Q&A with my PR idol

Courtney Wheat, a successful public relations graduate from the University of Idaho, is someone who I have looked up to my whole life. She's my cousin, great friend and ultimate role model. It was because of her why I chose to pursue a degree in public relations.

Beforehand, I had barely heard of the subject but during her time at the U of I she became so utterly passionate in what she was studying that it became contagious. Over the course of my four years at Central Washington University it has been a blessing to have her to collaborate with and gain insight and advice from.

• What led you to pursue a future in public relations? I went into Public Relations because I enjoy working with people and talking. I knew a degree in PR would only further my communication skills, build confidence in public speaking, help with interviews, and contribute to having a future I have always wanted.

• Where do you work and what is your current position? I currently work at an Escrow Company in Bellevue as an Associate Closer. What this means is that I am the middle man between the buyer, seller, real estate agents, and lender during a Purchase and Sale transaction.

• ​What is a typical day at work for you? A typical day at work starts with immediately responding to emails I received during my absence and checking voice mails. I want to make sure that my clients see me as responsive, attentive, and dependable. From here I meet with my closer to see which deals are on deck to close so I know which lenders to call to ensure we can close on time, which buyer and sellers to call to schedule appointments, and what files are experiencing problems that I need to look into to find a solution. I am the problem finder in all transactions and the solution provider all at the same time. During my day I am constantly interrupted due to phone calls, emails and new invoices and documents that come in. I have to juggle a couple different hats at once all while maintaining my professionalism and timeliness. I respond to a minimum of about 80 - 200 emails in one 8 hour shift on top of taking about 50 calls a day, all while maintaining accuracy in my title reviews and communicating with buyers and sellers. My business is very big on being proactive in all situations instead of reactive. My goal each day is to find potential problems or speed bumps in the process and to fix it before the file is even close to its close date.

• What skills did you learn from your PR degree at University of Idaho that you apply daily to your career? Being proactive. So many people in life do not think about the consequences of their actions or what may or may not happen in any given situation. Because of this, when something goes wrong they have no option but to react. At this point, most of those reactions are completed in a negative and stressful way. PR taught me to have a plan A through Z. If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. The more prepared you are for every situation, even when something bad or problematic occurs, the faster it can be resolved. Problems are not a bad thing. The inability to take of one is.

• How is social media implemented in your job? Social media in this generation is huge. People like to see a social media presence for multiple reasons. For one, it shows a company's ability to adapt with change. Technology is always going to be improving, and the companies that cannot keep up with those changes, are not seen in today's generation as dependable organizations. Another reason social media is important is because of recruiting. Work shouldn't be a boring place. People want to know that where ever they work they will feel accomplished, appreciated and every now and then have a little fun. My work does theme days about every other week, puts up balloons for your birthday, and has competitions such as the mac and cheese cook off we had last week. It shows people that we have the ability to work hard and play hard.

• ​What advice do you have for students about to graduate with a PR degree?Realize that your ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with people is what will make you succeed in any business you choose to go with. It will make you ace interviews, get promotions, bring on new clients and more. I was always the type of person who picked to do projects on my own because I didn't want to depend on anyone else. In the real world, life doesn't work that way. You will have teams and groups of people you will be required to work with. Your ability to communicate with them and build relationships with them is what will make your company/client trust you, depend on you and also want to continue working with you. The world is not about your resume or the experiences you had as much as it is your ability to have a normal conversation and build relations with anyone. Get everyone you encounter to LIKE YOU. This includes yourself. Because if they like you, they will hire you, get to know you, and want to continue to work with you.