You know it’s coming. The dreaded interview question.
“What’s your greatest weakness? or “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
Questions like these set you up to be tongue tied. How can you answer them and seem like you’re giving a true-to-self answer, while still pleasing your interviewer?
One thing to note: questions like these are often asked by untrained interviewer. It’s a typical question that usually generates a typical response. It’s easy to say that your greatest weakness is being a perfectionist, or wanting to take on too many projects at once. Isn’t that the answer that the hiring manager wants to hear? Not always.
How do you answer these questions other than to give the interviewer what you think she wants to hear?
Go Into Your Interview Armed with Answers
If you know what to expect in terms of questions, you’ll be less likely to draw a blank for an answer. Read up on the most commonly asked interview questions so you know what to expect. Then, before your interview, sit down and consider how you would answer some of the commonly asked questions (even the dumb ones). Practice your answers in front of a mirror. Aim to make eye contact and be confident in your answer. Repeat this until you stop laughing at yourself!
Aim for the Diplomatic Truth
Sure, you may be applying for a job simply because you need a job, but that’s probably not the answer that will get you hired. Find a better way to word the truth.
Why are you interested in our company?
The truth: They pay well and have a killer bonus structure.
The better truth: Explain that you’re looking to expand your experience. You like the structure. You feel it’s a place where you can help make a difference and find that your core values align with theirs (make sure you know their core values and you’ve read their mission statement!).
What did you leave your last job?
The truth: Your boss had it in for you.
The better truth: You were ready for a new opportunity that would allow you to grow.
What’s your greatest weakness?
The truth: You have none! Of course….
The better truth: Be honest. Pick your true weakness, but be ready to show how you have worked to improve it and how it can also be a strength. Maybe it’s that it’s hard for you to delegate, or the fact that you’re no good at multitasking (that’s actually not a weakness, despite what employers would have you believe). Shape your answer so that the hiring manager sees that you are aware of a weakness, but are ready to make it work for you.
Realize that the interviewer may be trying to bait you to see if you’ll talk negatively about a former employer. Don’t fall for it. Never show your emotion or frustration for a previous employer in an interview.
Also, an employer might present these difficult questions simply to see if you have a realistic sense of self. Telling them with what they want to hear may not score you points. Be true to yourself and don’t pigeonhole yourself into a place you don’t want to be in. If you get the job, you certainly don’t want to have presented yourself falsely in the interview.
Many people assume that the job market slows around the holidays and end of year, but that’s not true. It’s actually a good time to step up your networking and job seeking, so that you position yourself to be the candidate companies turn to when they’re ready to hire.
Think of it like this: Many companies are trying to fill their open requisitions so new employees can start fresh in the new year. Sometimes they need to use up their hiring budget before January. Plus, people tend to be lax on everything during the holidays. People are taking time off to hang out with friends and family. Fewer job seekers are working hard to network, so this gives you the leg up if you dedicate yourself to rubbing elbows with hiring managers. There are plenty of networking events and holiday parties going on, which give you the chance to connect with people from companies where you want to work.
Business is slower for companies, so you’re more likely to get through to the decision maker by phone. You can get more insight about what the company is really looking for in a job candidate (sometimes what the job description doesn’t mention), and you can forge a connection by putting a voice with a name that you only knew via email.
January hiring usually increases a bit, so even if a company isn’t hiring in November or December, you’ll be on your toes by staying up to date on the latest jobs all holiday season long. Your resume will be updated and you’ll know who’s hiring if you continue full-force through the holiday season.
What You Should Be Doing
Make the most of the holidays for networking opportunities. End of the year networking opportunities are abound – from neighborhood get togethers and year-end events for your kids’s school to company holiday parties and holiday networking events. You never know where you might meet your next job connection.
Talking about the holidays is a great way to put people at ease this time of year, whether you’re in a job interview or attending a professional function. Work to build relationships with people, not by announcing your availability and need for a job, but taking an opportunity to get to know them and show a genuine interest in building a relationship. Then follow-up by email or phone occasionally, and when they’re ready to hire, you’ll be top of mind.
You could also send holiday cards to anyone you’ve submitted a resume to or interviewed with recently. Include your business card and a personal note reminding them how you met. Don’t mention anything about the job; stick to holiday wishes.
If you’ve recently graduated or are having trouble getting your foot in the door in your industry of choice, have you considered interning? Interning gives you experience in a variety of areas, and it’s easier to get in a company as an intern than as a full-time employee.
Working as an intern in PR, you can learn how to write press releases, pitch editors and maintain media relationships: all of the skills you will need in a full-time role. You may get invaluable experience in a particular industry that will also make you more marketable.
