Interesting PR campaign-vote on public policy July 15, 2010

Everywhere I look, whether it be in the news or talking to people throughout the day, society is feeling uneasy, frustrated and angry toward the government and current politics. Whether it be immigration, the oil spill, the economy or healthcare, Americans are frustrated with politicians’ handling of these issues, and feel there is a disconnect between the public and political leaders.  I recently saw an interesting public awareness campaign by a local politician that capitalized on this sentiment and seemed like a brilliant way to engage constituents and make them feel like they have some input.

Many Americans are frustrated and concerned about runaway spending. Eric Cantor and other politicians have created a website,  http://republicanwhip.house.gov/YouCut/, that allows people to read about Republican ideas for various issues, and to submit their ideas about where spending should be cut. Each week, several issues are listed on the website. These areas are specific projects or areas that the public can vote on to cut government spending. Each week, the issues with the highest number of votes is brought to the House floor. This website is an interesting and ingenious idea that plays into society’s frustration and offers a clever way to gain feedback and allow people to have a say in government. Check it out…

Are you an annoying patient? 5 things you didn’t know about your Doctor’s office July 6, 2010

Here are some of the top annoying behaviours seen by staff at your Doctor’s office:

1. Try to get a diagnosis or treatment information from the administrative staff.

Unless you are speaking to a nurse or the doctor, the rest of the staff specialize in scheduling, billing, insurance or other administrative duties and are not medically trained. We are trained to ascertain enough information from the patients to give the medical staff enough information to know what to expect from the patient and point them in the right direction. We can’t tell you what your symptoms mean, and will point you to the doctor, so don’t quiz us about what could be wrong with you, simply make an appointment.

2. Behaving badly in the lobby.

Unless signs are posted, we don’t mind if you talk quietly on your cell phone while you wait, but keep it down, and don’t discuss anything private, like having a conference call with your boss on why nude pictures of your ex-boyfriend were on your work computer. Also, put the cell phone away when the staff is trying to communicate with you, or you are in the actual appointment.  Don’t leave a mess in the lobby.  The staff would rather have you hand it to them then leave your trash in the waiting area.  Don’t  make ridiculous requests for beverages, or newer magazines. What is available is out for you to see.

3. Be picky about scheduling your appointment.

Every medical office has strict guidelines for times and lengths for appointment scheduling. Within those guidelines, patients are generally scheduled on a first come-first serve basis, with the exception of patients who have an emergency symptom or problem. They are squeezed in among other patients. Telling the staff that you can only have an appointment on the third thursday of the month between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m., will not get you anywhere. Neither will telling the staff you must get in this week, when they tell you the first opening is three weeks from now.

4. Not respecting the doctor and medical staff’s time.

Every office has a cancellation/tardiness policy. Read it and follow it. If you need to cancel your appointment, do it 24 hours in advance. If you show up more than ten minutes late for your appointment, expect to have to wait. If you no-show for your appointment, do not call back and expect to get in within the week, just because you couldn’t make it.  Just like any other patient, you will be offered the first opening available.  Don’t expect a call about a cancellation to try and get in sooner than the first available opening. We don’t have time to try and fill cancellations. That time just provides a much needed break, or time to complete extra tasks that we normally don’t have time to get to.  If you no-show or are late a few times to your appointments, expect to earn yourself a “bad patient” reputation. The staff knows your behaviour, so we won’t make it easy for you to get back in to the doctor.

5. Forget to bring basic identification or payment.

It floors me how many times patients come in to the doctor’s office, especially for first time visits, and do not have a driver’s license, insurance card or form of payment. It is necessary to have these with you, and if you don’t we may not be able to see you, and might turn you away.

Tips on being a good patient:

Try to have a friendly relationship with the doctor, and be friendly to the staff. Show up on time for your appointments, and don’t make unreasonable demands. Follow the established flow of paperwork and billing. If you are friendly and curteous, we want to try and accomodate your needs, such as calling you when an appointment opens up that you may prefer, or giving you prescription samples or other perks.

