Finding Job Openings

Here at UGA we have a great resource for part-time and on-campus jobs called DawgTrak. Finding an agency PR job was a totally different story. As I have mentioned, I found out about most of the positions I applied for through the connections I made at PRSA RealWorld. I also found it very helpful to visit the Web sites of the agencies I was particularly interested in. It is by no means an efficient way of finding open positions, but almost every site had contact information for an internship position

Also, I joined the UGA PRSSA this year which I found very helpful. PRSSA often finds out about internship opportunities that are not posted anywhere else. I also found the PRSA Georgia Internship Directory to be helpful and even got an interview for a full-time position based on their job listings.

Those of us who are just now entering the PR world are very lucky because the industry is booming! I found it very difficult to find an internship last year at this time, but the opportunities seemed to fall into my lap this year. The blog Forward has some great links to job posting sites and career advice for PR newbies.

Passionate about PR

One thing I have discovered after all of my interviews is that PR firms are looking for employees who have what they call "passion." I love PR, I love the work, the people, the way the job changes everyday based on the varying needs of the client, but am I passionate about the job?

Honestly, I think passion is a strong word to use for college graduates. I truly enjoy public relations, but am still undecided on exactly which area of PR I will find the most enjoyable, such as healthcare, technology, consumer or hospitality clients. This is one of the reasons I am starting my career in an agency where I can work with numerous businesses of any type. I want to find my passion.

When I do get into the field, I want to work for clients whose products and mission I believe in so that I can be passionate about my work and about representing the company. In his blog, Kevin Dugan links to an article I found very interesting because it talks about how passion is necessary to be great in PR, because passion is what sells your ideas to journalists.

Questions for the Interviewer

As I mentioned in my last post, it is very important to be prepared with a list of questions to ask the interviewer at the end of any interview. It is important to know the company's Web site, you would not want to ask a question that can be easily answered online. However, asking for clarification of an issue or a topic you noticed online can be an easy way to show you did your homework.

General Questions:
Can you tell me a little bit about the culture of your agency?
How does the agency work to maintain a work/life balance?
What do you like most about working here?
What do you like most about working for a small/large agency?
How does working for an independent/nonindependent PR agency affect your work?

About the Position:
What is the strongest aspect of this internship/position?
What are some of the accounts I could be working on?
How many people work in the department?

After the Interview:
What is the next step?
If given a job offer, what would be my start date?

Topics of personal interest to you:
As a Spanish major, I am interested in the possibility of working with the Hispanic community. Will this option be available to me here?
I noticed your company worked with (client's name), what was unique about this client? What made you decide to go the route you did on their campaign?

These questions provide a starting point. There are several books, such as Ron Fry's "101 Smart Questions to Ask on your Interview," and blogs available to expand on the subject.

Real World 2007

Networking, networking, networking. One of the first things you hear when you begin taking classes in public relations is the importance of, what else, relationships. After attending PRSA's Real World 2007 on February 16 at the Loudermilk Center in downtown Atlanta, I found out that my professors and career counselors really knew what they were talking about!

Prior to attending the conference, I created a simple business card with my contact information and a picture. I then attached the business cards to my resumes so that after the long day, potential employers could put a face with a name. Since my post-graduation goal is to work in the competitive field of agency PR, I made it a point to speak with every agency who attended the Career Expo at the end of the day. Companies included, Edelman, Kleber & Associates, Jackson Spalding, Hope-Beckham, communications21, Williams Mills Agency and more. After the conference I sent a thank you e-mail to every person I spoke with and requested an informational interview.

So far, I have had two informational interviews, been invited to an open house for an agency internship program and had a phone interview with another large agency, all based on the contacts I made at Real World. I would recommend that any aspiring PR professional attend PRSA events. And, don't forget the importance of networking!