California-based Red Door Interactive Inc., a Web marketing firm, had $15 million in revenue last year. How does it attract clients? Partly by treating them to San Diego Padres’ games from its downtown loft in Petco stadium. — Angus Loten, 27/7/2012.

It is Friday at 3pm. You are dealing with the normal stresses of work while multitasking is at its finest, wondering why you have only checked two of the ten things off of your to-do list today. Your coffee buzz is wearing off and at the worst possible time the phone rings. It’s an unexpected call from a reporter. You panic and a shot of adrenaline rushes through your body. Your brain kicks into overdrive and your instincts tell you to immediately start talking and answering their questions. But before you start talking, you pause, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you are in control of the interview. You remember these seven steps (or at least a few of them) that help you deliver the best possible information to the reporter, get quoted the way you want and represent yourself and company in the best light possible.

 

1. Don’t just start talking.

It may be tempting to talk right off the bat, but remember, everything you say is fair game to be used as a quote. This means that you need to be strategic about your answer because you only get one shot.

2. Ask your questions before you answer theirs.

Any reporter will understand that you want to be prepared ahead of answering their questions or talking about a particular topic/issue. With that said, make sure to follow these steps before you start talking:

• Get their name, contact, and the media outlet they are reporting for.
• Make sure you understand the type of information they are looking to receive.
• Politely let them know that you will call them back to provide a quote and answer their questions.
• Ask if they have a deadline or when they would need to hear back by, and if possible, give them a callback time and make sure to follow through on that time.
• Google search the reporter to help understand what kind of reporting they do and to verify that they are credible.

3. Write down what you want to say first.

You can write down key points to make sure you stay on topic and even better if you can write word-for-word what you would like to say. This way you know exactly what your quote is and how it will read – sometimes things sound great verbally but come across different in print.

4. Know your facts.

Be prepared with facts, figures and dates to back up key points.  Providing these details will increase the likelihood of you being quoted.  Also, when gathering facts, think in terms of what the public might want to know – anticipating the reporter/reader questions and interests will help you be prepared.

5. Stress important points by “framing” your comments.

Prefacing important points with phrases like “The bottom line is…” and “What the public should really know is…” indicates that the point that follows is important; it also increases the chances of what you want to get into the article does in fact because it indicates to the reporter that you are making an important point.

6. Reverse roles.

Often times a reporter might not know the right questions to ask – they may start with an open ended question to get you talking, but it puts the power in your hands if you actually have questions in mind that the reporter should be asking you. Make sure to write them down so you are prepared and know exactly how to phrase them.  This can often times help you control the direction and tone of the story.

7. Context is key.

To avoid comments taken out of context, look at each statement as a standalone comment. If it appears as though it could be taken out of context, make sure you adjust it accordingly.

When you find yourself caught off guard by an unexpected call from a reporter, remember that it is okay to ask to call them back before answering any questions. In doing so, you have time to prepare and make sure that you deliver the best possible comments and quotes. Remember these simple steps and rest assured that when you take that call your feeling of nervousness and panic will be transformed to calmness and control.

 

Soon-to-be college grads are anxiously completing their last few classes of the year, wrapping up internships and are on the prowl looking for their first big gig in the workforce. PR professionals willingly offer their two cents by providing suggestions on finding a job in this economic climate as well as advice for making the interview count. While it’s certainly crucial to showcase your skills and experience, here’s another tip that will be extremely important during an interview – show your attitude. No, I’m not talking about THAT attitude; check that at the door. Rather, be ready to share an attitude that truly conveys how passionate you are. Displaying these three characteristics at your next interview will certainly leave a positive impression and increase your chances of making the short list.

 

Attitude to learn: Whether you possess a certain skill or not, employers look for people who are ready and willing to master their jobs. If you don’t know how to use a specific program or don’t have a lot of experience writing case studies, it’s ok. Not everyone has the relevant experience going into a job. If they did, they’d probably be the boss. There are skills that are honed along the way and companies will appreciate your enthusiasm to learn and expand your knowledge base.

 

Attitude to succeed: Employers want to hire people who have a go-getter attitude and the desire to succeed. It is important to convey a willingness to devote as much effort as may be required to achieve the desired end result. Get the message across that you aim not only to attain goals, but to exceed them. You can’t just say this, but rather provide examples of ways you’ve done this in the past.

 

Attitude to overcome failure: Let’s be honest, we’ve all faced failure at one point or another in our lives. Whether it was growing up, playing a sport or in the workforce, things likely didn’t always turn out as you hoped. If a future employer asks about a time when a project didn’t go as planned, don’t be afraid to answer the question honestly. However, be ready to talk about how you overcame it, what you learned from it and how you would do things differently.

 

While there are a lot of qualities that employers look for when interviewing prospective team members, showing that you’re ready to learn, have the will to succeed and aren’t afraid of failure will help you land your job.