Landing Qualified Newbies, Let Us Count The Ways

Dec 08, 2003

As the end of 2003 approaches, fewer people are wincing with dread for the coming year. The economy expanded in the third quarter at a 9.4% annual rate, the fastest growth in 19 years. The Dow is back around where it was right before the bubble and the subsequent burst. Leading research firm International Data Corporation is predicting that IT spending will grow 5% next year. And, yes, companies are even thinking about adding a few more bodies to payroll.

I know this because they are writing in to say so. The August 4, 2003, "From the Frontlines" article in PR NEWS touched upon tips for ensuring that the young professional in the interview chair is everything (s)he claims to be. In response, I got several e-mails and phone calls that amounted to, "Great stuff, but how do I get good young professionals in that chair in the first place?" Ask and ye shall receive.

Below, are six tips on how to land the most worthwhile candidates for junior PR executives.

1. Make it easy to find your ad, but hard to apply for a job.

It may seem crazy to make applying for a role more time-consuming for job seekers, but not if you value your time. For, in the end, do you want to hire someone who wouldn't have applied for the job had it been a little more difficult or someone who would have jumped through hoops of fire to make it through your door? Ensure that candidates can't just send you the same cover letter they're sending to everyone in town by making your application process unique to your company.

2. Help candidates eliminate themselves.

When advertising for the spot, a comprehensive job description is important, but as far as getting the right candidates, even more crucial is a bullet-point list of required and preferred qualifications. The list should include both requisites - X years of experience in a similar area of practice, bachelor's degrees, computer skills, as well as preferred qualifications - industry-specific experience, advanced degrees, accreditations, more advanced IT skills, etc.

3. Start by asking people you trust.

The best candidates are those who have already been vetted by respected colleagues. Talk to your friends in the business about the junior professionals with whom they work. Often companies simply don't have a full-time spot available for promising students upon completion of their internships, but would love to hire them. Discuss with colleagues in internal PR roles about the young stars at the agencies they may employ. Ask your friends in agencies about promising juniors at their clients' companies. And don't forget homegrown talent.

4. Tame the Monster.

Monster.com, Jobs.com, Career-builder.com, Hotjobs.com and other similar Web-based resources are seen by jobseekers as gifts from the IT gods. Their sheer reach makes them attractive, and are valuable tools for managing larger-scale searches and employee pools, standardizing applications and customizing ads. Their default mechanisms, however, make it too easy for jobseekers to apply for positions because they allow people to take a shotgun approach and, with indiscriminate clicks, apply for jobs for which they are unqualified. The result is often 500 applications in a hirer's inbox, but only a few worth a follow-up. It creates an inefficient, needle-in-the-haystack scenario. To avoid this situation while still leveraging otherwise powerful tools, use Monster.com and other such sites, but disable the features that allow automated application for jobs. Instead, after your ad, list an "unclickable" e-mail address, a fax number or even a snail-mail address. This will require them to exit the Web site they're using and spend some time thinking about why they want to work for you specifically.

5. Go vertical.

Look for candidates using online mechanisms provided by organizations centering on communications and public relations. Job sites like WorkinPR.com, a PR NEWS partner, help strip away candidates with a casual interest in the profession and uncover those with a true interest and understanding of public relations. Communications industry-specific online forums and listservs are also an excellent way to find talent because members reveal their writing skills and level of PR sophistication through participating in such forums.

6. Get local.

Go beyond your city's main newspaper and consider local business journals to find candidates. These publications often publish e-mail newsletters, where advertising rates are usually significantly lower than their print counterparts. Local business councils also often have e-mail newsletters that solicit job advertisements, and can be a great source to tap into professionals already entrenched in their business communities.

Some localized mechanisms are found only online - Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.org) has become a popular place to advertise for junior positions in several cities, especially among the non-profit community. Another online only example is CapWire, Inc. (http://www.potomactechwire.com), an e-mail-only publisher of regional "techwires" in several major metropolitan areas, whose daily technology newsletters include job advertisements. Also, investigate job fairs sponsored by local universities - often these attract not only soon-to-be graduates but also professionals with some experience.

Contact: Ian Lipner, founder of YoungPRPros.com, is an account manager at Washington, DC-based Stanton Communications. He can be reached at 202. 223.4935; ilipner@stantoncomm.com .