This post previously appeared on PRSA’s New Professionals Section’s blog, The Edge. Juggling your many responsibilities as a new PR pro probably leaves you wanting to curl up on the couch with your Seamless and Netflix to recharge before you face another day. Set that remote down though, because research has found that engaging in a hobby is a much better way to decompress and re-energize yourself. According to a 2013 study by Concordia University, people who have hobbies are generally healthier and have a lower risk of depression and dementia as they age. Similar research by a team at San Francisco State University noted that professionals who engage in hobbies,…

This post previously appeared on PRSA’s New Professionals Section’s blog, The Edge. When most of us think of a mentor-mentee relationship, images of a seasoned expert offering sage wisdom and experiences to an aspiring pro probably come to mind. We tend to think that a mentor needs to have many years of experience and the mentor-mentee is an exclusive, hard-to-find relationship that helps to guide the mentee’s career. Some of these assumptions may be partly true, but it’s past time that we redefine our definition of what a mentor-mentee relationship should look like. A mentorship doesn’t typically begin by seeking someone out and asking “Will you be my mentor?” It’s usually…

This post previously appeared on PRSA’s New Professionals Section’s blog, The Edge. Many of us approach looking for new opportunities as a necessity of job searching. We find a job, start off enthusiastically, become disappointed when it’s not everything we thought it would be, continue doing the job until we can’t anymore, and then desperately search for a new job. We repeat this vicious, frustrating cycle either because we only look for a new opportunity when we’re desperate for one, we don’t take the time to think about what we need or want in a career, or we don’t feel that turning down a job is an option. This is absolutely…

This post previously appeared on PRSA’s New Professionals Section’s blog, The Edge. Everyone wants to be great at what they do and the new year is a great time to reevaluate everything we’ve been doing and how we can make ourselves the best PR pros we can be, new or otherwise. Now’s the time of year when everyone comes up with resolutions for things they’d like to change or be better at. For 2016, why not make it a resolution to focus on professional development and becoming an extraordinary PR professional. Here are 10 things all New Pros can focus on to stand out from the crowd. Be flexible. PR isn’t…

This post previously appeared on PRSA’s New Professionals Section’s blog, The Edge. “Don’t make s*!& up.” That sentence, uttered in one of the first classes of the year by my favorite journalism professor, is one of the ethical guides I follow through my career. The other is the PRSA Code of Ethics. As new professionals, navigating the working world is complicated. PR professionals, new and old, are also responsible for maintaining a certain level of ethical behavior while in the public eye. Professionals across most industries are also expected to be honest and to observe ethical practices, but not many other industries are active in the public eye more often than…

This post previously appeared on That Working Girl. When we step into the ring for a new job search, nothing is more important than bringing our A game and our best weapons, right? Social media – specifically LinkedIn and Twitter – are two of the sharpest tools we have for networking and landing the perfect gig. Unfortunately, not everyone uses the networks to their  full extent. To help, here are some great ways to get the most out of LinkedIn and Twitter for networking and job searching. Keep it current and professional. Putting your best self forward is always important when using social media in a professional capacity. With LinkedIn, it’s easy to…