This being my first post on Marcom blog, I want to start by thanking Robert for the inviting me to engage with his students, both on this blog and in the class conversations last week. And thanks also to the students in the two classes for the great conversation.
I’m so glad it isn’t going to end….
A topic that came up both evenings was getting a job. Not surprising given where we are in the school year relative to searching for gainful employment — either summertime or full time. One student wondered about blogging — how would it fit into her future. Another asked how we as women dealt with gender issues in our career, and particularly early on. The issue of family was discussed at some length both evenings; the reality is, women often have to make choices about family that men do not. To start with, nine months is nine months.
The hardest question, what would we do different? I am actually pretty happy with how my career has turned out, but I do believe I could have gotten further faster had been more planful about my career in the early days. I was your typical liberal arts graduate, dumb and happy until the day after I got the degree and I was no longer a student. I was unemployed. Although, I was never a waitress….
So that is the single most important piece of advice I would give you — be planful. Know what kind of company you want to work for. What type of culture you want to be in. The Internet, and particularly blogs, gives you EASY access to a lot more information about potential employers than was available in the 1980s. Of course, you know that, and I expect you are taking full advantage.
But don’t just think about your first job solely in terms of the specific job. Think long and hard about the culture of your potential employer. Consider carefully the career opportunities you will have in the path you choose.
To help you out, here are some gross generalizations about the different potential employer types available to you as Marcom/PR graduates. You’ll have to evaluate each company on its own merits. Just my opinion, and based entirely on my personal experience which has mostly been as an in-house marketing/communications person with a few stints in general management. YMMV, and I hope Marcom bloggers with better information on specific classes of employers will correct my mistakes. Here goes.
PR Agency, Big: Tough career choice, or at least it has always seemed to me from the outside looking in. I’ve used both big name agencies and boutique agencies in my corporate past. I noticed that at the big agencies, the junior staffers were frequently women, but the big bosses were men. Why? Is it a subtle gender discrimination? Could it be that the sheer hours and travel required make it hard to juggle family with this sort of career? I really don’t know, but if Big Agency is a path you are considering, I suggest you find out. And understand, if you hit it right — right job, right boss, right accounts — this path can be hugely rewarding. But it is a big business, and as an entry-level staffer, you are a cog in the wheel.
PR (or Marcom) Agency, Boutique: Where are all the senior PR women? A lot of them are running smaller boutique agencies. Perhaps focused on market segments or geography, but just as often, generalists who are offering a different flavor of PR to clients. Again, my personal filter here, but less PR as big business, and more about PR and how it can help the client’s business. With a few big agency exceptions, this is also where you will find the greatest adoption of new media. These agencies are also more likely to be marketing communications agencies, getting involved in website development, marketing programs and even advertising (barring big consumer companies). Perhaps even market research. So a much better opportunity (potentially) for you to get experience in a range of MarCom areas, not just PR.
In-house, Big Company, MarCom or PR dept.: Junior level positions. Typically specialist roles (PR or direct mail or trade show or product marketing etc etc) Never appealed to me, but here is where company culture can make a real (and all the) difference. Possibly better benefits than you’ll see at the other options. Maybe daycare. Depending on your area of specialization, you can avoid travel. And so on. But you have to specialize early on and this will affect future opportunities..
In-house, smaller company/start-up: While these also will be junior level positions, you will have more opportunity to develop generalist skills at a smaller company or a start-up. Typically these will be Marcom roles versus straight PR. Tremendous opportunity for advancement if the company grows fast. Downside, if you aren’t careful, and the company just muddles along without much growth, you can get stuck slogging away at brochures and email blasts forever, going nowhere. You know the risks of start-ups. Plus, jack of all trades can become master of none. And if your firm is really small, you’ll probably be travelling a lot as you are learning a lot. Full disclosure: this was (for the most part) my path. I also got an MBA, which helped tremendously in this path.
Advertising Agency: Don’t go there. Really, anywhere but there.
Now, these are just generalizations. The company culture, the specific opportunity, the market… all of these things are equally important. But you should clearly understand what each route may mean for future opportunities. What’s your long term goal? If you know you want the big agency game, the sooner you start, the better. Make a plan to get into a big agency, even if you don’t start there. Want to run the marketing team at a high tech company? Don’t specialize too soon. Once you get put in a box, it can be hard to break free.
