If you’re considering your next job move, you may wonder whether it’s better to work for a large corporation or a small business. On one hand, big business often offers you as an employee more opportunities (or different opportunities) for advancement and a more competitive package, especially benefits.. On the other, working for a small company can expose you to many parts of a growing business you may not otherwise experience and operate at a more agile pace, and include you much sooner in business changing decisions. Which you choose depends on your own personal preference for work environment.
Benefits to Large Businesses
Bigger businesses tend to have more formal and comprehensive benefits packages than smaller firms. You may have lower health insurance premiums that cover more of your medical expenses, as well as 401k matching and other perks.
Working for a bigger business, you’re more likely to have more resources at your disposal, such as newer technology, software and support staff or other employees who can help you with your work. You may have more opportunity to move up in ranks simply because there are ranks to move up; small businesses, by their nature, are smaller and have fewer roles for you to occupy.
Drawbacks to Large
Bureaucracy is a common complaint at larger businesses. If you want something done, it may take five signatures from executives who are rarely in the office. Decisions often take time. If flexibility is something you crave in a job, you may not find it at larger corporations, as it’s harder to quickly change the more the company is set in its ways.
Employees of big corporations often are restricted to a limited job description, which, if you prefer dabbling in different areas, may lead you to feeling like a small cog in a large wheel. There may also be a long lineup of employees vying for the next leadership position and you could easily be passed up by someone else internally.
Benefits to Small Business
If you’re looking for the opportunity to feel like you are part of the growth and success of a company, small business may be the direction to take. There are approximately 95,000 small businesses that employ up to 49 people in the US, according to ADP. Each offers a work experience you simply won’t get at a bigger firm.
Small companies often require you to wear many hats, due to smaller payroll budgets. So if you work in marketing and are curious about communications or PR, chances are you can take on some of that work at a smaller company.
Many employees feel like their opinions are valued and used in smaller companies, who have the nimbleness to change directions as needed, and have less red tape to get to a decision than larger firms.
Drawbacks to Small
If you’re looking for major perks and benefits, small businesses can’t always deliver. And your salary may not be as competitive as with a bigger company. Some employees of small firms may feel overworked because they take on a larger role than they would elsewhere, and opportunities to be promoted to other roles may be limited.
Small businesses may not have as many resources for professional development, such as tuition reimbursement, or the opportunity to attend conferences, which is a negative for some employees. You may also be on your own when starting a new role at a small company, simply due to the fact that there may not be someone to ease you into your new role.
Every company varies, and these characteristics aren’t meant to define all small or large companies. Look at each job opening individually, and weigh the perks and drawbacks of each, no matter the size of the company.
As social media becomes a valid source for finding a job or networking with people who can help your career, it can be harder to stand out in a sea of Tweets and status updates. If you’re not sure how to use social media for job hunting, here’s a list of seven types of updates you can use to get the attention of employers and industry leaders.
The key is to connect with people who work at the companies you’re interested in, as well as industry colleagues. Blanket following any and everyone won’t help you achieve this, so focus tightly on the right network.
1. Share Your Content
You should have a blog to show off your writing style as well as your philosophy on your industry. Share these posts through your social media channels.
2. Reshare Others’ Content
If you scan through your contacts’ Tweets, Facebook updates, LinkedIn posts and Google + links, you’ll likely find tons of links to articles and blog posts that you enjoy. Read and comment on them, but also reshare them. This shows the person who originally share the article that you’re paying attention. Try to include a personal comment (“I really need to work on Shelly’s fifth tip for writing!”) to give it a personal touch.
3. Ask a Question
Industry experts are on social media, and with the right approach, available to you. Why not get advice or start a conversation as a way to connect? Say you’re in PR (or want to be): you could ask a journalist or owner of a PR company their thoughts on a current industry issue. It’s a good conversation starter, and one others might jump in on.
