Edelman
May 8, 2008
WOW. This week I went to the PRSSA Conference in Portland, and then to the first day of the PRSA Communicators Conference the day after, also in Portland. At the PRSSA conference I went on a couple agency tours. The first was to Edelman, and the second was to Maxwell PR. These really helped give me an idea of what kind of place I want to work at after I graduate. I definitely want to work at a bigger agency. I am so obsessed with Edelman! I was so impressed, and left with such excitement about graduating. They have such a young, fresh, peppy atmosphere. I can 100% see myself working there. I’m GOING to get an internship position there right after I graduate and work my way up. I’m SO excited for this next chapter in my life. I just have to get through senior year first! I can’t wait to be living in LA with my sexy job and living a glamorous life, wearing my business casual clothes and taking on the world one press release at a time.
Maxwell PR was nice, too. I was impressed with their clientel, especially Kettle brand chips. They seemed to have a lot of knowledge about what they’re doing, and I love the idea of working together in a more team-work type of atmosphere, but it just didn’t seem to fit me for some reason. The atmosphere seemed to be a little older, and I think I would feel cramped in such a small office.
Another advantage of working at a larger firm is that there are more possibilities in what I can work it. I like the idea of have a specialty. I’m very interested in consumer and entertainment PR, which works perfectly for my desire to live in LA, and I feel like if I was in an environment where I had to take on whatever company or product contacted me, I wouldn’t be able to really put my heart into it.
I guess the bottom line is that I am so excited to graduate and become a PR professional!
May 9, 2008 at 7:17 am
Hi there,
I’m Laura from Maxwell PR, one of the people who met with your PRSSA group earlier this week. While I can understand your enthusiasm for Edelman — it’s a great agency! — I was a little disappointed to hear how you felt about Maxwell.
Since you’re embarking on the all-important job hunt, I thought I’d share some insight. Many agencies have Google alerts set up for not only their clients, but also to capture mentions of their own business. So even if you’re not interested in working for a particular company, it’s still important to be professional and respectful when stating your opinions. Making comments like “seemed to have a lot of knowledge” can come off as a bit arrogant, and could be seen as a red flag for any employer, not just us.
I hope you don’t feel criticized by my response. As a recent U of O graduate myself, I just thought you would appreciate a little constructive feedback.
Good luck with your job search, and I hope you do reach LA.
~ Laura
May 10, 2008 at 9:12 am
Stacey,
Laura was very kind to share this constructive feedback.
I also invite you and anyone else reading this post to read a different view of Maxwell PR by someone else who went on the agency tour: Staci Stringer.
After reading Staci’s review, I would recommend Maxwell PR in a heartbeat!
http://stacistringer.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/a-portland-boutique-maxwell-pr/
May 13, 2008 at 11:09 am
Laura, I really appreciate your constructive criticism. I’m very new to the world of blogging and am learning more with every post. I’ll be sure to be more careful in the future. Thanks again for your help.