How-To Land a Job at a PR Agency
When people ask me for advice and guidance on getting a meaningful position at a public relations, I don’t sugarcoat the process – when you are considered for an agency slot, it’s all about money.
If you want to land a job at a public relations agency … one that is at least a step above an entry level position … here’s what agencies are looking for in candidates:
- Can you bring new or existing business that equates to at least two and one-half times your annual salary … business that the agency will have for at least a year.
- Can you influence new business, guaranteed, that will account for at least 250 percent of your annual salary.
- Can you bring a specialized skill, contacts or credentials that will be a guaranteed magnet for the agency to acquire new business in the short-term.
Regarding #3, an example here in the Washington area would be to claim that because you were part of the Obama transition team (along with about 873,000 people making that claim), you have unique connections to land, for example, AIG as a client for a PR agency.
Yet, more than this short reality checklist, you need to ask yourself … why? Why become part of an industry that is not far behind traditional newspapers in becoming obsolete? The current PR holding company, hourly billing, money obsession model is broken or not relevant to the needs of many of today’s clients.
I cannot tell you how many PR professionals contact me with the same story … about being courted by an agency, and then the conversation always turns to how much revenue the job candidate can generate in the short-term. If your agency is an exception, good for you. But you are in the minority.
It’s safe to say that a majority of PR agencies, especially the more traditional giants, are behind in the digital revolution, behind in social media, and not thought-leaders about communications in the online world, today and tomorrow. For most of them, it’s pretty much business as usual, cranking out irrelevant pitches or blasting spam email press releases.
It’s not surprising that many savvy organizations are taking matters into their own hands, hiring talent or turning to consultants who can help point them in the right direction.
Related posts:
- How-To Vet a PR Agency in the Internet Era
- FEMA Flap Costs Faker New Job
- Obama Job Seekers Must Reveal All … Info
- Porter Novelli: Senior Leaders Depart
Category: Featured, Public Relations
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Comments (19)
Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed
Sites That Link to this Post
- PR 2.0 Reloaded » Blog Archive » PR agencies are behind… | March 18, 2009
- How-To Land a Job at a PR Agency | David Henderson - author … « Public Relation | March 18, 2009
David, your points about the imminent fossilization of traditional public relations agencies are well-taken and sadly too often true. However, comma, there are some of us out here from a “traditional PR” background who are embracing with enthusiasm the emerging (heck, they’ve emerged by now) communication channels and rules of the marketplace. (In fact our mantra here at The Catevo Group – http://www.catevo.com — is “evolve or die”). Fundamentally, humans learn and experience the world through stories (read Bettleheim’s “The Uses of Enchantment”). For all of us, every story has a beginning (“Once upon a time”), a middle (“and then this happened”) and an end (“so the moral of the story is . . .”). Those rules have not and will not change — only the tools we use have. Smart communication consultants remember that and adapt their stories (for themselves and their brands) to the preferences and expectations of their audiences. Stone tablets, books, newspapers, radio, TV, Twitter — they’re all on the same continuum. PR and marketing firms that can’t or won’t see this are the buggy whip manufacturers of today.
You’re doing it again, David – naughty, naughty.
You can’t tar such a wide-reaching industry with the same brush. Yes, there are some that are way behind when it comes to newer methods, and some may never get it at all, and these will be the ones that will probably flounder.
Yet for all the “bad” agencies, there are many “good” agencies and professionals that are way ahead of many of the so-called “thought leaders” in today’s media, whether you want to call that social, new or any other description.
And the three examples you used as a pre-requisite to getting a job in PR? I’m assuming you’re using old practices for these examples, because any agency that lives to that mantra needs to get realistic.
Cheers as always – but no more tarring!
Danny,
Okay, I admit that my post was meant to stimulate discussion. But quite honestly the three pre-requisites are true for getting a job in PR that’s more than entry level. During research for my books, I have interview a wide group of PR agency execs, and whether a job candidate can bring in immediate revenue is the #1 consideration … far out-distancing experience, talent and competence.