Having an internship on your resume impresses potential employers and makes you more hireable. It may open the door to a full-time position at the company you intern with if you network with the right people. When my public relations search firm, does get the occasional entry-level positions, our clients almost always ask for a candidate with at least two solid internships under their belt.
Maximize Your Internship
Having an internship is your chance to beef up your resume. Come to the role with ideas of what is it you hope to get out of the internship and seek opportunities to learn. You’re in the position of being able to expand your skillset, getting real world experience, so take advantage of it!
Observe others; you can often learn from other people, not only about how to do a job, but also how to be professional in the workplace, and how to interact with co-workers. If you’re lucky, you’ll find someone who will take you under her wing and teach you what you need to know to succeed.
Where to Find Internships
If you’re in college, check to see if you have a career center that can help you find an internship. Talk to your professors to see if they know of companies who may hire you as an intern. Often the good word from a professor who knows you is enough to get you in, even if you have zero experience.
Many colleges offer recent graduates similar services, so check your alumni network to see if there are any internship sources.
Online, there are several sites that focus on helping you find internships, like USAIntern and About’s Internship Page. If you’re looking for an internship in marketing, PR or social media, try Hoojobs.
Social media offers some inroads to interning as well. Check out hashtags #entrypr, #printern, and #happo on Twitter for internship listings, as well as great advice from PR pros for beginners.
If there’s a specific company you’d love to work for, approach them directly with a pitch on how you’d help them as an intern. Just be sure you can show you competencies because the firm will want the sense that they won’t have to spend a lot of time babysitting you.
According to Heather Huhman, Generation Y Author, Columnist and Mentor,
“In order to determine if an internship program is a good one, look at the following characteristics: mentorship, education, meaningful work, culture, recommendations, and networking opportunities. It shouldn’t matter if you intern at a “big name” company–startups and small businesses provide great experiences, too!”
Things to Know
Internships don’t always pay, so you need to be able to afford to work for free. Not everyone has the flexibility of being able to work without pay, so make sure it’s the right time in your life to do so, or try to find an internship that pays at least minimum wage.
If you’re in college, you may be able to get credit for your internship. Talk to your career center to find out what you need to do to qualify for college credit. You may need some documentation signed by the company who hires you, so arrange for all of that up front.
Your internship should revolve around the types of work you want to do. Unfortunately, some companies take advantage of interns and use them as gophers (“go-pher a cofee for me, go-pher a stapler…”). Set your expectations up front so you know what roles you will be assigned.
Dress up, dress down, a black suit, skirt or pants, hair loose or pulled back….. how you dress for the interview may influence the hiring manager’s decision. See my post on US News & World Report for the tips from industry experts: How to Dress for a Job Interview
I can’t believe Thanksgiving is already approaching! It’s the time of year when we sit back and reflect on our past year and all we have to be thankful for. Losing your job may be a devastating blow. As you contemplate life after getting the pink slip, look at what you have going for you…
Health/Well Being
Unemployment is not a death sentence. It may take some time to find your next position, but you will find it. Stay healthy and be thankful for the good health you and your family enjoy.
Benefits
Losing your job can feel like someone pulled the rug out from under you. Thanks to the signing of the COBRA policy in 1985, all qualifying employers must provide health insurance coverage to those who have lost their job and their immediate families. COBRA allows for up to 18 months of health insurance coverage, which is something you can be thankful for.
Think of the 26 weeks of unemployment benefits you’re receiving as cushion. It might not be a comfy cushion, but having some money coming in is better than none at all.
Take Time for You
Work, Home, Work. Work never ends does it? Employers expect their employees to give 110 percent. Look at your job loss as a vacation from the 60-hour workweeks, tight deadlines, and endless meetings.
You’re out of the rat race. What now? Be grateful for time for yourself. Stay in pajamas. Sleep! Knit. Explore a new hobby. Volunteer. Finish the baby book you started eight years ago…when your child was still a baby!
Spend time with your family and friends. You’ll never get this time back, so enjoy your family while you extra time to do so.
Got time? Finding time to exercise when you were working may not have worked with long commutes, business travel, or overtime. Appreciate that you have time for exercise and fitness.
Gift of Time
When the initial shock of losing your job lessens, look at your life. Did you love your job? Or were you punching a clock? Take stock of what motivates you. Need a career change? Now is the time to explore your options. What is important to you in an employer? Allow yourself time to find the right job. Want to return to school? Be thankful you have time to re-invent yourself.
Hone your skills…beef up your resume, practice your interview skills, take a class. Be glad that you have the opportunity to make yourself more employable.
