Getting That First PR Job

These are tough economic times for everyone, but what is the specific prognosis for PR graduates? I decided to take a look at what the experts are saying.

“Culpwrit: Guiding the Career in Public Relations” quotes a report by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, an organization of career counselors and HR professionals. The report “estimates there will be 22% fewer jobs filled by ‘09 college graduates than last year. Just last August, the estimate called for a 6% increase in new jobs being created for this year’s graduates. And for those lucky enough to land jobs, NACE confirms salaries will be flat in 2009 compared to the 7% increase in last year’s average starting salaries.”

Here is the “Overview for Public Relations Specialists Jobs,” as downloaded from www.careerplanner.com [boldface and italics are mine]:

● “Although employment is projected to grow faster than average, keen competition is expected for entry-level jobs.” [My note: “Keen competition” means there are more qualified applicants than there are jobs available.]
● “Opportunities should be best for college graduates who combine a degree in public relations, journalism, or another communications-related field with a public relations internship or other related work experience.”
● “The ability to communicate effectively is essential.”

PRNewswire.com reports that with so many media professionals losing their jobs because newspapers are closing and media are consolidating, competition for PR jobs has increased.

How Much Can You Expect to Earn?
The “Salary Wizard” report suggests that the median (or average) salary for a “typical Public Relations Specialist I” in the United States is $43,665. This is an entry-level position requiring a college degrees and 0-2 years experience.

But according to www.careers-in-marketing.com, starting salaries for positions might look like this:

Job / Pay / Typical Experience
Corporate Director / $62K / More than 6 years
Agency PR Manager / $38-51K / 5 to 7 years
PR Account Executive / $24-42K / 2 to 6 years
Freelance PR Agents / $17K and up / Entry level

Once you work at a PR job for awhile, you can negotiate for a higher salary at your next job.

10 Hints for Landing that First Job
1. Clean up your resumé and cover letter. Make sure they are clear, accurate and letter-perfect. Proofread them multiple times, and find a wordsmith to proofread your work as well. One of our graduates working at a local firm forwarded an e-mail message she had received from one of our students. The message reads: “I was referred to this sight by one of my professor. I was interested in a possible internship for the summer with you department.” Not only did this student not get an interview, but she has become the laughing stock of the agency – and an embarrassment to our school. Don’t let this be you.

2. Highlight your talents and how you can help the company achieve its goals. Emphasize your special skills in writing, speaking, planning, researching, designing, using social media and so on. The more talents you have, the more valuable you would be.

3. Beef up your skills. If writing is your weakness, study grammar. Read good writing. Write often. If you don’t know how to create a well-designed Web site or how to use graphics software, learn on your own or take courses to improve your skills.

4. Start looking for jobs now. Research tells us that most people get jobs from someone they know who knows someone who knows about job openings. It’s called the law of “weak connections.” You can always start online by typing in “PR jobs.” You’ll be sent to sites such as PRSA.com, monster.com, careerbuilder.com, craigslist.org and so on. If you know the company or industry for which you’d like to work, go to those specific Web sites (e.g., hospital PR jobs). Look at government sites – all levels of government and all types of offices (e.g., agriculture, forestry, transportation, energy, health and human services, etc.). Look in the phone book under “associations” or “PR agencies.” Look at city home pages (e.g., Phoenix PR jobs). Ask your friends and classmates. Ask your professors. Check with the Office of Internship and Placement.

5. Get active in local PR organizations. Join the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA), the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the Association for Communication Excellence (ACE) or any number of other professional communication groups. This will help you network with people who might have jobs or who might know people who do.

6. Get another internship. Often companies will hire students right out of college for internships. Such internships add to your resumé and might just land you a job.

7. Volunteer if you can’t find a job. Keep active in the profession, especially if you can’t land a PR job right away. Volunteer to work for a company, nonprofit, organization or agency. This will not only help you improve your skills, but it will also introduce you to potential employers.

8. Go where the jobs are. Some people would argue that you should first pick where you want to live and then find a job. That may work. But if it doesn’t, be flexible. Be willing to move wherever the jobs are – at least to start your career. Once you’ve got some experience on your resumé, it will be easier to land that next job.

9. Expand your options and take chances. Too often students narrow their options or don’t take chances on jobs that may not fit their ideal career. Think of your career as a tree. Every branch (or experience) can provide nourishment (or build your skills) that can help you reach for the stars (or achieve your ultimate goal).

10. Keep your eyes on the prize. Remember why you chose to pursue a career in public relations to begin with. Keep your skills active. If you must take another job to pay the bills, do so. But volunteer in the meantime. If you think it will help, consider going to graduate school – but not just any school. Pick one that has an excellent placement rate for its graduates and that, preferably, is in a community where you want to live.

