Tag Archives: pr jobs

Jan 24 2012

How to Find and Secure a Part-Time Teaching Position in Public Relations

Opportunities abound for public relations professionals willing to share their expertise and passion through teaching. Here’s an overview of how to find these part-time teaching jobs at higher education institutions, based on techniques I’ve employed during fourteen years of teaching such classes.

- Check out regional listings under Yahoo by visiting here to identify universities where you’d like to teach. Next, visit a university’s website, identify academic programs that offer relevant classes, then move on to other university departments that may offer degree and non-degree granting programs. You also might search a university’s course listings using key words “public relations” and “marketing” to unearth courses.

- Visit websites that list part-time positions in higher education, such as: 1) The Chronicle of Higher Education; 2) Online Faculty Careers; 3) Inside Higher Ed; 4) HigherEdJobs; 5) The National Higher Education Recruitment Consortium; 6) AdjunctWorld Resources. These encompass opportunities in traditional classroom settings as well as online. I’ve found that using keywords “adjunct” or “part-time” combined with “teaching” or “instruction” (along with a geographic focus, if your goal is to teach in traditional classroom settings) will generate results.  Also explore general job search sites (e.g. Craigslist) as they often post announcements for adjunct teaching positions. On Twitter, follow @onlinefaccareer and search using the keyword “adjunct.”

- Once I identify programs that interest me, I secure the name of the person who screens and/or hires part-time instructors. I’ll then send that person a short e-mail (or leave a brief voicemail message), introducing myself, providing an overview of my experience, and stating an interest in adjunct teaching. I identify a class that’s already listed in the school’s catalog or on its Web site as one I’d like to teach in this initial query. The school might respond affirmatively to this inquiry, as they need someone immediately to take over teaching duties for the class. Alternatively, they may need someone on standby for the time when a faculty member is no longer available to teach. Should you receive a “no” or no response at all, don’t give up. Be persistent, and recognize that the lead-time for decision-making can vary from weeks to years.  I taught several classes at one university because I e-mailed the academic coordinator more than a year after my initial query, highlighting my availability and interest in teaching. The class I’d targeted eventually needed a new instructor, and that quickly evolved into a second class on a different topic (but one related to public relations).  My persistence paid off.

- You also can volunteer to be a guest speaker in an existing class by contacting the instructor. I’ve found highlighting a specialized area of knowledge (e.g., social media) as well as specific industry (e.g. education), sector (e.g. non-profit), and/or setting (e.g. agency, independent consultant) experience as the best approach to fit in to an existing course syllabus. A positive impression as a guest speaker can turn into an opportunity to teach an entire class. In addition to the techniques I’ve outlined above, it’s also important to let everyone know you want to teach part-time—particularly fellow members of professional organizations such as PRSA and IABC as well as friends and colleagues who work at educational institutions. Adjunct openings often are not advertised.

In short, teaching opportunities await public relations practitioners who spend the time to seek them out.  The techniques outlined here should give you a great start on that process.

About the Author
Dr. Mitchell Friedman (@mitchellfriedmn) has taught management communication and related topics to graduate students at the University of San Francisco, the University of California, Davis, and West Virginia University. He also provides professional development and education to public relations agencies. He recently completed doctoral dissertation explored leadership development in public relations. 

Related Articles:

Dec 6 2011

Do PR Students and Pros Want to Work In-House or at an Agency?

January is almost here and you know what that means? Companies are hiring!

While finding jobs in this economy is no easy task, most places look to do their hiring at the start of a new year in order to get people on board and prepared to execute new yearly plans.

So with that in mind, I’m curious to know just what types of jobs people are looking to pursue. Whether you currently have a position or you’re pursuing one, please take a look at the poll below and submit a response.

Related Polls:

Oct 25 2011

Want a Job in PR? It All Starts with the Cover Letter

A cover letter is a sure fire way to get your resume looked at by human resources. This is the first step in branding your package and who you are as a public relations practitioner.

As an experienced worker or beginner in PR, its important that you have the right information for the agency you’re most interested in. Be sure to do the research on the company to see if it would be a perfect fit for you before you put a second thought into writing that cover letter.

Secondly, ask yourself, how much do you know about the position – this way you can make sure that your cover letter showcases your capabilities.

Some of the best cover letters I have come across show just that. Here are some helpful tips from resumes I have come across to get your cover letter read and resume noticed:

  1. Research the company – this will help you generate a cover letter that gives you an edge
  2. Put thought into content –  a cover letter is a letter, keep it brief, but showcase your capabilities. This will entice HR into wanting to read your resume.
  3. Following direction – IMPORTANT! If you are asked to send it in a specific format, and addressed to a specific individual, do just that. If you don’t, this is an easy way to have your resume pushed to the side.
  4. Never send your cover letter as an attachment as it may not be opened. Keep your cover letter in the body of the email. As you can imagine, many HR practitioners received hundreds of emails a day, which more than 50% are blind emails.
  5. Always explain why you would be best suited for the position – this shows your interest most of all.

