Looking for your dream PR job? Five ways to become the right candidate today.

Everyone dreams of that PR job - The One. Just imagine taking an elevator to your office where you fully immerse yourself in the brands, products or services you personally believe in. It doesn’t get any better than that.  But how do you work on getting there? Not only will the right preparation help you land the right job, you’ll also discover what that dream job truly is. 

After I finished my BA in Public Relations, I was sure I would work at a public relations agency.  That’s exactly what I did, but I soon realized that agency life just wasn’t for me. There were many other opportunities I hadn’t even considered because I was set on agency from the start. I finally found my fit as manager of the University Program at Cision, where I now help students uncover what they love most about PR.

Here are five ways you can start to prepare for your dream PR job:

1. Create an ePortfolio. 

Scrambling to assemble a perfect portfolio the night before an interview is the last thing you’ll want to do, not to mention juggling the demands of your current job.  Make sure your best work is within arm’s reach, so you can focus your pre-interview prep on learning more about the industry, the organization and the interviewer you will need to know about tomorrow.  

About.me is a non-traditional take on a bio. Platforms like Wordpress and Wix (which I use personally) also provide turnkey site templates where you can share portfolio items.

2. Update your LinkedIn profile - often.  

A burst of activity on your LinkedIn page shouldn’t send your current colleagues into a tailspin wondering why you’re suddenly “linking in” so much. Maintain a consistent presence on the site; doing so will not only increase the likelihood of showing up in the right person’s feed, but also shows how much you’re continuing to develop yourself professionally. And especially if you’re in – or think you’ll be in – the job market soon, don’t forget to ensure your profile is accessible.


3. Keep up with your network. 

Engaging with others in the industry is the best way to stay on top of trends. This isn’t about having three references “on request,” but about knowing what skills you’ll need to add value years from now.  

If creating a network from scratch is intimidating, start small. Attend alumni events where you can connect with peers, as well as more seasoned alums. Industry organizations like PRSA regularly host events where you can meet peers, potential mentors and future employers.

Many professionals forget that networking is about maintaining the relationships you already have. You wouldn’t want someone to reach out to you only on occasions when they need a favor, so don’t be that person yourself. Remember to drop a note to say hello, ask about their current work or find opportunities to simply shoot the breeze. If you stay plugged in to your network, when an opportunity comes up, you will be top-of-mind.

4. Challenge yourself to develop expertise. 

Ongoing professional development is vital to excelling in the field.  Look for avenues to enhance your expertise.  For example, Cision offers free CisionPoint access to universities. As a result, grads say their employers are impressed when they hit the ground running. But this isn’t so much about learning to use a tool of the trade – which is always good – but the demonstrated interest and commitment to PR as a practice. 

This applies no matter where you are in your career. You could be getting your accreditation (APR,) launching your organization’s first measurement dashboard or live-tweeting every free webinar you come across. There’s got to be something about your current job that you absolutely love, so dive right into it. 

Dedication to being personally exceptional in the industry makes a difference to future employers. 

5. Test the waters


If you’re looking for another job while employed, take advantage of your situation to develop new skills. If your current role is too prescriptive, branch out of your comfort zone and simply ask for different tasks. It’s the best way to enhance your skills and open new doors.

If you’re not given new or exciting projects, create something for yourself that will impress. That’s how Cision’s University Program came to be.  Hard work and extra hours created a brand new program that now introduces newcomers to public relations to one of the industry’s most widely-used and popular platforms (granted, I’m biased!), and an essential skillset. 

Taking the initiative on new projects proves to a future employer that you’re innovative and, most importantly, that you’re a self-starter. 

Even if you love your job, it’s worth starting to develop these habits. Consider what you hear again and again when you ask someone how they landed their current job – it happened before they knew it, when they weren’t even looking, when they least expected it. (And that’s no surprise - no one wants to leave a position after it has been “a long time coming!”)

If you love what you do, success and opportunities will follow. And, if you keep acquiring more and more experience along the way, before you know it, your dream job will have found you.

By Sonal Moraes, Product Specialist at Cision and manager of Cision’s University Program

Burnish Your Brand by Sculpting with Social

Never look a gift horse in the mouth.  There has been no time in history where it has been easier or more efficient to sculpt your personal brand to highlight your passion, spotlight your skills and expose, to the world, your accomplishments.  The proliferation of platforms has made it possible to deftly create or surface a specific identity that conveys who you are, your particular interests and your ultimate objective in life. 

