Public and Media Relations Professional Job Wanted!!

[Bailey Bertram]

Hello Smoosiers!

My name is Bailey Bertram and I am a May 2008 grad of Butler University, with a BA in Journalism (Integrated Communications). I'm currently knee-deep in the job hunting process, and would love any advice you all might have on finding a great PR job here in Indy.

I've gained some great experience working with media relations and doing nonprofit PR. I interned with Planned Parenthood of Indiana, Hendricks County Community Foundation and most recently BLASTmedia.

In addition to the standard PR skills one takes from internships and schooling, I've also gotten the opportunity to learn some moderate design skills and had a hand in planning a couple of special events (which I really loved).

If anyone has any advice or avenues for job searching, I'd love to hear them. Also, if anyone knows of any job openings in the PR, Media Relations or Event Planning areas, I would also really appreciate hearing about them!

I am completely open to hearing about anything, even Marketing positions, because my experience has been really varied, and I haven't done only PR.

Please feel free to leave a reply to this post or email me personally at [e-mail]. I'd be happy to shoot you a standard resume or some writing samples if you are interested!

Thanks for your help!

Bailey

[Nicki Laycoax]

I would talk to Lorraine Ball, a fellow Smoosier. She would probably be the best resource for you! Best of luck with your search!

[Elizabeth Friedland]

Hi Bailey --

I currently work in PR, but can remember what it was like job searching after college. I'm sure you're aware, but some great sites for PR jobs are:

HoosierPRSA.org
TalentZoo.com
MediaBistro.com
Nonprofitcareercenter.org
JournalismJobs.com
WorkinPR.com

And, of course, try the National PRSA job bank. You can also post your resume for free.

Have you tried looking for freelance jobs? It might be a great avenue to pursue in the short-term, especially with the current job market. Sologig.com has lots of opportunities, but you might even try approaching businesses you're a fan of and pitching them your a la carte PR services.

In addition, taking an internship might provide you with more connections and opportunities (not to mention skills). I know that's probably not what a recent grad wants to hear, but it could be worth it.

As a last resort, sending a really great looking portfolio around to local advertising and PR agencies might result in a lead. In my experience, creative packaging (but nothing too wacky) gets the best results.

Good luck!

[Beth King]

Hi, Bailey --

I too work in PR at a more senior level. However, it wasn't all that long ago that I was job searching following college. Also, I learned in May that my last PR gig would come to an end in July if I would have stayed there because of difficult times in the nonprofit world. Because I was looking to move on anyway, this came as no shock. Thankfully, I found a new job before my last day at my old company. Going through all that I did, I can certainly agree with the sites Elizabeth offered. Likewise, I will add one -- nedsjotw.com. This is a great resource for communicators and the leads are from across the country. He also publishes a weekly e-newsletter and there's subscription information on the site.

As far as other advice, I don't think I have to tell you that in today's competitive market, you need to do things to stand out. I cannot say enough about networking and setting up informational interviews. You might also consider putting together a digital portfolio of your work so that hiring managers can easily find your stuff with a few mouse clicks. As well, you might consider volunteering to do some PR work for a local nonprofit. With budgets being slashed, a lot of area nonprofits may not have a lot ofPR support. But, I'm sure they would likely take you up on any free help you could give. Plus, if you do a good enough job, you can walk away with a few strong references.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Beth

[Bailey Bertram]

Thanks for all of your great advice. I was aware of many of these, but a few are new, so I will definitely take a look into them.

[Bailey Bertram]

Just wanted to get this forum back to the top again! Anyone know of any new job leads? Thanks!

[Nicki Laycoax]

Were you able to talk to Lorraine?

Try utilizing Twitter if you don't already. It's a great resource.

If you'd like, follow me. www.twitter.com/nickilaycoax. I'll try and help you out!

[Bailey Bertram]

Nicki -- thanks for the info. I am on twitter and I just started following you. Could you suggest any other threads to follow that might be useful?

[Nicki Laycoax]

Thanks Bailey!

Check out
@hazewalker
@roundpeg
@wthrcom
@indystar
@lllittlefield
@jenniedwards
@douglaskarr
@LKassenbrock


Also, join the Twittosphere group here on Smaller Indiana. There are several great people in the group! I just named the marketing and PR people that I thought of off the top of my head.

Good luck!

[Ben McCann]

you might also have some luck by posting your profile and connecting at www.catalistjobs.com