Building Your Brand For A Job Search

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

Always be building your personal brand

Setting yourself apart
Study hard to get the best grades possible and study relevant course work
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)
Excel at your internships. Be reliable, ask lots of questions, seek out work/projects, always deliver work product you are proud of
Talk to PR Agency and In-House PR professionals whenever possible about their experiences
Read and learn about PR
Volunteer at events as a press aid or media liaison
Make great contacts with your professors so that they can be contacted as references and possibly identify job leads for you when you graduate
Join student PR organizations such as PRSSA and PRSA/YP
Have some outside experiences that you can draw upon
Create professional social network applications for yourself

The Basics
Narrow your job search by industry and by companies within it (8-15 companies is ideal)
Thoroughly research the industry and the companies you are targeting
Create a resume that clearly defines you as a candidate
Develop a concise, appealing cover letter
Get engaged with social networks (LinkedIn and Twitter most importantly)
Determine how best to apply to companies and identify the appropriate HR/recruiting contact (s)
Set aside job search time and don’t rely on anyone but yourself

The Resume
Make sure your resume is error free and has been proof read by at least three people (the more professional experience your proof readers have the better)
Keep the format simple and easy to ready with no more than 2 fonts
Bulleted resumes are easier to read than paragraphs
Include job title and dates
List the clients and programs you worked on (specifics can be relevant)
Keep employment experience to professional activities within the industry if possible
Refresh your resume so it is up to the minute

It’s YOUR resume
You will hear advice, tips and pet peeves from just about everyone when it comes to resumes. Just make sure to remember that the document is a reflection of your candidacy and of you as a person/professional. Make sure you are comfortable with it and that YOU like it
Keep it focused (a targeted resume is critical in this age of specialization) and full of good information about your experiences
Make the resume “active” and explain what you accomplished at each internship or professional experience
Show your enthusiasm for Communications by taking the time to create an appealing document

The Cover Letter
Write a cover letter with 30 seconds in mind (have you ever heard of an elevator speech???)
Should reflect your qualifications as well as your interest in the company
Steer clear of gimmicks such as a press release about yourself or leadoff questions such as “why should you hire me?”
Include all your contact information
Create a professional letter even if submitted via email. Think about using snail mail
Must be error free and proof read just like your resume

Seek and you shall find
Investigate the Communications/PR industry
Research companies, trends, In-House and PR Agency communications strategies
Read PR Week (www.prweek.com), Bulldog Reporter (www.bulldogreporter.com), and head to the Council of PR Firms (http://www.prfirms.org)
Notice “hits” in news stories…follow the news closely. Consume media.
Start to become aware of major journalists/editors
Think like a PR professional
Find a mentor within the industry

Making contact
Organize your research so that you have a working list of contacts at each company you have targeted
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)
(Option A) Monitor the job boards and apply when there is an appropriate opening
(Option B) Make a presentation to the recruiter and seek a “general meeting”
Keep your follow through professional, consistent, and optimistic- never close a door and be careful not to follow up too often or with too many demands

Relying on yourself
First rule of thumb is that “connections” are great but no substitute for putting in the work to create your own opportunities
Organize your schedule so that time for your job search is set aside
Dare to go after your “dream job”

Building Your Brand For A Job Search

by alanweatherbee on Dec 04, 2009

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Building Your Brand For A Job Search — Presentation Transcript