The Buzz by Mike Schaffer

1) Elissa Davis
Elissa Davis – @elissadavis, www.linkedin/in/elissadavis, elissadavis.com

I am Elissa Davis, a Senior Journalism and Mass Communication student at George Washington University who is currently desiring full-time employment opportunities beginning in mid-May.

I’m an innovator, who understands this converging world and the need to balance the traditional and the new to achieve success. My medium to do this is public relations and communications. I’m passionate about bringing information to people, businesses and communities in imaginative and expressive ways. I possess the experience, knowledge and work ethic to implement strategic and effective campaigns. Plain and simple, PR is where I thrive.

I’ve been fortunate to have a diverse set of internships and professional opportunities that have permitted me to practice and utilize communication techniques from numerous diverse perspectives. I’ve developed a comprehensive knowledge base of government, corporate, non-profit, social media and entertainment communications. Through my experiences I’ve learned to persevere through trying situations, never take no for an answer, work under extreme conditions, apply crisis communications, work within a large corporation, effectively utilize new media, and much more.

I flourish in a fast moving, high profile environment, where possibilities are unlimited. I’m very passionate about the world of public relations and I have the drive to work in this industries multi-faceted environment and achieve heretofore unbelievable results.

2) Lisa Atufunwa

I graduated in May 2009 from Michigan State University. I gained
experience in non-profit public relations and the human resources and
lifestyle industry. I am able to grasp information and tasks quickly.
I am able to adapt to any environment. Passionate, hard worker and
driven to help your organization achieve daily goals. I am motivated
to grow as a PR professional and continue building relationships
between clients, their target audience, journalists, and other PR
professionals.

I am a tech savvy and have a lot of experience with computers and
social media. I have a knack for finding information and resources,
whether if it is through the Internet or from my mental library. I
will go the extra mile in accomplishing tasks, even if it is working
at 11 p.m. I am eager to begin working in the public relations
industry and having the opportunity to showcase my talents.

For a detail listing of my background, please e-mail me at
lisa.atufunwa@gmail.com for a copy of my resume and connect with me on
Twitter (@lisaatufunwa) and/or LinkedIn
(www.linkedin.com/in/lisaatu09).

3) Jamie Favreau

Since Help a PR Pro Out day is today I thought I would write a brief description of what makes me a great hire.

I graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2008 in Communications Technology and have been working hard learning the field of Public Relations and communications since then.

My desire has always been to work in the communications industry. I have found social media to be my niche. I have worked for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society where I managed to form a partnership with Yelp. The time I spent there was constructive and I also had photos donated by General Motors and Wayne State University for invitations to the Leukemia Ball.

Since then I have built a community for FWIX, wrote proposals for projects which I bid on in my freelance work. I have been an avid participant and volunteer in Detroit. I have worked Module 09, Brand Camp U 09, invited to Ted x Detroit and am going to be working Ignite Detroit and Future Midwest 10. I was also the Champion for Detroit in the live event for #journchat this past August.

Why should you hire me?

1. Relationships are key and I have excellent interpersonal skills.

2. Able to cultivate new ideas and fresh outlook on life.

3. I am social media savvy and realize an integrated communications strategy will help solve some of the current problems.

4. Loves hockey, Detroit Red Wings, Team USA and everything involved with it.

5. Believes in Detroit but am willing to relocate to New York, Chicago, D.C. or San Fransisco.

6. Loves research and bookmarking so I could save you money by having some research done already!

7. I am looking for more of an entry level marketing position but I believe PR and marketing go hand in hand.

8. Have worked with a start up and a non profit organization. So I am capable of working in any kind of environment.

9. Freelancing has taught me about deadlines, creating good content, selling your ideas and various other things which can transfer to a great public relations job.

10. Sports and Entertainment have been in my blood for the past years but technology is my passion. I am driven to work for a growing company which is technology or hockey based and can feed my passion for growth.

Thank you.

@jfavreau :Twitter ID
Jamie_Favreau@yahoo.com

Popularity: unranked [?]

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Happy HAPPO Day!  Here are some more terrific pitches that have come my way!

1) Elizabeth Glomb

Twitter: @eglomb
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/eglomb

You should hire me because I am a creative, hardworking, dedicated, and willing to take risks.  I always try to go the extra step in order to get the job done.  I am passionate about being good at my job, and hope that someone can be passionate and willing to take a risk on hiring me.  Enjoy the video… it was extremely fun to make, and hopefully you will see exactly how creative I can be.