Granted, your goals may change over time. And, definitely, seize opportunities that present themselves. But, have a plan.
That way, if you have to make a deal with a devil, because you need a job, any job, or your broadband will be terminated, you’ll know that it is a waystation, not your ultimate destination.
Tags: career advice, PR, Marcom, career planning, job search
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36 comments
4/9/2006 at 10:11 pm
Sarah Solomon
Susan,
First, I’d like to thank you for becoming a contributor to Marcom Blog. It’s so nice to have another female blogger join us!
I really enjoyed reading your post. You have some great job search advice that I know is beneficial to us. In class, Robert recently asked us what we plan on doing when we graduate and several of us told him we have no idea. I know we graduate in a month, but it’s so overwhelming at this time of year and most of us are just hoping to get that first job.
I’ve been applying to companies that have entry-level PR positions open, but I honestly haven’t paid much attention to the company’s culture and the opportunities for growth within the company. I’ve been so busy just trying to find that first job, that I haven’t really thought of a plan. I think that we all need a plan so we don’t get stuck down the road. If we don’t know where we want to go, how do we know where to start?
I like how you broke up the different potential employer types available to us. I noticed that the only thing you said about advertising agencies is to avoid them. Why is that? I spoke with an advertising agency at a career fair for PR students and I was hesitant about working for this company because it’s not PR. I’m curious to hear your input on this topic.
You also said you got an MBA and that it helped you tremendously in your path. For which employer types would it be most useful to get an MBA? Did you get your MBA directly out of college or did you wait until you had experience working?
Thanks for your help and I look forward to reading more of your posts!
4/9/2006 at 10:44 pm
Robert
Thank you for joining us, Susan.
A great post that I’m sure the students will appreciate.
And, thank you Sarah for being the first to welcome Susan to Marcomblog.
4/10/2006 at 7:21 am
SusanGetgood
To answer Sarah’s questions:
Advertising agency: even bigger business than Big PR. Positions are very specialized. More importantly though for you folks, as students who have been exposed to new ways of marketing (Cluetrain, blogging, social media, wikis, transparency, honesty, and so forth), the way most ad agencies still operate will be an anathema to you. Command and control model rules. That said, if you find an agency that is trying to integrate social media, maybe. But my guesstimate is, you are far more likely to find PR and Marcom agencies looking at new media, versus the big Madison Avenue ad agencies who prove time and time again that they don’t get it.
MBA. I got my MBA after I was working for a few years. My college background was liberal arts, so I had no formal business education at all. I started taking a few classes to fill in the gaps, and then decided to go for the degree. It was tremendously helpful in my chosen career path, which was in-house marketing. It helped me understand business better, and use that understanding to build my credibility. I wasn’t just a creative person anymore, I was a business person who could go toe to toe with the CFO on ROI and results.
Who should get an MBA. Hard to say. I do think it is worth considering if your long term goal is in-house marketing management, and probably helpful in any management role, even in an agency. But whether it is more valuable in the agency model than an advanced degree in communications or PR. No idea.
4/10/2006 at 10:30 am
Katie
Thank for the information on the different kinds of work environments. I found it extremely helpful. It is definately hard to decide where exactly I would like to end it, but I do know where I do not want to end up and the information you provided has allowed me to rule out at least a few of my options. I do have a question for you though. Which path do you think would be the best choice for someone who eventually would like to work from home? This could mean doing work for clients or working for an agency or corporation with very little office time.
I have had numerous people, PR practictioners in particular, that work from home is a possibility. I plan on working outside the home until I have children, so I do plan on putting in at least five years of office time, so keep that in mind. Do you have any advice? Do you think that this is a possibility?
4/10/2006 at 10:44 am
lance
Susan,
Thanks a TON for taking the time not only to talk to us the other night about (as Dee Rambeau says) A-man-deh called Strump, but also about the future of blogging in PR, our futures, etc. I am at a point in my life right now when I needed to hear EXACTLY what you just stated in this post - TO START PLANNING. I have a general idea of where I want to be, what I want to do, etc; but I really need to sit down and find my “culture” and “environment.” After all, it makes sense that life is much more enjoyable if you find a work environment/career choice that makes you happy. I find myself at this point looking at being on radio or television, but perhaps finding myself in more of a edgy culture. But your advice is appreciated and I am going to be thinking about and praying about where I need to be. Thanks again Susan.