I am also concerned that the PR industry as a whole is lagging farther and farther behind in really learning today’s online world, choosing instead to find ways to monetize it into their own branded “digital” products … sort of a perverse chicken and egg approach.
Good to hear from you.
dh
I agree to a certain extent, however there are many PR professionals such as myself who are leaving the old ways behind and adapting the new ways of communicating online. I agree that the “traditional” PR professionals will get left behind if they don’t change, luckily for me i completely shy away from what PR is traditionally known to be, i’m not a fan myself.
Stimulating discussion is always good, and far prefer that to just a closed mindset and “I’m right, now move along” approach.
I wonder if these same execs are media savvy (to borrow your own phrase)when it comes to these views? Immediate revenue probably isn’t going to happen. Unless you’re an independent consultant or a former agency owner, you won’t be allowed to take existing clients with you to a new job. So, you’re starting primarily from scratch (not counting contacts you’re currently making, of course).
Time to ditch the false economy ego’s and get up to speed before it’s too late, by the sounds of it.
As a partner in a 25-year-old PR firm, I’d have to say these How-to steps are a little short-sighted. Yes, as with any for-profit business, the idea is to make money. But the mid-level talent that you refer to here shouldn’t be compared to a stylist bringing their following to a new salon.
Your experience, talent, ability to adapt and fit into a company’s culture speak more to your long-term ability to work with clients and bring in new business than a rolodex of clients you bring from another agency.
Maybe these steps should be repurposed for a post about hiring a sales force.
Kim and Danny,
Both of you are correct that I have used a brush that’s too wide. I went back into the posting and added a couple of qualifiers to narrow the focus. But the point I am trying to make is not agency bashing, because that’s where I have made my living for years. Rather, there are too many agencies still using blast email to send out irrelevant pitches, too many still counting clips, too many using traditional tactics that haven’t changed much in more than 20 years.
As publisher, for example, of BoomerCafe.com, I see at least a dozen blast email pitches each day that reveal that the agency person has been too lazy to find out what we cover. Look, we are seeking stories and open to ideas. But when we reply to the PR people, we rarely hear back from them. When we ask them for a story and not a press release, we NEVER hear back from them. Why? Because it would require more work.
Appreciate you taking the time to comment.
dh
I think these types of agencies would be the ones that get things wrong on a variety of levels – the medium (social media versus traditional) wouldn’t really make a difference to them.
Sadly, they’re the same ones that train new staff to do the same so the cycle continues.
However, perhaps the recipients of the crappy pitches should also take a stand? Blacklisting the agency, giving priority to those that get it right, etc?
A problem can only be solved by the cause and effect working together.
Maybe things are a bit different in the UK or maybe I’ve been out of the agency loop for too long but I’m amazed that agencies can get away with demanding employees bring “guaranteed” business with them – if they could really do this why not start out on their own.
I agree with your second point though – I started out in an agency 13 year ago (where does the time go!) and for the last 10 years have been in house – about three months ago I started looking into going agency side again and was surprised that very little seemed to have chaged.
What struck me most is how many, if not most, agencies have totally failed to embrace social/new media – even the ones that profess to have “digital” experience (whatever that is).
Maybe part of the problem for those that shy away from social media is that the ROI is far easier to measure than it ever was in the old days when you handed the client a nice fat clippings file at the end of the quarter. Google analytics etc. have seen to that.
But for those of us that see this as an advantage it is a great time to be in PR/Marketing – it is an exciting land of opportunity – not wanting to get stuck in the past at ABC1 & Co I have struck out on my own and have found clients who are very keen to get the most out of social/new media and the excellent value for money marketing it can represent.
Finally I am truly amazed that when you contact PRs they don’t get back to you and offer you story ideas for your publication – what do they think they’re paid to do?
Dave,
Interesting post. I may be living in a cocoon, but as the “hiring” partner at my PR agency, I don’t think about any of the three things you list. We’re hiring right now at senior levels and the things I’m looking for are:
1) Can you get deep inside a client’s story? Can you break it down into interesting newsworthy storylines? Can you clearly communicate complex topics?
