I’m trying out a new series called “Inside the Drewry Room” – a little spin of the Bravo TV show Inside the Actor’s Studio. At the end of the TV show, host James Lipton always gives his celebrities the same 10-question survey. In order to help us all get to know our professors and Grady faculty a little bit better, I’ve come up with a new 10-question survey. Here are the responses from our first faculty spotlight – Dr. Karen Russell!

1. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
I plead the fifth.

2. What achievement are you most proud of?
Professionally, publishing a book (I know that’s really old media, but in my defense it’s also available as an e-book).

3. If your life had a soundtrack, what would be your theme song?
Shiny Happy People

4. Which is your favorite of all the places you’ve traveled?
So far, it’s Edinburgh.

5. What was your first job?
McDonald’s.

6. What is your favorite thing to do in Athens?
Pretty much any sports event, but I especially love the Gymdogs.

7. Which is your favorite of the courses you teach?
I like them all! But I always find myself coming back to Admin.

8. Do you have any pets?
No, but I’m a dog person.

9. What is your favorite thing about public relations?
It’s always changing, never boring.

10. What is one piece of advice you’d like to give all your students?
Never stop learning!

Next semester might seem forever away, but if you’re interested in participating in the Washington D.C. Agency Tour, you might want to start planning now. Scheduled for February 24 – 27, the trip is only open to juniors, seniors and grad students. PRSSA will offer 16 students the opportunity to travel to D.C. and network with PR professionals. The application includes a 200-word essay and a statement of financial aide. Click here for more information, and here to download the application!

Joan Curtis is an expert in the communications field as a trainer, speaker and author. She has written two books about communication strategies, Managing Sticky Situations at Work and Strategic Interviewing. Here she’s given us her advice for how to succeed in an interview – some great tips for snagging an internship!

“Etiquette Tips for the Interview”

How are we supposed to behave during an interview?  Most of us know not to eat with food in our mouths or to give an interviewer a résumé with typos.  But, what are some other etiquette tips that might guide us through the interview process?

If we assume that you know the givens:  Report to the interview on time, wear your best “professional” clothes (not jeans or tank tops), bring extra copies of your résumé, don’t prop your elbows (or your feet!) on the interviewer’s desk and answer all questions with more than a ‘yes or no.’

Beyond these givens, here are some tips:

•    Greet the interviewer with a strong handshake.  Give the interviewer eye contact, a smile, and a strong handshake.  Say your name distinctly and slowly (do not swallow your name—it makes the interviewer believe you do not have confidence in yourself).

•    Do your homework. Find out as much as you can about the job and the company before you interview. Companies love it when you do that. You don’t have to tell them everything you know, but you can sprinkle in your knowledge through your questions.

•    Answer the interviewer’s questions.  This means being direct and short in your responses.  If you want to elaborate on something, be sure that it relates to the question asked.

•    Ask solid open-ended questions. Your goal is to find out what it is like to work for this company. What are the challenges? Ask questions that will give you information about the pros and cons. The interviewer will give you a glossy picture of things. Use strong open-ended questions to take away the gloss. Getting a bad job is even worse than getting no job!

•    Sit up straight in your chair.  When you slump, you lose the look of confidence.  Sit and stand straight.  It’s actually best not to cross your legs because you can sit straighter with your legs uncrossed.

•    Don’t interrupt the interviewer.  As much as you’d love to jump in with some tidbit of information, wait until the interviewer pauses.  If you have a very talkative interviewer, show him what a great listener you are.

•    Give solid examples of things you’ve done. Demonstrate through your examples how you’ve handled people and situations. Being able to deal effectively with people is a big plus.

•    Leave when it’s time to go.  When the interviewer thanks you for coming or asks if you have any questions, that’s a signal it’s time to go.  You can ask her one or two questions, but do not stay more than ten minutes beyond this signal.

