As a recent graduate, I know that sometimes finding a job board is as hard as finding a job. There are tons of faulty job postings and spam cycling many job boards, and it can be frustrating to know that your resume or CV isn’t being looked at by those in the industry. In such an up and down economy people are becoming restless, so it’s important now more than ever that you’re looking in the right places when trying to find a job in PR. Continue reading
Tenure at PR firms is rare. I suppose that is why I get frequent questions about mine. I’ve been with BlissPR since 2003. Last week I was asked why, three separate times. My answer has always been the same: there are lots of reasons but essentially I like and respect the people I work with. Upon reflecting further I have three reasons which can also be things to look for in your own workplace: Continue reading
As I spend more and more time gaining experience in the PR industry, and as I continue to befriend other flacks and get to know them professionally, I’ve managed to catch a “glimpse” so-to-speak into a wide variety of PR agencies. Large, small, public, private, corporate, and consumer, it’s astounding how different every firm is.
Unfortunately, as much as I get to know about all of the things that my acquaintances love about their companies, I also tend to see the negative side as I cross into the “confidante” territory. One unsettling trend that I’ve started to see more often is agencies who don’t value their employees and treat them as replaceable hit machines who are expected to treat their job as their entire lives. This is by no means the standard of the industry, but it’s something I see more than should ever be the case. Continue reading
It’s interesting to see how being unemployed has become this evolving subculture I’m currently surrounded by. To see how everyone deals with it, the process, the evolution:
Stage 1: The first two months you are almost refreshed. You are excited, feel motivated. You spend tons of time exploring, walking every street in the city and just thinking. You shop all the shops and see all the sites.
Stage 2: Then you’ve walked every street there is. The funds start to run low. Ramen remakes its way into your life. You stop going out in the day so you don’t spend money. Happy hours, entering contests and dating for free meals becomes your new religion. You start reading up on creative ways to save/spend money and learn to love the term “recessionista”. You make up fun ways to answer the question, “what do you do?” (Personally, my favorite answer is “I’m on a PR hiatus.”) Continue reading
An acquaintance of mine recently started a new job. I was extremely happy for her, but after speaking with her, she admitted to me that she had been unemployed for months. I was shocked. Not only because she hadn’t told me (which was her right) but because in the time that she was unemployed, I could have recommended her for a few positions that she was qualified for. I don’t claim to be a rainmaker, but once in a while I will get an email that says, “Hey, I need to hire….do you know anyone?” I am more than happy to recommend someone, but it is impossible to do this if you don’t know that they are looking for a job.
This situation leads me to believe that there are probably many others that are in the same situation. So, here are my 10 tips for jobs seekers: Continue reading
At any stage of our PR careers, most of us have our eye on the next rung of the hierarchal ladder. Chasing after the next promotion isn’t the only reason we give everything we have to our clients, but let’s be honest, we didn’t jump into the sandbox to avoid building a castle. When I entered the PR world, I thought the clearest path to an upwardly mobile career was to raise my hand for every new project, taking on as much as I could. Taking this approach puts you in the position to be the one to secure that big placement, execute on a massive client program or contribute to a new business win. Of course all of these things make us tick, make us challenge ourselves and they’re viewed pretty positively by our bosses. Sounds like a pretty good plan, right? Continue reading