4. Answer a Question
Besides the usual social channels, there are sites like LinkedIn Answers, Quora and Focus where users ask questions and get answers from others. You can be on either side of this fence, but answering questions shows you’re knowledgeable in your field. Follow anyone who asks a question in your field, as well as others who answer them to build your network.
5. Comment on News and Trends
Employers want to hire people who are passionate about what they do and knowledgeable about industry news and trends. The best way to stay on top of them? See what people are saying on social media and share your own insights. Got an issue with the Online Piracy Act? Voice your opinions. But make sure your comments aren’t emotionally based and have fact to them, or they might turn off potential employers.
6. Connect on a Personal Level
Not every Tweet and status update has to be about work and your industry. Get to know the people you’re connected with. Wish them a happy birthday. Ask about their kids. Respond to their personal status updates. It’s a good way to build trust without an agenda.
7. Follow Hashtags
Hashtags are designed to help people find information about a particular area of interest. That might be your next #PRJobs or advice from #journchat. Not only do you learn things, but you also get great contacts.
There’s a million ways to use social media to network and find your next job. Use a combination of all these strategies to come up with your own way.
This is a post by PR columnist, Alison Kenney.
I’ll admit it’s been a long time since I was an intern, but frequently I talk to PR students who are starting their careers and the topic invariably comes up. In fact, these days it’s just about unheard of to work in PR without first having at least one internship. Internships provide real-world experience that can help candidates stand out in PR job interviews and help interns build their professional network.
Since internships are so common now, there are a lot more formal processes in place for them too — particularly at big PR agencies. For instance, if you’re planning on applying for an internship for the summer, you need to get to work now. Most agencies start accepting applications right after winter break, and by May they’ve selected and signed on their interns for the summer. A typical agency internship lasts 8 weeks, after which most interns either: a) go back to school; b) are offered a full-time position at the agency; or c) look for another internship or job.
One trend I’ve noticed is that more recent college graduates are applying for internships rather than full-time entry-level positions – even if they’ve already built up PR experience with other internships during college. I think that reasons for this trend could include:
- The perception that the only way to be hired for an entry-level job at a big agency is to first work there as an intern.
- Students who want to work in a new city, i.e. not the one their college is located in, feel that they need to make new connections in that area.
- Studying PR in school exposes students to a broad range of practices and some still aren’t sure what they want to focus on in their careers by the time they graduate. Internships are a way to get practical experience that will also help them narrow or select their career path.
- The economy is still in poor condition and the PR job market is still tight so new graduates are scaling back their expectations and aiming for intern-level positions instead of entry-level jobs
The economy may also have had a hand in the increase in unpaid internships in recent years. Some industries, such as the music and film industries, rely on unpaid interns and can offer valuable experience or connections in lieu of pay. While some unpaid internships can be categorized as educational and may even qualify the intern for school credit, if the work is menial it violates federal law not to pay the intern and several states are cracking down on this practice.
Legal or not, unpaid internships exist. Kent State University professor Bill Sledzik offers this summary of the pros and cons of both paid and unpaid internships.
Lauren Berger, founder of InternQueen.com, has had positive experiences with her unpaid internships at organizations such as MTV, Fox, BWR Public Relations and NBC. She says, “Unpaid internships can be the best experiences of your life. They were the best experiences of my life. They should be just as valuable as paid opportunities. Remember, unpaid internships should be only 12-15 hours per week. You can manage a part-time job, internship and school at the same time.”
She also comments on virtual internships, “Virtual internships can be amazing opportunities as well. A virtual internship means you work from home instead of from an actual office. Normally, virtual interns communicate with employees via Skype, texting, phone and email. Try to look for a virtual internship with structured hours.”
Want to weigh in on your intern experience?
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
Many people who use social media connect with both friends and coworkers on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Google + and Twitter. In a study by Millennial Branding and Identified.com, results showed that people on average are connected to 16 coworkers, yet still share intimate details of their personal lives. Good idea? Maybe not.
What Gen Y’s Doing (or Not Doing)
Generation Y (those 18-29 years old) tends to be the most open about their lives, but may not do a great job of separating personal and professional profiles online, to their detriment.
