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In a time where finding a journalism job, or any communications related field, for that matter, appears to be getting harder and harder by the day, there's one way you can get an edge over the competition.
What's that, you ask? Become an expert in the field of your choice.
For instance, if you're interested in local and state politics, start a blog covering that subject. If it's banking, business, and/or finance, start a blog on that. The same thing goes for fashion, pharmaceuticals, social media, sociology, etc.
The more experience (or knowledge) you have covering a particular subject, or in journalism terms, covering a beat, the better off you're going to be when it comes time to apply for a job.
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all posts at http://communication-careers-corner.blogspot.com/.
Send e-mail to communicationcareers@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/commcareer
Here's an irony on mainstream journalism's downward spiral: it's actually helping journalism schools boost their enrollment.
According to a recent article in Crain's New York Business, many of the so-called "j-schools" are helping future potential journalists develop technical skills, as opposed to actual journalism-related skills like storytelling (and news writing), in order to compete in an ever-tightening job market.
If that wasn't enough, the same article in Crain's reports that the recent job fair hosted by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism had a record 135 companies taking part in it.
Which shows, that even in the toughest of times, media companies and organizations still need talented, not to mention technically savvy, people to produce the news that many of us still take for granted, whether it's on air, on paper, online, and (increasingly) on mobile devices.
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all posts at http://communication-careers-corner.blogspot.com/.
Send e-mail to communicationcareers@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/commcareer
In what seems to be an increasingly tight job market, treating the job search just like dating appears to be more important than ever.
For proof, read this article from money.usnews.com on this very aforementioned topic here. It gives you a dozen tips (and change) on how to get your future spouse, uh, employer, to the altar.
Which leads to this question. How do you know a particular company is "The One"?
Using "dating" techniques, you invite that potential special someone out to lunch, or maybe coffee (networking). Don't talk marriage (or job) at this point. Instead, find out what the company is looking for in its employees.
If, after the first or second date, things aren't working out, it might be time to move on. After all, there's a difference between persistent, and being a pest. You just to have to know when take a hint, and find someone else to pursue.
It just might be that the people you're dating (or the companies you hope to work for someday) just simply might not be "your type".
Feel free to comment on any and
all posts at http://communication-careers-corner.blogspot.com/.
Send e-mail to communicationcareers@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/commcareer
The Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence In Journalism released its State of the News Media 2013 report on Monday. And it appears that the news media in general, at least in the U.S., continues to go on a download spiral.
As far as the overall impact on public relations, communications, and other related fields goes, it seems that many companies are becoming their own media outlets, dispensing their own news while filling in the gaps left behind by shrinking news coverage, according to prdaily.com.
If that wasn't enough, a study released by Robert McChesney and John Nichols in 2011 shows that there are more PR people than actual journalists, rising from a ratio of 1.2 to 1 in 1980 to 3.6 to 1 in 2008.
If you want proof, just take a look at the number of former journalists who are now working in PR these days. And those numbers are only expected to grow between now and the end of this current decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As in a growth rate of at least 20 percent before the year 2020. And no, they're not talking about 20/20 vision here.
Oh, and as far as traditional media such as newspapers is concerned, while there's reason for optimism for the first time in a long time, threats to their long-term viability still exist. Print advertising revenue has fallen for the sixth year in a row last year, by more than seven percent, while digital ad revenue has seen slow growth over the past couple of years.
So, what does this mean for you, the aspiring public relations and communications professional? It means that while that the media landscape continues to constantly change, and not always for the better, the opportunities to make your mark in an always evolving industry have never been better. It's up to you to find your niche, and shine.
Feel free to comment on any and
all posts at http://communication-careers-corner.blogspot.com/.
Send e-mail to communicationcareers@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/commcareer
Here's a hint. It's not a bachelor's degree in journalism, communications, or even PR itself.
According to everything-pr.com, the best undergraduate degrees for a PR career are business, English (both are no-brainers here, especially since both require strong marketing and communications skills), performing arts (such as theater), and even computer science (after all, technology constantly changes every day, it seems).
If that wasn't enough, it seems like Yahoo! has been on to something of late, at least as far as "hot careers" are concerned. It appears that every time you visit the Education page on Yahoo!, public relations specialist or communications shows up on pages such as "Jobs That Aren't Going Away", "Booming Online Degrees to Switch Fields", and even"Careers for Math-Haters", just to name a few.
Still, no matter what degree you choose to pursue, learning the proper skills needed to succeed in public relations and other communications-related fields is always worth the time, money, and most importantly, the investment.
Feel free to comment on any and
all posts at http://communication-careers-corner.blogspot.com/.
Send e-mail to communicationcareers@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/commcareer
Just how versatile is a communications degree from an accredited college or university these days?
This versatile, according to Yahoo! Education. In fact, according to a recent post on Yahoo!, communications ranks as the fourth most loved college degree by employers. Only accounting, the MBA (Master's in Business Administration), and a Bachelor's in Business Administration rank higher than communications.
Why study communications in college? Because you do so many different things with a degree, ranging from administrative work to advertising, management to marketing, and public relations to public speaking, just to name a few.
Yes, the first thing that comes to mind when people think of communication careers, they think of the obvious paths to pursue: journalist, news anchor/reporter, radio and TV announcer, and even technician, among other professions.
But there's so much more to a communications degree than you might think. It's up to you find out what the possibilities are, especially in the most competitive job market in quite some time.
Feel free to comment on any and
all posts at http://communication-careers-corner.blogspot.com/.
Send e-mail to communicationcareers@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/commcareer
With Valentine's Day already here in multiple parts of the world, as this post is being written, here's a brief word about treating the search just like you're "dating" (1) a potential employer.
For instance, suppose there's a job opening at a company you'd really "love" to work for. Like a single person who's looking to get a date, you surf the Internet searching the "perfect" job. Of course, nobody's perfect, so why look for the "perfect" job? There's no such thing.
For the most part, there are many job searches where the "love" flows just one way: toward the employer. Usually, that doesn't end well. That's especially the case after, for example, after you've left a job interview (2) hoping for that next call, which is hoping to land another interview, or better yet, a job offer.
Only that call never comes. Which leaves you feeling like you've been left, well, at the altar.
Here are several more tips to treat the job search like "dating".
5 Ways the Job Search is like Dating (Careerealism)
Job Searches Done the Dating Site Way (news.cnet.com)
Job Searching is a lot like dating (theladders.com)
Other sources
(1): 10 Ways Job Searching Is Like Dating (usnews.com)
(2): Job searching is a lot like dating (Unabashedly Me blog: unabashedly--me.blogspot.com)
Feel free to comment on any and
all posts at http://communication-careers-corner.blogspot.com/.
Send e-mail to communicationcareers@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/commcareer
Still looking for that job, or interview, for that matter? Here are a few pointers to ponder.
Update your resume, cover letter, and portfolio if any of them haven't been updated in a while.
Check all three above for grammatical and spelling errors.
NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!!!!! It's not enough to send out a resume, and hope someone picks up the phone, and calls you to schedule an interview.
Sell, sell, sell! Remember to A-M-Y: Always Market Yourself. After all, we're in the age of personal branding.
Use any and all forms of social media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest YouTube, etc. Of all of these services, LinkedIn works best for making those all-important connections.
And last, but not least, be persistent! NEVER GIVE UP!
Feel free to comment on any and
all posts at http://communication-careers-corner.blogspot.com/.
Send e-mail to communicationcareers@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/commcareer