4/10/2006 at 10:46 am
Courtney
Susan,
Happy to see you here at Marcom and posting such relevant and honest information at that. We clearly perk up when you talk about employment!
Robert shares your enthusiasm in helping students realize the career path we wish to take, and he has been encouraging us to gear our portfolio toward that industry. It’s nice to hold on to the childhood dream that we “can be anything we want to be.” Now, it’s just narrowed down to PR.
I think planning is difficult for students, because our knowledge of these wide generalizations you shared is limited. Your brutal honestly laced with a little bit of bias for boutiques and small agencies gives me an idea of what industries would benefit me the most.
The first years in a career are not about the money. Not even close. It’s all about the experience you gain from the people you meet. Your advice is another part of that experience.
Again, thank you so much for contributing!
4/10/2006 at 11:01 am
SusanGetgood
Thanks everyone for such a great welcome. To Katie’s question, the good news is more and more companies (of all kinds) are going virtual, so your dream of working at home is not that far-fetched. But as Andrea and I both commented to the Tues. class, we both work as many (if not more) hours than we did when we went to an office. We just spread the hours out a bit differently. For example, I did my billing Sunday morning.
And I still believe you have to do your time before you can have the flex-time.
So Katie, an entry level position in either a big agency or a boutique might be a good place to start. It will give you exposure to many different types of clients, and in itself could lead to a good at-home slot.
It is much harder to be virtual as an employee of a company, unless the whole company is virtual.
4/10/2006 at 11:47 am
Jess
Thanks so much, Susan, for contributing to Marcom Blog!! How exciting to have another female contributor, especially since the majority of the class is female!
And I must tell you that your post was like a breath of fresh air! It is so relevant to what most of us are going through right now. I still have to intern in the Fall, so I will not be graduating until December, but this information about the different areas of PR is priceless. As several of my friends have found out recently, it is hard to find a place to START when looking for a job.
Also, your input about getting an MBA was very helpful to this stage in my life. I am currently toying with several ideas of continuing my education. I know that I want another degree, but I can’t decide in what area. I have toyed with graduate school and law school, and still haven’t decided for sure which one! What are your thoughts on a law degree? I was told that it would make me more marketable as a woman in the PR world, but these days it seems like more WOMEN have law degrees than MEN! Do you think it is worth it?!
I asked you in our class discussion about whether or not you think it has been hard to get a job as a woman, and your answers have been more than helpful in pushing us to get our feet in the door as public relations women!! Thanks so much and, again, welcome to Marcom Blog!
4/10/2006 at 12:02 pm
LC
I would like to join everyone in welcoming you to Marcomblog!
I have found myself at the end of the college road with a degree that I can do a ton of stuff with, but no special direction. In college it is enough to say that PR is your major and that is what you will do. However, in the real world there are many career paths and I feel a little unprepared for choosing mine. This post was a great look at choices from the other side.
I am a planner by personality, but job planning has been much more difficult than I thought it would be. It is hard to make choices when you don’t have an end result in mind. Your thoughts gave me a lot to consider!
Instead of applying for jobs after graduation, like you did, I have decided on law school. I know that you have written about your MBA that helped you become a stronger force at your job. Jessica asked about your thoughts on a law degree and PR. I would love to know what kinds of careers could blend both together (if you know of any!).
4/10/2006 at 3:19 pm
Christina
Ms. Getgood,
I want to thank you for all of the insight that you gave to my class last Monday. Some of your comments were eye-openers. As a female about to embark on the job search that will change my life, you were able to give me some tips and advice to help ease the tension.
I hope to be successful. I hope to balance work, family and personal life with ease. I know it is an utopist idea, but I feel that if I am diligent enough it might not be too difficult. It is a terrible shame that despite the immense numbers of women in PR, there is a lack of representation in upper management. I for one will try my hardest to eliminate that, at least in my company.
