Accomplish More by Doing Less: My 1-year revelation

5Jan
2013

Rachel McKee

I’ve almost reached the 1-year mark at my new job! It’s been a whirlwind of events, a huge corporate-culture learning curve and an all-around valuable experience from both a personal and professional stand point.

When I first started in this position, it was very much a hit-the-ground-running scenario. Annual reports had to be written, creative collateral had to be developed and press releases needed to be distributed for upcoming events. As a result, my job became much more tactical and reactionary, rather than strategic and proactive.

Now that I’m no longer the newbie at the office (phew!), I’ve been called upon to do more research, observation, reflection and strategic planning. How should we be talking about our organization? What are other non-profits doing from a social media, web and PR perspective? I need to be a one-woman think tank! This is an interesting, new phase at my job – I’m strategizing more than I’m doing – and this phase has taught me a lot:

Being tactically-oriented only gets you so far.

We can get so caught up in the “doing” we lose sight of the bigger picture.

I can think that I know what I’m doing when it comes to communications and social media, but it isn’t until you stop doing and start reading, researching, exploring, learning, observing, charting and planning that your communication and engagement with stakeholders is maximized. I’m not sure what the perfect formula is yet, but I’m certain that the time you spend planning should far outweigh the time you spend doing.

It’s one thing to tweet, post messages on Facebook, or pin ’til your heart’s content, but WHY are you doing it? What are your goals and objectives? What are the tweets and posts accomplishing? Are they even worth it? What are your competitors saying and doing on their social media platforms? What are their key messages and calls to action? Is it working for them?

How can you start doing more by doing less?

Follow Twitter accounts and subscribe to blogs that relate to your industry. I follow a lot of individuals and organizations that are talking about social media for non-profits. It’s amazing what I’ve learned! There are so many online and mobile fundraising opportunities to explore. Not everything I’ve learned is applicable to my organization, but the filtering process is all part of being strategic. Not everything that works for one company will work for yours, but it’s important to know what’s out there.
Attend seminars, conferences and webinars that relate to your industry. I recently attended ArtezInteraction 2012 Conference and am signed up for Non-Profit Tech 2.0′s Facebook webinar at the end of this month. This will expose you to the most innovative ideas out there, allow you to learn best practices, and will also allow you to network with professionals in your field – and we all know how I feel about networking.
Invite experts in your field out for coffee. Pick their brain and find out what they’re doing, what they’re learning and what tactics have given them the greatest ROI.

Since taking a step back from the tactical, I’ve noticed a drastic improvement in the ROI on my social media engagement. Being strategic with each tweet, post, photo gallery, link or press release has resulted in better media pick up and fan/donor recognition. I’m doing less work and seeing bigger results!

My “accomplish more by doing less” philosophy isn’t only relevant to PR and communications. It’s relevant to many, and maybe any, industry. If you’re in marketing, the answer to increasing sales isn’t always to buy a billboard, make a TV ad, or hire an A-list celebrity spokesperson. If you’re on the hunt for your dream gig, the answer isn’t always to send out more resumes and job applications.

As a 2013 New Years Resolution, take the time to evaluate your situation – your company, cause, industry and competitors – and analyze what tactics will work best for you. Stop throwing darts at a target in an attempt to hit the bullseye. Start reading, researching, exploring, learning, observing, charting and planning.

Be deliberate and intentional with every tactic you choose to implement.

I’d love to hear how you or your company accomplishes more by doing less in 2013!

Post-Grad Diploma: The right choice for me

16Oct
2012

Rachel McKee

Last week, I took part in the Communications & Marketing Networking Night at U of T Mississauga, hosted by the Career Centre and CCIT Council. It was my second time sitting in on this speed-networking event as a “professional.” It was also the second time I was the last “professional” to leave the event, as so many students wanted to ask me questions. Did they want to know what a day in the life of a communications coordinator was? Sure. But, the overwhelming questions were:

After I finish my degree, should I get a Master’s or a post-grad diploma from a college?
Why did you choose a post-grad diploma?
Why Humber?
What was the PR program like?
Why did you feel you needed more education after the degree?
Should I go to college after university?