Let’s take stock of the possibilities.  Let’s say for example that you have a penchant for being a wine PR aficionado.  How and where do you convey that fact so your name will be associated with Wine PR when a hiring manager, HR representative or recruiter goes casting about online for a wine public relations professional?  Consider the following:

Resume: Start with your resume and craft it with an emphasis on what makes your background, experience and abilities qualified for a role as a wine PR expert.  Tailor each job with the type of experience and ability relevant to doing wine PR.  Begin your resume with a summary statement that forms your 30 second elevator speech.  See “Constructing an elevator speech.”

Blog: Try your hand at blogging about Wine PR. The key here is to be prepared to have a regular schedule of blog posts. The blog can focus on your experience, case studies, creative ideas, people who are authorities or thought leaders, what others are doing or techniques, just to name a few tactics. Also, invite your colleagues and others in the field to guest post. Also, pick a title for your blog that is intuitive, clever and interesting.  Make sure you then amortize the blog over other social infrastructure platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Quora, Pinterest, etc.

Linkedin:  Construct your LinkedIn profile to reflect the character and language of your resume.  Pay particular attention to your “Professional Headline” and “Summary Statement” insuring that they are descriptive and relevant to wine PR.  For example, the headline might read as follows: “Wine Publicist” or “Word Sommelier.”  Then your summary statement could read as: “Wine wordsmith and promoter with experience communicating, positioning and promoting wines of Napa and Sonoma.  Crafter of culinary compositions to whet your appetite and satisfy the palate.”

In addition to your profile, look for LinkedIn Groups that focus on “wine PR.”  Do a simple search to ID the groups and then depending if they are open or private, apply for membership.  With that accomplished, engage with the groups, add original thought and content and add value where and when appropriate.  Also, if there is an absence of groups related to your focus, create a Group or two that that puts a stake in the ground about “Wine PR.”  Have a mission and objective that will be attractive to others in the field.  Once completed invite others to join and collaborate.

Facebook:  First, have your Facebook profile mirror your LinkedIn profile, emphasizing your skill set and accomplishments in doing public relations for wineries, retail outlets, vineyards, varietals or whatever if your preferred calling . Next when, and as you post your updates, focus them on content, photos, opinions on topics related to the wine business and PR. That's not to say you should not post other content. The key is over time you want to build up a legacy of content that portrays your interest and experience in Wine PR. One more point. Post content that is thoughtful, instructive and interesting.

Pinterest: The Pinterest platform is a terrific vehicle for posting content that is focused and instructive. You have a couple of alternatives. Create a board focused on "Wine PR," where you pin interesting content about aspects of wine PR. It could be your own content, links to blogs about wine PR or interesting vineyard images. The other alternative is to find boards that concentrate on wine and PR and constantly post topics and pins that again are interesting, unusual and educational.

Twitter:  If you already have a Twitter handle, no issue, get a second one.  Create a handle that reflects how you want to brand yourself, for example “PRWineDiva.”  Intuitively it establishes your role as a public relations pro involved in the wine industry. 

Next, in 140 characters or less, tweet ideas, advice, news, counsel, requests, other sites (like your blog posts,) or any piece of information or knowledge that conveys something about “Wine PR.”  Do this consistently.  In addition, start following other wine divas and people whose livelihood depends on the grape.  Also follow other bloggers and reporters who write about wine.  In due time, people will start following you based on your own content and posts.  Also, register yourself on platforms like Twellow.

AboutMe: The “About.Me” platform enables you to create a universally accessible splash page that encompasses the different facets of your life.  It provides a single page where you can display graphics and a summary of your career or a biography and icons that link, in real time, to your social media profiles.  Icons are available for most of the major platforms.  Insure that your biographic information includes aspects of your experience and accomplishments in “wine PR.”  Also, consider using a graphic design or photo that features you in a setting related to the field of “wine PR.”

Quora:  A crowd-sourced information site, Quora.com is one of the pre-eminent platforms for asking questions and finding answers from [people with first-hand experience.  It is an ideal site to populate with information you know and can share with others based on your experience and knowledge.  Make liberal use of your focus to both ask and answer.

Visual CV: VisualCV.com is a virtual resume that is searchable and discoverable by search engines.  The site couches itself as “Your Resume, Only Better.)   It allows you to create an “access anywhere” a complete history of your career and accomplishments together with a portfolio.

What other platforms do you employ to burnish your brand.  Please share in your comments below.