I believe that it is a good choice to wait to until after being in the profession a few years before getting an MBA. I think that too often people get their master’s right after college because they do not know what they want to do and it seems the easiest option, or because they are scared to move on. I am not saying that is the case in all instances, but for most.
I believe that a person will benefit the most after being exposed to the industry for a while so they know what to pay most attention to in school. If I wait until I have been in the business to get my MBA, I will take my classes more seriously and I will get the most out of them. If we want to be taken seriously in this industry we have to act seriously. That means working as hard as men, having the same education as men, the only difference is that we have our female intuition and that in itself speaks volumes!
4/10/2006 at 4:53 pm
John Wagner
Susan … that was a great overview of the options available to new graduates. I would recommend that anyone who is interested in reaching senior-level status in PR consider working on both the corporate and agency sides of the fence. It will give you a well-rounded perspective that will be invaluable.
Also, young women in PR today should not worry about opportunities. In some markets, many PR firms are led by women, and often the senior staff includes mostly women.
I worked in corporate/agency PR in Houston for 20 years and except for a brief 10-month stint, my bosses were all women, and often their bosses were women, too!
Work hard, develop strong skills, be invaluable to your employer and the opportunities will be there for you.
4/10/2006 at 6:40 pm
SusanGetgood
Such great comments and questions. First the law degree. I know a number of people who have melded law degrees with business and PR careers. Certainly law school will hone your ability to express yourself, both written and orally, as well as build solid arguments (cases). Management consulting. PR. Business development. Software company ceo. Lobbyist. Congressional staffer. I know law school grads/former lawyers in all these professions.
Andrea Weckerle is a lawyer, and I imagine she’ll chime in when she can.
Christina, thanks for the comments, and please call me Susan!
John, thanks for chiming in. Your advice to work both sides, in-house and agency, if you want a senior PR role is spot on. Especially a senior role in an agency. Clients respect an agency head who has “been on their side.”
Just guessing, but a path that I suspect will work pretty well is to start with an entry level job at an agency, leverage that into a corporate job when you get to a manager/director level and then go back to the agency world with your senior corporate experience.
That said, I do think there are structural deficiencies in the big agency model (topic for another post), hence my bias toward the boutique agencies. And not just now that I am an independent marketing consultant. In my previous life as a client, I preferred working with smaller boutique agencies for a number of reasons. I’ll write about that another day because it is way more than a comment.
4/10/2006 at 10:11 pm
Lindsey
I wanted to add to everyone else’s welcomes and say thank you so much for taking time to help us and answer our questions. We really do appreciate everything that the Marcomblog contributors do.
I thought your advice last week over skype was great! I am doing an internship this summer and will then be looking for a job and company culture is something that I have been worried about. I am unsure exactly how to treat my coworkers. I am, by nature, a very social, outgoing, talkative person. I like to be friends with everyone and I am open to talk about anything with anyone. My personality almost scares me in a work environment that I am not used to. I don’t want to be too outgoing in front of these people. I honestly don’t want to scare them!
Should I just feel the situation out? Do I have to go out with my coworkers every time they ask? I would really appreciate some advice on how to handle situations like these…Thanks!!
4/11/2006 at 7:32 am
SusanGetgood
Lindsey, here’s my advice. There is a big difference between friends and being friendly. Go ahead, be friendly with people and socialize with them when you want, but don’t feel you have to go every time they ask.
Don’t feel you have to change yourself, but DO protect yourself. Keep your personal, private information to yourself.
You may indeed meet someone at work who becomes a friend, but real, lasting friendship develops over time, not in minutes. And as I said on the call, in my opinion, we only have a small number of true friends in our lives. Lots of social acquaintances and colleagues and co-workers, and you can really like these people, enjoy their company, invite them to your wedding, even go on vacation with them.
But the the name friend? It sounds harsh, but I hold that dear to a very small number of people.
4/11/2006 at 8:03 am
John Wagner
One of the steps a young person can take when interviewing is to ask if you can speak with some other young employees. If they say “no,” well … you won’t need to guess why.
If they say “yes,” you’ll quickly get a good sense of the culture and how the agency or corporate group treats junior staff.