So, following 2.5 hours of Q&A, I decided I’d write a post answering all of the students’ questions and outline exactly why I did a post-grad program following my 5 years at U of T. If you’re considering post-grad education, this is for you. If you have written off the possibility of post-grad education, this is for you. If you’re convinced getting a Master’s is the way to go, this is for you. If you’ve been out of school for a year and are having trouble finding a job you’re passionate about, this is for you. Basically, everyone should read this blog

Money, Money, Money, Mon-ay, MONAY!

For many university students, paying off student debt is a daunting task, and the thought of having to take on the added cost of post-graduate education is less than desirable. The upside of a post-graduate diploma from a college is that it comes at a fraction of the cost of a Master’s degree. My program was about $5,000.

Time

If you’ve already been in university for four or five years, what’s another two semesters? The Humber PR program I enrolled in after university was only 8 months long, plus an internship. Other post-grad diplomas are two years. I know that you’ve already been out of the work force for at least four years and want to start making money as soon as possible, but while you’re already in study/education mode, stick with it for just a little longer and the payoff is huge! I believe, the career you will find yourself in will be far superior after another year of practical eduation than if you started your job search immediately following university….here’s why:

Practical, Hands On, Industry-Specific Learning

Most university programs are quite theoretical in nature. While university taught me many things, including: discipline, time-management, organization, study skills, teamwork and management skills, I left feeling like I was somewhat knowledgeable in many areas of business, but not an expert in any particular one. I knew a lot about the field from a theoretical standpoint, but couldn’t necessarily apply my knowledge practically.

You might feel the same way about the program you are enrolled in, and that’s ok. University allows you to get a sampling of many different areas of study. College is great for allowing you to pick your favourite industry, area of business, etc and refine your skill and knowledge of this specific field. You spend much more time in the classroom – I’d say twice as much – and about half the time you used to buried in books and personal study. You are taught by experts in the field who teach you lessons based on real-life examples they are dealing with at their other place of employment. In my case, I not only learned what PR was, but how to be an excellent PR practitioner. This industry-specific learning, included writing labs, case studies, social media and web-development classes, group projects, guest lectures and panels, which all contributed to me leaving the program feeling confident that I could excel in my first PR job. I knew that my boss could ask me to write a press release, help plan a press conference, conduct daily media monitoring or help develop a communications plan and I’d be able to do so effectively.

Internship

Perhaps the most valuable part of a post-graduate diploma is the internship component. It’s during your internship that you get to apply your newly-acquired skills, network with professionals in your industry, be mentored, have the chance to be hired full-time, and gain awesome references for your job search once the internship is completed.

Now, I don’t want you to write-off pursuing a Master’s degree. It’s an incredibly value learning experience, too. Certain programs can also be quite practical and have internship components. If you want to pursue further education in a field such as history or theology, for example, a Master’s is certainly the way to go. There are professions where you simply can’t progress in that field unless you have a Master’s. Choosing the right educational path takes a lot of thought. Not every Master’s program is right for you and not every post-grad diploma is right for you, so do your research.

I’m a huge supporter of post-graduate education and college is far too often written off as an option. If you want to learn more about my invaluable post-grad experience, feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly!

Changing Your Job-Search Focus: Less “What” & More “Why”

24Sep
2012

Rachel McKee

“If you hire people just because they can do a job, they’ll work for your money.
But if you hire people who believe what you believe,
they’ll work for you with blood and sweat and tears.”
- Simon Sinek

I’ve had several friends approach me saying they are struggling with their job search. Their skills and experience, and in turn, their resumes, lack focus; they’re casting a very wide job search net in every field from marketing to PR to graphic design to finance. I believe, that as much as their skills or experience lack focus, their passion, drive, desire or “why” lacks focus, and employers notice.

If we started thinking less about what day-to-day tasks we wanted to do while at work (the ‘what’) and reflected more on the things we wanted to achieve, accomplish or bring about (the ‘why’), we’d have a much easier time determining what field/industry we want to enter, what companies we’d like to work for and what jobs we’d like to apply for.