It Takes a Village
Be thankful for the people in your life who support you through hard times. Being unemployed isn’t easy, but with the emotional support of friends and family, the burden lessens.
Photo courtesy: MTsofar
These days, it’s not uncommon to see people tweeting or blogging about unemployment. In fact, it’s becoming quite the trend. With around 14 million people out of jobs, it’s not surprising that many find comfort in knowing that they are not alone in their hunt for a job.
Quite a few new hashtags and Twitter accounts have popped up by those who want to share the experience of being jobless. While some people are using social media as an outlet for their frustration and complaints, others are turning it to their advantage and landing jobs by posting about their most recent adventures in job hunting.
Sharing experiences about job seeking can be therapeutic in that people have someone who has similar experiences to talk to. Some of the unemployed may not be comfortable talking to their family or friends about what they’re going through, so having a social outlet can be useful and helpful in getting through an emotional swings of unemployment.
What Could Go Wrong?
You do have to be careful when posting about your life as an unemployed person. Remember that potential employers will be searching for information about you and if you have posted something unfavorable, it could cost you the job. Employers use social media sites to get insight into your overall personality – hopefully their investigation leads to finding a well-rounded, interesting person. Unfortunately, many people use it to vent their frustrations, completely unaware of who might view it, sending out the warning signals to any potential employers (including those who might not be hiring, but could recommend you for a position!). Venting too much, posting disparaging remarks about your ex-employer or badmouthing a company that didn’t hire you could make a contact think twice about making contact about an open position.
How People are Using Social Sites to Connect
Twitter and other social media sites are ideal for finding like-minded people in search of a job. TwitJobSearch and TweetDeck have partnered to create JobDeck, a platform that not only finds jobs on Twitter, but also sprinkles in advice for the jobless from recruiters and HR experts.
Profiles like @NJUnemployed and @unemployedsucks offer a gathering place for those united in the search for a job. Facebook has groups where the jobless can meet up with each other and network, as well. LinkedIn Groups like “Unemployed? Get a Job” also provide support and resources for the jobless. All of these networks offer a chance to connect with others in the same boat and can be helpful both in support and advice.
Blogs are also pulling in those without jobs and offering them support and advice. Unemploymentality covers the lifestyles of those without work. Another blog that follows the life of an unemployed woman is Bureaucracy for Breakfast, which covers marketing and news.
Social media is a valuable networking tool. Know how the information in your profile is your shared and how a potential employer could view it. Use it to connect with others, both employed and unemployed, and share your experiences in a positive way. Future employers will appreciate the effort and will see that you are a positive person who makes the effort to get out there, all of which are good qualities in an employee.
So you’ve graduated with a PR or Communications degree. Now what? With the job market being what it is, you need a plan of action that will help you land your first job in PR.
You’ve learned how to handle a PR crisis. Write a press release. Connect with the media. Maybe you even held an internship that will give you more hands-on experience. You’re eager to put your skills to good use.
Many graduates assume the primary job a person with a PR or Communications degree gets is a job at a PR firm. Not so. There are actually many roles and many different types of companies you can work for and still use your communications skills. Don’t be narrow-minded in your search!
1. Work for an Agency
For many college students, getting hired at a PR agency is their golden ticket. For others, they quickly find out they over-glamorized what is often a grueling and stressful job. Working at an agency, you will be thrown into the fast-paced world of making clients look good. These clients might be in entertainment, politics, consumer and business products and services, or finance.
You’ll likely be writing press releases and doing lots of administrative support to start, and perhaps helping with events. As your experience grows, you may handle media relations for clients or manage accounts.
The catch 22 about working for an agency is that agencies want you to have prior experience…working for one. If you intern at a firm, this can get your foot in the door. Otherwise, getting hired as a Junior Publicist or Account Coordinator would be a great start.
Are there drawbacks in working for an agency? It depends on your personality and what you’re looking for. If you want a range of experience in multiple industries, you won’t get that working for many agencies, as they tend to focus on a single vertical or specialize their staff in practice groups. Some agencies, however, will let you move around to different practice groups, so it is important to understand how it works with each agency. If you want a 9 to 5 job that never requires extra work of you, a PR firm isn’t that.
Still, working at an agency, even for a few years, can give you the experience you need to do just about anything else you could do with a PR or Communication degree. If you make a point to connect to people, you’ll have the contacts to see you to your next role, even if it’s not at another agency.
2. Work for a Private Company
If you’ve glamorized working for an agency, consider the public relations staff of a private company the unsung heroes. In fact, many companies don’t hire external PR firms, and instead house them internal to the company. Some larger companies have a small internal PR team and also hire an agency. Either way, there are plenty of jobs working in communications directly for a company.