At Bates, I always encouraged our candidates to speak with other young employees because I was proud of our program and the opportunities we offered. In fact, our employees were our best recruiters!
Believe me, there is a HUGE difference in the expectations and environment at different agencies. Management and culture make all the difference between a sweatshop and a place you’ll feel comfortable calling “home” for a few years. Don’t be afraid to talk with people beyond the interviewer to find out what you can … ask about a “typical day,” how promotions are handled, what the account supervisors are like, etc.
4/11/2006 at 1:55 pm
SusanGetgood
Good point John. In my most recent corporate past, we always had peer interviews in the hiring process. Gave the applicants an opportunity to ask just the types of questions you mention.
We also had fairly small teams, so the peer interviews gave the team members a chance to be a part of growing their team, rather than having new hires simply appear one day.
We didn’t always hire the person everyone liked best, but most of the time it did work out that way.
4/11/2006 at 3:12 pm
Hillary Hearn
I am so happy that this was your first topic that you chose to write about. This gives me the chance to vent about my adventures with looking for an internship.
I have always heard to follow up and by doing this I have gotten an interview. I applied to almost 10 places. My problem is that I am moving to Austin and a lot of the places there want UT students or the deadlines are a little late for me. I am planning on moving there in May, and May is not too far away. I love Austin and I hope every day that I will have the opportunity to live there. I also know that I will do my best with whatever I do. I just need an internship right now, I don’t even know what I am going to do when I have to actually get a paying job.
Thank you very much for your advice and I know it will be helpful. It was great to also hear what you had to say in class. As a woman who has no idea what to expect out there, it is comforting to know of your successes.
4/11/2006 at 5:50 pm
John Wagner
Hillary:
It’s likely that you will have to wait until you are actually in Austin to begin interviewing. PR students at UT are required to have internships and they do take a lot of open spots, but the good news is that the Austin market is a strong one and there are always agencies, government entities and corporate departments looking for interns.
Don’t give up but realize that you are at a disadvantage until you are in town and can interview directly.
Before you move, check out the IABC and PRSA sites, and when you get there, make a visit to the UT journalism/communications department and see if you can learn about any available openings.
I used to interview for interns at UT but we stopped because no one ever wanted to come to Houston!
4/13/2006 at 12:54 pm
Andrea Weckerle
Hi everyone. A few people asked about the value of a law degree and its specific usefulness to the PR field. Here are some thoughts.
First off, law school teaches you to “think like a lawyer,� which is a phrase that is drilled into you from day one. Simply stated, it means you must (1) accept that sometimes there are no hard-and-fast answers to a problem or issue, but instead much “gray zone,� (2) learn to argue both sides of an issue equally well, which is closely connected with the next point; (3) remove your personal views and emotions from the issue (this doesn’t mean you can’t have your own views or beliefs, it simply means you shouldn’t let them intrude); and (4) be a critical thinker and always question. In my mind, this makes a law degree very useful in a variety of industries and fields because it helps hone your analytical, advocacy and research skills.
Secondly, from a monetary and time perspective, law school is expensive. Make sure you really want to make the investment. It takes three years to obtain a Juris Doctor (less if you cram in summer courses, but most people look for Summer Associate positions or internships during this time), and the workload is immense. It’s a struggle to keep up with the amount of material you have to read, at least initially. During that first year, as I was getting my bearings and streamlining the learning process, I spend many, many days studying until midnight. However, anyone with the determination can get through law school — it’s simply a matter of sticking with it.
Finally, here are four examples of how a law degree and PR can intersect: (1) Offering legal services to the PR industry or by practicing media law; (2) focusing on law-related areas such as litigation public relations; (3) specializing in media public policy; and (4) specializing in public or government affairs.
Hope this helps. Please feel free to get in touch with me directly if you have any more questions or just want to bounce ideas back-and-forth.
4/15/2006 at 1:13 pm
Jess
Wow! Thanks so much, Susan, John, and Andrea for all of your helpful insight! Through all of your advice and words of wisdom/encouragement, I think we are all learning more than we had expected. Along with learning about life after graduation and the “real” PR work world, we are learning even more about blogging. It is when people like you all reply and give us such personal and honest feedback, that we are truly benefitting from blogging.