2) Are you a go-getter? Resourceful? Will you leave no stone unturned to deliver value to a client? Are you a good client service person? Are you entrepreneurial? Willing to try new things? Have you done your homework on my agency before an interview or before sending your cover letter? Can you succintly and passionately explain why you’d be a great addition to our team?
3) Are you social-media savvy? This one is a bit cliche-sounding, but I’m looking to see if you are active in new media? Are you active on Twitter? Do you blog? Is your LinkedIn profile up-to-date for starters. Do you have other technical skills that can be applied to the changing world of PR?
I certainly hope other agencies out there are measuring dollar values against candidates, cause we’re measuring client value and innovation against our candidates. I think PR is a great field for smart, entrepreneurial, tech-savvy folks to get into and help shake things up.
Brett,
Appreciate your comments here. I intentionally tried to be provocative with this post, not to bash the hand that’s fed me for more than two decades, but rather to send up a warning flare that much of the industry today is falling behind the fast-moving online world.
Your agency would appear to be among those who will define the future, recognized for being nimble, aware of storytelling as an essential element of communications, and not only savvy about social media, which is now, but mindful of what’s ahead.
But today, my friend, you … I … and others who have commented here are in the minority. Big PR is back in the 90s.
David
David,
As always you stir the pot and make me think about the past, present, and future. I find it interesting that the majority of the world of public relations firms, not Danny Brown or the progressive firms like Brett Weiner’s, still support press release spamming as a function of good solid viral marketing.
It also amazes me that these less progressive or savvy firms are not firmly planted at the source(s) of the next huge wave in search: conversational search.
It’s no coincidence that Facebook recently implemented changes in an attempt to mimic the Twitter “conversational stream” and conversational search engine benefits.
As Brett stated, if the progressive firms are hiring people who can get deep inside a client’s story, are resourceful, and are social media savvy, then why aren’t the rest of the majority following their lead.
Even more puzzling is the fact that this majority is not completely embedded in Twitter’s search engine scouring for conversations that matter to their clients, to their own firm’s image, and to the coming trends in social media.
I’m just discovering your blogs and enjoying catching up. Please, keep stirring the pot.
I ‘retired’ from the agency game 5 years ago after spending most of my 30 years in the business working for big firms or owning my own. One of the bigger reasons I stay mostly retired and focus on consulting is how broken the business model is — and how many meetings I sat through talking about it with no changes.
What we’ve been selling for decades is our time. Our most frequent justification is how many people read, respond to and now engage with what we place. Sometimes that’s adequate but unless or until we do a better job of proving our results improve business performance we’re not going fix the broken business model. Which is what I think you’re really talking about here.
In marketing PR we sometimes get the chance to prove how many units we sell. In corporate communications I haven’t found an affordable, repeatable method for showing we’ve moved the needle. More importantly, we need to prove that moving the needle in the right direction improves business performance. That is what our clients do and should care about. Peter Himler’s blog, The Flack, has talked about that justification lately, but we need more of that discussion.
Yes, at H&K and, briefly, at GCI your criteria were on my mind for any senior hire. Then I had to figure out how much of that revenue we could push down to the real profit centers — AAEs and AEs because that is where the real margins were (and probably are). For most agencies, particularly the big ones I don’t see there’s been a change in that while I’ve been gone. Web 2.0 is changing many things but in a professional services environment the compensation to fee ratio math still rules. At least until ‘we’ do a better job of demonstrating how we boost performance and start selling expertise and competence instead of hours and eyeballs.
If I’ve missed ways we’ve improved proving how our work improves our clients’ performance I’d love to read / hear about them, but until we do a better job at that I don’t see how we’re going to change / fix this broken business model. Please keep stirring the pot.
@RTRViews (Rick Rice)
Great info. Passing this on to some friends that are looking.
Ed
Ed,
A few people have taken exception to my post … and no doubt there are a few exceptions. But it is certainly more the case than the exception in today’s PR world.
Thanks for commenting,
David
Nice looking website, could I ask you what template you are using and how much it costs? I have been using cheap ones but can’t locate one that I really like.
The theme is a customized version of WP-Vybe 2.0 by Solostream.com.