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Topic: Any opportunities in Corporate Communications??
| Author | Message |
| mushkambaryan | Posted – 11/5/2007 1:12:48 PM | show profile Is it possible at all to find a job in Corp. Comm. in NYC?? I have been freelancing for the past year, but still need a day job to pay the bills. I have a master's in CC but no experience. Employment agencies do not help. A few informational interviews did not lead to job offers. What should I do? And where do I go?? Nothing seems to work. I am discouraged. Any ideas or suggestions?? |
| ConfidentDesigner | Posted – 11/5/2007 3:29:04 PM | show profile Have you checked with non profits or trade associations? |
| mushkambaryan | Posted – 11/5/2007 3:50:26 PM | show profile No, I haven't. Don't want to work for non-profits. It's just not my thing. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 11/5/2007 4:12:23 PM | show profile Weren't you the one who basically said a few months ago that pretty much anyone can do PR, and that it's not hard? Why wouldn't you work for a nonprofit? Corp. comm. jobs are usually very competitive, and you have competition from all sorts of agency folks WITH full-time experience looking to switch to in-house. What is it about nonprofits you don't like? Nonprofits run the gamut of "causes" and some aren't even cause-specific, really. PR-wise, some aren't any different than doing PR for a BtoB for-profit. |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 11/5/2007 7:35:36 PM | show profile Non-profits are fine ... ...if you're married to someone who's paying the bills for you and you can treat your job as a hobby. But for those of us who are primary bread winners, unless you're the number-1 Top Dog, non-profits don't even BEGIN to pay enough to survive. |
| mushkambaryan | Posted – 11/5/2007 11:54:03 PM | show profile Thank you, Manhattan Mag! I completely agree with you. Mag Girl, I never said PR was easy. But you don't need a law degree or a medical degree to do it. Quite often employers make you think that you have to be a genius to do the job. In most cases, It's not that. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 11/6/2007 8:53:20 AM | show profile Actually, quite a few nonprofits pay just as well as the corporate world for these sorts of jobs. And for an entry-level job in corporate communications, the salaries are going to be almost indistinguishable between the two. |
| catlondon | Posted – 11/6/2007 11:52:16 AM | show profile I have a friend who makes $200,000 a year as director of communications for an NGO. The NGO world has very large umbrella. It's not just your local food bank. |
| Cyrus | Posted – 11/6/2007 1:26:21 PM | show profile Everybody who has PR experience and doesn't want to or can't successfully do their own thing wants to go in house. Why? No more billable hours, more stability and generally a better working environment. Given that, those jobs are EXTREMELY competitive, even when the pool of applicants consist of people with years of proven experience. If you need a day job to pay the bills -- and who doesn't, in most cases -- try a small agency. They're often more forgiving in terms of employment tracks and will take a chance on people who look promising. In many cases they pay less, but you can still do very decently. ------ Cyrus Afzali Astoria Communications www.astoriacomm.com |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 11/6/2007 1:50:17 PM | show profile Mag Girl ... 200K is VERY rare ... ...for a communication director's position at a nonprofit. For every one of those, there are 50 others that want to pay you $55K for 80 hour weeks. |
| catlondon | Posted – 11/6/2007 2:35:52 PM | show profile Matt: How many non-profits have you worked at? |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 11/6/2007 2:43:46 PM | show profile I know the industry. That's quite enough. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 11/6/2007 2:47:31 PM | show profile Matt, I'm not the one that said that. But anyway, she's asking for entry-level jobs...and especially for those, the salaries are going to be the same as the for-profit sector- LOW. But with career growth, the salaries on average do not vary all that much from the private sector. I know plenty of folks in nonprofits who make more than the equivalent job in the private sector- it varies. By the way, I know plenty of single people at nonprofits who support themselves just fine, without someone else contributing to household income. THeir jobs aren't "hobbies." |
| catlondon | Posted – 11/6/2007 2:56:15 PM | show profile Mag Girl: I agree with you. I've worked in the NGO field for over a decade and I know people making nothing and people making in excess of $400,000. It varies based on an number of factors--the type of NGO, the operating budget, whether it has heavy support from corporate donors or the very rich, and on and on. It's no different than the for-profit sector--things vary. The Washington Post just ran a story on how coveted NGO jobs are, especially for those trying to get a foot in the door of international aid and development. |
| ConfidentDesigner | Posted – 11/6/2007 8:25:05 PM | show profile I know an amazingly unqualified communications director at a non profit that makes ~$90K/year. And this isn't on one of the coasts. And this person has absolutely NO experience/education that qualifies him to be a communications director...he just knew somebody that got him the job. All this person ever does is "take" meetings and boss people around. Comes in at 10am, leaves at 5pm. Not a bad gig for the money! Clearly, it's all in WHO you know, not WHAT you know in that field. |
