New college grads can get a step ahead in their job search by preparing for what type of career they want to have. What industry do you want to work in? What type of environment do you want to work in - agency or in house? How can you stay on top of trends and learn about social media? These tips will help soon-to-be college grads prepare for a successful job search and career. Missy Voronyak is a PR graduate of Drake University and the founder of Voronyak Consulting, where she specializes in healthcare social media and influencer marketing. Missy gave this presentation to the Drake University PRSSA group in 2023.

1. BEYOND CAMPUS:
5 ESSENTIAL TIPS TO PREPARE
FOR YOUR CAREER AS A
PR PROFESSIONAL
By Missy Voronyak
Voronyak Consulting

2. Missy Voronyak
Mktg/Comms/Social/Influencer
Voronyak Consulting (new!)
Agency + In-House Experience
Healthcare Focus
4 kids + 3 dogs + 1 husband
Food allergy mom + LGBTQIA+ ally
Minnesota

3. TIP 1: DEFINE YOUR
PASSION AREAS

4. PR is a
support
function in
nearly every
industry
Automotive
Hospitality
Food
Healthcare
Retail
Real Estate
Technology
Education

5. Work environments vary
Agency
◦ Fast paced (all the time)
◦ Multiple clients
◦ Higher pay
◦ Heavy hierarchy of roles
◦ Work collaboratively
◦ Billable Hours
◦ Regularly working nights/weekends
In-House/Company
◦ Ups and downs in workload
◦ One or two focus areas
◦ Task ownership and independence
◦ Deeper expertise on product/services
and customer experience
◦ Be an integral part of a team
◦ Can usually take a lunch break

6. Where do you want to focus?
◦ Media Relations
◦ Communications
◦ Integrated marketing/comms
◦ Social Media
◦ Influencers
◦ Events
Many new graduates
start as a generalist and
focus on specialty areas
as they grow

7. TIP 2: BE A
TREND SPOTTER

8. ABSORB THE
NEWS + READ
THE FEEDS

9. Subscribe
Newsletters
1. PR News
2. Social Media Today
3. Talking Points
4. Swan.
Google Alerts (examples)
1. Your Name
2. Company Name
3. Healthcare Influencers
4. FTC Influencer
Podcasts
1. The PR Week Podcast
2. HBR IdeaCast
3. Indestructible PR
4. Women in Influencer Marketing

10. TIP 3: IMMERSE
YOURSELF IN NEW
TECHNOLOGY

11. Read, play + learn
Social Media
◦ Facebook
◦ Instagram
◦ Snapchat
◦ Threads
◦ Twitter
◦ LinkedIn
◦ Pinterest
◦ YouTube
Artificial Intelligence
◦ Chat GPT
◦ Bard (Google)
◦ Bing Image Generator (Microsoft)
◦ Perplexity
Streaming Media
◦ Spotify
◦ Hulu
◦ Etc.

12. TIP 4: JOIN
PROFESSIONAL
GROUPS

13. Join groups + attend meetings
Learn trends +
hear case studies
Grow your
professional network
Find content to talk
about on LinkedIn
and in meetings
Gives you credibility
by association
Hot tip: Volunteer to be on committees if you are nervous talking to others

14. TIP 5: BUILD YOUR
LINKEDIN PRESENCE

16. Your network is gold
◦ Critical for making an impression
◦ Your job search depends on it
◦ More connections are better
◦ Send requests to:
◦ Friends
◦ Professors
◦ Parents
◦ Parents friends
◦ New coworkers

17. THANK YOU
Contact: Voronyak Consulting + LinkedIn