Thanks to everyone who has read and commented on my thoughts.  I appreciate your time and consideration.  Feel free to still add the occasional comment or email me at hmueller@kent.edu.  I look forward to hearing from you; perhaps we’ll meet again-another day, another blog. 

As always, keep your minds and arms open as you embrace different people and cultures. 

And remember the words of the amazing Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

An article from PR Tactics and The Strategist Online about cultural etiquette caught my eye.  I imagined the article by Susan Balcom Walton  would discuss dealing with other countries and their cultures in the professional world, but the article surprised me and conversed about various employee cultures within one building.  The discussion presented a “well-groomed, clever, capable young man” who landed the “perfect” internship in a booming city–and was fired within 12 hours on the job. 

What happened?  Sulking with his tail between his legs, the student responded: “I said everything they said I said, but I didn’t mean what they thought I meant.” 

He didn’t understand culture etiquette.  Read closely so you don’t make the same mistake. 

Whether we are entry level employees or the top dogs, we need to follow Walton’s three steps to eliminate this problem:

1.  Understand and hone the cultural attributes your organization values: You now represent your organization.  Respect your company’s values even if they are not your own.

2.  Close the gap between the what and the how: Close the gap between what you mean to do and how it is perceived by others. 

One of my favorites:

What you did:

• Bombarded your supervisor (and her supervisor) with detailed e-mails about all your activities.

What you meant:

• You wanted to be sure everyone knew how hard you were working.

How it was perceived:

• You wanted people’s admiration and favor.  You were wasting everyone’s time.

Please note that situations such as this one do happen, they happened to me last summer while working for Lockheed Martin.  You’ll feel stupid–just learn and get over it.

3.  Exemplify universal standards of workplace professionalism

• Be appreciative and humble
• Don’t go around your boss
• Get appropriate input before doing

Follow these rules for cultural etiquette and you’ll be a rockstar.  Just don’t go around telling everyone how awesome you are…they may take it the wrong way. 

   Like many of my peers, I wanted to move away to a city with no more snow, no more rain, and better sports teams.  But here I am in March of my senior year.  With four interviews under my belt, I’m seeing that Northeast Ohio public relations isn’t that bad. 

   In the last six weeks, I’ve had four interviews for a summer internship, one for an actual job.  People are nice, and the jobs in Northeast Ohio are availalble–you just need the drive to go after them.  I love interviews because I enjoy talking about myself–when people actually listen (or pretend to be listening).  My favorite question is “Where do you see yourself in five years?” And I always respond with the same answer:

“I’m fortunate to have had so many incredible experiences in my life, especially in these past four years.  If there is one thing I can take from these experiences it’s that life can’t be planned in any way (give a personal example, etc.).  In five years, I see myself happy, because my true happiness is the only thing I can control.”  Good, huh?

Look at that, I just gave you a cheat sheet for your next interview. 

Here are a few more of Holly’s interview tips for landing that perfect job:

• Confidence is key: Always stay calm and collected throughout the interview.  Believe in yourself, and know that anything you say is the right answer because it reflects you as a person. 

• Sincerity is crucial: Give personal examples for everything.  I always give a personal example for every question they ask me.  If you think about it, your answer is like an opinion paper where you need examples to prove your argument. 

• Pause after every question: This shows you are actually considering what they just asked you.  It shows you are thoughtful and respectful. Even if you know the answer right away, pause.

• Think outside of the box:  During one interview I was asked what my three strongest traits were.  I responded with confidence, reliability and passion.  Pat Kunklier, PR Director at Hitchcock Fleming and Associates, said he was impressed with my ability to think outside of the box. Most people would have said ‘a strong writer, great editor, etc.’

• THIS IS CRUCIAL: Do not EVER talk badly about another company: In a recent interview, it was apparent that another local agency was a competitor of the one with whom I was interviewing.  I told them I had interviewed at the competitor’s company and they asked me what I thought of it.  IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK, you always respond professionally with a neutral-to-positive statement depending on how you feel.  You don’t want to lie, but be professional. 

So there they are girls and boys.  A few tips to help you in your interviews.  Don’t be afraid and realize that Kent State has prepared us for this.  During each of my interviews, my interviewers always discuss how wonderful Kent State’s program is.  Be confident, professional and thoughtful.  Be what’s easy, be yourself. 

Disclaimer: If you don’t like yourself and have to be fake,  CONSIDER CHANGING IMMEDIATELY.

At Los Arcos, a local Salsa club in Cuernavaca, Morelos, with my Swedish friend Gaby

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what my life will be like after graduation.  I know I’ll be good at the ‘working girl’ part, but it’s important that I be just as social with extra-curricular activities in my professional career as I have been during college . 