| mushkambaryan | Posted – 11/7/2007 2:39:00 PM | show profile "Clearly, it's all in WHO you know, not WHAT you know in that field." I couldn't agree more! If you are trying to get into accounting or programming, you can easily find a job on your own. When it comes to Marketing, PR, or Communications...good luck if you are not well-connected. And employment agencies usually offer low-level, low-paying administrative jobs. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 11/7/2007 3:00:26 PM | show profile Mush, not always true. I've had two PR/comm jobs now, and was not connected to either of the places in either way. But you can MAKE connections by attending professional association meetings such as PRSA and IABC. And even by just volunteering places. |
| foodlit | Posted – 11/7/2007 5:16:48 PM | show profile Employment agencies only offer low level low paying admin jobs if that is what your background warrants. Employment agencies place senior level corporate communications people all the time, many well above six figures. The catch....you need to have a background worth a company paying a hefty fee for you...so with an employment agency/headhunter that means a stellar resume with relevant experience...basically doing pretty much the same job elsewhere. just saying... |
| df | Posted – 11/7/2007 6:07:20 PM | show profile wow. just amazing how its always other peoples fault when things don't go that well. Myself and plenty of others have made very comfortable careers for ourselves without knowing anybody when we started out. As a matter of fact, skilled, talented, reliable, likable people are so rare amongst my regular job applicants that I will go out on a limp and say if anybody who represents that will get hired. Proven by plenty career counseling advice I have given over the years to great people who all have gotten their dream job within months (some of them are on this board). repeaded advice to mush: #1: get a competitive skill set by paying your dues at a small agency or a comparative job in the field. #2: loose the chip on your shoulder #3: accept that you first need to have a successful career in PR/media/marketing before you can get a job in corporate communications or branding. #4: after accepting 1-3 get to work and apply for entry level jobs, learn your trade and have a great career. |
| mushkambaryan | Posted – 11/7/2007 11:51:15 PM | show profile How did people from the PR section find me here?? Interesting! Before I started my own freelance business, I had contacted every single agency in Manhattan. I even had a few successful informational interviews. But in the end, they all say the same thing -- no experience, no media contacts. I will continue doing that, because I still need my paycheck. All the people I know who DO have good jobs, have found those jobs through contacts. The ones like me, without any connections, are struggling with low=level admin jobs. Remember TV chick? Her professional credentials are much more impressive than mine. And she could not find anything. I don't think a pleasant personality and enthusiasm will result in a job offer. Smile all you want, but if you don't have the goods, you are not getting an offer any time soon. |
| Mag Girl | Posted – 11/8/2007 10:57:02 AM | show profile The lack of experience is why we're saying try nonprofits. You can get experience, and they are more likely to take a chance on someone without full-time PR experience. If you keep saying "they're not my thing" and thumb your nose at those avenues while complaining that you can't find a job, then I have to question your true desire to find a PR job. First full-time jobs in a field are not always perfect or your idea of fun, but you do what you have to to get your foot in the door somewhere and get experience. And like I said, instead of complaining you don't know people, then GO MEET PEOPLE. You say you had informational interviews and such- then you do "know" people. Do you keep in touch with those people, dropping them a line every now and then or commenting on their latest campaigns? You can't juse use 'em and lose 'em after your informational interview. Then it becomes obvious you were only after your own self-interest of finding a job. They may not know of jobs right away, but if you form relationships with them, they can help you out later. Forming relationships is what PR is all about....and your job search should reflect that you know that. |
| df | Posted – 11/8/2007 1:50:46 PM | show profile yep, I sure do remember tv chick. I did meet with her, we had a very productive conversation and she changed her approach a tiny winy bit and now she has a great job in a field she wanted and at a pay she wanted. btw - I think i offered to meet with her because she came off as sincere and very friendly. |
| mushkambaryan | Posted – 11/8/2007 2:05:42 PM | show profile "I think i offered to meet with her because she came off as sincere and very friendly." Which, of course, no one would say about me. I am a complete opposite. Nasty, unfriendly, arrogant, obnoxious, incompetent...Yeah, right :) TV chick has the goods. By that I mean years of valuable hands-on work experience. Her job search journey was quite turbulent, but at least she had something to brag about and smth to build on. All I have is a master's degree. As it turns out, it has little value in PR or Communications. |
