2300 Assignment #1 Postitioning 'You'

JCOM 2300 – Fall Semester 07

Assignment #1:

Positioning ‘You’ (30 Pts.)

Goals of Assignment;

Primary: To introduce the Positioning Framework tool and begin using the student’s existing knowledge to build and use effective PR messages.

Secondary: To help the student better refine their own career goals and personal positioning for future (or existing) employers.

Format: This assignment has 5 sections, all of which need to be completed for full credit. I will be looking for 3 specific documents compiled into a portfolio blog;

1. a written paper covering Section 1 & 2, posted to your blog,

2. a completed positioning framework, and

3. a single PowerPoint slide (or 81/2X10 equivalent) posted on your blog with your talking points.

The 5 sections are listed below.

SECTION 1: Identify the problem or situation. Apply research to support the problem or situation. Frame your assignment as either; 1) Problem (ie no job prospects, not sure what you want to do, PR jobs very thin, etc.) OR 2) Situation such as you KNOW the job OR industry you want but you need to be prepared and focused so you can gain a position in a particular company or industry. If the later, please tell me why you have chosen this field, industry or company. In both situations make sure you include #1 Who is your target audience? #2 What industry, geography, position, pay scale, etc. are you targeting? #3 What do you hope to achieve? Be honest and realistic. If plans are to go to graduate or law school – please tell me why.

Expectations: 2-3 paragraphs with supporting data and sources posted to your blog.

Examples; “The current job market is very tight according to XYZ Association (Data source). New hiring in the PR field is down X% from last year and a further XX% lower since 2001.” “ABC Company is hiring 10 new associates and I am one of 50 interviewing.” “The non-profit sector is responsible for saving X # or rain forests every year and is hiring at a rate of XX%.” “Regular pay scale for entry-level PR Associate at an agency is $XXX.XX per year. (Source PR.com)” and/or; “According to PR.com, the growth for new PR hires will be in the biotech industry – with growth rates of XX% over the next 3 years.”

SECTION 2: State and support your goals. List an OUTPUT goal (ie how much work you will produce) and 2-3 IMPACT goals (Results from your work).

Expectations: 1-3 objectives. OUTPUT Examples; “I will conduct research on 10 companies in the non-profit industry by the end of the semester.”, “I will contact 25 people in the XXX industry by May 2005.” IMPACT Examples; “I will have a network of 35 employment contacts in the non-profit PR industry by the end of the semester.” “10 out of 50 hi-tech employers contacted for interviews will agree to the interview.” “50% of first interviews with agencies will turn into second interviews.” “I will have my first job offer from MTV by December 2004.”

SECTION 3: Complete the Positioning Framework. Make sure you use only real data, credentials, and facts to support. Expectations: Fill-out the framework completely – be as succinct and accurate as possible.

SECTION 4: Create your talking point slide and post it to your blog. This requires accuracy and clarity. On a single Powerpoint slide, list your 3 key talking points. These talking points will become your ‘elevator pitch’ (ie if you are in an elevator with a potential employer and have 4 floors to tell him/her why they should hire you – what would you tell them?).

SECTION 5: Apply the research and talking points to a personal blog. Build your own blog through wordpress.com or blogger.com or any other host site. The blog needs to incorporate your talking points and be directed at the job or industry you are interested in. Consider color scheme, images, and wording. The blog should represent the research you have done and describe who you are.

NOTE: I strongly suggest starting early as this assignment will require you to make multiple edits and refinements. By the end of the assignment, you should be able to tell anyone, in less than 15 seconds, who you are as it relates to your job search. Long, lengthy, superlative language will not be easy to say or understand, therefore you MUST be succinct, believable, and each statement needs to be defendable.

Find the positioning frame work document here.

Examples of positioning assignment here.