I've had two jobs that I applied for contact me this week. Unfortunately, due to my current internship commitments I cannot interview at this time for either of the jobs. But, both jobs are going to hold my resume so that's great!
The first job contacted me about two weeks ago and said they'd call me back about an interview. They called back two weeks later but told me they would be willing to hold my resume and contact me again in mid-January. This job is in North Jersey and does a lot of marketing relations with the mid-Atlantic sports, entertainment and retail. The job sounds great but it's definitely not my first choice.
The second one contacted me yesterday and I talked to them today. They are based in Southern California and do relations with more telecom groups. They were very enthusiastic about my resume and loved that I went to Penn State. What I liked about them is that they told me a lot more about their company and what I would be doing if I was offered a job. Plus, they told me they would stay in contact with me and make sure to make room for an interview when I'm in the L.A. area.
I don't know how I'm going to get to California; I don't really have a reason to travel out there in the near future. The job in North Jersey is more doable since I don't live far from it. But, I'm not totally sure about California. I've always wanted to move out West but I can't go there with no job and put my eggs in one basket. I do have some friends in the area who might be willing to house me sooner than later, but I can't totally depend on that.
My parents have been very supportive and they want me to do whatever makes me happy. Everything relies on whether I get this internship or not. I don't find out for another week and a half if I got in or not. And honestly, I'm not sure which I want to happen- the internship or the job. My future hasn't been written yet but the anticipation is distracting!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Decking the Halls prior to Thanksgiving: WHY?
I mentioned previously that I worked with the Mouse. I'm not going to say exactly what I do but I do spend quite some time at the Magic Kingdom. Halloween is a big holiday down here in Orlando, but once November 1st rolled around, there was a different sighting.
The pumpkins were replaced with tin soldiers. Holly, wreaths and snowflakes graced Main Street. And the signature music of old-time tunes turned into whispers of Jingle Bells and Sleigh Ride. Christmas had officially arrived, three weeks before Thanksgiving.
All across the malls and shops in Orlando, sights of Christmas had popped up too. In the Florida Mall, I noticed Santa's Workshop was ready with a sign saying old Kris Kringle would be arriving VERY soon (as seen here on the left).
But why is that? Why start Christmas right then and now?
Of course, not every store was ready to "Deck the Halls." Nordstrom, a high-end retailer, took a very interesting move on the Christmas before Thanksgiving tradition that has started these days...
Nordstrom took the liberty to say Thanksgiving does indeed come before Christmas. But most stores and malls don't. Why is that?
There are a few answers to this that I've discovered myself. When talking to managers around the Magic Kingdom, it was quite simple: people visit Disney to celebrate Christmas during these months. Guests who come in November want the prestige of Christmas and since they can't afford to take their family during that time (the price difference is huge between the months), they take them then. Christmas parties start in November, with a few prior to Thanksgiving. Disney also made sure this year that there were ZERO Christmas parties during the week of Thanksgiving, mainly because they were unnecessary given the attendance increase during the week.
But, then begs the question, why do people want Christmas in November? Well, many visitors in early November are not American so they don't celebrate Thanksgiving (that's the short answer). The long answer can be the Christmas spirit entering us right when Halloween ends.
After all, some stores start Christmasing long before Halloween has gone for good. I've seen Macy's decked out 3 weeks prior to Halloween! So, why then and now?
My theory on the whole mall thing trickles down to the Christmas card. People get in line to have their kids see Santa early because, hey, that's their Christmas card photo. And that translates to the key word in this: money.
Christmas is ultimately, a consumer holiday. By decking out early, it gets people's mindsets on the holidays. Meaning they need to start buying gifts stat and maybe a head start wouldn't be too bad. If you start decorating early, people will see the holly and smell the gingerbread thinking about all they things to buy to prepare. And the earlier you start, the more money that could translate for your business.
Are there theories on this? Perhaps. I haven't personally researched any.
And what about Nordstrom? If they wait 3 weeks longer, do they lose money? Obviously not. They still are doing it and a lot of people like the PR move they've put on them. It has brought the store wanted attention. Many people would say how they don't like Thanksgiving being overlooked so maybe they would want to shop at Nordstrom. Plus, since Nordstrom is a pricey place, they won't lose more money.
Nordstrom has done this for a few years or so and it has been successful. Would other stores follow suit? Most likely not; Black Friday has now started on Thanksgiving Day for big stores like Target, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us so don't look for that to change.
Ultimately, money is what these stores want. They're big corporations and Christmas brings lots of money. With the economy slowly picking up, they want to capitalize. And they must.
Only time will tell how far these stores will go for money. But don't criticize those people who feed into it. Christmas is a consumer holiday, but the holidays in general is a wonderful time of year for many- you can't blame them all if they want a head start.
Happy Holidays!
All across the malls and shops in Orlando, sights of Christmas had popped up too. In the Florida Mall, I noticed Santa's Workshop was ready with a sign saying old Kris Kringle would be arriving VERY soon (as seen here on the left).
But why is that? Why start Christmas right then and now?
Of course, not every store was ready to "Deck the Halls." Nordstrom, a high-end retailer, took a very interesting move on the Christmas before Thanksgiving tradition that has started these days...
There are a few answers to this that I've discovered myself. When talking to managers around the Magic Kingdom, it was quite simple: people visit Disney to celebrate Christmas during these months. Guests who come in November want the prestige of Christmas and since they can't afford to take their family during that time (the price difference is huge between the months), they take them then. Christmas parties start in November, with a few prior to Thanksgiving. Disney also made sure this year that there were ZERO Christmas parties during the week of Thanksgiving, mainly because they were unnecessary given the attendance increase during the week.
