Valerie Simon
An article in US News and World Report earlier this month offered some bright news for the PR industry: “Employment of public-relations specialists is expected to increase by more than 66,000 jobs, or 24 percent, between 2008 and 2018, according to the Labor Department.”
But before we break out the champagne and begin celebrating, organizations must pause and pay serious attention to the tremendous impact individual hires have on the organization; after all, PR is a service and a relationship-based business. PR agencies, such as Coyne PR and Ketchum, understand the critical role their people play in assuring client satisfaction, retention, growth. Consider this:
Coyne Public Relations – “Our mission is not to be the best agency in America, but the best one to work for. If we are the best place to work, we will get the best people. If we have the best people, we will get the best clients. If we have the best people and clients, how can we not be the best agency in America?”
Ketchum’s Ray Kotcher: “But awards only tell part of the story. What truly makes a difference is our people. Ketchum people aren’t standard PR agency ‘types.’ They are uncommonly curious, smart, and passionate about what they do, and they are the reason for Ketchum’s 80-plus years of success.”
As the economy continues to rebound and employers continue to strive to find ways to connect with future employees, social networking offers those looking to hire an opportunity to get to know potential hires in new and meaningful ways. When Arik Hanson and I founded #HAPPO, earlier this year, our goal was to use social media to leverage our relationships to help those seeking jobs in the PR industry make new connections. As we approached our December 8th event however, I found an increasing number of employers approaching me, hoping #HAPPO could help them to identify the PR talent their organization needed.
Can a social networking event such as #HAPPO really help connect employers with future employees? While there have been an impressive number of #HAPPO mentions in social media (nearly 30,000 since the effort began February 2010), measuring the effect on outcomes is always preferable to measuring outputs. While it is a challenge to quantify the number of new relationships that have emerged as a result of the effort, we do know that earlier #HAPPO events have resulted in at least five new jobs, including the newest #HAPPO Champion Katie Wall.
As Craig Alerowitz, EVP at Lippe Taylor PR tweeted at the start the most recent event, “I found my last employee through #HAPPO (and she’s terrific)… so just know that it works all.”
Here is a sampling of the tweets from employers who participated as well:
lanes0220: RT @SteveSeeman: #PRjobs @Makovsky is seeking #Health #PR AEs – 6-18 months exp! DM me for info or email hr@makovsky.com #HAPPO
MBoothPR: We are hiring for a number of levels and practice areas! Please send resumes & cover letters to jobs at mbooth dot com
dialogopr: We are hiring #PR Account Exec’s. email careers@dialogo.us
RuderFinn: Check here for open positions at our agency http://ow.ly/3m38V
englishyoung: GolinHarris is looking for a SAE and VP in Arlington VA: http://ow.ly/3mg6A
It is clear that the talents of skilled communications professionals are in demand. And if the US News and World Report is right – there will only be more to come. So, how are you using social media to connect with and build relationships? Have you had success using social media to drive awareness of a campaign or cause? Tell us how. What direction do you see PR, marketing, and social media going in for 2011? Please share your thoughts with me and the readers of BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas.