These PR folks work for companies in every industry: manufacturing, consumer products, technology, semiconductors, finance, healthcare, etc. If you’re interested in really delving into a specific industry, working for a private company, for example, a company like Fisher Investments, is a great way to do so.
Depending on the size of the firm, you may work with a very small team, which you will come to rely on in your work. You’ll get to know the company’s products or services well, as they’re the stars of your PR pitches and the center of all your communications.
You’ll do the same work you’d do at a firm: write and distribute press releases, work with the media, manage crises. If your team is small you may have additional responsibilities such as creating email newsletters and managing the company’s social media strategy. In smaller companies, marketing and PR often overlap.
What companies look for will vary, based on the business and role, but usually they don’t expect as much prior experience as a firm for entry-level positions. Your degree, general skills, and writing ability are the typical areas of focus. Some companies may want you to have experience with content management systems, Photoshop or presentation software.
Drawbacks here: focusing on the same products day in and day out can get boring if you need constant stimulation. Some industries are less exciting than others, so if the idea of pitching laser marking devices doesn’t appeal to you, focus on industries that you enjoy more.
3. Start Your Own Firm or Freelance
While it’s not always easy to do right out of college, some PR professionals end up forming their own companies or freelancing. This can give you the freedom to focus on the type of clients you want and you are able to pick and choose your projects.
Naturally being your own boss sounds great, but it’s not for everyone. You truly need experience, either with an agency or internally, to understand client relationships. As the owner or freelancer, you are responsible for constantly finding new clients; you won’t get a paycheck unless you get paid! Running your own business requires a strong stomach to take some risks, and constant dedication to improving your craft – on your own.
If you stick with it, your business might thrive so much you can afford to hire support staff and a team of account executives, writers, and managers. Keep in mind doing so sometimes takes you away from what you love doing the most: the actual PR and communications. Many entrepreneurs don’t realize they’ll be doing more admin work than hands-on in their businesses.
Where to Find Your First PR Job
For your first job in PR or Communications, start by searching for titles like PR Specialist, PR Coordinator, Junior Publicist, Account Coordinator, Assistant Account Executive, or Account Executive. Look for jobs that don’t require much more than a degree and interest, if that’s all you have.
In terms of where to look, there are websites that focus on jobs in public relations and communications specifically, like Hoojobs (disclosure: I’m an owner of the site). You should be able to find both agency and in-house jobs here. And don’t overlook investor relations jobs at publicly-traded companies, especially if you have a knack for understanding stocks and financial information.
Use social media to find your first job. Twitter has plenty of accounts and hashtags you can follow that will give you a stream of new openings, including #PRJobs, @EntryPRJobs, @HlthcarePRjobs and, of course, @PRjobs. Here are more tips for finding a job on Twitter.
Make sure your LinkedIn profile is updated, and join groups with PR professionals and job hunters to network.
If you want to start freelancing, Guru and Elance are great places to find part time work or single projects you can build experience around.
You can join professional organizations like PRSA, which not only gives you access to its job boards, but also gives you the chance to network with PR professionals in your area.
Finding a job fresh out of college can be a challenge, and a PR or Communications job is no different. But once you land that job, put in some good, hard work, and build your resume and experience!
If you are looking online for your next job, I posted some tips on how to evaluate online job ads to make applying easier and help you provide the right information to the employers. See it here: How to Decipher Job Ads
When you go to school and earn a degree in public relations, communications, or English, landing a job can prove to be a bit more difficult than in a more specific field like pharmacy technician schools. You can improve your changes by focusing on some of your extra-curricular work, volunteer opportunities, and internships.
Four years of hard work and the investment in a college education makes many students feel entitled to immediate job offers right out of school. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and it’s even harder these days. With senior level employees losing their positions and taking lower paid jobs just to stay in the industry, there is more competition than ever for work.
Work Samples
When you are attending classes at a university, you’ll have to do a certain amount of practical work – activities you’ll do daily in a full-time job like writing press releases, creating marketing collateral, and shooting video news releases, etc. Make sure to save all of these clips to build out your portfolio. Better yet, make sure you have them digitally to post to your own blog/website/online portfolio. Go the extra mile and reserve your own domain name with your work samples which you can add to your resume when applying for jobs.
If you major in a non-specific area such as communications or English, you are going to have to get crafty when applying for jobs. Taking a minor in something more specific could give you the extra edge you need. After finishing your school assignments, start learning how to write proper press releases, how to design promotional materials, and follow how companies are communicating online through social media. Employers are looking for candidates who take initiative and learn skills that might be outside their curriculum.