It’s sad but true: people have been fired for what they’ve posted to social profiles, so it’s important to realize who’s “listening” to what you’re posting online.
Many people don’t really use social media effectively to network professionally online, so while they’re great at using it to connect with friends and family, there’s a huge opportunity for young people to use social tools to find a job or get a promotion.
The study by Millennial Branding and Identified.com shows that only 36% of Gen Y social media users post a job entry to their social profiles. With employers searching online for job candidates, this means that while your social profiles will pop up, there won’t be any job history appearing in search results for you unless you add the details to your online profiles.
Separating the Two
Given the privacy features all social media sites offer, there’s no reason you can’t have business and pleasure online, and separate them as well.
Facebook and Google + let you target who you share certain updates with. Create groups for people you don’t mind sharing personal details with, and create groups for people you work with. If you’ve got last night’s party pictures, share with Friends and Family, and leave the Coworkers group out.
Consider only linking with coworkers on sites where you’re 100% professional, like LinkedIn and Twitter. Save the personal side of you for other sites, like Facebook. I don’t personally follow this suggestion because I choose to share only what I am comfortable with everyone knowing about me and certain posts I will only share with certain groups of people.
Don’t be afraid to not connect with coworkers. If your boss sends you a friend request and you’re uncomfortable accepting it, explain to her that you would prefer to keep work and personal separate, and that you have a policy of not connecting with coworkers online (just make sure that’s true). There’s a balance in being social media savvy and being a professional employee. Determine your own business/pleasure policy and stick to it when it comes to hanging out on social sites.
I’m just a bit late on this post now that it’s almost March. Getting the business organized before the arrival of Baby #2 in just few short weeks has kept me on the go. All the preparation has kept me thinking about my career goals as Paradigm Staffing and Hoojobs continues to grow. After so many years in this business, I fear boredom and the feeling of career stagnation. To conquer these fears, I need to be continuously improving myself and seeking new ways of doing my work the best I can. Goal-setting and goal tracking is a big part of how I stay motivated.
What Do You Want to Improve?
I think everyone can agree we all have areas we can improve our skills. You shouldn’t depend on your employer for all of your professional development opportunities. Plenty of resources exist to help you gain new skills that come in handy on and off the job.
Here are a few ideas on areas to explore to get your wheels churning:
- Learn new technology applications. Study up on SEO, accounting/personal finance software and project management systems. You can surely find a way to apply them at some point in your life.
- Ramp up on social media knowledge and personal branding activities
- Hone those writing skills
- Expand your general knowledge in a variety of subject areas
- Become a better networker
- Learn the ins and outs of business and explore areas outside of your specialty
Where to Learn Online
An overwhelming amount of information can be found online – from blogs and tutorials (that’s how I learned to sew!) to online courses via video, text, and audio. You can be as formal or informal as you want in your learning.
The open course movement has gained traction in the past several years with universities such as MIT, Yale, Stanford, Harvard, among others offering free online courses
If you want something with less of a university feel, but still structured, check out these online learning platforms:
- Khan Academy: more than 2,800 videos and exercises in math, business and humanities
- Udemy: free and paid courses on a variety of topics
- Udacity: technical and computer courses
As an avid reader, I try to read one to two business books a quarter and not just in my area of expertise. Try some of the suggestions from Josh Kaufman, author of the Personal MBA, Master the Art of Business lists the 99 Best Business Books to get started.
What to Do With Your Newfound Knowledge
At your next performance review, let your employer know you’ve taken the initiative to learn new skills that help you perform your role better. Hopefully your boss will have already noticed. Your goal is to let your employer know you’re serious about your job and you’re commitment to your professional development.
And at the very least, your new interests and knowledge will keep you sharp and ready to chime in during those off-topic business dinner conversations.
This is a post by PR columnist, Alison Kenney.
