Karen van Bergen is beginning her fourth month as the first CEO of the 6,000-person Omnicom Public Relations Group that oversees 10 primary PR agency brands — including FleishmanHillard, Ketchum and Porter Novelli. In this Career Capsule, Karen writes about how she discovered and fell in love with public relations. By Karen van Bergen As I came to the…… Continue reading Career Capsule: Omnicom’s Karen van Bergen Says ‘Trust Your Gut’
Tag: Porter Novelli
Rules for Being a Chicago-style PR Person
Until last night, I hadn’t given much thought to the fact that every city and region has its own “style” when it comes to the practice of public relations. In accepting Chicago PRSA’s senior leaders award for significant contributions to the profession, veteran agency executive Rich Jernstedt brilliantly described the 10 “rules” that define the “style…… Continue reading Rules for Being a Chicago-style PR Person
End Debate Over ePortfolios: Just Do It!
To do, or not to do an ePortfolio? That appears to be the question facing many soon-to-graduate students as they prepare for highly competitive job searches. Unless you have a job locked up already, the answer is a no brainer. An ePortfolio can boost your employment chances unless you do a lousy job with it.…… Continue reading End Debate Over ePortfolios: Just Do It!
Handicapping the PR Career Track
With so many secular changes in the PR and marketing field, mentoring has become more valuable than ever. This goes both for recent graduates about to enter the PR field and seasoned managers who, let’s face it, can learn a thing a two from younger people conditioned on social channels and digital media. There are…… Continue reading Handicapping the PR Career Track
Chicago PR Students Discover ‘The New York Way’
Besides confirming that Chicago pizza is better than its counterpart in New York, 45 DePaul University students returned from four days of agency, media and association visits in the Big Apple with a better understanding of The New York Way. Perhaps the biggest revelation from the special intersession course was the self confidence gained from…… Continue reading Chicago PR Students Discover ‘The New York Way’
Volunteer and Real-Life Experiences Help Careers
Interns have never worked harder than they do today, but they need experiences beyond grunt work of compiling media lists and shipping new products to bloggers. Realizing all-work-and-no-play is not in the best interests of interns, many enlightened agencies are offering real-life professional and volunteer experiences for their interns. Rich Jernstedt, a great mentor and…… Continue reading Volunteer and Real-Life Experiences Help Careers
Missing Betsy Plank
Serving as the PRSSA 2013-2014 National President, I had the privilege of attending last week’s Plank Center advisory board meeting in Chicago. Members of the board are true titans of the public relations industry, so I’ll admit that I felt a bit out of place. Nevertheless, I quickly became comfortable. The reason for my comfort…… Continue reading Missing Betsy Plank
Are You Marketing Yourself Correctly?
Matt Soriano 2010 has brought a new sense of optimism in the business and public relations worlds. Companies are hiring more aggressively, albeit with increased “skill set” selectivity. According to a Q4 Quick Survey, half of the Council of Public Relations Firms’ members anticipate and increase of hiring activity in 2010. The LAGRANT…… Continue reading Are You Marketing Yourself Correctly?