A Retroactive Networking Approach

Networking is the theme of our March issue. We offer an array of insights on making professional connections during the pandemic and creating career-long relationships.

In this edition, Susan B. Walton, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA, discusses why courage is the cornerstone to mentoring. On that topic, Cedric F. Brown, APR, discusses the pitfalls to avoid when counseling diverse professionals.

Elsewhere, Rob Biesenbach shares guidance on keeping interactions from becoming an off-putting sales tool while Dr. Candace Steele Flippin, an executive research fellow at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, shares advice for new professionals.

Real-world networking

I needed this inspiration early in my career. My first foray into real-world networking came as I was preparing to graduate from the Ohio State University.

Looking back, my skills in this area would have earned a well-deserved grade of D. My mistake: waiting until the last minute to realize that I should have been making contacts much sooner — as early as freshman year.

My excuse: I was too busy to network! I had a crowded slate of classes, a full-time job as an editor of the student newspaper, The Lantern, and a weekend gig working in a local restaurant’s kitchen. When was I supposed to meet and greet people, let alone join any student organization?

In the final weeks of my last semester, I asked a teaching assistant in the journalism school for help. He knew an editor at the The Tampa Tribune and suggested that I mail him a cover letter with some clips. So I sent that package off before even thinking about the logistics of moving from Columbus, Ohio, to Tampa, Fla. (I never heard back anyway!)

After two months of futility, I received a call from Katy Delaney, a former Lantern editor, who was now working for the Suburban News Publications, a community-based newspaper chain in Columbus. She knew about an opening in the paper’s East Side office and told me how to apply.

At that moment, I realized that I had a built-in network with my former colleagues at the school paper, many of whom I’m still in contact with today. From that moment on, I became much more active in helping OSU journalism majors with job-hunting guidance and résumé-reviewing pointers.

I saw the power and pride in networking several years later when I moved to New York and started at PRSA. After attending my first few Chapter meetings and the International Conference, I experienced the passion and dedication that PRSA members showed when connecting with their peers. It made me wish to retroactively go back to school and start all this anew.

March milestones

My last full day in the office was this past March 12. Like many organizations and businesses across the country, PRSA remains in a work-from-home environment during the pandemic 12 months later. This marks the 10th issue that we’ve published while in a remote status. We’re continuing to learn and make refinements along the way.

I hope that you and your families are doing well. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in person one of these days.

And on another personal note, March 28 marks my 27th anniversary with PRSA. I’m grateful for my time here and appreciate the lifelong friends that I’ve made along the way. Thank you for making my role as an editor so rewarding. ϖ