Here is an example of a bad patient:

I heard of a patient who insisted that the doctor usually fit her in within one or two days for an appointment. She did not have an emergency. First of all, doctors knows nothing of the scheduling, other than a copy of the patient schedule he/she is given each day to follow.  The patient finally showed up to her appointment after several instances of not showing up or cancelling with less than 24 hours notice, with excuses such as over-sleeping or feeling a bad omen about visiting medical offices on certain days. After stunts like that, it is normal to make the patient wait a week or so.  When the patient did come to her appointment, she was impatient about being seen quickly. The patient also failed to adhere to follow-up appointment protocols, and even once put staff on hold while ordering coffee.  Lesson: be friendly, curteous and show up to your appointments.

The 4th of July is almost here!! June 28, 2010

Here are a few reasons to love the 4th:

For a couple of weeks out of the year, it is legal to buy and detonate crazy fun explosives.

You have a reason to deafen the neighbors and the sheriff stops by to ask you to be careful.

The 4th is a time for family reunions with delicious food and opportunities to meet relatives you didn’t even know you had.

The challenge of trying to get the most fireworks for your money and hunting down the coolest and newest firework is almost as fun as detonating them.

It’s socially acceptable to do crazy fun science experiments with explosives like trying to create a cremora fireball.

You get an extra day off work.

You get to watch professional fireworks displays.

And did I mention fireworks????

Now, back to my best Fiona/Burn Notice impression.

Guide to Employment agencies or Staffing services April 25, 2010

During my job hunt, like many people,  I sometimes felt discouraged, and looked to any avenue available to help me. I had never used an employment agency before this year. With so many out of work, employment agencies are very busy with new clients. Here are a few things to know about how they work and whether they might be helpful to you.

Not all employment agencies are equal. Each one tends to have a different specialty or area of focus as far as what kinds of jobs they staff.  Almost all, however, staff financial positions like accountants, payroll or book-keeping, and general positions like receptionists, administrative assistants etc. After that, many have specialties such as IT, finance, trade or technical positions, or creative jobs.  Some agencies will not even get back to you if you apply online, or email your resume. They are not reputable or worth the time. All the staffing companies expect a basic level of skill, such as a high school diploma or college degree,  and computer skills.

The most reputable agencies will at least make an appointment with you, to get some basic information, a resume, and try to see what you are looking for. I learned, don’t bother applying online to the positions listed on most staffing agency sites as “open positions.”  Most positions are not even advertised before they are filled.

After you visit an agency, unless your resume is just the most impressive they have ever seen, there is a time period of about 3-5 days, during which they are actually trying to locate a position for you.  After that, they are no longer a help, they are so inundated with clients every day.

Tips: 

Don’t consider an employment agency if you are looking for direct hire, or temp to hire, in other words, if you want to be hired permanently after a few months of good performance. Most are only offering temp positions of various lengths, and labeling them “temp to hire” even though the company isn’t considering that. Technically, they can say it because you can’t prove the company may not hire you permanently. 

Don’t expect much information about the positions you are sent to for interviews. They won’t tell you the company, location or much about the actual position, until you agree to attend the interview. Then, you will still not get many more details until very close to the interview.  I went to an interview for a medical filing position that sounded very different from the actual position, as described by the hiring manager. Also, I was told it was temp to hire, but found out the position was only for 2 weeks to one month.

Basically, temp agencies are a gamble. If you are willing to take temp positions, and are looking for something basic like a receptionist or administrative position, or have financial skills, you may find something. You will need resumes, references, a drivers’ license, social security card and ability to complete computer tests. If you do take temp positions, the temp agency pays you, and provides benefits etc. Most do not offer direct deposit.

Be wary, and be ready for disappointment. I once visited a seemingly reputable agency, where an acquaintance had found a receptionist position, (which they hated.) I even told the recruiter I had been recommended. During the interview, they acted like they were going to help me, and even asked for an altered copy of my resume. However, I never heard back from them, or received answers to my emails.

New job!! April 22, 2010

After a few months of looking around for a job, I was finally offered one. Monday, I start at a medical office in Greenway plaza. Yay!! It will be an interesting place to work, and I will not be poor and broke anymore!! Greenway plaza isn’t bad either, there is a food court, and a Trek Bus I want to try that costs only about $20 for a week of rides. If anyone has any insight or rides this, let me know. God is faithful. It is very trying to constantly be turned down for jobs and can be depressing. Yay for work!

