With graduation beating down the doors of the class of 2015, we have some words of advice for those young guns eager to be the next big thing in PR and marketing. While job searching has mostly remained status quo, there are ways that recent communications graduates can set themselves up for success. Here are a few tips on how to get your foot in the door. Closing the deal is a whole ‘nother matter.

 

First Things First: Check Your Digital Footprint

 

 

Google search yourself and make sure those embarrassing photos you took at the Phi Beta Kappa party are long gone. Consider setting your Facebook/Twitter/Instagram profiles to private and clean up that LinkedIn page.

 

Where To Look For Jobs

 

 

 

Now that you’ve made sure you don’t look like a walking nightmare online, it’s time to job hunt. Besides asking all of your friends, friends of friends, friends of friends’ parents and their cousins for potential opportunities, you’ll likely look on the usual job site suspects: LinkedIn, Craigslist, Monster, Indeed. Look for PR/Marketing-centric headhunters (PRTalent, TalentZoo, AdOne, are a few usual suspects). Join one of the professional organizations (PRSA) and attend their networking events. You should also check directly on the websites of companies that you’re interested in. Another valuable job resource is Twitter. Use the right hashtags (e.g. #PRjobs) and search for the right job posting accounts and you’ll find a goldmine of job opportunities. Still, networking remains the #1 way most people find a job.

 

Proofread, Spellcheck, Proofread, Spellcheck, and Then Proofread More

 

 

 

My USF PR students can attest to this: Typos will be your undoing. I can’t tell you how many résumés I’ve received that boldly states “I have great attention to detail” and then promptly has 2-3 typos. Many hiring managers will view these errors as sloppy and irresponsible and you might not even be considered, despite your qualifications. Eric Ripert wouldn’t serve his food on paper plates and you shouldn’t present your skills in such a haphazard fashion.

 

Do I Need A Fancy Designed Résumé?

 

 

While the résumés of art directors and graphic designers are very nice to look at, we’d recommend focusing on the content of your résumés rather than disguising a lack of experience with pretty fonts. Don’t get it twisted – presentation is definitely important (see above about proofreading and spellchecking) but overly stylized résumés aren’t yet a requirement in PR. Knowing design skills and having a striking visual style are critical skills in today’s visual-centric PR world (Why do you think every brand wants to be on Instagram and Pinterest) but it’s more important to know what your PR experience is in plain old English.

 

Don’t Write Like You’re Texting Your Friend

 

 

 

Found a job you want? Now that you’ve got your résumé and cover letter ready and typo-free, send that baby off exactly the way the potential employer requests. If an employer requests that you fax it, then fax it. If they want you to answer 5 questions in your cover letter, answer those 5 questions. Follow the instructions TO A TEE. When we’ve posted jobs, we’re looking for those applicants who pay attention to the details. If you’re fortunate enough to get a response, don’t respond like you’re texting. You know what I mean. Writing “ur” instead of “your,” “thx” instead of “thanks,” etc. is off-putting.

 

Be As Flexible As Possible For Interviews

 

 

Sure, circumstances might make it difficult for you to be available at any given time for an interview, but you really should try to move heaven and earth to secure an interview. Remember that recruiters are busy and if you’re not available at a certain time, they might not be able to fit you in, or they do it a day after they’ve found the best candidate. Don’t miss that boat.

 

Interview’s Set! Now What?

 

 

Research! Read EVERYTHING you can about the company and the people that you’ll be meeting with. Memorize details and common interests. Show up and be able to discuss the company’s vision and how you will contribute to it. Don’t ever go into an interview cold. Dress professionally and show up ON time. Give yourself an extra hour to get to your location and get yourself mentally prepared before you walk into the doors. Smile, make eye contact, shake hands like a grown up, don’t swear, don’t burp, don’t fart and be respectful to everyone you walk by.

 

Follow Up

 

 

Most recruiters hate a phone call follow-up so send a very nice email or even an old-fashioned letter, if you’re so inclined. Make sure you reiterate anything interesting that you and the interviewer discussed, and emphasize how excited you are to work for them and how you will contribute to their success. Remember that there’s a fine line between being aggressive and proactive and being annoying and rude.

Be sure to thank anyone who helped you get the interview in the first place. Then, wash, rinse and repeat. Job searching is equal parts luck, timing and skill. The most important thing to remember is to stay positive on your search, be grateful and humble and always keep an open mind. Something that might not sound immediately appealing might end up being a fantastic opportunity. Lastly, there’s no such thing as a dream job. So stop searching for it. The only dream jobs are ones that you can make for yourself.

Good luck, job seekers!

