Jamil Ghores, Account Executive, Waggener Edstrom Communications
Jamil studied Public Relations and Sociology at Gonzaga University while taking on internships with a local marketing agency and the Spokane Parks Foundation. Now he works for Waggener Edstrom Communications (WE) as an Account Executive on the agency’s SWAT team, primarily supporting the Microsoft account. He also works directly with WE’s centralized internship program, helping to recruit, onboard and train candidates.
While Jamil’s PR responsibilities change as his role continues to grow, he spends the majority of his time providing strategic counsel to clients, drafting communications plans and collateral for upcoming announcements, monitoring media coverage for campaigns and pitching national and trade press. He’s also a strong believer in networking – which is why you're able to take an in-depth look at an employee of an award-winning agency! Check out Jamil’s Twitter @JamilGhores and read about his journey:
On networking:
As so many of my colleagues did, I actually started at WE as an intern. I was first introduced to the agency as part of an office visit excursion that my university offered. I still remember the feeling when I first stepped foot in the Portland office. There was a palpable energy that I knew I wanted to be a part of, so I made it my mission from that point on to land an internship there upon graduating. I networked extensively with the employees I met during the visit in addition to researching and reaching out to GU alumni who worked at WE. This included setting up an informational interview on one of my trips to Seattle, which is where I had decided I wanted to move after graduation. The folks with whom I networked passed along my resume to HR as well as the internship managers, and before I knew it, I had my first phone interview! After that, it was an in-person interview a couple months down the road, and then I received an internship offer about a month before graduation. The internship was truly awesome. I had the opportunity to work on client projects, experience a handful of account teams and meet folks throughout the agency to learn about their career paths. It probably goes without saying that this internship led to my first full-time position at WE, and it certainly prepared me well, helping me acclimate to the company culture and work style.
On tools and resources:
I’d definitely have to plug the Microsoft Office suite (though I must caveat that they are still my client), especially Outlook because email is the primary platform through which I do my job. Outside of that, I certainly also leverage Internet Explorer, Bing, Twitter, Topsy, LinkedIn, CisionPoint and Muck Rack on a regular basis.
Advice:
If I could give advice to my college self, I would recommend pursuing internships even earlier. I started applying during the summer before my junior year, but I’ve spoken with a number of soon-to-be and/or recent grads who started interning in their sophomore, or even freshman year, and from what I’ve observed, there are only advantages to getting started early. (Granted, there are some hiring managers who want interns who have already completed a certain number of credits, so that’s important to keep in mind.)
On professional organizations:
I don’t officially belong to any professional organizations, but I have attended events held by such groups, including the Greater Seattle Business Association’s Young Professionals with Pride and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). I’m a firm believer in the power of networking, and I enjoy meeting new people at these events. I’ll definitely continue attending and will likely join one or more organizations in the future. I imagine the connections I have forged and will continue to foster will help my career down the road.
On the biggest news in his industry and how he gets his news:
There’s certainly a LOT going on in the tech PR industry right now. I think one of the most prominent and interesting themes I’m seeing is the dialogue surrounding the intersection of security/privacy and the Internet of Things concept. People and businesses alike want their data to be secure, and they want to have control of exactly who has access to it and when they have access to it. However, at the same time, each day we move more toward a world in which nearly everything we touch is connected to the internet in some way or another. These connections intend to improve our overall experience, and they generally do, which is why so many of us love them. But the question remains – at what cost to our privacy are we obtaining these life improvements? For example, we must decide if ordering car service through an app on our smartphone is worth the car service company tracking our location.
To keep up with the industry, I read online outlets like the Verge, TechCrunch, Mashable and BuzzFeed. I also keep tabs on PR News, PR Daily and the Holmes Report to stay on top of the latest happenings in – you guessed it – PR. :)
While Jamil’s PR responsibilities change as his role continues to grow, he spends the majority of his time providing strategic counsel to clients, drafting communications plans and collateral for upcoming announcements, monitoring media coverage for campaigns and pitching national and trade press. He’s also a strong believer in networking – which is why you're able to take an in-depth look at an employee of an award-winning agency! Check out Jamil’s Twitter @JamilGhores and read about his journey:
On networking:
As so many of my colleagues did, I actually started at WE as an intern. I was first introduced to the agency as part of an office visit excursion that my university offered. I still remember the feeling when I first stepped foot in the Portland office. There was a palpable energy that I knew I wanted to be a part of, so I made it my mission from that point on to land an internship there upon graduating. I networked extensively with the employees I met during the visit in addition to researching and reaching out to GU alumni who worked at WE. This included setting up an informational interview on one of my trips to Seattle, which is where I had decided I wanted to move after graduation. The folks with whom I networked passed along my resume to HR as well as the internship managers, and before I knew it, I had my first phone interview! After that, it was an in-person interview a couple months down the road, and then I received an internship offer about a month before graduation. The internship was truly awesome. I had the opportunity to work on client projects, experience a handful of account teams and meet folks throughout the agency to learn about their career paths. It probably goes without saying that this internship led to my first full-time position at WE, and it certainly prepared me well, helping me acclimate to the company culture and work style.
On tools and resources:
I’d definitely have to plug the Microsoft Office suite (though I must caveat that they are still my client), especially Outlook because email is the primary platform through which I do my job. Outside of that, I certainly also leverage Internet Explorer, Bing, Twitter, Topsy, LinkedIn, CisionPoint and Muck Rack on a regular basis.
Advice:
If I could give advice to my college self, I would recommend pursuing internships even earlier. I started applying during the summer before my junior year, but I’ve spoken with a number of soon-to-be and/or recent grads who started interning in their sophomore, or even freshman year, and from what I’ve observed, there are only advantages to getting started early. (Granted, there are some hiring managers who want interns who have already completed a certain number of credits, so that’s important to keep in mind.)
On professional organizations:
I don’t officially belong to any professional organizations, but I have attended events held by such groups, including the Greater Seattle Business Association’s Young Professionals with Pride and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). I’m a firm believer in the power of networking, and I enjoy meeting new people at these events. I’ll definitely continue attending and will likely join one or more organizations in the future. I imagine the connections I have forged and will continue to foster will help my career down the road.
On the biggest news in his industry and how he gets his news:
There’s certainly a LOT going on in the tech PR industry right now. I think one of the most prominent and interesting themes I’m seeing is the dialogue surrounding the intersection of security/privacy and the Internet of Things concept. People and businesses alike want their data to be secure, and they want to have control of exactly who has access to it and when they have access to it. However, at the same time, each day we move more toward a world in which nearly everything we touch is connected to the internet in some way or another. These connections intend to improve our overall experience, and they generally do, which is why so many of us love them. But the question remains – at what cost to our privacy are we obtaining these life improvements? For example, we must decide if ordering car service through an app on our smartphone is worth the car service company tracking our location.
To keep up with the industry, I read online outlets like the Verge, TechCrunch, Mashable and BuzzFeed. I also keep tabs on PR News, PR Daily and the Holmes Report to stay on top of the latest happenings in – you guessed it – PR. :)