I recently got to be a fly on the wall during the “What Recruiters Want” panel, co-organized by PRSA Oregon and Portland State University. We heard from three recruiters in diverse — yet comfortably similar — areas, including: PR, digital marketing, and the footwear/apparel industries.
The seasoned recruiters all had interesting insight to bring regarding the following topics:
Not only did they bring their experience as recruiters to the table, but they also drew from experience at previous jobs (especially at Nike!), rendering this insight invaluable for anyone who might be looking for a job.
Managing Director at PR Talent
Recruiting Manager at Logical Position
Recruiter for Global Footwear and Apparel Clients at Mathys + Potestio/The Creative Party® (most recently an in-house recruiter at Nike)
The panel was moderated by Erin Merz, Director of Marketing & Communications at PSU’s School of Business and a PRSA Oregon Member.
Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.
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PR Talk listeners can use the coupon code BetterExecute for a 15% discount.
PR Talk is deepening our partnership with PRSA Oregon to bring their event content to more members and the public at large. Of course, attending these valuable events live is your best option. But if you can’t make it, you can now hear what you missed.
Communication and HR professionals and students joined PRSA Oregon to hear from a panel of experts on Internal Communications.
Communication and human resources pros from OHSU, Port of Portland, Pac/West Communications and Meyer Memorial Trust participated in an informational panel and Q&A session focused on the rapidly growing fields of internal communications and employee engagement. Attendees (and now listeners) learned how internal communications shapes brands inside and outside, and improves recruitment and employee performance, engagement and satisfaction.
The event was hosted by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Oregon Chapter and the PSU Department of Communication.
Internal Communications Manager, Port of Portland
Vice President, Pac/West Communications
Director of Communications, Meyer Memorial Trust
Associate Director, Strategic Communications, OHSU
Pete Donahue
Internal Communications Manager, Johnson Controls
Brittany Goltry
Interim Assistant Director, Marketing & Communications, Campus Rec & Student Union Services, Portland State University
In a single sentence define what internal communications means to you?
As practitioners that have worked in both internal & external, what are key differences in each and how do they align?
Explain the internal communications function at your organization and talk about the relationship between your company culture, employee engagement and overall company brand.
What do you do all day?
Define strategy & tactics.
What skill set and personal qualities are you looking for in hiring internal communicators?
How do you break into internal communications?
What are the myths of internal communications?
Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.
In such a fast-paced, multi-faceted work environment, it can be tough to stay on top of everything. monday is the collaboration tool trusted by businesses of all kinds to help cut down the clutter and streamline productivity. Learn more at monday.com and signup for a free trial. You’ll see in no time why so many teams around the world are choosing monday for their project management needs.
PR Talk listeners can use the coupon code BetterExecute for a 15% discount.
![Crisis PR & the PIO with Dave Thompson, ODOT [Podcast]](https://www.veracityagency.com/wp-content/uploads/Dave-Thompson-ODOT_800x600.jpg)
“Public relations for government,” Dave Thompson, APR says of his job as Public Information Officer (PIO) of Oregon’s Department of Transportation (ODOT). But as we dig in, I discover the classic role of the PIO to be so much more. Having been at ODOT for over 16 years, he’s technically the Public Affairs Program Manager, overseeing the multitude of PIO’s throughout the state. But when he first started, he was the spokesperson you’d see on TV responding to an issue — a natural disaster, accident, weather, or more — affecting the roads. Today he trains and manages those people, but the job is still intense.
Next week, attendees of CommCon, the Oregon chapter of PRSA’s conference, will get a glimpse of what it’s like to be a PIO. Dave is moderating a session titled “Coordinating Consistent Communications in the Middle of Chaos.” The panel will delve into what happened during the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire that decimated the Gorge and will include speakers from the US Forest Service, Portland Fire & Rescue, and Multnomah County Communications Center. As one of the first PIO’s on the scene, Dave’s mission was to communicate effectively to the public the status of the crisis.
CommCon takes place May 18th from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel (1000 NE Multnomah Street), tickets are available here.