Before applying for my current position, I’m not certain I would tell you that I’d like to answer countless phone calls, write an annual report, manage the development of creative materials or tweet all day (ok, I knew I would like to do the latter). What I did know, was that I wanted to help kids, I wanted to give ALL kids the opportunity to play sports and I wanted to help families in need – this isn’t just why I wanted a job, these were a few of the principles I want to centre my life on.

At the end of the day, you will be more successful in finding jobs that interest you, become a more eligible job candidate and, ultimately, gain greater job satisfaction if your job search is focused less on what you’re doing and more on why you’re doing it.

By this I mean, you should seek to answer the following questions:

Why do I want to work?
Why do I want to wake up in the morning?
What do I want to accomplish?
What drives me?

Your answer might be: to help others, to become famous, to make money, to help others make money, to find a cure, to make my community “green.” No answer is right or wrong, what matters is determining what is significant to you. The more intrinsic your “why”, the better.

If these questions are driving your job search and your career is centred on the answers to these questions, you will be far more successful then someone who says “I want to crunch numbers,” “I want to write press releases,” or “I want to draw blueprints.” Why do you want to crunch numbers, write press releases or draw blueprints? Those actions in and of themselves will likely not give you much personal satisfaction. Instead, these daily, job-related tasks should be a means to accomplishing your greater career goal. It is the outcomes of these actions that will make going into work each day fulfilling.

So, if you are in the middle of a job hunt, or are unsatisfied with your current place of employment, start considering:

What do I want my life to look like?
How I want to be impacting my community, city, country?
Where does my happiness or satisfaction come from?

Want new skills, responsibility or experience? Speak Up!

2Aug
2012

Rachel McKee

A few months ago, a good friend of mine approached me about an internal job posting within his organization for which he was interested in applying. He had been a video editor within this sports broadcasting company for four years and definitely needed more responsibility, a new challenge and something to give him renewed excitement about the organization and his field. He was hesitant to apply, as he’d been told that the individuals hiring already had someone in mind for the position and he felt that a fair amount of the job description was out of his skill set, as the job required producing experience. I encouraged him to apply regardless, as it would show upper management that he was looking to make lateral and/or vertical moves within the organization, that he wanted to be given more leadership opportunities and that he was looking to grow within this field. Ultimately, there was no harm in applying. His superiors wouldn’t even know he was interested in the position if he didn’t apply and likely hadn’t considered him as a possibility for the job – not because he wasn’t qualified or capable, but because he hadn’t voiced any interest until this point. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Speak Up!

My friend applied for the position and within two days he heard back from the hiring manager for the position. He had an interview three days later and, what do you know? He got the job! Two weeks later he set off on a month of travelling across Canada filming the fourth season of this station’s signature show. He had new responsibilities, new networking opportunities, and the chance to learn new skills within his field – and he could not have been more pumped to get started! None of this would have happened if he had settled for the status quo and hadn’t voiced his interest in this exciting new opportunity. He Spoke Up!

Whether you’re volunteering, have a part-time job, contract position, or are fully employed, it’s important to Speak Up! when you want to:

Gain more experience
Learn new skills
Make a lateral move in your organization
Get promoted
Be given new opportunities
Tackle a specific project
Join a project team
Be given more responsibility
Take on a leadership role

Ways to Speak Up!:

Arrange a meeting with your manager/supervisor to discuss your long-term career vision
Talk to your boss about ways for you to get more involved in your organization
Apply for internal job postings
Request to be put on certain project teams
Tell your boss you are looking for more responsibility or that you want to acquire new skills – be specific!

Think of it this way: it’s more efficient and cost effecitve to teach a new skill to an eager, existing employee then to hire someone new to fill the gap. You’ll be surprised to see the opportunities that become available to you by showing this initiative, enthusiasm and dedication in your organization. Managers want ambitious people like you on their team and they always want to give you more responsibility. Speak Up!