I’ve compiled a list of all the activities I currently don’t have time for so I can began them in August when I graduate. 

Salsa, Anyone?         

Number one on my list is Salsa dancing.  One of the hardest transitions coming back to the States from Mexico was leaving my Salsa-dancing days behind me.  Every Thursday afternoon, my friends and I took Salsa lessons from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. outside on the patio of the university. 

Later that night, we’d use our new moves at the Mambo Cafe; Friday and Saturday nights were reserved for El Guantanamera and Los Arcos. 

It’s difficult to write about something I love so much but don’t have the time to do. 

I Google-searched Salsa dancing+public relations last night in hopes of finding my dream job…

Instead, I found some interesting articles from the Hispanic PR Wire, mostly praising the Latin music industry for its growth.  I also found some awesome hot spots in New York to visit if trying to work up a Salsa sweat.  Sadly, No PR jobs where I could Salsa all day.

But, What About Me?

For all you other PR studs and studettes looking for a social life after you graduate, I found an interesting Web site called Meetup.com.  “You have an interest…find a local group about it…Meet with people who share your interest.”

Here i found public relations groups that meet with eachother all over the world to talk about event planning, Web design, etc. 

This is a great site–if you’re in need of making friends.  A lot of us will be replanting our Ohio roots once we graduate, and this could be a great site for meeting new people, just as long as they’re not creepy.

As for me, I’m still looking for that group of PR professional Salsa dancers.  I’m sure I’ll find it. 

During my junior year (Aug. 2005 to June 2006), I assembled the essays, reference letters and application forms for the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to study for one year abroad to receive my master’s degree in human resources or international relations.  I had to research and choose my top five universities, located in a Spanish-speaking country.  Venezuela and Argentina looked like my best bets; I knew some people from these countries and they did nothing but praise their homeland. 

I finally turned in my ’life’ (application) on a hot and sunny June afternoon. I felt incredibly and utterly relieved.  When I was selected as a finalist and invited for ‘the big interview’ to decide the winner, my relief had changed to apprehension and I realized this was no longer what I wanted.  I declined the offer.

My passion for learning and living the Spanish culture made it difficult to listen to my inner-self when making this decision.  However, that little voice always seems to be right. 

A Mar. 7, 2007, article of ABC News, “Human Rights Report Faults Latin America,” discusses the “corruption, detainee abuse and deplorable prision conditions in Latin America last year” focusing on Venezuela and Cuba. 

This doesn’t sound like the beautiful, coastlined-country I dreamt about.  But if you follow current events, you know that President Hugo Chavez and his “regressive” government have given President and Mrs. Bush a reason to make a seven-day trip to South America–and it’s not a vacation. 

It’s All In How You Look, BabySo how does a country get such a bad rep?  Well, if you’re Chavez it might have to do with people suddenly disappearing off the streets or the random torture of detainees.  However, this isn’t the case for all countries. 

Just as corporations need to build strong relationships with their publics, so do countries.  So how does the United States rate? WorldPublicOpinion.org  says that during the 1990s, views of the United States were considerably favorable.  However, views started to drop in 2003. 

Interestingly enough, positive perceptions of the U.S. did not decline exactly when the U.S. entered the war in Iraq but have declined gradually over the past four years.  “Negative views have risen from 46 percent in 2005 to 52 percent in 2007.” Not good.

So what do we do?  What can we do as the upcoming generation of PR professionals?  I really don’t know.  It’s important to understand countries are like any other type of corporation.  Building strong relationships is necessary, and as statistics show, the U.S. and other coutries could use a little help–and hope. 

The world is something big, but never too big for change.  For the meantime, I’m glad my suitcases are empty. 

Last November, some of my PR buddies went to the PRSSA National Conference in Salt Lake City, UT.  I didn’t go…and found I didn’t need to.  I heard all about the conference in every class, at every PRSSA meeting, and every PRSSA event.  Thanks girls for saving me the big bucks. 

Big shot Richard Edelman spoke at the event and got to play ‘celebrity’ for a day.  The girls were eager to ask about the Wal-Mart/Edelman  scandal. Leave it to good old Kent State University to stir things up.  PR student, Allison Tomei, asked, “You talked about transparency and disclosure–what do you think went wrong when your company created the fake Wal-mart blog?”

Though the girls were not impressed with his vague response to the Wal-Mart inquisition, they did bring home an important Edelman lesson about global PR. 

A week after they returned, I heard the girls discussing how Edelman said it was imperative all PR professionals be proficient in at least one other language . 

“That’s crazy… he’s insane.” Maybe he is. 