The fact that the panel features communicators from multiple agencies points to a key aspect of the job that I didn’t think about. As a PIO responding to disasters affecting the public, you’re working arm-in-arm with multiple government agencies and NGO’s—aligning your messaging and deciding which group, and whom from that group, will serve what function in the Mt. Everest sized list of things to do in a crisis. For example, Dave’s team recently won an award from Travel Oregon for their expert communication management of the Eclipse this summer. As Dave recalls that time, he paints the picture of a busy communication headquarters with executives from different groups serving functions like:
If it sounds intense, it is. I envision such a headquarters like the inner-workings of a frantic newsroom, and Dave agreed to the comparison. When I asked how people without experience can get involved, he said “you can’t just walk into a situation like that unprepared.” He points to some training resources people can go to, but it seems that on-the-job training and planning ahead with all involved parties is the way to go.
The ODOT public affairs team gets roughly 30-40 calls per week from media that need to be promptly and accurately addressed. All contact seemingly involves a crisis of sorts but the way Dave explains it, with a lot of forward thinking and planning, maybe PR practitioners don’t have to relate to every tragedy as the crisis that it indeed is. Dave says that “absolutely” all crises can be planned for, with his team having contingency plans for everything — earthquakes, volcano eruptions, tsunamis, major traffic accidents and more. Not only do all plans live in his computer, he and his team have print-outs and jump drives of plans, media contacts, press release templates, talking points and more, within arm’s reach — in their cars and at home — should a disaster occur and computers aren’t working or available.
No longer does Dave think of his job as strictly “customer service for the media.” The rise of social media has extended the megaphone — which used to be reserved for media — to the general public, therefore drastically changing the PIO’s function. But Dave’s thinking has also evolved, realizing that the people of Oregon are his customers because they must use the roads safely and efficiently. He treats every inquiry, whether it is FOX news or your grandma, with the same weight.
“The roads are the lifeblood of the economy, greasing the skids so that the economy can flow. Road maintenance is not just for semi-trucks, it’s so you can get to work, get to the store.”
With a masters in computer science, going on to teach at USC, Dave’s career trajectory — from writing papers and teaching, to eventually working in broadcast for 20 years, to now working at ODOT — seems unlikely.
As a self-professed “nerd” working in computer science at USC, Dave found himself isolated, watching the world move without him. Working late at the office on Friday night he switched on the news. A hostage situation at the airport immediately sparked his adrenaline as he became fascinated with the story execution. The next day, he signed up for a new broadcasting class and the rest is history.
Today Dave is dedicated to teaching others.
“My personal mission in life is to make a difference. Nobody will remember it was me, but some part of life will be better because of something I did.”
Having joined PRSA in 2002, Dave has gone on to teach, learn, and become a chapter board member, expressing that you get out of it what you put into it. Dave has truly left a mark on the Portland community by his commitment to spreading knowledge and helping others.
Dave is the Public Affairs Program Manager at the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). He leads a team of eight spokespeople spread across the state of Oregon. He is also a lecturer and media trainer for interviews, crisis management and crisis response. Prior to his career as a PIO, Dave was a reporter, producer, anchor and host at various TV and radio stations. He is also a former board member and president of the local Portland chapter of PRSA.
Connect and follow Dave on social media:
Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.
In such a fast-paced, multi-faceted work environment, it can be tough to stay on top of everything. monday is the collaboration tool trusted by businesses of all kinds to help cut down the clutter and streamline productivity. Learn more at monday.com and signup for a free trial. You’ll see in no time why so many teams around the world are choosing monday for their project management needs.
PR Talk listeners can use the coupon code BetterExecute for a 15% discount.
![The Ins and Outs of Podcasting [Event]](https://www.veracityagency.com/wp-content/uploads/Ins-and-Outs-795x597.jpg)
Amy and Connor will talk all about how to launch a podcast and why you should be paying attention to this marketing medium.
