A Running Start

By Leilani Needham, 2009 Intern

It has almost been a year since my experience at Fusion Public Relations. My time there was an interesting experience, meaning I had the opportunity to see PR work first hand. I met with a variety of people in the PR business and I learned what I can expect from the industry and what will be expected of me.

When I left Fusion and went back to school with my fellow classmates, I knew right off the bat I had a running start into the job field. What we are learning in our classes now, I have already seen and applied at Fusion. What I learned at Fusion was applicable and will be very useful to me when I enter into the job field.

One thing I really appreciated about Fusion was not only did I learn how to set up a press release or how to develop a new client presentation, but also they made the work environment enjoyable. I enjoyed all the employees and clients I interacted with.

I graduate from Brigham Young University-Idaho in April and I know if I apply what I learned at Fusion, I will have a head start in my career, no matter what path I decide to take.

A Good Visit

by Bennie Sham, Internship Program Lead (@beesham)

Yesterday's visit from BYU-Idaho students and faculty was a bit daunting. There were about 25 attendees (give or take a few) and I'll be the first to admit that I still get nervous presenting to a large crowd. But I'm glad we had the opportunity to speak with the students, learn more about what they want to do and give them an overview of life at Fusion. They asked some great questions and SVP Stephen Andrews provided some very comprehensive answers.

Additionally, Account Exec Meghan O'Hara's brainstorming activity was quite a hit. We separated the students into six groups and each group was given a brown paper bag with three very random objects inside. Each team represented a company, whereby they had to somehow relate the objects to one another and pitch us (as faux reporters) a story topic. They did very well and showed some great creativity.

Now we are preparing for the next batch of students coming in for a tour - these from Roger Williams University in Rhode Island. Can't wait!

BYU-Idaho Students Tour NYC and Fusion

By Meghan O'Hara, Internship Program Coordinator (@meghan_ohara)

This week, we are excited to be welcoming a group of students from BYU Idaho to our New York office to learn more about Fusion and the world of PR. This group of students was selected to come to New York City to visit several companies to learn more about each company's work and intern programs.

It's great to see students proactively taking steps to learn more about their field of interest and the opportunities that are available. Internships are vital to not only building your experience, but also to ensuring that you are selecting the right career for you. We hope this trip will be informative for these students and that they are able to narrow down the types of careers and work environments in which they would like to work.

If you or any of your fellow classmates would like a tour, please let me know and we would be glad to have you come to our office to learn more about working in a New York-based PR firm.

Recruiting

By Bennie Sham, Internship Program Lead (@beesham)

Spring just started but the semester is almost over. Students, you know the semester is ending when you're bombarded with end-of-term papers. For me, the semester is over when I'm bombarded with resumes from new applicants.

The process begins with renewing postings at several local colleges' career development centers. We also work with the University of Dreams, an internship placement program that places students at companies in various cities throughout the world. We also started expanding our list of schools to include BYU-Idaho (sister school to Brigham Young University in Utah) and some from our neighboring states. I'm proud to say that we've had the opportunity to work with some pretty amazing students, even when I was interning here.

This year, we've received quite a bit of interest and spoke with some great candidates. It was a hard decision (and I'm glad I didn't make it alone) but I think we chose some great students. Now, we just have to start preparing for them.