A presentation to help junior level PR professionals prepare themselves for an entry level job search withint he PR industry.

1. Building your brand for a job search Target Companies Digital Imprint Job Search/Research Education/Internships Expertise/Trend awareness Professionalism Personality Perspective Accountability Resume/Cover letter PRSA/YP/Pub Club Outside Experiences

2. Always be building your personal brand

4. Participate in the PR industry even as a student through your education and class projects (usually you can do pro bono PR work as a student)

5. Excel at your internships. Be reliable, ask lots of questions, seek out work/projects, always deliver work product you are proud of

6. Talk to PR Agency and In-House PR professionals whenever possible about their experiences

7. Read and learn about PR

8. Volunteer at events as a press aid or media liaison

9. Make great contacts with your professors so that they can be contacted as references and possibly identify job leads for you when you graduate

10. Join student PR organizations such as PRSSA and PRSA/YP

11. Have some outside experiences that you can draw upon

13. Thoroughly research the industry and the companies you are targeting

14. Create a resume that clearly defines you as a candidate

15. Develop a concise, appealing cover letter

16. Get engaged with social networks (LinkedIn and Twitter most importantly)

17. Determine how best to apply to companies and identify the appropriate HR/recruiting contact (s)

19. Keep the format simple and easy to ready with no more than 2 fonts

20. Bulleted resumes are easier to read than paragraphs

21. Include job title and dates

22. List the clients and programs you worked on (specifics can be relevant)

23. Keep employment experience to professional activities within the industry if possible

25. Keep it focused (a targeted resume is critical in this age of specialization) and full of good information about your experiences

26. Make the resume “active” and explain what you accomplished at each internship or professional experience

28. Should reflect your qualifications as well as your interest in the company

29. Steer clear of gimmicks such as a press release about yourself or leadoff questions such as “why should you hire me?”

30. Include all your contact information

31. Create a professional letter even if submitted via email. Think about using snail mail

33. Research companies, trends, In-House and PR Agency communications strategies

34. Read PR Week (www.prweek.com), Bulldog Reporter (www.bulldogreporter.com), and head to the Council of PR Firms (http://www.prfirms.org)

35. Notice “hits” in news stories…follow the news closely. Consume media.

36. Start to become aware of major journalists/editors

37. Think like a PR professional

39. With a googlesearch, LinkedIn search and/or a phone call you should be able to find out the name and preferred contact information of the appropriate HR/recruiting person (at any Internship note the HR staff)

40. (Option A) Monitor the job boards and apply when there is an appropriate opening

41. (Option B) Make a presentation to the recruiter and seek a “general meeting”

43. Organize your schedule so that time for your job search is set aside

44. Dare to go after your “dream job”