My name is Taylor Strong and I am a recent graduate of The University of Alabama. This is my first "big girl" job as well as my first experience in a public relations firm. I am continuing to discover that no matter what is taught in the classroom, there is no match for the experience gained in a notably aggressive p.r. firm. My experience at Dittoe p.r. has been eye opening and enlightening and I am continuing to learn and grow as I collaborate with my colleagues and I am doing my best to assimilate to a company that remains at the top of their game.
Comments
(0)
Posted Tuesday, January 15, 2008 by
Taylor Strong
Today is my final day at DittoePR and as I look around the office I realize that I have made no attempts to gradually leave.
Messy desk, adorned with files and notebooks, pictures above my computer, and an embarrassing amount of cups that I meant to take home months ago; symbols of my reluctance to admit to myself that today is actually my last day.
I recently accepted a position to teach overseas in the Island of Yap and while I am brimming with excitement, I am wildly nostalgic on my time here at Dittoe and have spent the better time of today reflecting on what is surely one of the most formative experiences of my life.
My last day. It seems so surreal; I can honestly remember my first day here with total clarity.
As mentioned before, my actual P.R. experience was lacking, but I knew that with the right amount of effort that I could learn what I needed to learn to make it as an account executive.
I started off as an intern and there was no task that I was too proud to complete, no errand I did not want to run, no time too late to stay. I busted it and in retrospect I loved every minute of it.
Every single one of my colleagues made sure that I was not only comfortable with my assignments but provided me with the inspiration and hunger to want to do more.
With time I was given my very first client and with that the realization of the human element that makes Public Relations so very centered on establishing effective relationships.
The names that you represent, both the company’s and the client’s, become a part of your identity in intangible ways.
When you work on a team, you work for a team. You work hard to make sure that the company to which you are so proud remains on the top of the list where it belongs; you work hard to make sure that the client you represent is given every single possible opportunity.
You work hard because you see their face and you know that behind the business cards and the product and the media contact lists are real people with real faces who deserve the best. Simply the best.
Establishing positive relationships does not mean that professional standards matter less, it means such standards matter more.
As much as people have tried to teach me in the past that all is fair in business and politics, I know now from my experience at Dittoe that all evidence points to the contrary.
My bosses and my colleagues have taught me that the key to maintaining the relationships that lead to professional success is to know that beneath all of the layers is a human being who deserves to be treated as a person, not a product.
Being good, in all respects to the word, on a personal level is the first and most important key to finding success on a professional level.
Like the quote above my boss’s desk, DittoePR does what they love, and loves what they do.
The team you work for deserves nothing less than the best because when someone, your employer or client, entrusts in you to do a phenomenal job then it is your sole responsibility to make all attempts to do so.
As the clock nears five I beg it to slow down. I wish that I could stay in this moment a little longer and breathe in this environment that is bursting with positive energy and maintained by truly good people.
I owe my extreme gratitude to those who have taught me invaluable lessons about what it takes to establish the relationships that really matter. My time at Dittoe, if anything was too short; but time has no impact on how much a person or group of people or company can positively impact others.
My employers and my colleagues have been role models to me, both professionally and personally, and I tip my hat to them for proving to me that lack of experience does not mean lack of potential.
I have never left the country before and I am about to live 36 hours away from home for the next two years. Am I nervous? Absolutely, but during my time at Dittoe, I learned that with the right approach nothing is impossible to conquer.
It seems that my reluctance to pack up my desk is a foreshadowing to my future. I guess among all of the relationships that I have established I have learned that you never truly leave anyone.
You physically move but those who are truly influential are never gone, they stay with you. If I could sum it all up in this moment before I am about to leave, I would say that it is the person behind the public that matters the most in public relations.
Thank you Dittoe, the experience and the lessons I have learned are far beyond what I ever imagined I could gain. If I have any experience that will prepare me for my upcoming move it is due to the values you have instilled and reinforced in me that are universal.
Posted Thursday, December 13, 2007 by
Taylor Strong
Immediately after graduation I moved to Indianapolis in hopes of changing the world. Similar to my many like minded peers I was boiling over with an idealistic perspective undoubtedly gained from one too many communication courses. I was young, informed and absolutely positive that employers would beg to have me on their team. My naivity was a catch 22 in which it was so strong that even I was clueless to my own “clueless ness.”
Could I have shown prospective employers that although my relevant experience failed to transcend past college extracurricular activities and internships, that I was a fast learner and a hard worker with extreme eagerness, I may have had more luck finding a job in a timely manner. But as shop talk goes, I was a green candidate, fresh out college and although I succeeded in college I was among everything else-a risk.
“The interview was great, but we decided to fill the position with someone with a little more experience,” previous interviewers said in veiled benevolence.
I would have preferred a flat no seeing as the “more experience” card lessens the pain of rejection about as well as the “its not you, its me” line used in more than a few of my past relationships.
I went into my first interview with DittoePR with confidence and poise in hopes to mask my insecurities gained from a month of rejections, hoping to prove my abilities in lieu of my lack of experience on paper.
I had researched the company prior to my interview and everything I learned led me to the consensus that I wanted to join their team.
I was more than impressed with their dedication to their clients and saw that their clients were just as dedicated to them through their testimonials.
When I landed a second interview I was ecstatic!
I respected their vision, mission, and their overall package. There was no doubt in my mind that DittoePR was a top-notch firm and that I would be lucky to work there.
I continued to follow-up in the following weeks and prayed to God they’d give me a chance.
“I am going to give you a chance,” was written at the top of the email, “can you start Monday?”
I stared at the screen for a long minute and breathed a sigh of relief. I had made it.
I realized at that moment that finding the right job is not a random act of faith in which we are forced to relinquish our pride and our convictions to make it into the realm of the employed. Finding a job does not entail losing yourself; finding a job is about finding a place where you can be yourself, can find yourself, and can improve yourself.
At the time I thought that I was pushing and groveling and running through hoops simply to find employment, and I know now that it was my first lesson in effective Public Relations.
The ends do not always justify the means, it takes work. My gratitude runs over for the interviewers who turned me down because it would have just been some job, not the right job.
It takes the will of a fighter and the grace of someone who is not afraid to fail. It takes knowing your audience and how your story is a good fit with their own, knowing your limitations and your strengths, and realizing that if done right, working your tail off behind the scenes can put you center stage, smack dab in the middle of the best place you could possibly be.
I landed the interview, I laid it all out there when I knew that it could easily be thrown back in my face, and I found a company that takes risks.
DittoePR took a chance on me and because they were willing to see what I could offer I was compelled to give it my all.
The most effective public relations specialists encompass the attitude my own bosses had when they hired me, they see what is written on paper and instead of taking it at face value, they envision where it can be with the right effort and right approach.
I am forever grateful for this opportunity because not only am I able to work at a PR firm that remains true to its values, mission, and convictions; it has taught me to stay true to my own.
