The Sky's the Limit. What do you want to do!

One of the advantages of the public relations field is that there are many components that allow you to generalize or specialize not unlike the medical field. I just received an inquiry from a student pondering the question of "what to do."

I am a recent grad with a degree in multidisciplinary studies with three minors including public relations, arts administration, and entrepreneurship. My degree is not specialized and I'm having a hard time figuring out for what type of jobs I should apply. I would love to work in public relations and I've been applying to jobs and I'm willing to relocate. Where is the best place to look for public relations jobs and is it better to just to move to where I want live first or relocate after I have a job?

My first question for this person is to ask "What do you want to do?"

1. What is your passion?

2. What subjects or classes most energized you?

3. What do you do well?

If you are able to answer these three questions, it will likely give you a clue to what jobs may be ideal for you. So before you think about relocating, consider these ideas.

1. Do the research that includes speaking with people in the fields in which you studied.

2. Find and network with people that do what you want to do.

3. See if it is possible to job shadow folks that have positions you like.

4. Look for professional development seminars that might cover things in which you have an interest. For example, have you attended any sort of PR boot camp? Check the PRSA or IABC Web sites for PR or communications bootcamps near you.

5. Sit down and make a list of all you learned from your research. Write down the jobs that look interesting and prioritize them based on your passion and interests.

6. With this information in hand, start checking the job boards and your network for positions that look interesting.

7. Make sure you have a compelling resume that expresses well your interests, passion and capabilities.

8. Develop or put together an online portfolio.

9. When you have done the prep work and have your ducks in order, start applying to jobs that fit your passion and interests. And make sure your resume and cover letters are targeted specifically to the posted position.