By: Marina Li
September 29, 2020 — As a recent #MasonComm alum, Jenny Muchnikoff offered relevant and valuable advice to GMU PRSSA members — from important skills and classes for PR students to have under their belt and grad school tips to interview tips and what it’s like transitioning from an internship to a full-time role.
Started out as an intern at Yes& Agency, Muchnikoff was offered a full-time position after graduating in May 2020 to serve as an account coordinator while pursuing her Master’s degree in Strategic Communication at Georgetown University.
As a #MasonComm alum and former PRSSA president, Muchnikoff offered some useful tips to PRSSA members.
“Highlight how your previous positions, course work and projects prepared you for the role you’re applying for on your resume,” Muchnikoff emphasized.
This is especially crucial for those who are seeking their first few public relations internships.
With experience taking communication classes at Mason during her undergraduate years, she strongly encouraged public relations students to take COMM 303: Writing Across the Media, COMM 384: PR & Social Media, COMM 305: Intercultural Communication and COMM 208: Introduction to Media Production.
These courses helped Muchnikoff with building her portfolio with writing and project samples and honing her skills — whether it’s AP style, social media audits, the basics of filming and editing, and being empathetic and sensitive when communicating in a diverse environment.
Top skills to have:
AP style
Being able to translate technical jargons and put them into Layman’s terms (for those wanting to pursue a technical route)
Writing copies across social media platforms
Pitching to reporters
Content creation (e.g. writing articles, op-eds, blogs, etc)
Integrating yourself into niche markets
Software: Cision, Meltwater and Google Analytics
When it comes to interviews, Muchnikoff shared some employer expectations with PRSSA members.
Employers want to hear how you can transfer previous skills and experience to the position you’re applying for. An example Muchnikoff gave was, “….because I did ___ / had this role in the past, I can bring these (skills and experience) to this role.”
“What is a weakness of yours?“
This is a question that many struggle with. When employers ask this, they don’t care about your weaknesses. What they care about is how you plan on turning your weakness into a strength. They want to see progression, they want to see growth.
“Anecdotal stories help to connect,” said Muchnikoff.
When answering questions during an interview, try to tell a story to demonstrate your point to allow employers to understand you better as a candidate.
Muchnikoff also stressed the importance of thanking employers for their time after an interview and connecting with them on LinkedIn.
As a graduate student at Georgetown University, Muchnikoff advised students to ask professors or former employers for recommendation letters MONTHS in advance if they are planning on applying for a graduate program.
A tip she has for graduate school interviews is to do extensive research on the program prior. Find out the school and the program’s mission and value. Look up the different classes they offer and professors who teach them. Show the interviewer you did your research and are eager for the opportunity.
Having served as the PRSSA president for an academic year, Muchnikoff expressed how much PRSSA has helped her expand and grow her network.
Through PRSSA meetings, she was able to meet with PR professionals around the area and get first-hand advice and insight into the public relations industry.
Muchnikoff highly recommends #MasonComm and public relations students to attend PRSSA meetings to kickstart their career development. The next guest speaker session will be on Tuesday, October 13 at 7pm, featuring Ashley Arias, Director at TAA PR. She will be sharing her experience working with luxury and lifestyle brands and offer her advice to students.
If you want to contact Muchnikoff, you can connect with her on LinkedIn or email at jmuchnikoff@yesandagency.com