College seniors who are about to graduate may be facing growing anxiety about that future job hunt. Students of Public Relations are at an advantage if they can treat the job search like a PR campaign. What is the product, who is the audience, what is the message, and how could it best be conveyed to that audience?
What is the product? Make a list of your skills, accomplishments, jobs, and areas of interest in your studies. What clubs or organizations do you or have you belonged to and what did you do for them? It can be difficult to promote yourself. It could be easier to think of yourself as the product that you are trying to sell. What do you have to offer? If you haven’t already you should begin putting a portfolio together.
Who is the audience? Begin by making a list of where you want to be living after graduation. Do you want to stay in the town that you are attending college or are you open to going where the jobs are? Study the market there. Who are the PR pros in that community? Joining LinkedIn can be extremely helpful. You can join PR groups and see what people are saying. Study the websites of these firms or companies and memorize their past clients. Make a note of their past work and even what non-profit they may be affiliated with. Look for the people listed in LinkedIn that work for these companies and if they have a photo on their profile memorize the face and the name. You never know when you may have a chance to meet these people. If and when you do meet them you will immediately set yourself apart by mentioning that you know who they are and what they do.
Now that you have developed a quality product and identified the audience how are you going to connect the two? It is best to get started on your resume while you are still in school and can get advice from a number of people. Ask that professor, the design major in your elective, your fellow PR students. They can all give you tips on how your message is coming across. How would you approach the hip new PR firm differently as opposed to the financial institution? For the first you might send a resume with a QR code that links to your webpage, whereas the latter may respond more to a standard resume on heavy stock parchment.
Promoting yourself is much like promoting a brand through social media. It requires listening to what people want, as well as telling them what makes you special. Even if you aren’t graduating this year, it would be smart to begin studying jobsites to see what companies are looking for. What class could you take that will set you apart when you are out there pounding the pavement? What aspect of PR could you personally improve upon? Work on projects that will showcase your talents, but also on projects that will strengthen your weaknesses.
The 2010-11 Occupational Outlook Handbook says that the public relations field is expected to grow much faster than average, but the competition will be fierce in entry-level positions. So the jobs are out there and they will continue to grow, but you will have to find a way to stand out from the crowd. Why should the targeted audience buy your product? Give them a reason that they can’t say no.
prbaby 