Profile: Shirah Caughman

Shirah Caughman, COL '01
Fleishman-Hillard

What was your first job after graduation? How did you get it?
I worked for a small PR and communications consulting agency called Cone, which was a new office in DC. I had a family friend in marketing who was a professor at Georgia State who set me up with this job.

How did you end up at Fleishman-Hillard?
I worked with another woman, Denise Keyes, for 4 months until the office closed. I went to another agency in DC, but stayed in close contact with Denise. Denise got a job at Fleishman-Hillard and ended up re-hiring me.

Did you have prior internship experience in PR?
I had an internship with a very small agency the summer between my sophomore and junior year.

If Georgetown students are interested in PR, how should they prepare themselves?
Demonstrate strong writing skills. PR is an industry where there's a lot of preference toward communications, journalism, or PR degrees. I took marketing classes. The knowledge of marketing and communication is very important. It's also important to get an internship.

Are internships typically paid?
Yes. It varies market to market. If its not paid it will offer class credit.

What do you do at Fleishman-Hillard?
Media outreach and pre-media outreach strategy development.

What do you like best about your job?
I enjoy the event-planning which is consumer public relations. This involves launching products and generating ongoing media attention to reach consumers in order to increase sales. I really like organizing the big blow-out events like the Subway March on Washington, which was a march across the Mall against childhood obesity.

What makes Fleishman-Hillard different than other firms?
It's one of the largest firms. But when comparing it with other large firms it's different because it was founded in St. Louis and still maintains a midwestern feel. It is not a high-powered, super-aggressive firm and is a more down-to-earth feel.

For students looking for full-time jobs, when should they apply and how?
When it's clear that we need someone the process goes very quickly. It's hard to apply for a PR job in advance. Apply closer to when you can start. But you should get your résumé out there. I started working the June after graduation and got my job in April. For PR, that's a large window.

Is there any entry-level training class for new hires?
Nothing formal. There are continuing education classes catered to junior level staff, but they're more sporadic.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with Georgetown students?
There are a lot of smart students at Georgetown who may not have the on-paper major and might feel discouraged. But these students are smart and should pursue the career anyway.