But, then begs the question, why do people want Christmas in November? Well, many visitors in early November are not American so they don't celebrate Thanksgiving (that's the short answer). The long answer can be the Christmas spirit entering us right when Halloween ends.
After all, some stores start Christmasing long before Halloween has gone for good. I've seen Macy's decked out 3 weeks prior to Halloween! So, why then and now?
My theory on the whole mall thing trickles down to the Christmas card. People get in line to have their kids see Santa early because, hey, that's their Christmas card photo. And that translates to the key word in this: money.
Christmas is ultimately, a consumer holiday. By decking out early, it gets people's mindsets on the holidays. Meaning they need to start buying gifts stat and maybe a head start wouldn't be too bad. If you start decorating early, people will see the holly and smell the gingerbread thinking about all they things to buy to prepare. And the earlier you start, the more money that could translate for your business.
Are there theories on this? Perhaps. I haven't personally researched any.
And what about Nordstrom? If they wait 3 weeks longer, do they lose money? Obviously not. They still are doing it and a lot of people like the PR move they've put on them. It has brought the store wanted attention. Many people would say how they don't like Thanksgiving being overlooked so maybe they would want to shop at Nordstrom. Plus, since Nordstrom is a pricey place, they won't lose more money.
Nordstrom has done this for a few years or so and it has been successful. Would other stores follow suit? Most likely not; Black Friday has now started on Thanksgiving Day for big stores like Target, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us so don't look for that to change.
Ultimately, money is what these stores want. They're big corporations and Christmas brings lots of money. With the economy slowly picking up, they want to capitalize. And they must.
Only time will tell how far these stores will go for money. But don't criticize those people who feed into it. Christmas is a consumer holiday, but the holidays in general is a wonderful time of year for many- you can't blame them all if they want a head start.
Happy Holidays!
Friday, November 23, 2012
The beginning... hopefully
This blog is called "Amateur PR girl" for a reason. Let's see... I might have a degree in Public Relations but I have never had a true PR internship or a job. I only graduated a few months ago and since I have minimal experience, I need to get experience.
But, I'm not getting experience from anyone right now. So, I'm gaining experience by doing my own PR. So, what better way to start than by writing a blog that not only chronicles my journey into starting a career right after college, but gives me experience in the field of Public Relations?
So, here's a little bit about myself. My name is Tabitha and I am a 22-year old college grad living in Orlando, FL. I work for the Mouse (you know which one) as I complete the College Program. I've extended my program but I'm still waiting to hear from a Professional Internship (cross your fingers, knock on wood and/or make a wish for me). I graduated from a school that is the king of how NOT to do public relations, the Pennsylvania State University. I love my Nittany Lions and I love Penn State so much, but one valuable thing they taught me is how to handle crisis PR, and last year, they didn't do a good job with it.
So, I graduated in May and came straight down here to Florida barely a week after graduating. I honestly thought that if I did a good job here, people would beg me for a job. Oh my, how wrong was I. I've learned something since starting here- it's not necessarily what you know but WHO you know. Yes, what you know is very important, but networking is extremely key in getting a job. I've always known that when it came to my desired profession, but I never practiced it.
Now, my program is about to end and I still have nothing. So, I've decided to stay down here and try to learn from my mistake. I'm planning on learning how to network, step by step. By meeting people, I can learn what to do to get to my dream job. I can gain experience and figure out where to go next. I'm hoping I do get the PI and can start slowly working up (though, I don't believe I did well on my interview, so I'm thinking it will be a no). But, if I do not get the PI, I will do what I'm doing now- network and build up my resume.
This blog is the beginning, hopefully. I want to write about my experiences, whether good or bad, with trying to get to that job. In the meantime, I also want to write my own insights on the world of PR, whether it's lessons I learned or the big news surrounding the world right now from a PR standpoint. If I practice, I can become better.
I don't know what the future holds, but I do know I control it. Let's see where I drive it to.
But, I'm not getting experience from anyone right now. So, I'm gaining experience by doing my own PR. So, what better way to start than by writing a blog that not only chronicles my journey into starting a career right after college, but gives me experience in the field of Public Relations?
So, here's a little bit about myself. My name is Tabitha and I am a 22-year old college grad living in Orlando, FL. I work for the Mouse (you know which one) as I complete the College Program. I've extended my program but I'm still waiting to hear from a Professional Internship (cross your fingers, knock on wood and/or make a wish for me). I graduated from a school that is the king of how NOT to do public relations, the Pennsylvania State University. I love my Nittany Lions and I love Penn State so much, but one valuable thing they taught me is how to handle crisis PR, and last year, they didn't do a good job with it.
So, I graduated in May and came straight down here to Florida barely a week after graduating. I honestly thought that if I did a good job here, people would beg me for a job. Oh my, how wrong was I. I've learned something since starting here- it's not necessarily what you know but WHO you know. Yes, what you know is very important, but networking is extremely key in getting a job. I've always known that when it came to my desired profession, but I never practiced it.
Now, my program is about to end and I still have nothing. So, I've decided to stay down here and try to learn from my mistake. I'm planning on learning how to network, step by step. By meeting people, I can learn what to do to get to my dream job. I can gain experience and figure out where to go next. I'm hoping I do get the PI and can start slowly working up (though, I don't believe I did well on my interview, so I'm thinking it will be a no). But, if I do not get the PI, I will do what I'm doing now- network and build up my resume.
This blog is the beginning, hopefully. I want to write about my experiences, whether good or bad, with trying to get to that job. In the meantime, I also want to write my own insights on the world of PR, whether it's lessons I learned or the big news surrounding the world right now from a PR standpoint. If I practice, I can become better.
I don't know what the future holds, but I do know I control it. Let's see where I drive it to.
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