A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to meet Keith Donovan as well as hear him speak at Grand Valley State University as part of the Advertising and Public Relations speaker series. Keith grew up on the east side of Michigan, graduated from GVSU in 1997 (with an AD/PR degree), and has learned a lot through his time in the field, which he graciously shared during his time with us. He has had a lot of success in Public Relations and he believes in sharing his journey to help students who are in the same place he was twenty years ago.
Keith is the Vice President of Airfoil group; a creative marketing and public relations firm serving companies in the technology, consumer, healthcare, automotive, manufacturing sectors. That being said, he has done a lot, met a lot of people, and been a lot of places. He has concrete knowledge of what it’s like to emerge yourself in an ever growing and changing field, public relations specifically. I enjoyed his presentation very much.
He is passionate. This field takes passion. Your life should be filled with passion for something. If you don’t have a passion for what you’re going to school for at this very moment, I urge you to figure out why. Maybe you’ll get there, or maybe you’re not doing what you’re meant to do.
Keith made many good points and made an impact on my future, for sure. Besides talking about his professional career in public relations, he talked about how public relations is changing and how that will affect this generation. He also gave tips about resume building, and discussed an important communications skill set to have in this field.
Resume building is SO important in any field, and so is interviewing. If you want that first job out of college, making sure your resume is current, credible (data as proof), and make sure to proofread it, over and over again! Let someone else look it over too. Your resume is an employer’s first look into who you are and what you’re about, don’t mess that up before they even get to meet you.
Having the necessary skills to support your work in public relations is a must. In this field, Keith mentioned that we are always learning. It never stops. We can always be better, stronger, public relations professionals. This is a relationship business. Make them, have them, and keep them. Communication is crucial. Here are some key communication skills to have that Keith discussed.
- Your network is your single biggest asset (it’s how he has gotten all of his jobs)
- Don’t over think it….you never know who will and can help you so build that network
- Be a problem solver; in your work and home life
- Think critically and make decisive decisions
- Failure IS an option….”sometimes you win, sometimes you learn”
- Invest in people (the rest will follow)
- Take time to get to know people on a personal level, not just your next business adventure
- People will not know how much you know until they know how much you care
Dear Shelby 