Kevin Saghy, national president of the Public Relations Student Society of America, talks to students about professional life after college. (David Frish)
The national president of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) spoke to Miami University students about job interview strategies, resume hints and professionalism in the "real world" Monday night.
Kevin Saghy, PRSSA president and a senior at Ohio Northern University, told students the biggest mistake young people make when going to an interview is being overly confident.
"You can be confident, but not cocky," Saghy said.
Along with that, he reminded students of the importance of eye contact, appropriate dress and polite manners.
Saghy also discussed the importance of a good resume, comparing it to a blind date. He said it's the first introduction a potential employer gets, and you want it to say the right thing.
"What's on your resume is one part of your interview, but your personality is more important," Saghy said.
He advised students to pay attention to their manners and judgment when interviewing and used personal examples to tell students to learn the company's details, such as font and letterhead.
"Make sure whatever leaves your desk is the very best that can leave your desk at that moment," Saghy said.
Senior mass communications major Kate Fulcher said she enjoyed the advice that Saghy had to offer.
"I thought he was really informative and it was nice hearing from someone our own age with experience in the industry," Fulcher said.
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According to senior marketing major Carrie Himmelman, Miami's PRSSA chapter president, PRSSA is an on-campus organization interested in public relations, and has 180 members. The group offers students conferences, a society newspaper, an online blog, scholarships and a Web site that posts student resumes and makes them available to employers.
Himmelman said that every semester PRSSA hosts individuals from the industry to speak and do workshops prepping the students for a career in the public relations industry.
According to Himmelman, Miami's chapter of PRSSA wanted Kevin to speak because he could offer interesting insight into the national organization.
"He is a really congenial person, and he's a good representation for the society as a whole," Himmelman said.
Saghy has been involved with PRSSA since his first year of college. He said he wanted to come to Miami's chapter because PRSSA has given him the opportunity to see a lot of things, and he wants to share the benefits of PRSSA with local chapters.
"Being able to change the landscape of (public relations) from the student level allows us to change PR," Saghy said. "We want to reach out to students and get people involved from the start."
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