On a special web page devoted to ethics, PRSA has this to say,
“The practice of public relations can present unique and challenging ethical issues. At the same time, protecting integrity and the public trust are fundamental to the profession’s role and reputation. Bottom line, successful public relations hinges on the ethics of its practitioners.”
With that in mind, consider these situations:
PR professional and former Boston Globe editor Doug Bailey recently wrote an expose for Boston Magazine on working as the Boston Red Sox’s PR resource that revealed several behind-the-scenes and not-so-flattering vignettes about team members and owners. When questioned if he had abused one of PRSA’s recommendations that PR professionals should “safeguard the confidences and privacy rights of clients and employees,” Bailey responded, “A fair question. But there must be a statute of limitations plus these are cocktail party stories.”
When I first heard that Nancy Assuncao, the PR representative for Paula Deen, had talked to the New York Post about why, in good conscious, she could no longer serve as Deen’s representative, I was disturbed by her airing her work-related dirty laundry so publicly. In taking an ethical stand, Assuncao seemed to violate the PRSA ethical code guideline, to “Act in the best interest of clients or employers.” I won’t argue with the questionable strategy and timing Deen displayed in announcing her diabetes and subsequent endorsement of the diabetes drug from Novo Nordisk. If Assuncao knew about Deen’s diabetes (which some sources say Deen knew about for the past three years) and continued to promote Deen’s unhealthy style of cooking, then she was violating the PRSA code guideline, “Decline representation of clients requiring actions contrary to the Code.”
Personally I think parody tweeters can be funny and entertaining, but when do they cross the line? Did the actions of @BPGlobalPR on Twitter violate PRSA’s transparency code of ethics? Usually it’s when they’re unmasked and found to be a competitor of the person or brand being skewered - for instance it was revealed that a senior advisor for Senator Scott Brown (R, MA) was sending disparaging tweets under the handle @CrazyKhazei (Alan Khazei was Brown’s Democratic rival) and he was called out for those actions by PRSA.
Last month Elizabeth Filkin released a report on her investigation of the relationships between Britain’s Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World. Among her findings came recommendations for PR professionals not to flirt with the media. Hmm…uh…now you’ve got me. PRSA certainly doesn’t disagree with Filkin’s advice…
What do you think? Are there shades of gray when it comes to PR ethics?
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
When is the last time you updated your resume? Sure, you may have added job experience, but did you actually clean up the copy you use to sell yourself to prospective employers?
It’s important to continually change your resume to best reflect your experience and skills. Chances are you’ve accomplished at least a few things in the last few months that should be added to your resume. The wording, too, should constantly be tweaked to improve readability. Even if you aren’t actively looking, as you gain additional experience and achieve greatness at work, you should be keeping track and keeping your resume up-to-date.
Work on the Wording
Many resumes are just too wordy, which can make them difficult to read and longer than necessary. Work to use shorter, descriptive sentences.
When you can, use quantifiable numbers (increased sales by 30%). This helps employers see what exactly you’ve achieved, and it can give them some sense of how you might be able to solve their problems.
Word each sentence in your resume so that it answers the question “so what?” to hiring managers; why should they care about this skill? If you focus on the skills they’ve asked for in the job description, you’ll be more likely to wow them with your resume.
Tips
- Fragments are okay
- Bullet points make it easy to scan your resume for highlights
- Look at the job description and use wording from it in your resume to make the obvious connections for the reader
- Skip the personal pronouns
Focus on Results
Your goal in your resume is make it very easy for the reader to connect the dots. You should be able to clearly illustrate the results you’ve brought in past jobs if you want to set yourself apart. Relate those results to what might be expected of you at this company. You’re looking to quantify as much as possible these achievements.
Here is an example of how to transform a boring part of in your resume into a results-oriented statement that will garner more attention from the reader.
Use specifics examples including media hits (include the publications), team size, percentage increases/decreases (increased national media hits by 150% by doing A, B, C), time frames (hired an internal team of five PR professionals within 12 months).
Many people aren’t descriptive enough, or focus on the wrong things in their resume. While you don’t want to be wordy, you do want to properly describe what you did. An ounce more detail makes a huge difference.
