Liza and I have a lot of experience interviewing together:

• When we worked as PR supervisors at Erwin-Penland, we interviewed a variety of potential candidates for the PR department.
• During new business opportunities, we are interviewed by decision makers so they can learn more about us, our background and how we work with others to get the job done (and vice versa).
• And in our first year at Full Circle Public Relations, we work closely to select new hires as we continue to ramp up our staff.

Well, we are at it again.  We are in the midst of hiring an account coordinator to join us and help us with day-to-day activities – media relations, writing, researching, etc. – for our clients.  And I was just telling Liza the other day how exciting it is to interview new candidates.  Not only do I love to meet young professionals and hear about their goals in pursuing a career, I love to share the vision we have at FCPR.  Among other things, we try to communicate the following:

• We are in growth mode and need proactive, motivated individuals who can join us during this exciting time.  Not many people get to experience and watch a new company grow during its first few years.  And while we don’t think this opportunity is a good fit for everyone, it can be a great learning experience for the right person.
• We run a tight ship.  We have heard that people actually say this about Liza and me – and we love it.  We have high expectations for ourselves and for our employees – and our clients also have high expectations for our team.  We are constantly challenging ourselves to give 100%, while producing outstanding results.  And we don’t cut corners to do this.
• Yes we are human, and we make mistakes – but if we do make a mistake we should treat every one as a learning experience.  From our mistakes we have learned to communicate with each other more effectively, give our clients better service and implement policies that can ensure we continue to grow as professionals (and people).
• Our culture is in our control.  When Liza and I were dreaming of merging our businesses last spring, we were very aware of creating a culture that is positive, supportive, enthusiastic and motivating.  So far I feel we have been successful in keeping true to our culture.  Bringing on a new team member is such a crucial decision.

We are excited about all our new hires.  They can help us grow and continue to provide stellar customer service for our existing and new clients.  And, alternatively, we feel that we can offer them professional development opportunities, invaluable experience and a supportive environment in which they can thrive.

What is your favorite part of an interview?  We’d love to know!

Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not every day that a public relations professional is in FRONT of the camera.  Most times, we like to think of ourselves as behind the scene stage moms, coordinating media opportunities for our great clients so they can get their messages out to their audiences.

So it was kind of a fun surprise to have WYFF come out to Full Circle’s office and get Liza’s take on Nikki Haley’s new family, friendly ad campaign.

In times of scandal or crisis, it’s important to remember the fundamentals of crisis communication:

• Tell us what you know
• Tell it to us quickly (Don’t make us wait and speculate!)
• Tell us what you are going to do about it
• Tell us when it’s over
• And then move on

Liza’s right, when it comes to a salacious scandal people are always going to want to know more, but if you can quickly address the crisis, do something about it and get back to work, it almost becomes a point no longer worth debating.  People make mistakes and if you can admit to them quickly (and honestly), you can move on a lot quicker (and in a less painful fashion) than the alternative. (Think Tiger Woods!)

It’s hard to admit when you’ve done something wrong, but haven’t we all learned that fessing up is ultimately the best way to handle something like this?  What are your thoughts?  We’d love to hear some crisis communications case studies out there!

If you have ever walked into Full Circle’s office space, you have likely met Mandy, who greets all our friends, colleagues and clients with the most resounding enthusiasm (which is pretty contagious).

When she leaves the office, though, she pursues her passion for singing. Last night, her name was on Brown Street Club’s marquee for the first time. We are so proud of her and will keep you posted on her new endeavours in the Greenville music scene in the future…

Mandy recently sang at Greenville's own Brown Street Club

Caitlin Greeley, recent Clemson graduate and FCPR's newest account coordinator

The Full Circle PR team has started 2010 on a great note. We are working with some of THE BEST clients around and we have also doubled our staff since we opened our doors last year. (You might remember our first addition, Mandy Copp, who joined us as an administrative assistant.)

Well, we are thrilled that Caitlin Greeley began her position as Full Circle’s PR account coordinator on Monday.  She’ll help us with the day-to-day client and agency activities, which can leave more time for Liza and me to think of more strategic ways we can serve our clients.  We want to be a catalyst for great ideas and Caitlin is already a wonderful asset to our team. 

She is a recent Clemson graduate, and we are so happy to have her with us as she embarks on what is no doubt a long and prosperous career.

You will start to hear from her soon on this blog.  I think she can give a great perspective from someone who is learning about the industry and applying what she learned in school to real world experiences.  We hope to mentor her and I know Liza and I will learn so much from her along the way, too.

Welcome, Caitlin!  We are happy you are here.

We are so excited to announce our newest employee, Mandy Copp, who has joined Full Circle Public Relations as an administrative assistant.

Her first official day was last Monday, and we look forward to her being on board as we support our clients’ communications programs with the highest level of service, as well as continue to grow our firm.

In addition to having wonderful organization skills, a great personality and an enthusiasm to working here that is contagious, she is an amateur photographer.

If you are familiar with the Greenville, S.C. area, you’ll know that we have a vibrant downtown area that includes a picturesque park with a waterfall that is part of the Reedy River. We hope to decorate our new space with her artwork of downtown Greenville in the future!

It feels really great to grow our team, as well as look forward to the future. Mandy, we are glad you are with us!