Even as hiring is showing a slight increase, it's not easy for new grads. The job market, especially in the PR and marketing fields, is still flooded with last year's graduates.
The job search should really begin while a student is still in school by building a resume of work experience from internships (paid or unpaid), volunteer activities, and leadership roles in school activities and clubs. For aspiring PR pros, good resume-builders could include work as a reporter or an editor at the school newspaper or radio station, or helping (paid or unpaid) at the school's PR office.
But for those who have just graduated and didn't do their resume-building over the past four years, all is not lost. There are options---even in this blistering job market.
The options I suggest here, however, will require patience and the willingness or ability to suffer through months of little or no income.
Because the biggest obstacle is differentiating oneself from other equally qualified candidates, the "Experience" section of the resume can be crucial.
So, if you have no relevant experience, go out and get it. Go to a local business---a retailer or a service provider. Offer your marketing or PR services for free, or, if you can get it, for a very small fee. Do a good job, and save copies of news releases, press clippings, and local radio segments. Volunteer as a marketing person for a local charity or a do-good organization---the local animal shelter, for instance. Help them get exposure. Create an event, and document the results.
If you're lucky and you hustle, after a few months you may have some real experience that can show an employer you are creative and you can do a good job.
It's not too late to build your resume. But don't wait too long. The Class of '12 is just around the corner.
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