Internships
When you look at job descriptions for entry-level jobs at companies, it usually says that they are looking for people with 1-2 years worth of experience. It obviously a catch-22 because you can’t get a job without experience and you can’t get experience without a job. Many PR and advertising agencies offer unpaid internships for students for college credit. If you’re lucky, you might even find a paid internship. You are going to have to take a couple of internships in order to build up your experience level.
Growing Industries
While it may be your dream to work at a cutting edge PR firm or ad agency, there is very little chance of landing a position with little experience. In order to break into an entry-level field, it is important to perform research on the companies who are looking for fresh talent.
A Huffington Post article demonstrates the highest growing fields: gamification and social gaming are generating major marketing dollars, online publishing and e-commerce will continue to grow, and biotechnology and environmental services are gaining more government grants. Applying to these organizations or agencies who have clients like this on their roster can be an excellent way to launch your career.
Major Corporations
Landing a job at a major corporation or Fortune 500 company looks good on any resume. Whether you find an entry-level role in the marketing department or work as an administrative assistant, these positions can enhance your business knowledge and give your a great network of colleagues and references. It could be a great place to start and move into the PR department as your next step.
Possible Scams for Entry-Level Workers
When searching for jobs online, be aware of possible scam artists and sales cults. If you see a job posting that wants you to create elaborate sample work or write relevant press releases, be very skeptical because they may just be looking for free work. If a job posting promises entry-level management opportunities, or the job description sounds vague, you might be headed into a sales cult. Horror stories of these organizations can be found on The Consumerist website.
Starting your journey into the the PR field may seem overwhelming at first. Look daily as entry-level positions get filled as quickly as they come. Make sure you communicate and network with as many people as possible – you want to stay top of mind – and potentially be contacted before the company posts the position. If you find yourself in a rut or dead end job to make ends meet before you land the perfect entry-level PR opportunity, make sure to keep educating yourself in order to remain a relevant job candidate.
When it comes to resume writing, the content is the most important piece. Formatting plays an important piece in how you present yourself as well. Depending on the job and your personal circumstances, you may be able to increase your chances of being asked in for an interview if you choose the correct format for the situation.
Types of Resumes to Consider
We’re going to look at three types of resumes. While there are variations of these, the three listed here are the ones most commonly used in the job market, and each has its own pros and cons. Consider which is most useful to you for each job application.
Chronological
The chronological resume is probably the one you learned to write in high school and the most widely used and accepted. It’s a simple reverse order list of your work experiences, with the most recent positions listed first.
This type of resume is best used if you have consistent experience in your field, where you can demonstrate upward mobility and new skills acquired in each of your positions. It’s a great choice to showcase your range of experience in the industry and demonstrate your loyalty to the companies you have worked for.
Functional
Of all the resume types, the functional resume is probably the least appreciated. It highlights your skills and education rather than the positions you have held. People use functional resume to focus on the skills a job description requires.
When you haven’t yet worked in the field you are applying for a position in or if you have a gap in your work experience due to extended leave, illness or another reason, you may prefer to point out your skills rather than the fact that you haven’t worked recently. This is also true for those new to the workforce and for anyone who is in the process of switching careers. Keep in mind that this may be a hard sell and it can be more difficult to land an interview with a functional resume.
Targeted
A targeted resume is similar to a chronological resume, but it is specifically tailored to the position being applied for. In most cases, this means eliminating any experience not related to the position you are interested in, instead focusing on the jobs you have had that relate to this one. The one downside is that it will need to be tailored to each job you apply for, which may be more time consuming.
Writing a Better Resume
Without a well-written resume, your chances of landing the job you want are much lower. Unless you’ve been recommended for the job, this is the hiring manager’s first impression of you. Check, check, and check again the document. Have a friend or two look it over and make sure it is error-free.
You could try combining two types of resumes for a more unique result. For example, you might mix the functional with the chronological format to ensure that the employer has what he is looking for in terms of work history, but rather than lead with your work history, you focus the beginning on the skills you possess that make you a good match for the position.
Don’t be afraid to inject your own personality into the resume, rather than writing it in a mechanical tone. Let the hiring manager know a bit about you through your style of writing before he meets you.
Finally, take a minute to check out some sample resumes to get ideas and to be sure you are on the right path. You’ll find plenty of samples available online (Indeed.com’s resume search and Docstoc.com).
This blog is to share my recruiting experiences and discuss thoughts on the job market, PR industry and technology.
Alison Kenney is an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience.