This breakfast meeting, hosted by PRSA Oregon, will be full of tips for agencies and in-house PR pros about launching a new podcast, connecting with existing shows and leveraging the created content.
![Both Sides of the Aisle with PRSA Oregon Pres., Colby Reade [Podcast]](https://www.veracityagency.com/wp-content/uploads/Colby-Reade-Spots-2016-795x597.jpg)
Have you ever wondered about the differences between working in PR and in a newsroom? Colby tells us all about it while offering PR tips from an ex-media role. He also walks us through in’s and out’s of PRSA Oregon. And finally, please don’t fast-forward our shameless plug about about an upcoming presentation on the power of podcasting that Amy and I will offer PRSA on the morning of Thursday, September 28.
After graduating from the University of Oregon, Colby landed a promotions position for a radio station in Portland, hawking t-shirts and boosting event exposure. For the next few years, Colby wore various hats in radio, seamlessly weaving his marketing discipline through an affinity for on-air work. Colby would eventually rise to Managing Editor at KXL before making the jump back to PR, and he has continued to work on the agency side since 2011.
Noting the pure volume of work that must be done in both fields — balancing multiple accounts or stories, managing social media channels, and tons of writing — Colby wonders if they might be more similar than we realize. Crises also happen in both fields, so the ability to drop what you’re doing at a moment’s notice and act fast is a must-have.
One big difference between working in PR and journalism, according to Colby, is the focus and scale of the content. In radio, Colby would spend eight hours on one story, hit the big, red publish button, and let the content amble into the ether, quickly off to chase the next lead. In PR, you can spend months building a cohesive strategy for one announcement. At the end of the day, Colby clearly values the work he’s done in both fields, and as a result he is privy to the give-and-take manifested in each.
Colby was initially hesitant to fully commit to his local PRSA membership, but after hearing about the Accreditation in Public Relations — a degree, of sorts, given to industry professionals who demonstrate a deeper understanding of public relations theory — he was hooked. The PRSA Oregon chapter offers a free 8-week APR coaching course, including a panel presentation and a written exam. Learn more about our local chapter’s APR process here, or shoot them an email — [email protected]. I’ll save you a seat at the next course!
Colby praises PRSA for giving members a space to make strong connections, learn new skills through more than 50 FREE webinars or presentations, and assume mentor or mentee relationships with other professionals in the industry. PRSA Oregon even has a Mentorship Chair, who pairs members with one another to share ideas and lessons about successes and pitfalls. Here’s a list of benefits you can expect with a PRSA membership.
PRSA also posts monthly events that it hosts or partners with, and members benefit from reduced registration costs. From “Meet the Media” events, to its annual Spotlight Awards, PRSA lives up to its mission of educating and connecting its members while also recognizing the brilliant work they produce.
“Don’t just join, join in.” — Barbara Kerr, APR, long-time PRSA board member and past president.
Mark your calendars! In partnership with PRSA, Amy and I will be speaking to PR professionals about the podcasting medium. We’ll let you in on all of the things we wish we had known or done from the beginning, covering everything from the technical side of kick-starting and producing a podcast, to interviewing techniques, and using the tool for your clients.
To learn how to start a podcast, come by the White Stag Block on September 28 from 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. for an engaged discussion. Sign up for the event.
Colby is a proven communicator with experience in broadcast media and public relations. A proud father, Colby serves as chapter President for PRSA Oregon.
Connect and follow Colby on social media:
In such a fast-paced, multi-faceted work environment, it can be tough to stay on top of everything. dapulse is the collaboration tool trusted by businesses of all kinds to help cut down the clutter and streamline productivity. Learn more at dapulse.com and signup for a free trial. You’ll see in no time why so many teams around the world are choosing dapulse for their project management needs.
PR Talk listeners can use the coupon code BetterExecute for a 15% discount.
Throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, PRSA provides members with networking, mentorship, skill building and professional development opportunities – whether you are a new professional fresh out of college or a skilled expert with 20 years in the industry. Check out PRSAoregon.org for more information on how membership can help you grow and connect.
