On Thursday, Sept. 19, PRSSA went to Murray State University for a professional development workshop that focused on “What the Job Market Wants From You.”

The UTM PRSSA club was well represented by seven students and their advisor, Dr. Hoyer.

This informative program lasted from 3:30 to 7 p.m.

The workshop was set up with five panel members. Joann Killeen, president of Killeen Communications and of PRSSA; Cherly Lawson, Director of Public Relations, McCracken County Public Schools; Mickey Pace, Account manager for Business Wire; and Kent Landers, General Manager of Corporate Communications Strategy, Atlanta Southeast Airlines, and an alumni of UTM.

It was open for panel discussion and questions from students. At 6 p.m., the PRSSA president gave the keynote address, “The Top 10 Things I Need to Know.”

These “things” were; learning the language of business, learning conflict resolution skills, learning a foreign language, traveling outside the U.S., learning to write clearly and precisely, being willing to try and fail, learning the value of contacts and networking, making commitment to life-long learning, maintaining healthy balance between job and family, and realizing you must have a sense of humor. She also added that you need to be ethical and always tell the truth.

PRSSA has been around 50 years. Over 200,000 PR professionals are members, and there are 117 chapters around the country.

Joan Killeen left us with a feeling of good things to come in the public relations market.

“Always be prepared, because you never know when an opportunity will arise,” she said.