Last week, I played host to a series of Boston College undergraduate upperclassmen all interested in learning more about what it’s like to have a career in the PR industry.  Through BC’s Externship Program, students are given an opportunity to gain understanding of a business, industry, and/or job function, to ask questions, and to observe first hand day to day business operations from a BC alumnus; in this case, me!

Each student observed my daily routine as I interacted with clients, participated in company meetings, pitched media, blogged, monitored social media networks, etc, etc.  I was glad to have an opportunity to share my experiences and insight into the PR field and have included some thoughts from each of the students about their experience below:

Matt O’Connell

Upon arriving at March Communications I really liked the boutique feel that it presented, as it reminded me of my past internship with another local PR agency. On the surface, my experience at March seemed quite similar to my previous internship – dealing with mail merges and Ed Cals –but where this externship found contemporary resonance was in its cutting-edge techniques and keen malleability within the market. The exclusively High Tech PR that functions seamlessly at March was very interesting and something that I hadn’t encountered before or even been cognizant of. Seeing just how detailed, creative, and client-specific the March brand of PR was, I was able to see an entirely new side of the marketing world where blanket approaches and the consumer-obsessed frenzy did not sit at the fore. It was certainly refreshing to see a relatively young agency implement forward-looking techniques, and become a fluid, active member of the market rather than a slave to it. I learned a lot about just how crucial it was to not only be able to adapt to evolving client needs but to be willing and excited to do so. Streamlining social media approaches, whether manifested through Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, and cutting through the ‘fluff” of the traditional press release seemed to be commensurate with March Communications. A point I found especially smart was stepping away from the illusory appeal of “HITS” – an acronym I learned to mean “How Idiots Track Success.” All in all, my externship with March Communications was very enlightening, and allowed me to see just how stimulating and creative the PR world can be.

Sarah Hatton

Spending a day at March PR definitely got me excited to explore the public relations field. What struck me most about the experience was how hard March’s employees work for their clients; it is not as if March has a set list of ways in which each company will be promoted, working only from that list, accomplishing exactly what they promised and nothing more. Instead, the March employees continue to look for new ways to promote their clients, even if these ways go above and beyond the agreed upon methods. It was clear that having a group of people tirelessly working towards promoting your business could set a business apart from the pack, making the difference between success and failure. Finally, I was pleasantly surprised by the work environment at March PR. Employees occupy an open layout, giving them the opportunity to interact constantly, working together on projects and tasks. While at first the lack of boundaries seemed strange, it later became clear that office doors and cubicles would have stunted their community. The best ideas are born of multiple minds working together. Behind closed doors, each employee works alone, combine his ideas with others only when he seeks others out. In March’s communal environment, however, there are no walls or barriers to stop one from bouncing an idea off eight coworkers simultaneously with only as much effort as it takes to think out loud. Overall, I found my experience at March PR to be incredibly rewarding, and am grateful to both Meredith and the entire March PR staff for welcoming me into their world for a day.

Xian Bu

My day as an extern at March Communications was an introduction to the PR industry, which was a brand new world that I had never explored before. It was interesting to find out that every little thing matters in order to provide great, customized services to clients, such as helping clients comment on different blogs to get involved in certain communities. I feel PR professionals care so much about their clients and take great responsibility for different aspects. I like the variety of their work and the creativity in there. It was also interesting to see how social networking websites and online chatting tools were used effectively as important means of communication with both clients and coworkers. I only use them to chat with friends and never thought about other uses. It is cool to get in touch with clients on Twitter and to tweet related articles for them to read.

Lindsay Neeven

Last week I spent a day at March Communications following Boston College alum, Meredith Eaton around to see what her life as a PR agent is all about. I was surprised at how open the office was, which I really liked after spending the day there. Everyone can easily interact and discuss their clients that they share with other coworkers. As the day went on, it was interesting to see all the different types of media that the company used to get their clients media coverage. I would not have thought to use Twitter or blogs as a main media outlet, but responding to blogs and tweets helped create conversation about their clients and the clients’ products in a unique and modern way. I was very glad that I was there on a day where the company was preparing a presentation to attain a new client. Even though the jargon regarding the tech company was way over my head, I really enjoyed learning the approach to attracting a new client. Apparently I came on a meeting heavy day (4 in total), but I felt it was a great way to see all the different jobs Meredith was involved in, and showed me how fast paced and challenging her job can be. During my day at March Communications, I really got a great understanding of the PR business that I don’t think I could have achieved in any class or book. I’m very thankful that I had this fabulous opportunity and am looking forward to possibly working in PR in the future.

Caroline Beimford

There are a plethora of good things I could say about my day long “externship” at March Communications, but my experience was particularly valuable in three main ways:

1. With very little real world experience in the industry, the externship allowed me to see into the daily life of a small PR firm: how dynamic and interactive the atmosphere is, the creativity and attention to detail required to blog and tweet, to conduct targeted market research, and to foster dialogue between clients, analysts, and the press.
2. As an English major, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of writing involved in each task. Throughout the day, I watched Meredith write blogs and respond to the postings of others, watched her tweet, re-tweet and reference pertinent industry news and thought-provoking fun facts. I loved how such a variety of social media tools were used to create a comprehensive campaign for each client, and how every written piece was concise and directed (whether it was a blog post, press release, or client correspondence).
3. Finally, I was happy to discover that the culture of a small PR and marketing firm is extremely appealing to me, and that in the senior year rush to find an industry that both excites and appeals, I have found at least one to direct my attention and efforts towards. I’d like to reiterate my appreciation to March Communications for giving me this insight and opportunity, and my sincerest thanks to Meredith, for being such a wonderful resource and guide through my introduction to the industry.