By Katy

 

We read stuf gud and below are the 5 articles we want to share with you, our dear reader and/or spambot:

As “Mean Girls” fans, we admit that we love this article’s URL the most but we swear, it’s also a good read on why Mic Wright at The Next Web thinks that mobile livestreaming apps like Periscope and Meerkat are bound to go the way of Ello. Or, I s’pose, the way of fetch.

We really liked the TV show “Constantine,” and so did many other Twitter users, but not a whole lot of TV viewers agreed. The DC Comics-based show was canceled, despite a strong Twitter campaign. The A/V Club posits that social media campaigns alone can’t save TV shows, a theory that the makers of “Sharknado” will likely ignore.

Does this mean Twitter social media campaigns aren’t powerful and compelling? Not necessarily. It just means that NBC hates their fans and ignores their desperate pleas (just kidding! We love you, NBC. Now will you please take our pitch meeting request?).

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we’re reaching peak pot startups. This local FOX segment focuses on these dashing marijuana entrepreneurs in Los Angeles, including mobile delivery app Nugg, and how they’re able to skirt that pesky thing called the law. We’re pretty bullish ourselves on medicinal marijuana-based companies but now it’s time for the real compelling companies to step up and separate from the very crowded pack.

Read Fast Company’s list of the most creative people doing the most interesting things in business and feel bad about that “Judge Judy” marathon you binge-watched yesterday. These entrepreneurs, dreamers and innovators are so talented, they can likely make fetch happen.

Last but not least, this week, Verizon shelled out a couple billion to buy AOL. It’s not because they were nostalgic to hear “You’ve Got Mail” a hundred times. One of the biggest assets they’ll receive in the acquisition are several online media outlets that were owned by AOL, including the hugely popular Huffington Post, TechCrunch and Engadget.

What does it mean when a telecom company owns media outlets? Some of the precedent set by the likes of CBS (when they made their CNET cast out rival Dish Networks) is definitely cause for concern. Business Insider sheds some light on the troubling implications, especially with the Net Neutrality debate raging.

We read a lot of things. So many things that sometimes our eyes bleed. Here’s our roundup of the 5 most interesting articles (for various reasons) we read this week.

This Larry Kim dude really knows of what he speaks. And while we hate using the term “hack” for everything (everyone, especially us annoying PR people, sprinkle it liberally just to make their event sound cool), in this article on SearchEngineLand, Kim presents a PR hack and it’s a damn good one.

 

Wildfang is a Portland-based clothing brand that we not only admire but wear. The story of how these two former Nike executives built a brand that celebrities and influencers have flocked to is a classic success story. They found a viable market that was in need of sweet threads and filled it. That’s how companies should be built.

While you might debate whether or not Clorox was in the wrong for their clueless emoji/bleach tweet, their blunder is the perfect example of why you can’t just shoehorn your brand into the latest cultural trend and shove out content for content’s sake.

 

In San Francisco where the housing market is so outrageous, people are willing to pay more than $1k to live in closets (literally), Airbnb has divided residents on its benefits. Local blog SFist takes a critical look at Airbnb’s latest PR campaign.

 

 

On the heels of this excellent Gawker takedown of the Food Babe blogger, another health blogger has been exposed as a social media-constructed sham. Can you trust health bloggers anymore?

 

 

 

 

According to numerology, the number 5 is a dynamic force that is always in motion, and symbolizes change. Which makes sense – because Change Communications just turned the ripe age of five.

To us, our 5 year anniversary means it’s a good time to look back, reflect and refresh. Five years represents a renewed energy to recharge our brand and be relevant for our current and potential clients. We might be getting older but we don’t want to be aging.

We’ve always believed that change is a healthy thing, a step forward, a way to embrace the new, while taking the good from the old. To celebrate, we decided to rebrand our logo and update our website.

When we launched 5 years ago, our logo represented our difference. When others would go down, we went up. We chose red to reflect our bold, aggressive approach.

We certainly loved our logo and were proud of how it represented our brand and vision but we also recognized that five years in the most rapidly shifting landscape that we’ve ever been a part of can use a new jolt of visual energy.

So we’re proud to show this bad boy off:

The “A” in Change has two meanings: one is meant to reflect taking your brand up; the other is meant to visualize the delta symbol for change.

We decided a fresh and clean new look would be the best way to show that we’re keeping with the times, and passionate in taking our clients to the next level, whether that means getting them brand awareness through Twitter and Facebook or having them see their name on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be taking the cover off our new website and posting a lot of our learnings since setting up shop, warts and all.

Come join us in seeing where year 5 and beyond takes us.