I’ve just started my full-time career in PR, and have been an official Corporate Inker for 100 days. My head is still spinning. Now comes the time to reflect on the transition and offer up some advice to those getting their start (or those needing a reminder about what it is like to just begin).

Organize yourself online. It’s easy to say, “if you don’t want your grandma to see it, you shouldn’t have it on Facebook.” Well, for those of us just starting our careers, we remember when Facebook was a strictly college-only party – and the notion of parents and bosses joining the network would sound absurd. But that’s changed. Be sure to understand your privacy settings and choose other social platforms to build your professional presence. Linkedin and Twitter are great places to start.

Productivity is expected. Procrastination isn’t allowed. In fact there is a whole web of people depending on your work in order to do theirs. Start to understand how you work best – do you like jumping around from task to task? Or do you prefer a to-do list that you can work through one-by-one? By understanding your work-style you can better communicate with your manager and enjoy a more productive day. And wow… a lot can be done with eight hours.

Give yourself time to learn. In a small firm, there’s nowhere to hide – and that’s a good thing. You’re given responsibilities right away and start to become invested in your work more quickly. Learning while delivering results can be an overwhelming combination; remember to communicate your comfort level with new tasks so you receive the guidance you need to succeed. If you don’t know how to do something, speak up – it’s easier to spend 10 minutes explaining something in the beginning than an hour redoing two hours of work.

Read everything. Even if you haven’t landed that dream job yet, you can start preparing now. Setup an RSS aggregator – add feeds from sites like PR Newser, Social Times, and AllTwitter. Start understanding the tools that PR pros use so you can focus more energy on learning your clients and their industries.

Talk and always ask questions. A quiet PR professional is a rarity – and for me it was more about knowing the questions to ask in the beginning. Carry a pen and paper around with you at all times and jot down any questions or one-off thoughts that come to mind. It’s easy for you to lose track of questions when you’re in the throws of a bustling firm. Don’t feel like you’re bothering anyone – if you’re at the right kind of company, they’re just as invested in your training and future as you are.

By: Joanna Clark
Twitter: @joannaclark5