How to Avoid a Yahoo Moment

Ignominious is how one might describe the latest Yahoo mishap, one of a long line of failures and foibles the company has endured over the last few years. The experience is rife with teaching moments for managements of traditional companies and soon-to-launch startups. Fact is, there are lessons for everyone if we just take the time to think and learn. I have given it a great deal of thought since the latest fiasco began and here is my take on avoiding a Yahoo moment.

"I am what I am" was a well-worn phrase from the Popeye cartoon series of the 1960s. Be who you are, because that is the only person you can be. Everyone else is spoken for.

Be proud of your track record and accomplishments. They have served your employers well and allowed you to be a talented ___________. You fill in the blank.

Avoid the temptation to embellish. Perhaps the biggest teachable moment is this: Say or write only what is the truth. Gilding the lily never got anyone anywhere, save maybe a fat fine or time in the hoosegow.

"Just the facts, ma'am." State what is and not what is not. You need never defend or explain your words if they are based on fact.

Be your own editor. Always check and recheck what is said and written by you or on your behalf. Ignorance is no excuse and will not save you when the fact checkers come calling. If it is about you, insure that what is said or written is the honest truth. The onus is on you, not your staff, the headhunter, the PR person, HR, or your personal assistant. The only time you need not check is if it is your obit.

Apologize and mean it. If you do get caught in a situation of obfuscation, a misnomer, factual untruth, or Yahoo moment, provide the facts, admit the mistake, and be sorry for the error. An honest mistake will not hurt you. Hiding it will. 

How to Invent Your Next Job

As government bickering and inaction continues, job seekers are growing ever restless, frustrated and annoyed because, for many folks, there just are no jobs to be had.  You are either too old, too young, suffering the stigma of no job or you have run out of runway in your network.  According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, “More than one in three of the unemployed were out of work for at least a year in a handful of U.S. states that appear to be disproportionately caught up in the long-term unemployment problem.”   So if you are sitting in the unemployment barrel with a bunch of lemons, it is high time to make lemonade. 

Have you thought about making a job for yourself?  And I am not talking about flipping burgers.  Let’s look at the landscape that is you.  A key to inventing a job is to take inventory and look within yourself to your hobbies, interests, passions and skills.  Here is a potential subscription for engineering your own gig:

Many people have hobbies and passions that allow them to escape the madness of the daily grind.   According to the Oxford Dictionary, a hobby is “an activity that you do for pleasure when you are not working.”  What do you for a hobby: collect stamps, ride a motorcycle, write poetry or sample every restaurant in town?  Take a hard look at what you do for leisure and see if there might be a business model for earning a living. 

1. Make a spreadsheet listing all of your passions, hobbies, interests and skills.  Rank them in order of priority or interest level.

2. Scour the internet for information on each and make note of which ones have potential for being a market or a potential revenue generator and are already a business for someone.

3. Absorb and digest everything you find in cyberspace, paying strict attention to facts that validate their business potential.

4. Consider different business models for monetizing your hobby.  For example, can you take your knowledge of the subject matter and sell it as a commodity or turn it into a saleable product?  Can you make what you enjoy a service for others to purchase? 

5. If so, develop a thumbnail business plan that outlines the product or service and how it can be sold and serviced and to whom.

6. Set up a brain storming session with family, and a few friends or colleagues and bounce off the ideas to them taking note of their commentary, good or bad.

7. Select a model you feel works well for you based on your research with friends and family.

8. Assess your capital needs.  You may be surprised at how little investment you need to kick start the business.  If it requires more than you have, develop is list of potential investors who are willing to take a flyer on you.  Also look at other creative financing such as selling that old antique car or HO train set that is sitting in your closet collecting dust.  Worst comes to worse use your credit cards but sparingly.  And don’t forget about sweat equity.

9. Start building your own “thought leadership” credentials by blogging, commenting, tweeting or employing numerous other social infrastructure platforms.  Stay focused and comment heavily on what you know and for what you have a passion.  If you start, don’t stop. 

10. Brand yourself consistently and tightly.  Take a review of your online presence.  Review every social platform in which you participate.  Update the platforms so that you present yourself uniformly and consistently.  Have the same positioning, platform to platform.  For example, make sure your single-minded brand identity and thought leadership comes to the fore on Facebook, Linkedin, Quora, Twitter, FourSquare, MyWebCareer, Google+, Plaxo, VisualCV, Slideshare, etc., etc.  Leave no stone unturned.

For better or worse, we are living in unusual times that are fast becoming the usual.  You often are your only back up plan.  So take control of your own destiny and make one.