I find it rather alarming that neither candidate has responded to the memo when transparency and honesty are exactly what both campaigns could use during this process.

The public relations profession has gotten a bad rap in the past. I’m only 23, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve told someone I work in PR and they suddenly say, “So you basically spin the news and stuff?” and I usually respond with something along the lines of, “That’s a pretty common misconception about PR – what I really do is manage the communications between organizations and their publics.” Which is pretty much a textbook definition of PR.

We’ve all read about it before, but it’s ironic that a profession where people specialize in brand management and the communication process has such a bad reputation. That being said, I don’t think it would be too far fetched for the campaigns to have received the requests and thought it was a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black. I don’t mean to imply that political PR is the reason for PR’s current reputation problems, but it’s certainly not helping.

There is still no excuse for the campaigns not to take a higher road with their communications. To say that some of the claims made by both campaigns are misleading is an understatement. I think the main reason that those claims are made is because they work – many Americans do not look into the issues and end up believing whatever the campaigns say.

So what can PR professionals do to help the process? I think we all need to demand more of ourselves and both campaigns. We should try to lead by example and be accountable for our actions. If we do, pretty soon our profession will have a solid reputation to stand on. Finally, I think we need to encourage our family and friends to look into the issues and make decisions for themselves – the easiest way to stop the bad practices employed by the campaigns is to show them they are no longer effective. The best way to do that is to start by making decisions for ourselves and to gently push our friends and loved ones to become educated about the issues.

I hope that at least one of the campaigns will take the challenge set by PRSA. It would definitely be interesting to see how the other campaign would react and be a terrific show of good faith in the judgment of the American people.

Those internships were a great experience and in many cases, I learned more from them than I had in school. Not to toot my own horn, but during my internships and college jobs, I was pretty consistently told that I was a wonderful intern and one of the best they had ever hired. In fact, when I was waiter, I was named employee of the month during my third month on the job.

I’ve put together a list of things I did to make sure that I got the most out of my internships. I think this is also a good set of guidelines when starting a new job to make sure you’re making the best impression possible.

1.    Be Punctual – Punctuality is probably one of the easiest and hardest things to do. It doesn’t only mean show up to work on time, it also means making sure you meet all of your deadlines while maintaining high quality work. It will mean staying late or eating lunch at your desk at times, but that’s why your there right? To gain experience. In PR, most of the time you can’t afford to be late, so it’s better to try to get things done ahead of time. One of old high school teachers put it best when he said, “To be early is to be on time, to on time is to be late, and to be late is very, very stupid.”

2.    Ask Questions – This is one of those rules you’ll hear throughout your internships and career and it’s directly related to being punctual. It doesn’t only show that you’re being proactive, it will also help you develop a better understanding of the profession, company, and become a better employee. Plus, most managers would agree that they would rather you ask a quick question now than spend a few hours doing something incorrectly or with errors.

3.    Be Proactive – Like questions, this is one you’ll hear all the time. Finished with an assignment? Ask for more. Want to sit in on a conference call or meeting? Ask if you can. This will show that you are genuinely interested in the company and by going that extra mile you’ll make yourself stand out among the other interns.

4.    Mentor – Find someone at your company that you look up to and ask them to coffee, to lunch, and see if you can pick their brain. You’ll find that most people will be happy to sit with you and discuss their careers. It will give you a lot of insight into the pros and cons of your chosen career path and the more information you have, the better career decisions you can make.

5.    Be Indispensable – Make yourself indispensable to the company. By going above and beyond in any way you can, you’ll put yourself in the position that if the company is hiring for an entry level position, they have no reason not to hire you. Become the go-to person for a particular client, topic, skill, anything. Volunteer for additional opportunities – good or bad. Does the store room need to be organized and you have no projects and already asked for more? Organize it. Secretary sick and they need someone at the front desk? Volunteer. It may not be the most glamorous thing to do sometimes, but all of those little things will add up and everyone in the company will really appreciate you for it and you’ll show that you are someone that is dependable. Even if a job doesn’t open up – you’ll sure get yourself one heck of a recommendation.

I hope that helps! What do you think interns and new recruits can do to get the most out of their new position?