Though I’m studying Spanish, I understand not everyone has the interest or the attention span to learn another language. But after doing some research, PR studs and studettes–Richard was right. 

Fellow classmate and blogger, Heather Bing, was nice enough to point me to an article from The Strategist Online  that interviewed Norman Mineta, vice chairman of Hill & Knowlton .  Mineta also served as Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton adminstration and Secretary of Transportation in the current Bush administration. Important guy.

Mineta addresses the importance of making a global footprint regardless of a company’s size.   ”Clients will continue to seek PR professionals who are able to recognize opportunites, cut through the messaging of diplomatic officialdom and help them achieve strategic business goals in markets around the world.” 

A second language can only help PR professionals be more efficient and proficient in their practice.

Italian PR practitioner Italo Vignoli addresses the need to blog in various languages in his Sep. 19, 2005 entry, Growing a PR blog in a different language.  “Blogging is mainly done in English, and PR [blogging is] not an exception.” 

Vignoli continues to say that he would be missing an entire community of Italian Web surfers by blogging only in one language. 

This is incredibly important as we comprehend the melting pot of the United States.  Should we blog in various languages?  I think so.  Especially if our company pursues international partnerships. 

Holly’s Daydream…

This takes me back to February 2005 in Mexico.  There we were sitting on my bed looking at photo albums, clothes and make-up.  What else do girls do? Megumi (Japanese), Ebu (Taiwanese) and I (American) all spoke different languages.  Megumi and I communicated in our common language, broken Spanish (hey it was my second week), then I had to translate the Spanish into English for Ebu, though she only spoke ‘broken’ English.  Sounds fun, huh?  It was!  And we all understood eachother. 

 The world of PR is changing into a multicultural, multilingual entity. 

And yes, Richard Edelman, it will be important to know other languages.  But before anything else, it is important to know the people. 

For those of you who don’t know, mundo translates to world in Spanish.  Sorry if I just insulted your ninth grade Spanish intelligence, but it’s important to understand the meaning of this blog before reading its posts.  If you haven’t already, check out the About section to learn more.

For my first blog entry, I want to discuss multiculturalism and its presence in today’s world–as well as its importance to future public relations  leaders (ahem, that might be you).

Picture this: two middle-aged, fully-covered women chatting in Arabic as they walk down a street lined with Muslim bookstores, a halal butcher shop, and Arab cuisine.  Now close your eyes and tell me what you see!  Well not really.  I’m not David Copperfield and this isn’t some magic trick trying to get you to touch the T.V. screen.

Anyway, think about it.  Could this be a colorful scene from the Middle East?  It could be, but it isn’t.  This scene of North African Muslims takes place in Paris, France.  In Jumana Farouky’s Feb. 15, 2007, Time article titled “The Many Faces of Europe,” the author addresses the continent’s reality of multiculturalism.

We’ve all had multicultural experiences.  Not to make the issue trite, but we can all relate to other cultures through food. Who doesn’t love Chipotle and its ‘almost authentic’ tasting burritos?  I can say this because I’ve been to Mexico (notice I didn’t reference Taco Bell’s authenticity).  But the importance of multiculturalism runs much deeper than food, and the taste lasts much longer. 

In fact, multiculturalism is not a new thing.  Farouky points out that “since the immigrant waves in the ’50s and ’60s, European nations have been looking for different ways to blend different people of different cultures into successful, peaceful societies.”  Unfortunately, forty years later, those perfect societies still aren’t reality. 

So what does this have to do with you, with me, with Anders Jacobsen in Norway?  A lot.  Norwegian blogger Jacobsen had his own multicultural lesson in July 2005 during a London terrorist attack , and he addresses it in his a blog entry titled “Multicultural London.”

“And there we were, a room in the office filled to the brim with people watching BBC News 24.  Brits, Europeans, Asians, Americans, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Christians, Atheists. United by the horror.”

Sounds faintly familiar, don’t you think?  This is the point I’m trying to make.  It doesn’t matter whether you live in Europe, Norway, India, or Anarctica.  Multiculturalism exists and it is not going away. 

So what’s this mean to the young PR professional?  According to Aron Kottolli, a management consultant out of Bangalore, India, it means being aware of diverse cultures, their values, and building a global team.  He discusses multicultural teams in his Oct. 24, 2006 blog.  “Building high performing teams involves identification, initiation, motivation, inspiration and consolidation of diverse team members.” 

In other words, as a PR professional, it is and will be extremely important to relate to and learn from other cultures, especially when creating campaigns and shaping messages for culturally diverse audiences.  

Recognize, however, that professionals must know their own culture and the importance of being an American.  Many other cultures are just as interested in us.