We love Wii Fit Plus! April 6, 2010

One of my family’s Christmas presents this year was a Wii. Our family has enjoyed it, and it is the first game that ALL members of the family can learn and have fun playing. A few days ago, we got the Wii Fit Plus.

 (Tip: if you are looking for one, you won’t be able to find it in a store. They were recalled at one point, and very few are sent to stores at the same time. Better to order online)

I need to stay toned and I do enjoy exercising. What I don’t like is exercising around others at a fitness center or club, and the willpower and dread that comes with working out. The Wii Fit is a great and inexpensive way to get a workout, and not have to pay hundreds for a treadmill and weight equipment. Wii Fit makes exercising fun, by immersing you in an interactive game-like environment so you are getting a workout without even realizing it. I have so much fun concentrating on trying to move my hips in hula hooping, or running through an obstacle course, that I don’t even feel like I’m exercising. I also like the fact that for yoga poses and stretching, a virtual fitness coach shows you the pose and you just mirror the movements.  The combination of fun games, interactivity and the eery way it knows your weight and how you are progressing make it amazing. I think it is the exercise concept of the future. Love it!

Into the future and beyond… March 17, 2010

This week, I’ve heard snippets of conversation, and read excerpts of websites that have me wondering about the future of business and communication. We are already connected 24/7 to the web and mobile communication.  How will the future of global communication affect our daily tasks, and the idea of business?

I read a snippet from a website that discussed how full time jobs are less important. It is more important to hone skills, and master strategies and top trends that will keep you on top of your industry…especially when you have chosen an industry like PR, as I have. That concept is a big reminder to me. I’ve concentrated on finishing my education and looking for that full time gig where I can use my skills and learn new ones. I can’t exactly go back to school at this point and learn all those things I didn’t cover in my degree, but I can start some self teaching online. I’ve always been jealous of those people who can do everything creative: they are a web designer, writer, marketing guru, graphic designer and social networking expert all in one.  I’ve always believed it’s better to have a general understanding of other areas of creative expertise, but to hone and focus your area of greatest strength. Now, I’m not so sure….

Will the future be one where we all work mostly from home or coffee shops, communicating via video and web, making a living by offering our expertise to multiple clients, instead of working 9-5 for a corporate marketing department? In other words will we become globally communicating, self-made, virtual consultants? I think we just might….

And what about our handwriting? As we develop further toward web and computer based education, and online schooling in college and beyond, we’ll have no need for handwriting. I have witnessed kids, around 11-14, who are so used to using a computer to communicate from the earliest age, that they cannot write legibly even in middle school. As a former English major, this is scandalous to me…but it also points to the future.

All of this is a little scary…trying to keep up with it..but exciting concepts.

Toyota soon to be the next example of worst PR in new textbooks March 9, 2010

The Toyota saga of wild and spontaneous acceleration seems to be never ending in the press. Thanks to its handling of this crisis, Toyota will soon be in PR textbooks as an example of what not to do. Every day, it seems there is another new story of someone who is ignored by the company, or whose car is still malfunctioning after being repaired. Yesterday, a man in California was on the highway when his car accelerated for 20 miles, and he could not stop. Police eventually helped him. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704784904575111503873150166.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEADNewsCollection

So many soundbites and statements testify to Toyota’s bad handling of the crisis. After the runaway Prius, Toyota announced it will recall thousands of the cars. When asked why they had not been recalled: ”because Toyota “hasn’t developed the remedy yet,” said Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons.” That is the last thing any PR director wants their spokesperson to say.

Toyota’s mistake has been failure to control the news from the beginning. The cardinal rule of PR is to control the story in a positive manner, preferably being able to bring it to the attention of the media on your terms, before it is discovered. Also, they have failed to properly communicate with technicians and dealers, as evidenced by so many cars still malfunctioning after being repaired, and owners of accelerating cars being told their cars weren’t apart of recalls or in need of repair. My prediction is that this Toyota snaffu will be the stuff of textbooks and remembered with Exxon Valdez.

Key to job hunting? Multiple personalities. February 17, 2010

In this tough economy, I, along with thousands of others, am learning to navigate the world of job hunting. It is a chore, that takes many hours, and careful, calculated strategy. In an effort to start my career after graduation in December, I quit both of my jobs and moved to a new city with a lower rate of unemployment, hoping to find an entry-level position in my field.

