The Segue: A PR Professional’s Best Tools (Part 7)

It is finally that time, and no I don’t mean the holidays. The end of the second week of December has come! With but only a few minor assignments remaining, course work on my bachelor’s is just about finished. I write this as a man who has wanted a bachelor’s degree for years, and it feels damn good to finally attain a goal. So as any college student is want to do, so begins the epic job hunt. Well actually, my job hunt started last summer.

I fall in a different category than the average student. First off, I am 30 years old, and do have a decent amount of experience in government public affairs. Though government work is a great background on paper, it is still far from any type of corporate experience, where a vastly significant amount of the public relations trade resides. And so, my journey started to find myself a career in the field I choose to make a living in. Ever since leaving the military, this challenging economy makes it quite hard to find something worth it. Companies and corporations have their proverbial pick of the litter, as there are more people than available jobs. In fact, most of my interviews seem to only come from government positions I have applied for. It’s quite frustrating, but I persevere. Being my movement is toward a position in Dallas, TX, there are several websites I want to share. After all, segueing from studious education culminates in the practical application of what you have learned.

Of course everyone knows the big two, www.monster.com and www.careerbuilder.com. In my opinion, though decent, these websites are not specific enough for someone pursuing a career in public relations. Not only do you have to search several different titles to find the right positions, they are just too broad. I remember running a search on crazy job titles to find anything. Not many are simply listed under public relations, and those that are seem quite dated. Having the same problem as me? Fear no, for the ace in the hole is www.indeed.com. This website is actually a search engine in regard to other job websites. It compiles everything, and I mean EVERYTHING! Through Indeed, I found job websites I didn’t know existed like www.jobfox.com, and a few others. The jury is still out on Jobfox, as they seem to annoyingly request I pay them for service (dumb).

Another good one is www.dfwcommunicators.com if there is an interest for specific Dallas-based jobs. My college professor helped create the site, and it is run in tandem with the local PRSA chapter. And since I mentioned federal employment, also try www.usajobs.com for public affairs positions. Just make sure to book about three hours of time out of the day to make a profile. It is very involved.