I wish you all the best of luck. You have a lot of talent to offer the world.

Taking College Seriously

My fellow professors and I have been bemoaning the fact that our students don't pay attention to what's going on in the world around them, don't read assignments, don't do homework -- and thus are not able to participate in any meaningful way in class discussions -- and don't seem to learn from their mistakes and the feedback they are given.

Why, then, should we spend 2 to 10 (or more) hours preparing a lecture/class exercise, plus another 30 to 60 minutes per assignment when grading papers? It would certainly be a lot easier on us to lower our expectations of you by not assigning any readings or projects. We could just talk in class, and then you could take a midterm and final exam. Voila! You've passed the course!

But I'm not willing -- yet -- to go there. I still expect you to be as competitive and knowledgeable as any student graduating from other PR programs across the country.

If student papers were well-written to begin with, then faculty grading time would be cut at least in half and sometimes to one-tenth of what it currently takes us. I carefully review for grammar, spelling, punctuation, AP style and content. And yet, I keep seeing the same mistakes over and over and over on your blog posts.

We just completed the "Use of Social Media" survey, and some of the findings had to do with how much time SJGC PR students spend -- each day -- using social media. Of the 47 respondents who answered these questions, 39 said they spend 3 or more hours per day on the Internet, 35 said they watch TV 3 or more hours per day, and 35 said they spend 3 or more hours per day on their cell phones.

We also found out that 40 said they were likely or very likely to go online while watching TV, 40 (of 48) were likely or very likely to talk on the phone while watching TV, 37 (of 48) were likely or very likely to have the TV on while doing homework, and 45 (of 48) were likely or very likely to check their social networking sites while doing homework. So it's likely some of these "3 or more hours" overlap -- which may be the problem.

Multi-(media)-tasking is one of the hallmarks of the Net Generation. I (a member of the Baby Boom generation) often multi-(media)-task as well. But I find that whenever I do more than one thing at a time, my attention is split and my concentration suffers. So, too, does my output. For example, it takes me MUCH longer to grade papers if I have the news on TV at the same time.

You've heard the guideline that you should spend at least three hours studying outside of class for each credit hour of a course. This means, on average, that you should be spending at least nine hours each week on this course.

Here's what your weekly workload might be:
-- Reading assigned chapter(s) and taking notes: 1 1/2 hours
-- Researching and writing blog entry: 1 1/2 hours
-- Reading and responding to two classmates' blog entries and to my blog: 30 minutes

If so, this leaves you with 5 1/2 hours per week to work on team projects, such as doing your survey analysis, making sure your team blog is consistent, or preparing for your final presentation. You also have time to review graded papers and identify your mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation, AP style and content.

Does this sound about right?

I suspect part of the problem is time management. You need to keep a datebook and schedule time to study and complete homework assignments, just as you plan to spend time with friends, work at a job, work at an internship, participate in extra-curricular activities and so on. Some of you have very full schedules. Don't let your coursework become your lowest priority.

I also suspect that part of the problem is that you haven't been taught how to study, so you don't use your time wisely. You wait until the last minute to work on projects. And then when problems arise (such as printers not working, Web sites being down or articles not being available at the SJGC Resource Center), you can't complete assignments on time and then complain that the problem isn't your fault. Rather than spending 5 1/2 hours a week on "other" assignments for this course (such as your team project), you find yourself having to spend 20 hours one week just to catch up.

And I also suspect that you just don't appreciate how hard some of your competition (that is, other students looking for the same jobs you want) are willing to work to master the skills that will get them hired.

When I wrote the entry on being a keeper of the language, you all responded that grammar, indeed, is important to your success. And yet, if you look closely at your comments to my entry -- and at your own blog entries since that time -- you'll find them laden with grammatical mistakes. Why is that? Are my written comments on your blog entries not clear? Do you even bother to read my comments -- and to learn from them? How much time do you spend mastering the basics of your craft of communication?

I just recorded how many of you have responded to the class blog and to one another's blogs. There were too many zeros. And I also recorded your grades for the quiz on the Friedman reading about "The World is Flat." Come on, folks. Those are "gimmee" assignments. On the quiz, I asked you to tell me "anything you learned from the reading." How easy is that? Of course, it's incredibly difficult if you didn't do the reading.

And how easy is it to respond to one another's blogs? Or to mine? For the most part, I enjoy reading your blogs. But it frustrates me when I notice that you clearly did no research to back up your statements and that your blogs are filled with grammatical or factual errors.

Remember when we spoke in class about branding and how your reputation is the most-important asset you have?

If I were your boss and you approached work assignments with the same level of attentiveness that you approach your coursework, I'd fire you.

You need to take your college coursework more seriously. This is a career you're preparing for. And so are your competitors.

Dr. D