How to Find a Job in PR After Graduation

Posted on 23. Apr, 2012 by

It’s that time of year. You can almost hear the Pomp and Circumstance March in the air [note if you click to listen to the symphony, you will need to get to 1:48 before you get to what you hear at most commencements]. It’s also that time when I get requests for recommendations from graduating interns, have discussions about future open positions, and our team reviews portfolios of those heading off to cities across the United States to interview for public relations positions.

So, are there jobs in public relations or will you, dear graduating senior, have to take a job waiting tables, slinging coffee, or babysitting for the summer… and, perhaps, beyond? Well, it depends on what you have done to prepare while you were in school. Most candidates have decent grades, can show that they are solid writers (via their portfolio and cover letter), and they that have done at least one internship in public relations. All of this does not ensure a job post graduation.

So, how do you get that coveted job?

In a recent article by the Associated Press, it states:

A weak labor market already has left half of young college graduates either jobless or underemployed in positions that don’t fully use their skills and knowledge.

This is not news to many – especially those who have graduated in the past few years. There are some steps that you can take immediately following graduation that can increase your chances of working in your desired field.

  • Take an unpaid internship for a determined amount of time at a company you want to work for. If you ask Ken how he got into the advertising game when there were no jobs to be had, he will tell you that he worked for free for six months. Ken worked at a bike shop at night and on weekends to make money for rent and to live. He was sure he made himself invaluable to the agency he was interning at and as soon as an open position became available he was granted the interview (obviously) and hired in a short amount of time.
  • Go on informational interviews. Determine five companies that you want to work for. Contact the person in charge of hiring for public relations positions. Make it clear that you want to have 30-minutes of their time to talk about what they look for in entry level candidates, what salary expectations are, and what you should do to improve your resume and chances for an interview at any company. Be mindful of the interviewers time – they are doing YOU a favor. This is where LinkedIn can be really helpful – look at your network, and examine their network. Can your network make introductions for you?
  • Get a job – ANY job. Chances are that you will need some cash to cover your living expenses. Beyond that, a job will give you a sense of place, further development of your people skills, and a chance to expand your network. Are you a barista? You never know who you will meet… perhaps one of your regulars works in PR and knows of an opening.
  • Keep on top of the news and industry happenings. If you are not reading the Wall Street Journal, New York Times or a similar publication on a daily basis on your own, you may want to consider another profession. The field of public relations requires you to understand how the news work, what is news and what is going on in the world. How else would you know what stories to pitch and when? Make sure you can articulate that this is of interest to you. We ask candidates applying for positions at PMG to tell us what is trending in the news THAT day – locally, nationally and around the globe. Spend a couple of hundred dollars (I know – it’s a lot of money) to join PRSA. You will get news about the industry, information on local-to-you industry events and access to job listings in your field. Like a good suit, consider some ongoing professional development as part of your personal career development (on going self education is YOUR responsibility – not your employers and it will help keep you competitive in the work place).
  • Volunteer for a non profit. Small non profits rarely have the money or the bandwidth to have a staff member who is trained in public relations and social media. Offer up your services, pro bono. Treat them like a client. You can use your work – and more importantly, results – to build your portfolio with REAL work.

Good luck!

Dream Job

Posted on 16. Feb, 2012 by

There are some days that coming to work is just that much sweeter. Today was one of those days. Not only did we get asked to continue our work with a client that we really adore, but I got an email from a new client. Here’s the closing line of that email to me:

 

 

It actually made me tear up.

Ken and I have built PMG carefully: with great thought, cautious decisions and conservative management [and a certain amount of rage - mostly from Ken ;) ]. Praise from our clients – in the form of contract renewals is great – but what really jazzes up our team is the kind words that we hear or read. It makes it all worth while.

Actually, this makes PMG my dream job.

 

Is this you?

Posted on 16. Dec, 2010 by

PMG Public Relations is looking for the next member of our growing team. This account executive will be working on a team to get local and national press on behalf of our clients. Duties would include: building media lists, pitching story ideas to journalists, development of social media strategic and tactical plans, writing press releases, etc.

The ideal candidate will have:


  • a minimum of three years of pr agency or in house pr experience
  • has obtained major, national press coverage in past positions
  • proficient in use of social media tools and a solid understanding of how to build a social plan
  • is a competent writer
  • is a self starter
  • is an all-around nice person

Please include salary expectations within your cover letter.

PMG offers a competitive benefits plan including: health plan, three weeks paid vacation, paid time off for community service, seasons pass to local ski resort and more.

PMG is a boutique PR firm located in Burlington, Vermont working with socially responsible clients. Please email a resume and cover letter to jobs@peoplemakinggood.com. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

Worth the Coffee?

Posted on 28. Sep, 2010 by

Having started my career in public relations as an unpaid intern (and not getting credit for the experience), it was REALLY important to me that PMG have a solid internship program that did not include faxing (which I did a TON of – and by admitting that, it is safe to assume that I walked uphill to school both ways!), making copies, sending packages, and getting coffee. Of course, sometimes you have to help pack-up samples and pitch in for a mailing – but in times like that, our interns are working shoulder to shoulder with the associates and partners of the company.

Make no mistake, interns at PMG are important to our business. They provide a great extra set of hands to help on accounts. In addition, all of our interns have provided us with some perspective on projects that we may have not have had on our own. In January, we had an intern from UVM and another from Bryant travel to an industry trade show with us in California to help support a huge client social media initiative.

I came across this intern rating site a couple of years ago and thought it was brilliant! Of course, I have asked that past PMG interns rate us so that: 1. I know how we’re doing and if we need to tweak our program and 2. people thinking about an internship at PMG can make a sound decision. I am happy to see that we have a good rating, but that does not mean that we are the perfect internship site. There is always room for improvement.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be reviewing our existing internship program and making changes that will take effect for our spring internships. In your opinion, what is the single most important thing a company can teach (or experience they can provide) an intern?