2) Andrew Elwell

Andrew Elwell (@elwell620/http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewleeelwell)
I am about to graduate magna cum laude from The George Washington
University with a degree in political communication.  Currently, I am
the Features Editor of the GW Cherry Tree, as well as an intern at a
global public affairs firm in Washington, DC.  I have a variety of
communications experience at non-profits, as well as media experience
in local media and at GW.   I’m a dedicated worker looking for an
opportunity to demonstrate my strengths.

3) Eli Baratz

About me:  Interest in entry-level and intern positions with PR firm in public affairs; 2007 Graduate of Indiana University, BA in Telecommunications and BA in International Relations; Contact: 317-626-7674 and elibaratz.eli@gmail.com

HAPPO Pitch: Applying John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success to Public Affairs Campaigns

Successful public affairs campaigns are a comprehensive endeavor involving grassroots mobilization, traditional and new media and high-level partnerships revolving around a central message intended to “win hearts and minds” of a target group which results in a desired behavior and action.  A winning public affairs campaign is run like a political campaign, strategy is developed at the top and tactics are carried out by every member of the team from the top to the bottom.  Thus, the ultimate success or failure of the campaign rests in how each individual performs their tasks in the context of the team.  Reflecting on experiences as a Field Organizer for a successful Presidential campaign[i] I believe the two most important individual traits required for people running an effective public affairs campaign are industriousness and enthusiasm.

Working as a Field Organizer in Indianapolis during the 2008 Presidential campaign I was struck by the similarities between the team dynamics of the campaign and team dynamics of successful sports teams.[ii] In fact, when I began to think about what I learned from the experience I immediately thought of John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.  John Wooden, the most successful basketball coach ever[iii], developed his Pyramid of Success consisting of fifteen philosophical building blocks for success in basketball and at life.  The blocks are labeled with traits like poise and confidence with each block containing a short blurb related to that specific trait forming a pyramid that Mr. Wooden deems necessary for success in a team setting.[iv] The two cornerstones, the foundation, are industriousness and enthusiasm and Mr. Wooden writes, “To be strong, you have to have a strong foundation.[v]”  Since the strength of the foundation determines how strong the rest of an organization is, industriousness and enthusiasm must be high for an enterprise to be successful.

Industriousness is defined by Mr. Wooden as hard work.  “There is no substitute for hard work.   Worthwhile things come from hard work and careful planning.”  As an FO, hard work and careful planning were necessities.  Working seven days a week and anywhere between 12 and 24 hours a day, ensuring fifty volunteers showed up to canvass neighborhoods, signing up hundreds of new voters each week, planning an hour by hour schedule for election day; hard was required to complete every task.  Sweat equity was in abundance and without it the campaign would not have been successful at the grassroots level motivating new and undecided voters to take action.  The industriousness of each individual made the overall team effort a success.

Enthusiasm is the second building block in the foundation of Mr. Wooden’s pyramid.  He writes, “Your heart must be in your work.  Stimulate others.”  I believe this trait’s importance is often overlooked, but it is vital to success in a public affairs campaign.  I was working in a state, Indiana, which had not voted for a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964.  It was vital to believe that we could accomplish something rare and exude that confidence so that our volunteers and constituents believed they could make a difference if they got involved.  It worked.  A record number of people volunteered and more importantly, a record number of people got out of their homes and cast a vote.

So what does this mean for prospective employers interested in hiring me?  It means you will find a candidate who values hard work and a sense of mission that is vital in public affairs campaigns.  Along with strategic communications skills and a background in international relations, you will find a candidate that has experience with campaigns, constituent outreach and an ability to execute in a fast-paced team environment.  I would be a valuable addition to any PR firm’s public affairs team that is assisting organizations build enhanced reputations in Washington and achieve various public policy and business goals.

[ii] I am mostly referring to my own experiences playing high school tennis and baseball.  As examples of teams that operated at a high level (on-field ability and team chemistry) I look in the direction of my tennis teams.  One can scoff at the notion of learning valuable lessons from high school sports, but I do believe that they contain a certain level of intrinsic value that’s applicable to one’s future life.  Also, not to brag, but my high school has won 18 state tennis championships (most in the state) including one when I was a sophomore.  I also played #1 singles and was captain my final two years on the team.

[iii] John Wooden coached UCLA’s basketball team to 10 National Championships in a 12 year span.  He’s also a born and bred Hoosier, like me, so that has to count for something.

[iv] The Pyramid is a little corny and cliché, but I think someone who wins 88 straight games deserves to be taken seriously on some level.

[v] This applies to public affairs campaigns as well.  The foundation of a public affairs campaign can be interpreted as the intended message.  Without the right message, grassroots support and media outreach will ultimately lead to a failing campaign.

4) Larry Jones

Popularity: unranked [?]

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