Internships can be life-changing, especially in the PR industry.
I was a summer intern at a PR firm in 2003 as a rising senior in college and I started full-time with them two weeks after I graduated from college in 2004. And then spent the next six-plus years working there.
Naturally, I’ve been a big fan of interns and was able to hire several former interns to my companies — and also help countless others find employment.
That’s why I’m ridiculously excited about the next #HAPPO chat (Help A PR Pro Out) set for Thursday, April 26 from 2-3pm ET where my friend Deanna Ferrari will lead a discussion perfect for professionals and students alike on how to rock summer internships!
What I love about HAPPO and why I’m so proud to be a part of it is that it brings together PR professionals from around the country (at all levels of experience and from all sorts of companies) and some of the sharpest, most talented rising students. The discussions are always incredible and I expect nothing less from this one.
So please, college students, join us. And pros, we need your expertise greatly!
*Other factors and work experience contributed to ultimately getting hired, but the tweet got me noticed.
Guest Post by Jenny Weigle
When you find a job opportunity you’re truly excited about, it’s almost like the butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling on a first date. You’re hoping to impress somebody and that they’ll want to see you again, or in this case, hire you. That’s how I felt in October 2010. I was looking for a job in social media marketing or communications. At the time, I was lucky to find a number of these openings and had even lined up some interviews. A friend of mine emailed me a link to the listing for social media manager at CareerBuilder, and the butterflies grew as I read each bullet point in the description. “I can do all of this!” I said aloud in my apartment (alone).
Immediately, I started to work on my cover letter, which was my least favorite part of being a job seeker. My cover letters had never been my strong suit. I knew I needed an intro that would truly stand out. I decided to hold off on writing the intro and focus on the rest of the letter, discussing why I was qualified for the position and what I could bring to the table. In a few short hours, after many revisions, the letter was complete, minus the intro.
Since I wanted to work in social media, I considered that perhaps posting about my excitement on social media would work to my advantage. Or would that be considered tacky? Is it even appropriate to tweet about a job you’re applying for? Would the hiring manager even see it? And if so, would he/she be impressed or annoyed? I decided to go for it anyway. I posted the tweet below:
Then, I suddenly had a brilliant idea for the intro to my cover letter:
Dear Hiring Manager,
When my friend emailed me a link to the job description for Social Media Manager, I was so excited to read over it that I immediately tweeted “I have found the PERFECT job opportunity! Oh @CareerBuilder, I hope you like my resume and cover letter! #HopingtoImpressHiringManager.” As someone with a great passion for all-things-digital, I believe I would be an excellent candidate for this opportunity and could execute a brilliant social media strategy for CareerBuilder across multiple platforms and audiences.
I reviewed the cover letter and resume one last time and then submitted it to CareerBuilder. Less than two hours later, I received a tweet from the hiring manager:
The next morning, I had an email from the hiring manager, asking to set up a phone interview. After two more in-person interviews, I was offered my dream job! The most interesting aspect of all of this is that I didn’t even think to tweet about any of the other social media jobs I was interviewing for. (I guess none of them excited me in the way this one did.)
Lessons learned from this experience:
Don’t be afraid to connect with an employer’s public social media accounts (or send them a tweet)! Facebook and LinkedIn may be a bit too personal to connect on, but Twitter and Google+ would be fine.
Find a way to make your cover letter stand out from others.
Don’t rely on social media alone. I still had to make a good impression – in person – at every interview that followed.
Social media rocks.
Jenny Weigle is the social media manager for CareerBuilder. She shares her job seeker tips and social media marketing advice on Twitter and Google+.
On December 15 from 1-2pm ET, PR and Social Media professionals from around the US will lead a discussion on how to craft perfect resumes for the communications industry. Full details here.
I am NOT a recruiter. I am not in human resources. I am not a hiring manager.
But over the course of the past year, I’ve come across about 100 resumes of people looking to enter the PR and/or social media fields.