I must say that in the beginning of the semester I was a skeptic, but through posts such as this one, I continue to learn what a great tool blogging is. Without blogging, we wouldn’t have the opportunity we have been presented with to communicate and interact with you guys– “real” PR professionals! And Robert, I think I’ve finally been “sold” on blogging! haha!
Anyways, with all of that said, I would like to thank you guys for contributing and caring about our education! You really have no idea how much you all are helping us…THANK YOU!
4/15/2006 at 1:49 pm
Monica Tuerk
Susan,
Thanks so much for joining MarCom blog and allowing us the chance to blog with you. It is great to have another female viewpoint, and given the overwhelming response to your first post, I am not the only one who thinks so!
I really appreciate your help on what to do post-graduation. While I feel that I have gotten a great education in public relations from Auburn, the one thing that we haven’t gotten much of is learning about all of our options in PR. Right now I am at a crossroads. With my graduation date set for August, I still am desperately trying to figure out which route I want to take with my career. The debate on agency vs. corporate (and which one is the better of the two) could go on forever and when it’s all said and done, it all boils down to personal opinion. Having that said, I am thankful for your opinion and breakdown of the different facets in PR.
One question I do have for you, is what is your take on entry-level positions and how do we break into the business? Recently, I became aware that most large agencies require PR grads to do a post college internship for several months before ever being hired full-time. If this is the typical protocol, I have no problem paying my dues and doing an internship, but I am curious as to how an internship like that would factor into “years of experience.”
I hope to be seeing more of you in MarCom and thanks again for your help!
4/15/2006 at 3:38 pm
SusanGetgood
Jess, thanks for the nice words.
Monica, I think John Wagner may be able to shed some light on the internship/agency question, as I know in his agency days, he did a lot with students.
On the corporate side, and especially with smaller companies, you need experience, but not necessarily an agency internship. I got my initial PR experience through volunteer work and a work study job in my university’s Office of Publications. Speaking as a former hiring manager, solid volunteer experience was worth a lot, because it was both experience and giving back.
4/16/2006 at 12:16 am
Robyn Tippins
I wish I had read this years ago. I very much agree Susan.
4/16/2006 at 6:51 pm
Sarah
I’m in the same boat as Monica. I’m willing to do another internship if I have to, but since I have already done three, I’d really like a “job.” It seems like agencies want you to have experience working for their agency as an intern. I heard one agency talk about an extern program which I thought was really interesting. If you have already done a few internships and don’t necessarily need another one, you can be hired as an extern. It’s like a trial period for you and your employer to see if you’re the right fit and to see if you like the job. I think this is a great idea because you don’t feel “stuck” working for the agency if you happen not to enjoy it. Have you heard of recent grads being hired as externs?
I talked to some agencies that are willing to take my previous internships into consideration, whereas other agencies require an internship with their agency before they will consider hiring me. I think that most agencies have a lot of opportunities for promotion, which is why this path interests me slightly more than corporate PR. I would get experience working in various areas of PR rather than in just one. After a few years of experience at an agency, I think it will be easier to get into corporate PR. I would also know what areas of PR I’m most interested.
As for the importance of volunteering, I brought my resume to PRSA Real World GA and a woman that looked at my resume told me to take off my volunteer experience. I volunteered for a mentor program at Auburn University called Project Uplift. I was paired with an underprivileged little girl in the area and I took her out four hours a week. I was in the program for two years and I was surprised that the woman told me I didn’t need it on my resume. Since I didn’t get PR experience with Project Uplift, do you think I should take it off my resume? I thought employers wanted to see people involved in volunteer work, but now I’m not so sure.
4/17/2006 at 11:12 am
LC
WOW! That is just the advice I needed to hear. Thanks so much for the input Susan and Andrea. As I have already signed up for law school, I might have some more questions for you two later. Thanks again for the advice, I can’t tell you how much it means coming from successful business women like yourselves.
4/17/2006 at 11:31 am
Tiffany
Again, welcome to Marcom and thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences with us!
