Andrea Nowack is an intern at Waggener Edstrom in Portland, Oregon. A recent University of Oregon graduate, she was also the PRSSA chapter president and a member of the student-run PR agency, Allen Hall Public Relations. This is the second of two posts. You can find the first here.
My top tips for the agency job search:
- First of all, spend some time thoroughly researching companies you want to apply to. A good place to start would be searching top PR firm lists in the cities you want to apply to and go from there. Another good resource is local PRSA Web sites- most of them have a list of agencies in the area.
- Participate in an informational interview to get a feel for the company before you apply. They are low-stress and are a great way to gain insight into the company and interview process. Plus, afterward you will have a direct contact within the company.
- Don’t forget to send thank you notes! And take the time to write them by hand.
- When you’ve narrowed down which companies you want to apply to, it is best to prioritize them and send your resumes in that order. Also, many large agencies have an online application process, but submitting your resume via the web is the best way to get lost in the pile. I would suggest, in addition to submitting your application online, find out who you can personally send it to.
For example, I made several contacts through PRSSA, so when it came time to apply for internships I had people I could directly send my resume to (ie, “Hi, I met you at [place] and am very interested in applying for an internship with your company! Here is my resume..” etc…) If you don’t have a direct contact with the company, though, or know someone who does, the next best thing would be to call the agency and ask who their HR contact might be. A week or so after you’ve submitted your application, follow up with the company by giving the HR person a quick phone call. This might help your resume surface to the top.
- This may seem obvious, but make sure that you have relevant experience on your resume before you apply for an agency position. Now, when I say “experience,” I don’t mean “PR agency #1,” “PR agency #2,” etc… But you do have to show potential employers that you did more in college then just sit around and do homework all day.
Even if there are no marketing or public relations jobs available in your area, there are several other ways to gain excellent experience. There are many marketing and PR jobs on college campuses even that will provide you with relevant experience that you can later apply to agency work.
For example, I took a leadership role on Greek Life’s Panhellenic Council my sophomore year, which gave me a ton of exposure to PR related tasks and responsibilities. I also took an on-campus Ambassador position with a company called CampusPoint that also helped me learn the basics of PR. Another great place to look is local non-profit agencies, such as United Way.
Getting involved in extracurricular activities (ie, a sorority, PRSSA, student-managed agency, etc.) and taking leadership roles within these organizations is another great place to start gaining relevant experience. Many campus organizations have a “PR director” position, or something to that effect. Although many of these roles aren’t direct PR jobs, you will still be able to learn useful public relations skills that you can bring up in interviews.
Remember, it’s not about how much experience you have; it’s what you learned from that experience that you can turn around and apply to the position. For example, employers don’t want to hear that you took a class in college where you workd on a real PR account; they want to hear that you engaged in a media relations campaign that generated 7 neutral to positive pieces of coverage for a PR account in Kelli’s campaigns class, which helped you learn how to successfully plan and implement. So, even if you don’t have a lot of experience, you can still showcase what you do have in a way that makes you an attractive candidate for the position.
- When you DO land that interview, make sure to spend a good chunk of time researching the company and coming up with a list of questions to ask. Oftentimes, interviewers will leave at least 15-20 minutes for you to ask questions. When the interviewer says, “do you have any other questions” and you respond “no,” you might as well kiss that company goodbye. (Yes, I do know by personal experience) ☹
- It is helpful to have some work samples to show during an interview, such as a portfolio that showcases your experience. What I did in addition to taking my portfolio to interviews was assemble a leave behind folder to leave with everyone I interviewed with. The folder included a copy of my resume, a business card and 3 work samples. Just a little something for them to remember me by.
- Be creative! At a conference last year, a professional told me that he landed his first agency job by sending prospective employers a “media kit” on himself- complete with a fact sheet, press release and bio. Although I wasn’t quite as creative, I thought it was a cool idea.
- Last thing, show that you have a passion for what you do and that you will be an enthusiastic addition to the team. If you are confident in your ability to perform, it will come across in the interview process.
All of these little things might help point you in the direction to landing a first job or internship. Just remember, if you’re constantly on top of your game and prepared, good things will come your way.