What I’m about to share with you is what I personally do when I’m sent a job application AFTER it’s been vetted by the proper folks in my organization. And remember, this is ONLY for those in the communications world.
- While applications should be emailed, I like to print out applications and take them with me to read out of the office. I like to go to a coffee shop where I can turn off the phone and focus on the task at hand. As such, if you can, it’s nice to put the cover letter and resume in the same PDF document. It requires printing ONE document instead of two. Not a big deal, but a nice thing.
- I will check your Twitter. I don’t care about Facebook. I’ll cross-check your LinkedIn to make sure it matches your resume. But I will read your Twitter feed. I’m not looking for anything in particular, but it helps me understand who you are. There is no formula or scoring system or anything like that. However, if you protect your Tweets, that doesn’t make me like you.
- I’ll took for when you graduated college. Does it matter? Yes and no. I want to make sure your professional experience is commensurate with what we need from that position. If we have an entry level job and you graduated in 2006, we may not be the right fit.
- I look for how long you were at each stop in your career. Everyone has a job they didn’t like and can consider a mulligan. Heck, I was with one company for just four months. But if you have bounced around many times, that may raise a red flag. You’d better be able to explain the constant job-jumping, because we’re looking for committed team members. If we don’t think you’ll stick around for a while, do you think we’d offer you a job?
- In my office, there are usually three steps in the interview process: written applications, phone chat and in-person meeting(s). Make sure you are well-prepared for all three, because if your application stinks, you likely won’t get a phone chat. And if you bomb the phone chat, you aren’t likely to get a face-to-face interview.
- Not getting a second interview isn’t always about you. Take heart – you can do well on the phone chat and not make it to the next round. If the person doing the interviews doesn’t think you’d be the right fit, they may not pass you along, no matter how much they like you. Feel free to ask them why you didn’t advance.
- Not all processes are created equal. Some positions can take days to fill, while some can take months. It’s a fact of life that can sometimes be out of the hands of the company.
- End well. Sometimes when you are interviewing for one job, the company may envision a slightly different role for you. Or may alter the job description to suit your talents if they really like you. Always finish the interview process positively, because you never know what possibilities may be out there down the road.
In the PR/HAPPO world, we always talk about being creative when searching for a job. Present yourself differently, make a splash, be remembered.
There is a great case study going on right now, as former DC101 (WWDC-FM) DJ Flounder found himself cut loose after over a decade of on-air and behind-the-scenes work at the station. He was a sidekick on the insanely-popular syndicated morning show and hosted his own Saturday night mash-up show, which became a listening staple in the DC market.
He teamed up with another DC101 alum, Kyle Benham, to announce his job hunt VERY creatively. Take a look at the video, then read the release below. Definitely check out BootcampLights, a marketing company on the rise.
Here you go, from a news release:
Former DC101 Employee, Bryan ‘Flounder’ Schlossberg Takes to the Air with ‘Hire Me’ Campaign
Washington, D.C. (August 4, 2011) – Last Friday, EITM Fans broke the news of Bryan Schlossberg’s (better known as Flounder) exit from DC101 after twelve years with the Elliot in the Morning show.
Flounder stated via Facebook, “Friday was my last day working at DC101. Over the last 12 years, I have met some amazing people and have done amazing things. Thanks to my friends and family for their amazing support.”
With his sights on the future, Flounder has already begun searching for his next opportunity. He teamed up with former DC101 employee, Kyle Benham to launch an innovative “Hire Flounder” campaign.
Benham launched Bootcamp Lights earlier this year, reaching 80,000 U2 fans at M&T Bank Stadium with a custom built R22 Helicopter, outfitted with a 36-foot digital billboard.
Authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly digital advertising over metropolitan areas, the Bootcamp Lights Helicopter, operated by co-founder, Robert Schapiro displayed “Hire Flounder – DJFlounder.com” above rush hour traffic on I-270 and I-370 just outside of Washington, D.C.
Kyle Benham stated, “It isn’t easy finding work in this economy. Flounder is a creative genius with the discipline needed to succeed; I hope this campaign will help him discover a fulfilling career.”