This was an encouraging and informative post for all of us (students) I’m sure. As other students mentioned in their comments, Robert frequently asks us what we want to do after graduation and the majority of people in my classes do not seem too sure. Fortunately I have known that I wanted to work with sports from the very beginning, it was just a matter of what area I went into specifically. I chose PR because it seems to give you a great foundation for a broad range of careers. (This might be why so many of us don’t know exactly what we want to do) After interning with a Major League Baseball team this past year, I now understand more about how athletic teams function and the role of PR within these organizations. The internship played a key part in the development of my overall PLAN as far as what direction I will take after graduation. I couldn’t agree more that we all need to have a plan…one that allows for flexibility is ideal. A general plan has definitely put me more at ease because now I know I have a direction to head in after I graduate.
4/17/2006 at 3:52 pm
Amy
Hi Susan and welcome to Marcom! Obviously we are extremely happy that you will be participating and are very appreciative of the advice that you have for us. Because most of the students that are involved in Marcom are seniors, myself included, we are more than eager to absorb any information about how to begin our careers and what to expect. Although I am a senior I will not graduate until next May, but I have really been struggling with the decision of what I want to do when that day finally arrives. The very reason why I chose Public Relations as my major was because of the variety of career options that it had. Ironically, that characteristic is also making it very hard to make a career decision. Your comments have really given me a better idea of what is involved in each area and where I might fit in the best. Thank you very much for your insight!
4/18/2006 at 4:00 pm
Heather
Hey Susan! Welcome to Marcom and thank you for participating here and as well the other week in class with us. It is great to have more females on board and hear your viewpoint about issues in the pr world.
I enjoyed your post about jobs in public relations and each specific level. I liked that you broke it down into different areas for us because some of us, like myself, are unsure of where I want to work after I graduate. I have explored the idea of agency vs. corporate vs. anything else and I am unclear as to what the advantages and disadvantages are of each.
You mentioned that in most of these jobs, the women are at the entry level positions or in the middle. The men are at the top level management positions, which is so strange to me. In the majority of my classes, there are at the most 3 guys. Another good point that you pointed out was planning. I think it is essential to plan ahead for anything and almost everything you do in life, especially a job. By researching the company, you can find one that best fits you and your work style.
Thanks again Susan for joining Marcom and your helpful post!
4/24/2006 at 1:57 pm
SusanGetgood
With apologies for the delayed reponse (I’ve been on vacation and took a blog holiday as well), I can’t really comment on the internships issue — but bloggers with agency backgrounds might be able to shed some light on the subject. John Wagner, Kami Huyse and Todd Defrens among others have posted on this topic recently.
Volunteer work: personally I would leave it on my resume, but perhaps not stress it if you didn’t do PR/marcom work as part of the volunteeering. If volunteer work is personally important to YOU, you probably want to work for an organization that values it.
However, if your volunteer work has a PR/marcom component, IMO you definitely want it on your resume. Shows giving back to the community *and* your abilities.
As a young professional one of the most interesting items on my resume was volunteer work I did for the Equal Rights Amendment in the early 80s. I was lucky enough to be the coordinator of a fundraising speech by Alan Alda at my university — everything from booking the speech to selling the tickets, to yes, writing the news release.
As a hiring manager for years, I liked to see volunteer work and other community service on people’s resumes.
4/30/2006 at 11:05 pm
Wes
Wow, that was a good overview of what opportunities are out there for us. I haven’t decided what I plan to do, but this post helps me know what I shouldn’t do. Advertising Agencies.
But, I am curious why you would say to stray away from advertising agencies. I am not interested in advertising agencies at all, but I am just curious.
I see commercials on TV and think, “wow that would be fun to do.” But it seems to me that it would be very hard as well. I think it could be a rewarding job, but a very stressful one as well.
Like I said, I have no interest, but I am just curious.
5/12/2006 at 3:44 pm
Rebecca
Susan,
Thank you so much for your article. I’m a Communications graduate that wandered off into 10 years of corp management and have just recently returned to Marcom. What an amazingly challenging change. My (small) company is stuck somewhere in the 70’s and I am finding myself terribly discouraged. I have always been the mentor. Now I NEED one.
