This is the seventh and final installment in a series of blog posts reproduced from a Baylor University PR class assignment by student Andrea Aguirre. Liz Anderson, owner of E.H. Anderson PR, believes Aguirre deserves an A+. What Aguirre writes below reminds Anderson of her agency’s mission statement: Our promise is to deliver the highest level of performance and integrity to our clients every day and on every assignment. And Anderson feels Aguirre did just that on this assignment. Reflecting on this interview, I [the student] learned a great deal about public relations and how I handle myself in an interview setting. I had recorded the interview so I had the beneficial opportunity to hear myself speaking. When I am performing or giving a speech, I don’t have any difficulty reviewing myself in that circumstance, however, when I listen to my interview, I have a bit more difficulty and tend to critique myself more. There were so many times I wanted to be more clear and concise but felt hindered because of my nervousness. My questions were not as smooth as I had practiced, making me sound like I was thinking them up as I went. From listening to myself, I learned that it is best to take your time and be clear than to stress about the time you are taking. This is not to say that time is not important and should be disregarded, but perhaps it is better to focus on being clearer and more concise to avoid confusion during an interview. Then afterwards, practice on timing. A huge critique I would give myself is trailing off too much, I felt like this made me sound less professional and shy.