One commuter tweeted, “@DJFlounder, even though you slowed down traffic this morning on 270, I thought that was some great advertising.” In response, Flounder commented, “Get used to it because I am not going away.”
Bootcamp Lights has a full service video production team; using the latest technology to capture campaigns in 1080p. Creative services director, Dan Yar says, “Our digital videos provide original content which can be shared across multiple platforms.” To watch Bryan ‘Flounder’ Schlossberg’s “Hire Me” campaign, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjwKMqXX4oE.
About Bryan ‘Flounder’ Schlossberg:
After twelve years, Bryan ‘Flounder’ Schlossberg exits DC101. Flounder was the station’s creative services director, on-air personality and hosted/produced a weekly two hour show called “Flounders Mash Ups.” Flounder owns a full service DJ company; hosting concerts, clubs and private events. For additional information about Bryan ‘Flounder’ Schlossberg, please visit Flounder’s website: http://www.DJFlounder.com.
About Bootcamp Lights:
Bootcamp Lights is an innovative advertising company, utilizing a custom built R22 Helicopter, outfitted with a 36-foot digital billboard. The Bootcamp Lights Helicopter can hover directly above prime locations or fly customized flight plans, targeting multiple areas. For additional information on Bootcamp Lights, please visit the Bootcamp Lights website at http://www.bootcamplights.com.
My agency has some wheels in motion and we are looking for a PR professional! While this position is contingent on pending contracts, we are starting the search now so we can hit the ground running! One of the non-listed benefits is working with me every day. It’s not so bad. Really.
Public Relations Account Executive
Company: From interactive websites to targeted, contemporary print publications, iostudio is a nationally recognized marketing company providing innovative Web, email, print and video solutions for local, regional and national clients. Over the last 13 years, we have grown into an award-winning, multi-million-dollar company built on the passion and ingenuity of a remarkable team of professionals who want more from a job than just bringing home a paycheck.
Named one of the 50 fastest-growing, privately owned companies in the region three years in a row, iostudio is all about finding the talented, dedicated few who flourish in the collaborative environment we offer. If you prefer to “change the world” instead of simply having a job, if you’re committed to doing the best work possible by joining forces with a talented, fast-growing team in Washington, DC, and Nashville, if you want to work for a company that offers opportunity, great benefits and a beautiful open office atmosphere, then contact us to learn more about this position.
Job Location: Washington, DC
Job Description: (Position Pending New Contracts)
iostudio is experiencing rapid growth and is seeking a talented and experienced Public Relations Account Executive. iostudio has a growing array of restaurant, nonprofit and retail clients in need of public relations services. We are looking for someone to oversee clients and projects, create fascinating and innovative promotional tactics, and position iostudio as an industry leader as a full-service marketing communications agency.
This position requires an expert ability to remain organized, work independently and think on your feet. The candidate we are looking for will:
Independently write and edit news releases.
Generate and maintain media lists.
Create and execute PR plans for a diverse array of clients and companies.
Be able to work comfortably with any outside vendor.
Be able to develop, plan, organize and initiate grassroots marketing efforts.
Oversee agency PR efforts and contribute to marketing initiatives.
The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.
Travel up to 20 percent.
Minimum Requirements:
B.S. or B.A. in public relations/advertising/marketing or related field.
3–5+ years of PR experience (agency or company).
Previous restaurant and nonprofit experience preferred, but not required.
Effective and professional verbal and written communication skills are essential. Ability to communicate ideas to employees, vendors, applicants and others in a clear and concise manner.
Strong proficiency with Word, Excel and PowerPoint on a Mac or PC platform; PR programs (such as Cision, Vocus, MyMediaInfo, etc.); and other applicable software.
Knowledge and ability to research information on the Web.
A wide degree of maturity, independence, creativity and latitude is expected
For consideration, please submit resume and salary requirements to careers@iostudio.com. Only emailed submissions will be considered.
iostudio is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.