•    Don’t glance at your watch during the interview.  You want to appear attentive even if you’ve decided this is not the job for you.  It goes without saying that you should not text or take cell phone calls during an interview. By all means, turn off your cell phone!

•    Follow-up but don’t be a pest. Make sure you understand how they want you to follow-up and do that. Above all, be prompt and prepared for your interview and leave with a clear understanding of what the next steps are.

•    Hand the Interviewer your business card.  If you know you’ll be going on several interviews, have some business cards made.  It is courteous to leave the interviewer with a way to contact you simply.

•    Don’t Tweet or Facebook any comments about the interview.  You never know who will be reading your Tweets or your status updates.  Interviewers prefer to keep everything related to an interview confidential.  Show them you can be trusted.

Thank you so much to all the students, faculty and professionals who attended PRofessional CONNECTION yesterday. The event could not have happened without you! It also could not have happened without the hard work of Erica, Debbie and the PRofessional CONNECTION committee heads and members. The only downside to the day – that I couldn’t be in more places at once!

It was great to see familiar faces from PRSSAs of the past, and to see how far they’ve come. I thought it was especially cool that we skyped in Melina Baetti from Paris for our International PR seminar. It was also great to get advice from recent Grady grads in terms of how to get a job, and how to keep your spirits high while you try. In the words of past PRecendent editor Leslie Emanuele, “Network, intern, and repeat!”

If you missed PRofessional CONNECTION, make sure you check out our Twitter page for updates from the event. Or you can search #PRConnect for updates from anyone in attendence.

This past weekend at the PRSSA National Conference in San Diego one of our own E-Board members, Kaitlyn Darr, was invited to speak at the Student-run Firm Workshop. Kaitlyn was part of a Q&A panel made up of three other students from different schools. One of the national conference’s sponsors, BurrellesLuce, gave an in-depth blog post about the workshop. Here’s some of what Tressa Robbins, VP of Media Contacts, had to say:

“These students’ knowledge of public relations and media relations is extraordinary. Having worked at a PR agency myself, the advice the student panel gave on agency life and activities was spot on – if I hadn’t known these were students, I’d have thought I was listening to a panel of PR pros!“

Congratulations Kaitlyn for this awesome recognition and for helping us maintain one of the country’s best student-run firms!

It’s the week of PRofessional CONNECTION! Check out the program here to get a look at this year’s schedule. Start planning which seminars you’ll want to go to! We’ll see you all there!

This meeting is one you definitely won’t want to miss. We’re having Ashley Skiles, the marketing and development manager for the Susan G Komen Foundation. Ashley graduated from NYU and has been working for Susan G Komen since 2007.

This Wednesday we’re asking all members to wear pink to show PRSSA’s support for all those who have been affected by breast cancer.

PLUS – an additional incentive for Creative Consultants members! The team with the highest percentage of members in attendance will earn three extra points for their December evaluation.  The second place team will earn two extra points, and the third will earn one extra point.

I know you’re all getting pumped up for PRofessional CONNECTION 2k9! As Nov. 11 approaches, you should start planning out which seminars you want to go to. Check out the schedule here! If you haven’t registered yet, click this link.

If you have any additional questions about the event or the dinner following, contact Erica Holland. Her e-mail is ericah88@gmail.com.

Moxie Interactive is partnering with ECast to host an open house Wednesday Nov. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. The event will offer tons of networking opportunities, plus information on digital out-of-home advertising. If you’re interested in advertising, new media, PR or writing, you should definitely attend! Please RSVP to Amy Crouse by sending an e-mail to acrouse@moxieinteractive.com.

If you plan on attending the dinner following PRofessional CONNECTION, which of course you should (who doesn’t like free food??), make sure you register sometime before Oct. 24. This is also first-come first-serve, so the sooner you register the better your chances of getting a place at the dinner! If you have any questions at all about PRofessional CONNECTION or the dinner, feel free to e-mail Erica at ericah88@gmail.com. See you all there!