No matter your role in public relations at this time, whether student, recent grad or seasoned pro, it has no doubt been quite an interesting past few years. The recession paired with our industry being in one of its most transformative stages in history has leveled the pre-existing playing field considerably. We have a slew of new technologies to communicate with and the nature in which people interact with information is very different − and both are changing all the time. Businesses are trying to get their footing and establish staffing needs in a rapidly changing business climate and job seekers are hoping to secure fitting employment. These combined circumstances are largely responsible for why the market has been especially difficult to penetrate for people looking for a job in PR, and those who are looking to make a transition mid-career.

With the circumstances as such, what is a PR peep to do? I say, dress for the job you want. Not in the literal sense of course, but equip yourself with the tools necessary to land where you’d like. I know it may sound a little lofty or airy, but if you know what you want, believe that you are capable of achieving it and have a desire to figure things out, than suiting up and showing up that way should be no problem, right? Having landed in a wicked awesome digital PR gig earlier this year, I thought I’d jot down a few of the things that helped immensely along the way. Thanks to Nicole Lemmer and Sam Johnson for prompting me to write this down:-).

NETWORKING! Do as much of it as your schedule allows! I love people and have a genuine interest in what they do, how they got there and where they might want to go. Out of this interest, I get the gift of others’ experiences and the privilege to learn from them. I believe this is one of the most important things you can do and want to do in your life, in all capacities, but especially in PR (or business) because what is PR all about? RELATIONSHIPS. Relationships are the capital by which we navigate the waters in our careers. Connections for potential employment, peer-to-peer advise, comparing notes, like-minds, new business development, friendship, etc. are among the benefits and opportunities of strong and genuine relationships. Some of the ways I enjoy getting to know people:

• Join (or shop) a professional organization. I joined Minnesota PRSA in 2008. Being a PR student and having served as vice president of Metropolitan State University’s PRSSA chapter made my Minnesota PRSA membership imminent. It has been a phenomenal place, as it offers professional development, networking, service and many other opportunities for growth. In addition to membership, I serve on the communications committee as co-chair and formerly served as social media lead. Getting involved in the organization is very wise, as it exposes you to opportunities you would otherwise not have.
• Events. Go to them! I’ve make a huge effort to check out events put on by other professional organizations, like Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA), American Marketing Association, Social Media Breakfast (SMBMSP), UnSummit, Minnebar, Mobile Twin Cities and more (if you have the money or support from your company to go to national events, do that as well). I’ve discovered so many new faces and places that I’d otherwise never known about if I had just stuck to my friends and what’s comfortable. If you go to one event offered by every different group (within reason), you can get a feel of where you may want to join and where you may want to check in and say hi from time to time. Events are also a great place to meet your online connections face-to-face. When you’re at these events don’t be shy. Stick your hand out and get to know people. Kind of scary, but it gets easier the more you do it.
• Informational Interviews This is huge. I understand that this can be really scary. I’ve been there. But here’s the deal: There are a lot of ordinary people out there that just send a resume, cover letter and some writing samples. They may even do something cute and creative in hopes that their scented paper or use of crafty language may advance them faster in the interview process. If you want to use cute paper and fonts fine, but more than anything else you should just go ahead, give the agency or company a call and say, “I’m very interested in learning about your business. I’m in school, or graduating, etc. studying X and I would love to gain a bit of knowledge from the application side of what I’m learning in the classroom. Would it be possible for me to come in and chat with X about that for 30 minutes?” What’s the worse that can happen? They can say no, right? Big deal. If you’ve done it right by presenting yourself and what you’re asking for well, this should not be the case. If you can do this, you can do anything. As cheese ball as this sounds, don’t be ordinary be extraordinary.
• Twitter. I joined in 2008 and slowly began to build meaningful relationships with people through a common connection of sorts. Whether a discussion about movies, the Minnesota State Fair, food or insight on industry trends — by investing time, listening and sharing with others, I now have great relationships with folks all over the place that have contributed to many professional successes along the way. The relationships I’ve built on Twitter have been EXTREMELY valuable to me in my career thus far.

STAY EDUCATED and SHARE (these all impact your network big time)

• Read. Keeping yourself up to date on what’s going on is important (and hopefully something that interests you), so I read as much as I can. There is no shortage of information on any topic nowadays. I read anywhere from five to 20 articles a day. It’s a culmination of blogs, the news and other relevant content that interests me. I read about PR and communication trends and  subject matter far outside the scope of what is of interest in order to expand my knowledge base.
• Comment. Share your thoughts on the blogs that you read and enjoy. Don’t be scared either. If you read it and like it (or don’t), add something, even if it’s that you read and enjoyed the blogger’s post.
• Blog. I started this blog in late 2009 to start more in depth conversations about things that matter to me. Through these connections, I’ve taken many of these conversations offline and developed deeper connections with like minds. There are other places to add value (organizing and sharing content in social bookmarking sites, Twitter, Facebook groups, etc.) but the overall point is that the time you put in will likely produce results, providing you are being yourself, acting with integrity, showing a genuine interest to learn and participate in a broader conversation.

DO. Do whatever you want to do. Just Do It! It isn’t one of the world’s staple brand taglines for nothing. If you want something, then darnit, go get it! Taking action can be quite difficult. It’s so much easier to sit around and think/talk about doing something rather than actually doing it, especially when it comes to advancing yourself. For me it’s, ‘I’m going to start writing more blog posts.” Well, that’s great and while I’ve seen a mild improvement in frequency of posts from myself, it’s still not once a week without fail (or more), which is what I’d prefer it to be. Therefore, more discipline and action is required. I have a great analogy for action taking that I refer to when I struggle. It goes something like this: Your car is broken. You call the shop and schedule an appointment to get your car fixed. Is it fixed? NOPE! You have to actually take your car in so it can get fixed, right? We can make decisions all day long about what we’re going to do and even how we’re going to do it, but unless we actually shut up and go do something it will not happen. I categorize this in the simple but not easy department because while it’s just plain logic, you can easily fall into a lot of decision making with no action taking. At least I can, so reviewing this regularly helps me out.

These are just a few of the things that have greatly impacted my life and career in the past few years. I believe that by suiting up and showing up in all of these areas has prepared and positioned me well for where I am today.

How are you dressing for the job you want? I’d love to know.