In my case, I am hunting for an entry level position in PR, which are few and far between. Much of the hunt has required sifting through the postings, trying to weed out all those “marketing” jobs that are really sales  or promotions jobs. (The key to PR is excellent, journalistic quality writing. I am a purposeful and persuasive writer, not a salesperson.)

One tip I’ve learned during my hunt is the importance of changing your identity and resume, for each position.  My education would suit a “Director of Communications” at a major company. However, my lack of field  and management experience take me out of the running for those positions. I am finding that strange place in a job hunt where employers are unsure how to categorize me, and my resume ends up in that bottomless abyss of…”is anyone looking at my resume?”  I am finding that many employers aren’t valuing my education, perhaps thinking they’ll have to pay too much, and instead concentrating on my one year of experience. In my mind, if an employer could get an M.A. for an entry level position for the same pay, why wouldn’t they want to? But it seems that is not the case. Bottom line, I’m either highly overqualified by my education, or underqualified by experience. What’s a girl to do?

So,  I re-brand and change my identity, and resume and cover letter, for different jobs, highlighting certain aspects of my experience or skills, and downplaying others.  Like many job seekers, due to the current job market,  I am looking into many jobs within a certain salary range, that are unrelated to my degrees. I have one resume that depicts me as a recent graduate, with skills in customer service that would be your highly qualified, friendly, neighborhood office clerk, or administrative assistant. My other resume, depicts a highly educated, highly intelligent writer, with a year of experience and a great portfolio, that can produce great deliverables for your company. Both are completely accurate…but entirely different.

Hopefully, this tip I’ve gleaned will pay off. One key to a better job search: becoming a chameleon, always portraying your best qualities, demanded by the particular job you’re applying to….and not placing email addresses @pinkpoodle.com, or sending your resume with coffee stains or mud smears…can also help.   :)   http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2180-Cover-Letters-Resumes-Weird-and-Wacky-Things-Actually-Written-on-R%c3%a9sum%c3%a9s/?ArticleID=2180&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=529823dcc86e498fb44ce14caa58d202-319662556-w7-6

Spicy, Cheesy Penne with Chicken and Sausage February 1, 2010

When it comes to recipes, I rarely follow ingredient measurements or precise directions. Recipes are more of a general idea to be played with. (Unless, when baking, when measurements and exact directions are important). I am always looking for great recipes for dinner. I especially like it when I can use up leftovers in the process. In my fridge, I had leftover cooked pasta from a spaghetti dinner, an unused lime, some turkey sausage and some chopped cooked chicken, left from a rotisserie whole chicken.

I found the following recipe on msn.com, http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/penne-rigate-spicy-braised-swordfish-recipe  and liked some of the basic ingredients and flavors and decided to try and do something with it. I ended up with a completely new, delicious pasta recipe that is a keeper.  Out with  swordfish, capers and anchovies (ick) and instead…chicken and sausage.

Here’s what I came up with:

(feel free to change meats, measurements slightly to taste)

Ingredients:

Olive oil to sauté vegetables

3/4 cup chopped cooked chicken

1/2 cup chopped sausage, andouille, turkey or kielbasa etc.

3/4 cup white wine

Chicken broth to add for desired consistency

Juice from 1 lime

1/2 of one small red onion, about 1/2 cup chopped

1/2 can diced tomatoes with jalapenos

1 jalapeño, diced and seeded

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teas. basil

1 teas. oregano

Coarse Salt and pepper

Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, shredded

3 servings pasta, penne or rotini

Saute jalepenos and onion in the olive oil, until softened, about 3 minutes, add minced garlic, cook about 1 minute longer, lowering heat. Combine lime juice and white wine, add to sautéed veggies, simmer on moderately high heat about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, pinches of salt and spices, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth to mixture as needed to achieve desired sauce consistency. (I added about 1/2 cup). Meanwhile, boil the pasta. When sauce consistency is achieved, add cooked meat, simmer, until meat is heated through. Add more chicken broth as needed. Add the cooked pasta and combine. Turn off heat and sprinkle generous amount of cheese over pasta, stir and serve immediately, when cheese is melted. If the dish is not spicy enough, add a sprinkle of some cayenne or other hot spice. Enjoy!