Tesar-Reynes

Today, my student organization, the Public Relations Student Society of America, had the distinct pleasure of visiting Ketchum’s Chicago office.

Holy cow, am I impressed with the people that work there. What struck me the most was their age and character. The guest speakers we talked to were barely out of college. Every one of them was memorable in some way. Maybe they were funny, or intelligent, or had some great advice or insight for us, but they were all the kind of people you don’t forget about meeting.

At the end of the tour we met a senior partner and Ketchum’s editorial director. They talked about the changing workforce, how the baby boomers were retiring soon, and that as long as you had the drive and experience, there would be a place for you in the agency world.

I thought about some of Tony’s entries - how he thinks it’s possible for different generations to cohesively function in a business environment. It gave me a renewed sense of calm amid all this economic turmoil we’ve been hearing lately.

Now they didn’t sugarcoat anything. They quoted a stat about the ridiculous number of college programs with PR attached to the name. Yes, it’s a competitive industry. (Though not as competitive as advertising agencies - I still think those guys have the maddest industry in integrated marketing communications .)

One of the people there opened my eyes to the specialization of agencies. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so focused in PR. It’d be nice to have more experience in advertising, direct and interactive marketing, and sales. But one of Ketchum’s people, from their new business unit, talked about the many different jobs for people at the agency beyond a PR function.

For example, she came from a marketing background. Her job was to market Ketchum to potential clients, communicate Ketchum’s capabilities to new areas of business, and generally act in a business development capacity. There were others like her, not just marketers, but people who specialized in maybe video production, or graphic design, or interactive marketing. She gave me hope that I could move beyond classical PR if I so felt.

It’s like you have a foundation of skills. You begin your career with these skills in hand. For me, it’s writing and the Web. For Tony, it was advertising. Then you take these skills, build on them, and then all these new opportunities open up. You might start in a new industry, or even just make a lateral movement at the same agency or company. The point is, the opportunity is there as long as you are always learning and making yourself more knowledgeable.

Thank you for remembering us millennials

Most of the advice the people at Ketchum gave to us related to finding success in our first few years as interns and entry-level people. I don’t think I can impart any new knowledge onto you, since your most likely well into your career.

But every one of the people at Ketchum emphasized the importance of asking for help, keeping in touch with your network, and selling yourself. None of that would be possible if people who are established in the industry weren’t so generous with their time. Though the senior members at Ketchum didn’t look or talk like us, I got the sense they knew the success of their agency depended on their ability to recruit and retain the best talent. The younger members of their team reflected that. Ketchum, thank you for investing in us.