On a side note, please remember not to be informal – there should never be a “Hey There” or  “Hi, Chris”. If there is a name attached to the job posting, please use Mr. or Ms., and if you are sending it blindly to HR, always address it as Hiring Manager, or take the extra step to call the agency and find out who to address it to.

Remember, the cover letter is not obsolete and not expendable. It really is the best way to showcase to a potential employer your full portfolio.

About the Author
Lisa Hutchins is a human resources professional and a frequent contributor to PR at Sunrise. She has previously worked at leading PR firms such as Ruder Finn and Cohn & Wolfe. Her responsibilities have included recruiting, employee relations, and miscellaneous employee changes. In addition to her HR experience, she has also as a PR pro on an array of accounts and campaigns, including GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer. Follow Lisa on Twitter via @lisahutchins.

Related Articles

Oct 18 2011

Choosing Your Career Path: In-House vs. Agency

Agencies and in-house PR/marketing departments each have their pros and cons, and either can provide a tremendous experience for aspiring marketers.

The following are some of the differences between in-house and agency work that I have experienced:

 

 

Scope of Attention

In-house employees know the ins and outs of the companies they work for, as their attention is completely devoted to one company and its clients. This expertise enables even the most junior person to bring value to the company. In an agency, the time spent with clients can vary, and contribution may be project specific. Publicists tend to be generalists, and their company-specific knowledge pales to that of someone in-house.

Variety of Work

In-house, the variety of one’s work is limited to one company, while publicists in agencies have their hands full with the campaigns of various clients. The plethora of clients allows newcomers to experience many aspects of PR that come with servicing different accounts, while in-housers only experience the strategies that their company employs.

Requests of Clients

While the agencies service businesses and individuals who entrust them with campaigns, in-house marketing departments service partners and clients of the company. The greatest liability is always on the marketing department, and not the agency of the firm. Executing an unsuccessful strategy or crisis management campaign may result in the loss of one client in an agency, while the same may translate to the loss of many clients in-house.

Pace

The pace of the agency tends to be faster and more versatile than the pace of a company, as many companies mimic their industry. Consider the type of environment you’d like to work in when evaluating whether in-house or agency is right for you.

About the Author
Marina Tsipenyuk is marketing professional with experience in the financial services, music, and beauty industries. She graduated from Rutgers Business School in May 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. Marina has worked in the marketing department of a fund of hedge funds and interned in a Public Relations firm during her time in Rutgers. Connect with her on Twitter via @msipen.

Related Articles

Sep 28 2011

Do You Need Social Media Experience to Land a Job In PR?

15 years ago, heck maybe even 5 years ago, before the social sharing, and before “instant news” was wildly popular, a PR professional’s job was tricky, to say the least.

Dealing with potential sabotage, rumors and misinformation; making sure consumers and the public viewed their clients in the correct light. 5-10 years ago, PR professionals struggled to deal with the sheer power of the Internet, to manage expectations.

However in recent years; social media has complicated things a bit. It has obviously made opinions more valued, but more importantly social has given PR professional an avenue for creating engaging relationships.

There is no doubt that most PR firms are diversifying their employees to shape both their high level communications and social engagement talent base. So does having social media experience help you? Sure, it probably does. A better question for many is, do you need social media experience to land your dream job in PR?

That answer is rather complicated. I’d love to say that social media would typically be handled by entry level employees, because it requires less “seriousness.” However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “The recent emergence of social media in the public relations is expected to increase job growth. Many public relations firms are expanding their use of these tools, and specialists with skills in them will be needed.”

This data may suggest that firms are actually investing professionals with a high level of experience to manage their client’s social presence. With that notion, the data may suggest that social media is an acquired skill within PR firms. A surprising number of high level executives are working directly with social media, according to Simply Zesty.

Then again, it makes sense to strategically drive social media campaigns. Twitter is one of the most direct ways a company will show face to its community; if I were a company hiring a PR firm to manage my social presence, I’d want some experience behind my tweeters. Having experience as a community manager can illustrate that you have the chops to communicate messages professionally.

Personal accounts
I’d like to say that nowadays, a personal social presence helps in the screening process. But PR firms likely understand the difference in tweeting personally and professionally. Unless you are a social media guru with 40,000 followers plus, being authoritative on your personal social media accounts shouldn’t impact your screening process. However, do note that personal statements, or inappropriate material could definitely hurt your chances.

PR firms want people who can run social media campaigns for clients and measure ROI. If you are an entry level employee who tweets every few days, I’d stay away from calling yourself “social media savvy.”  Hard experience, means you have influence on a community, scope to communicate effectively and the chops to track and monitor campaigns.

All in all, if you are looking for a job in PR, social media experience can help, but only if it is professional experience. Having a social presence is important but not necessary for succeeding public relations. Even though PR firms are inherently more social these days, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get “in” with them with little social media experience.

About the Author
Matt Krautstrunk is an expert writer on document management systems based in San Diego, California. He writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs such as document software at Resource Nation. Contact Matt on Twitter via @MattKrautstrunk.

Related Articles