PR Face2Face: Jerry Swerling, Principal of Swerling & Associates

Jerry Swerling has more than 30 years of experience as a senior-level communications professional and educator. Today he serves in two capacities. Today he serves in two capacities. He is the Principal of USC Annenberg School of Journalism. At USC he is responsible for the management of both the undergraduate and graduate programs in public relations, including curriculum development and the recruitment of faculty and students. At USC he also serves as Director of the jerry@swerling.net) and I will send you back the agency questionnaire. It's made up of 10 to 12 questions, asking about the number of people at the agency, specialties, ownership. It's the basic questions. When I get the answers, the agency goes into my database. Every review is a clean slate. I look at the client's needs, go through the database and find what the corporation is searching for in an agency. Does the client list fit the needs and level of experience? It's a whole new process each time. The best advice I can give a small agency? Identify your niche. Be crystal clear on who you are, and what you want to be. If you want to be the best healthcare boutique, get the staff, and promote that fact. Let the companies in your niche know about you. And, just as importantly, don't go after consumer RFPs. Just to reiterate, here are the golden rules:

• Know thyself, and what practice groups you do and do not want to be in

• Get on the radar: email me at latest O'Dwyer's figures - aw some great growth, hiring has been somewhat stagnant. Do you see a recovery on its way for firms and for hiring? There is a big time recovery and it's on its way. It's happening. USC conducts a PR GAP study, and we noted that the industry bottomed out in 2003; we are now in the midst of sifting through the data on the most recent GAP study, and it looks like a pretty significant turnaround for the industry as a whole. It is a lot more robust. I am not sure if across the board it has improved - well, not 100 percent, but I get the sense that it is strong and robust, but there is uncertainty because of the different talk out there on the economy. Companies and firms are cautious, in this general environment. Clients are cautious, and we will never see the free spending like we did in the past. But, graduating students are being hired left and right. As I have many students who read my blog - and you are a professor at USC - what types of things are you telling students to be aware of in PR? Our program at USC is a very professionally oriented program, and the students get a pretty sound feeling of what PR is in both the graduate and undergraduate program. We emphasize ethics, professionalism, transparency, and strategic thinking as opposed to tactical thinking. In terms of expectations, they are pretty set and clear, which is a good testament. And they are getting quickly hired, and more and more job openings are out there, which is why I say a recovery is on its way. What impact do you think blogs have on the field of public relations? Have you thought of starting a blog for the RFP process, or on your company? Blogs are having a profound impact and effect in PR, from a full variety of standpoints. It is like what you are doing with the Comments... POP! Public Relations, a public relations firm based in Arizona, USA. He authors the popular

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