After you’ve worked on your resume, ask a friend to review it and point out any areas of confusion. Keep it constantly updated so you don’t risk forgetting important achievements in a rush to put a resume together last minute. You’ll save yourself many hours of frustration!
This is a post by PR columnist, Alison Kenney.
Want to know reporters’ pet peeves about working with PR people?
No?
Me neither!
But attend any panel session that includes members of the media and the question ALWAYS comes up.
At first the reporter will get a look on his or her face like, “oh, wow, where do I begin?” Then they’ll start off answering the question in a nice way, “well, it’s helpful if the PR person who is contacting me has a relationship with me, or has maybe even read my work and can reference that in the pitch.” But then they get warmed up and watch out! Soon you’ll all be chuckling over the crazy things PR people do when they are pitching stories.
Why do we do this to ourselves?
Most reporters don’t start out spouting off about how annoying PR people are (notice I said “most”) – it’s the PR people who ask them this question. I suppose we ask it because we have an inner desire to do better, or maybe it’s to ingratiate ourselves to the media. I also suppose it’s a PR rite of passage of sorts in which every junior PR person must be exposed to hearing first-hand the rantings of the “other side” and have their blinders removed, so to speak.
But it seems to me that the answers are always astoundingly basic and are only exposing the mistakes of moronic individuals or of a few bad apples.
The two annoyances that come up most frequently when the media is asked this question have to do with follow up calls (either calling when reporters are on deadline or following up excessively) and receiving pitches that are completely off the mark. So do your homework, folks, and understand who you’re pitching and their position with the media outlet, as well as how they work, including their deadlines.
Are we that masochistic?
Are PR pros using their voyeuristic gene to focus on all the bad examples in the industry? How else to explain the popular and authoritative Bad Pitch Blog? Or the site’s efforts, as well as Gawker’s, to “improve the PR industry through ridicule”? Or the viral path that PR screw-ups have taken recently, such as when a BrandLink VP failed miserably in pitching the Bloggess?
It’s gotten to the point that the industry has started debating the value of publicly outing bad pitches, like Arik Hanson does in his post, Are We Helping or Hurting by Blogging About PR Flameouts?
This doesn’t happen in other industries
Can you imagine a group of lawyers asking a judge about what courtroom behavior is the most vexing? Or scientists asking the FDA for tips on speeding up drug approvals?
Of course there’s a difference between “peeving” someone and royally mucking up a brand’s reputation. In any industry, the latter could cost you your job. But, in our industry, the consensus seems to be that there’s value in talking about what not to do.
Do you agree? Disagree?
Alison Kenney an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston’s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She writes a bi-monthly PR column on LindsayOlson.com. You can find her at www.kprcommunications.com. Learn more about Alison Kenney.
For decades now, U.S. News & World Report has annually released a respected ranking of American universities. For hiring managers and human resources personnel around the country this list has provided a useful resource in determining which academic institutions to look out for on resumes. But while USN&WR’s annual college rankings have always exclusively stuck to traditional “brick & mortar” universities, this year was the first time the periodical included a list of the best accredited online colleges in the country. The introduction of such a respected ranking of online colleges speaks volumes about the future of online education.
It’s also incredibly useful for those currently hiring, as many managers and HR personnel are in the dark when it comes to which online programs provide students with a worthy education and which ones fail to prepare individuals for professional careers. This is especially the case in highly technical fields, where the particulars of the applicant’s education often come into play on the job site. At a time when more and more resumes are revealing an online education past, staying up-to-date on the best online schools out there ensures employers continue to hire the best workforce possible.
Such a list also helps dissolve the stigma held against such institutions and the quality of training they offer. Currently just about every reference to online college in the media is negative – usually such coverage is concerned with for-profit institutions and lack of accreditation and academic quality. This creates an inaccurate portrait in the heads of hirers regarding online education, and can unfortunately result in particular qualified applicants being bypassed. A respected ranking of accredited online colleges helps reduce the commonality of such sentiments.
