Saturday, March 19, 2011

The Changing World of the Unemployed PR Professional

The recent recession negatively affected many companies and the communications field was no exception to this disaster. The crisis forced many professionals to become unemployed.

Fortunately, it appears as though things are changing, specifically for public relations. Large communications companies such as Interpublic Group, Havas, and MDC have reported significant organic growth over the recent year. The quick economic turnover has forced PR agencies to become more creative with their hiring techniques.

One agency, Devries PR, created a competition in order to hire new employees. The month-long contest, known as Career Reboot, was meant to hire staff with backgrounds outside of PR. The company offered to give the winner a complete career makeover. Interested candidates submitted their resume, a writing sample, and their social media profile. Devries used their Facebook page to promote the competition.

Edelman made a similar attempt to hire new employees. Offices in San Francisco and Chicago held Tweetups using the Twitter handle, @Edelman_Careers. The events brought many interested candidates and resulted in a few of them landing jobs.

What does this information mean for the unemployed PR professional?

If you know a company you want to work for, connect with them through social media. The market does not rely entirely on resume submissions. Try to take advantage of any open house or meet-up opportunities the company offers. You don’t know where a social media relationship can lead you.

This guest blog was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Nick Stackhouse.

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