How I Started Standing: Part Three
December 13th, 2007By Maria Donaldson
I fell into PR by accident.
In college, I was drawn to Student Activities Board, Student Government and Greek Life – any opportunity to plan events, lead projects, be creative, research and write. Even though I wasn’t majoring in communications I was inadvertently studying it.
So when it came time to find a job, I wanted to maximize the skills I’d learned as student/event planner/liaison/nerd. I traveled the country looking for the right match, taking contracted jobs for short-term projects to make some money (secretly scoping out the lay of the land), and refusing to settle.
As my personal Three Little Piggy’s story goes, I first interviewed at a global firm in New York, but starving, disgruntled interns and the prospect that I’d be pigeon holed into a “practice area” blew my hopes of a job in the Big Apple.
The second house office was of the Congressional variety in Washington, D.C. But the conversation about job responsibilities was as clear as mud, leaving me to suspect that not only would I NOT be doing REAL public relations, but that there was a distinct possibility that groveling and coffee fetching were in my near future. Not that I was completely opposed, but c’mon, I wanted to learn SOMETHING marketable.
A few weeks later, I arrived at Standing Partnership in St. Louis, slightly disheartened by experiences thus far but hopeful. The intern mentor promptly emerged and welcomed me into her office. We chatted about core values, managing work load and being prepared to think, solve problems and take on challenges. One thing was clear – THIS was what I’d been looking for. Luckily, they were looking for me too.
More than 2 years later, I’m still Standing.
