Q. I stumbled onto your site while Googling the words “PR CAREER”. What a resource its been! I’ve discovered such a wealth of information in your articles and links.
PR is such a wide-ranging field. I just have to find a niche (I am getting a graduate degree and am interested in public policy. I’m fascinated by the craft of message development. PR fits in there somewhere, I guess). Thoughts? Suggestions? -OS
A. Public service and policy positions will drive the strongest growth in PR over the next five to 10 years. Your graduate degree will be a plus for most of the public policy opportunities.
While public policy jobs traditionally are associated with government service, many more opportunities exist in nonprofit, international and consulting organizations–as well as in education and some boutique PR firms and larger agencies. I highly recommend several sources of public policy-related jobs, especially Public Service Careers, which is a service provided by the three most prominent professional associations representing public policy professionals. This site lists jobs from entry-level to senior-level positions. Other favorites include Hill Zoo, Roll Call and Green Dream Jobs. The Washington Post also is loaded with public policy jobs–250 at this writing.
More than 300,000 individuals already have applied for the 3,300 positions in President-elect Obama’s administration. But it’s still worth sending your resume to www.change.gov, the transition clearing house. Your background and experience might match better than others.
Many more opportunities can be found in major cities and state capitals. Don’t just focus on federal government positions. Yellow Pages directories can help you find trade associations, government agencies–both federal, state and local–and think tanks.