Jillian Safian, employee at PenelopePR

It is always encouraging to hear the stories from successful graduates of the Mohawk Public Relations program who are now working in the field.  My friend, previous co-worker and helpful advisor Jillian Safian graduated from the Public Relations Graduate Certificate program in 2011 and has successfully landed a full time position working as a publicist at PenelopePR.  And yes, PenelopePR is where Jillian completed her mandatory internship to graduate, and was hired on as soon as she graduated.

Jillian claims that the PR program at Mohawk had her very well prepared to transition from being a student to building her career in public relations.  She explained that, “almost all of my day-to-day tasks involve using skills that I learned in the program… all of those skills were built upon during my internship.”  Luckily, Jillian’s boss at PenelopePR really took the time to work with Jillian to help her develop and grow.  She is extremely thankful towards her employer!  A word of advice in this regard from Jill is to put a lot of time and effort into finding an internship that actually interests you and seems supportive of their interns.  Many organizations will jump at a free employee, so be picky!

One of the most important skills that Jillian gained from the PR program at Mohawk is the ability to effectively manage her time.  “If you’re wondering, ‘is this what it’s really going to be like in the working world?’, yes, it is very similar and to be successful in the field it is crucial to know how to manage your time.  The work load is very similar in terms of size, and more stressful because it isn’t the difference between a 70 or a 90 percent, but rather whether you can keep your job!”

Jillian has also learned that being a public relations professional does not limit you to the already large variety of tasks that fall under the public relations umbrella, but much, much more.  She explained that you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to reach an organization’s goals.  There is no job that is beneath you and you should never find yourself saying “that’s not my job.” Doing jobs like this will help you gain respect from management and fellow employees.

As Jillian continues to successfully maintain her career in public relations she looks back at her time studying at Mohawk as a completely positive experience that truly changed her life.  She wishes all of the students in the PR program the very best of luck, as we will soon be making our transition to the working world!