[NOTE: This must be an informational interview that you conduct this semester. Do not “recycle” an interview that you conducted during a previous semester.]