In the PR Biz? Maybe a Start-up is Best for Recent Grads

Check out this article from Searching for Savvy on the public relations field and new graduates. I love finding industry-specific content to help new grads. This is certainly worth the read if you are in the communications field!

Why Startup PR Is Great for Recent Grads

The answer is simply – that they’re so much alike. Startups (the term chiefly pertains to the technology industry) and new companies, like recent PR grads and even nearly-finished students, are bright-eyed and optimistic – no matter the economic climate. Here are a few reasons why those of you who are looking for jobs, may want to rethink the big names (ie: Edleman, Hill & Knowlton, Fleishman Hillard) and put your name and interest out to the small or, er – no names.

• Agility: Like you, small companies don’t have a ton to lose. They don’t have families (long-standing business partners) yet, they’re not bound to a location or direction. They can bob and weave through sticky situations and can focus more on innovation than stabilizing a large company. While large companies tend to drag their feet with announcements, small companies have the advantage of churning out huge updates to their products and services on a regular basis.

• Experience over Security: This is my promise: The experience and knowledge you’ll garner in one month will be equal to that of 6 months at one of the big firms. While with big firms, you’re pretty sure of your job ( bonuses, raises), you will likely be doing grunt work for a while, no one-on-one work with clients and no significant media outreach for months. With a startup, you’ll likely be pitching the Washington Post right off the bat.

• Fresh meat: For one, it gives you the chance to take “no-name” companies and build their awareness from scratch, no bad blood, no skeletons. Just your strategy, guts and fresh approach. Same idea with the next…

• Story: Like your resume, they’re still developing their story – very much your job to help with that. But because they’re small, they’re able to adapt and mold their story – or even completely switch gears, without killing it. They don’t have a ton of history to hold them down or to overcome.

• Startup community: One of the coolest things about the startup culture is how tight-knit it is. Take events like Ignite, Startup Weekend, and SF Beta. They bring together and showcase some of the newest and breaking technologies as well as the companies that are about to explode (in a good way) within their veins of technology. Cool stuff, and while they don’t always center around technology, they provide a wonderful support system and network for new companies. Some cool emerging startup communities are...

Read the rest here.

Avoiding First-Job Burnout

Most people will tell you that you're lucky to have a job in today's economy. But even that first job can burn you out, regardless of a recession or not.

Heather Huhman shares some tips via Noah Blumenthal, author of “Be The Hero: Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life in today's blog post. I like what he had to say, becasue I remember being on my first job and getting ticked off.

Look, just because you have a degree and a job doesn't mean you can't get peeved...especially if you have superiors that remind you that you're on the bottom of the totem pole. I remember when I was working at my second job, one of my coworkers said something that sounded foreign to me when she said that no job was perfect. At the time, I thought it was simply a matter of time before I found the very best job and I expected to be completely satisifed. It was very naive of me, but that was my perspective at the time.

Even now that I'm doing what I adore, I still detest aspects of my job. No, there's no boss over me, but there are picky clients. There are people who don't know what a payment due date is. You get the point--no job is perfect!

But it is a good idea to read these tips to help avoid burnout on your first job. It's a huge foundation for the rest of your career, so making the best of it and not throwing in the towel is imperative.



How do you avoid burnout on the job?

A Little Perspective on Job-Hunting

What better way to get some perspective on finding a job than from someone who is in the job-hunting trenches, too? Today's post is from Prescott Perez-Fox, who runs that awesome blog, twentyhood. Enjoy!

Recently, I met a young man on the train following an industry event. He was just out of school and had only moved to New York that week. He was in search of a job. As someone who is likewise in search of employment, I instantly felt his struggle. I sighed and remarked "I'm afraid I can't offer you any advice; I'm looking for work as well." But it soon became clear that I could offer him advice, after all.

I have, in fact, figured a few things out, and come to a few realizations about this alchemy called job-hunting. Here, dear friends, is advice from the front, tips that you won't hear from your college career counselors or your dad's co-workers or even your average "tips from an HR guy" blog post.

I have observed:

• Applying for jobs online is a numbers game. Even if you're a qualified candidate, you'll be up against dozens, if not hundreds, of candidates. Therefore, you may have to apply 100 jobs to get your first interview.

• Many people post job vacancies to Craig's List. However, the signal-to-noise ratio on Craig's List is terrible. Be bold and ignore it. Find other sources, especially relevant to your own industry. They're out there.

• A staggering number of jobs will result in a "no hire." It's not that they chose another candidate, but rather the whole position just fizzles into nothingness. This isn't your fault.

• Silence is the new rejection letter. Even after a real-life, in-person interview many folks will simply blank you. Make sure you follow-up by phone, email, and maybe even hand-written (paper) letter, but don't be insulted when you get no reply.

• The worst insult you can receive is when someone calls your portfolio "Nice" or says "Oh, cool." No one gives criticism anymore, they just pass you over and move one. Goes with the previous point.

• Some companies simply will never hire an entry-level applicant. This isn't your fault, it's just their unspoken policy. If you're under 25 or so, to these folks you will be viewed as a rookie, regardless of your skills or qualifications.

• The best way to find a job is through your personal network; the best way to have a network is through co-workers, past and present. A paradox indeed.

• Cold-calling is incredibly taxing emotionally. If you think this is an effective route, I hope you're stronger willed than me.

• Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., are useful communication tools, but none are a silver bullet for finding a job. Persist with a mix of methods.

• Freelancing or doing contract work may eventually lead to a full-time job, but not always. Try to hold it together when your short-term job ends with little fanfare, and without a job offer.

• Most people in your field are reasonable. There are a few divas, but chances are you can meet someone at an industry event and ask him/her for a business card with no problem. Email and ask for an interview, most often he'll say yes, even though that company may not be hiring. What's the worst that happens? You get some extra practice.

I don't want to you be cynical in your job search, but I want you to be prepared. Looking for work, going on interviews, and starting a new job are all incredibly awkward experiences. You're certain to feel the complete range of emotions and come up against some academic paradoxes. This is like applying for colleges, but without the notion of a "safety school" or a community college to fall back on.

Onwards and upwards, fellow job seekers. If you can survive your first job search, you will have endured one of the hardest life situations there is — and certainly something they don't teach in college.

Prescott Perez-Fox is a graphic designer and blogger in the New York City area, and the author of twentyhood, the blog about life as a twentysomething. He also writes about design and branding on his own site, perez-fox.com, and is the arbiter of Your Business Card Sucks.