#FridayFive: How I got a job 24 hours BEFORE I graduated

Yes, you read correctly. I received a job offer from a great company literally a day before I was to walk across the stage. But hold on to your hats, because this story gets even more twisted. The job I was offered was a job I never even applied for!

So I know you’re wondering … How did this happen!!!??? Well in this post I will reveal that information and much more.  There are five essentials that I feel helped me to accomplish what most would call unthinkable in 2012. Take this advice to heart because it’s all from my experience and seemed to work pretty well.

Networking – Tell everyone you know (and people you don’t know) about your passion for whatever it is you’re passionate about. You never know whom someone else knows and could connect you with. Post it on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin everywhere! Reach out to people who do what you want to do and talk to them about it! Trust me! They want to know you and share their knowledge.  

Resilience – This is a characteristic that is essential in any career and is helpful to anyone looking for a job. Looking for a first job is going to be difficult and stressful. I can remember nights in my last semester of school where I would apply for 5-10 jobs (not even having a degree) and beat myself up about not hearing back. Although, my case is extreme this shows my dedication to wanting a job. If there’s something you want in life don’t let internal or external forces stop you. Be resilient and you’ll be success. Read this post about resilience: http://www.reasonedpr.com/blog/promance-thoughts-from-guest-blogger-graduating-senior-james-burge/

Confidence – You know what you know, so show it in your interview. Make an extra effort to bring up skills and knowledge you have, even if the interviewer doesn’t bring those up. My number one piece of advice is BE YOURSELF during the interview! The person you are during the interview is the person they want to work with if they hire you. Start the way you want to finish.   

Innovation/Creativity - Do something no one else is doing. Think outside the box. In an effort to not be cliché, I’m basically saying create your own persona and don’t copy others. For me, this meant branding myself. By branding myself, I communicated two different skills. I showed my future employer that I am aware of the importance of consistency in branding and that I can do the same for his/her company. See my online portfolio: www.jamesburgepr.com

A Team – The old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child” is very true. When you’re trying to reach your dreams, or even when trying to figure out what those dreams are, a team of supporters is the most valuable asset you can have. These people will edit your resume, call/email you about new job openings they know of, and even provide an ear for you to vent about how you haven’t heard anything back or when you receive bad news. Your team is your core group that will offer you all the things you can’t do for yourself. 

The Future is BRIGHT!

In our current economy, it seems as though no matter what degree you have decided to pursue, you may have a problem with receiving a job after graduating. Hearing the horror stories from recent graduates certainly doesn’t help to ease the worries of students in school at the moment.  So, what do PR students have to look forward to?

As many of us have heard and even read from different sources, the job market in communications and other fields is steadily dropping. Gone are the days where students would leave school and have the task of selecting from a bevy of job offers.

In an article on journalism.org, we find that “just 55.5% of 2009 journalism and communication graduates with a bachelor degree were able to find full-time work within a year of leaving school” (University of Georgia’s “Annual Survey of Journalism and Mass Communication Graduates”). This number is of course not for all students in all states, but it does give an example of what Communication students are up against. 

Last week, I was having a discussion with my mother about how things were when she was my age (20); she told me that everywhere you went people were happy to hire recent college graduates. Now recent graduates are happy to get work just about anywhere.

Now, with all that being said (sorry if I scared you), where does that leave us PR students? In our camp we are fortunate enough to have this little thing called “Social Media”. As I took to the web looking for information and opinions on the forecast for current PR students, social media seemed to ring a bell with most, as being a great tool to leverage employment. Shyla Mouser of The Perfect Image PR had this to say, "The future of PR for students is limitless! There are so many advances in technology and social media. They just need to jump in, internship after internship.”

Shyla makes a great point. With the way that the PR industry is evolving, there are a multitude of opportunities available within our field, and more will present themselves in the future.
Another great thing about our profession that I admire, is that there are a large number of industries to work in. Shyla’s advice is that PR students should explore all of the options available. “Learning from all aspects of PR whether it is non-profit, fashion, or music will be beneficial until you find your niche.”

Aliah Davis-McHenry of Aliah PR also gave some advice in the form of greatly inspiring words. “The future is bright for PR. We must all stay motivated, optimistic, and driven as PR is dynamic and the need increases."

So, although the future seems bleak at the moment, we must look past all the bad media coverage our futures are receiving and work our PR magic to ensure we are doing all we can to shine!

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”


Robert Collier

Special Thanks to:

Aliah Davis-McHenry
Founder of PR-Diva.com and Aliah PR, Nonprofit Manager, Social Media Lover, Speaker, Fashionista, Writer, Foodie & Photographer. Aliah Public Relations is a NJ-based boutique public relations and events management firm specializing in small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and associations.
Twitter: @AliahPR
Website: www.aliahpr.com

Shyla Mouser
Founder of The Perfect Image PR. The Perfect Image PR, LLC is a public relations firm that offers comprehensive publicity planning catered to your needs and goals. She specializes in getting the buzz out and creating "The Perfect Image" for her clients.
Twitter: @PublicistShyla
Website: www.perfectipr.com