WASHINGTON, D.C. - A look at recent PR hiring trends may help you decide where to look for your next job. According to Public Relations Career Opportunities, which listed over 2,000 jobs in 1997, corporations hired 36 of the PR professionals who landed new jobs last year.
Other findings include:
- Agencies snapped up 35 percent of those looking for PR jobs; non-profits, 24 percent; and the final five percent was a mix between education and government hirings;
- Agencies led in hiring at the VP level, followed by non-profits and then corporations;
- In 1997, retained and contingency-based executive recruiting firms helped place 25 percent of PR professionals looking for jobs.
The Internet is becoming a more prevalent job search tool, especially if you are looking for a high-tech PR position, but it only provides a fraction of the total opportunities, says Jim Zaniello, managing director of Public Relations Career Opportunities, a bi-weekly newsletter published by the New York PRSA Chapter. He was one of the career experts who spoke at a recent National Capital Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America meeting.
Eighty percent of all technology companies recruit online, but only 20 percent of all other kinds of agencies and corporations use online venues. Take note though: agencies and corporations recruiting online generally require the candidate to e-mail or post his resume on the company's site to demonstrate Web-savviness, Zaniello says.
Networking also is migrating to the Web in the form of newsgroups and bulletin boards. These venues can serve as an excellent source for job listings, says Zaniello.
He recommends two Web sites. If you are an upper-level PR practitioner and have an up-coming interview with a corporation, check out http://www.hooversonline.com, which profiles large corporations. If you are interviewing with an association, check out the Web site for the American Society of Association Executives http://www.asaenet.org.
Qualities To Nurture
If you want to work for an agency, you should increase your level of responsibility, says Kate Perrin, principal at Professional Solutions, a PR temporary agency in Washington, D.C. Experience rules out education as the top quality agencies seek. Personality and demeanor also are important. The next most sought-after skills were writing and media pitching, she says.
Perrin agrees that "skills-current" applicants with knowledge of changing trends, such as learning how to use the Internet will fare well when potential employers review resumes.
When using a recruiting firm, remember that your goals may not always match the search firm's, says Tom Goodwin, president of Goodwin & Company, a Washington, D.C., executive search firm.
And, advises Goodwin: network, network, network. Let people know about your work, who you are and what you do. PR professionals should get involved in the professional community, get to know colleagues and attend PR-related activities and events, he adds. (Jim Zaniello, 202/408-7980; PRofessional Solutions, 202/333-5636)
Survey Reveals Employer Needs
Experience, personality and demeanor are top factors in hiring PR execs, according to an employment survey by Professional Solutions of Washington D.C. A survey of 450 PR professionals in January and February, 1998 reveals:
- 90 percent ranked experience as the top factor in hiring;
- 81 percent listed personality and demeanor in the top three;
- 89 percent ranked writing as one of the top three sought-after skills;
- 81 percent ranked media pitching as one of top three sought-after skills;
- 5 percent listed Web site or Internet marketing among the top three sought-after skills;
- 10 percent of employers require a PR master's degree but 20 percent say they prefer candidates with such degrees; and
- Less than 12 percent gave preference to accreditation and no employer surveyed requires it.