Christa Carone is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Xerox Coporation, and she is responsible for the company's global advertising and brand communication. Christa graduated as a Communication major from Geneseo in 1990 and soon after found herself a job as a PR coordinator for the Visiting Nurse Service in Rochester. She later moved on to work at Xerox, where she has been for the past 12 years.

Why choose public relations?

Christa wanted to be a broadcast journalist when she first entered college, but after finding out how competitve the field is her ambitions changed.

               "Instead of being the media, I was intrigued by the opportunity to help influence the media through PR."

This decision prompted Christa to intern during her senior year at Geneseo, an experience which launched her into a successful career in public relations.

Christa has enjoyed her 12 years at Xerox because of the amazing people she works with. "They make coming to the office -- or getting on a plane -- fun

and rewarding," she says.  These people include marketing teams from all over the world; most recently, Christa traveled to Spain to meet with teams from developing markets like India, Russia, Brazil and China.  Though they all come from different cultures, they are united by a belief in Xerox's brand and a fierce competitive streak that drives them to succeed in the marketplace. Christa genuinely has fun in her job, because she's "surrounded by brilliant people who also happen to be a lot of fun."

The importance of interning

               "I can't speak enough of the importance of interning; it gives you an advantage that is second to none."

Christa says that the suggestion to intern was the best advice she has ever gotten. Interning gave her a year of practical experience that prepared her for a future career. During her senior year, Christa interned at an architecture firm where she wrote articles for their employee newsletter. Next, she she worked in the Special Events office of a Rochester department store, where she worked to plan fashion shows and store openings and wrote press releases.

Internships not only helped Christa develop professionally and personally, but they gave her an opportunity to build a portfolio of writing samples, news clips and more. The experience was invaluable. "When it was time to interview in the 'real world,' I was armed with a solid year of PR experience and a portfolio that proved my worth (or so I hoped). It worked."

Without practical experience as an intern, Christa seriously doubts that she would have been hired in the field so quickly. Her internships were more beneficial to her future career than any other experience at school.

Beyond an internship

Internships are not the only thing you need to be successful in PR. Christa's time as a Geneseo campus tour guide helped her hone her public speaking skills, which she lists as the second most useful experience of her college years. Additionally, Christa wishes that she had taken some business and finance classes, which would have better prepared her to be part of the corporate world.

Finally, one of the most important assets in a public relations professional is a love for writing.

          "Extraordinary writers are hard to find these days.  If you are one, let the world know.  We need you."

 By Meryl Robinson, November 18, 2008.