Cheers…
5/23/2006 at 3:21 pm
Matt
Well Susan, it’s been almost a month and a half since you offered us some words of advice for job searching. And still students like me are reading and applying your suggestions. This is my first comment although I have been blogging for awhile now. This particular post caught my eye particularly because I am graduating and in December and searching for a job. Also, I have found it wise to listen to others who have gone before you to save yourself some years due to bad planning. This is the second time I have heard to actually look at the company’s culture instead of your own seat in the office. The first was in my PR Writing class on tips for interviewing.
Yes, it’s good to have some security when people ask if what you are doing and you tell them you have a job. But what good is that if the company is not right for you? Like so many people have said, “Fail to plan, plan to fail.� It took some soul searching and advice from others to really know what kind of job I want when I graduate. I’m not sure if there is a category in between Big Agency and boutique but that area is where I want to find myself working for an event planning firm.
Do you suggest starting for a small company with flexibility so as to get more experience. Or wade in the pool of the larger fish in Big PR agency for a couple of years? I would like to move up to a larger company with more clients one day. I’ve interviewed with an event planning firm and really like the environment it will put me in. I ask you, how far in life do you plan when making a mental timeline for the future? I sometimes find myself looking 6 months down the road when I should be thinking 6 years.
Also, Any advice on how to set yourself up to reach where you want to be in the future. Thanks Susan for your time. It is your insight that sets us from the rest of the influx of job applicants.
5/23/2006 at 4:45 pm
Susan Getgood
Wow. I am so pleased that this post has been helpful. Matt, given that you are attracted to event planning, my advice is to make your initial job choice between small company/big agency based on how much exposure to that discipline you will get in this first job. You can get the experience in either venue — a smaller company will let you get your hands into lots of aspects of event planning, whereas big agency might have a really cool big branded event that you get assigned to. Either experience will be a good one for your CV.
As to the planning horizon, it’s good to have an idea where you want to be in 5 years so you can make choices in context. But be prepared for things to change. It’s never what you thought
Finally, another way to gain event experience is to volunteer to help organize a fundraising event for charity. This is particularly effective in a smaller community which has a smaller pool of talent from which to draw than a major metro.
12/4/2006 at 11:14 am
Wade C.
Hi.
This being my first post on the subject, I would like to share a bit about how my job searching is going.
I recently applied for an internship at IBM on Wall Street for the upcoming summer semester. I have received positive feedback on several occasions and will be traveling to the business at the end of the year to discuss a possible internship.
The one thing they said to me when looking over my resume is that they loved that I had several years work experience with non-profit organizations. This includes volunteer work as well as paid experience.
Although I haven’t “locked up” the position, I do believe the reason I have made it this far with the company is only because of my extensive resume.
1/21/2007 at 3:58 pm
Flaminio Poltronieri
Dear Sir/Madam,
REF: SENIOR WOMEN JOB SEARCH SITE IN EUROPE
My name is Poltronieri Flaminio; I am a Senior Pilot (47 years old) with Emirates Airline based in Dubai.
My Mother, 70 years old, has a desire to find work any were in Europe, of any kind. She presently works as a book keeper for her Brother in Foligno, nearby Perugia, in Italy.
I admit mine is an odd request. My Mother though feels that there must be some where in Europe the need for a dedicated, hard working, very senior Lady willing to earn a minimum salary to help somebody or any organization doing any thing of very basic nature. She is fairly fluent in English.
She was on the verge of leaving on her own to look for this type of job without any connection; I managed to stop her in order to help her in a more orderly way.
I am going through the internet trying to explore all venues. If you find this e-mail too odd to answer feel free not to.
My Mother has an independent dream. Our Family could help her but she wants out of it. I am trying to see if hers is just a dream or there are opportunities out there.
I thank you kindly for you patient attention,
Flaminio Poltronieri
3/12/2007 at 3:41 pm
Christopher Reed
Susan,
Thank you for the job advice in your post. After reading all of the descriptions, I have a better understanding about what potential work environments I want to work in. I know that I do not want to work in at a large agency and not be able to be creative with my work. I know that as a fresh graduate, we will not start out in our dream job but I can’t imagine having all of my fresh new ideas and knowledge just go to waste. Perhaps I should really dig around and use the tools you spoke of to help me find that dream job that is out there. Thank you again for your post.