But above all, a ranking of online colleges provided by U.S. News & World Report encourages more people to enroll in such programs in order to get the training and experience they need to become professionals. For every hirer who has doubts about the quality of an online education there are thousands of underemployed people who would be taking such programs if they knew that good ones actually do exist. Now, instead of shrugging off just another falsely-objective list of online colleges, such individuals can consult a trusted source for such information.
In addition, thanks to the way USN&WR catalogs their accredited college rankings into student services, quality of courses, likelihood of post-graduation employment, et cetera, aspiring professionals can now better analyze their online college options for attaining bachelors and even graduate degrees. Individuals can find exactly what they’re looking for in an online college program instead of having to rely on the potentially empty-promises provided by recruiters and online copywriters. For hirers and those looking to get hired alike, this is a definite step in the right direction.
Perhaps the most shocking and inspiring insight one can take away from USN&WR’s online college rankings is the fact that quite a number of respectable brick & mortar universities offer mirrored online versions of their most popular programs. Examples include George Washington University and the University of Florida. It can be said that the lines between traditional college lecture halls and new age online courses are disintegrating swiftly as more and more respectable American schools embrace the inevitable conversion to more digital forms of learning.
If you had doubts about online education, either as a hirer or an aspiring professional, look over the latest rankings list provided by U.S. News & World Report. Your suppositions are sure to be challenged, while the facts you learn are likely to surprise you. In turn, you’ll continue to hire the right workers for the job, or finally get the motivation you need to get the training it takes to become a professional.
As more companies strive to adhere to greener initiatives, you can guarantee that the need for individuals skilled in a variety of green technologies will grow significantly in the next couple of years. So much so will the demand increase, that individuals currently wondering about their own job security or which profession they should consider a career in are better to specialize in going green to enhance their likelihood of employment. Some of the fastest growing green careers include:
Green Construction
As more people take interest in protecting their environment, you can expect the number of green structures to rise in the next few years. And if more green structures are needed, so will be the construction workers and project managers left in charge to build them. If you are already in the field of construction, consider specializing your skill set to better your opportunities at career longevity.
Energy Auditor
Whether you are a business wanted to be lauded for your greenness or a home owner that wants to meet Energy Star criteria, there is a good chance that you will come into contact with a energy auditor. These individuals go through properties to make sure that air isn’t seeping in and out of windows and doors and that walls and attics are properly insulated. They also monitor the amount of energy all your lights and appliances use. Becoming an energy auditor doesn’t require a lengthy degree either. They simply complete a training course and can begin working almost immediately.
Green Educator
As the need for green workers continues to grow so will the need of those able to teach them. So if you already have a degree in education and are wondering how you are going to use it, consider becoming Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. Even if you don’t have a degree, you can still obtain certification and you can specialize in everything from interior design to architecture and will essentially serve as an educator and motivational speaker for the leading green minds to come.
Civil Engineer
Engineers have long been in hot demand, but civil engineers are growing in demand because of their environmental understanding. They are able to determine greener building materials and sites, and they know how to deal with other environmental factors such as run off and ecosystem management. So if you are interested in the field of engineering, consider specializing in green practices for the best shot at finding a job.
Weatherization Expert
If you’ve recently had an energy audit performed on your home or office, you may have noticed that the energy auditor simply told you where your space could use some improvements to be more energy efficient. Once the auditor is gone, it is time for a weatherization expert to come in and actually make several of those updates to your home. These individuals caulk, apply weather stripping, and know proper types of insulation to keep your house most efficient regardless of the weather conditions outside. Not only are there not enough contractors for these types of jobs, but the demand continues to rise.
If you are in need of a great job with a secure future, choosing a green career may be one of the best options available. Not only will you experience a heightened level of job security, but you will be able to find satisfaction in knowing that you are doing something better for the environment and those living in it too. Green careers tend to pay better too, so there’s actually very little to complain about when it comes to going green professionally.
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.
