Question:

I am a college junior majoring in Management. I might switch to Marketing so I can get into the fields of real estate or advertising and public relations. I graduate a year from now. I have little experience in Real Estate, advertising or public relations. What is the best way for me to get that experience so I don't get left with a good degree but no job?

First Answer:

Your question is timely for two reasons. First, WetFeet.com is currently touting its "The Definitive Ad Industry Overview," which might give you more of a feel for that field.

Secondly, I just heard from a former student in a similar situation to yours, except she has already graduated. The first job she took was as a financial advisor, and she hated it. Like you, she is interested in getting into advertising or PR. Some of the avenues she's pursuing to get her foot in the door might be helpful to you.

She is conducting informational interviews, which are a subset of networking. By meeting for a short time with someone in a field you are interested in, you can gain exposure to the field that will not only help you determine if that career is right for you, but will provide you with inside information and contacts that will help you break in. Although informational interviews are not meant to be job interviews, they sometimes result in job and internship offers. That was the experience of my former student -- as well as many other students I've taught. This student e-mailed me to say: "I had my third informational interview this morning, which was more of an interview for ME because the person I met with spoke a lot about their internship program, and we discussed my past experience, goals, and when I would be available to start, etc." Find out everything you need to know about informational interviewing in this tutorial http://www.quintcareers.com/informational_interviewing.html.

My former student also told me she is pursuing another excellent technique, job shadowing. It doesn't provide you with much experience, but shadowing is another wonderful way to glean inside info and make contacts. Here's what my student said about her plans: "I am also going to shadow a woman I met with last week from another agency for a few hours next Friday. She is an account coordinator on the PR side of this full-service agency, and she was a huge help with advice and how to go about my internship/job search."

These first two techniques are more about breaking in, networking, and gathering information than about gaining hard-core experience. For getting actual experience, internships are the most obvious route. Another is volunteering to do some advertising/PR work for a nonprofit organization, as they are frequently in need of people to help out in these areas. Try some possibilities on your own campus, too. campus organizations often have events they need publicized. Selling ad space for your campus newspaper or airtime for the college radio station would help you get your feet wet.

-- Katharine Hansen, former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for the Web site, Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters.

Second Answer:

My first thought is to say to get some experience ASAP while still a student, paid or voluntary in one of these fields. This will help you decide what you like/don't like about this career. If you really fall in love with one of them, then you will be able to clearly demonstrate certain competencies to an employer upon graduation. You might able be made an offer by the group you intern with now! An elected major is one piece of the credentials you will need to succeed in any field; much weight is given to proven achievements, professional knowledge gained on the job and showing that you were able to assume certain responsibilities while still a student. While it is likely that you need to work to make money, it is important for you to also learn what you do and don't like that can be carried over into other job situations. Find out what skills you have, which you might need to develop and other areas of strengths and areas in need of improvement. It is not the industry or field per se, but being aboe to understand your strengths, knowing when to ask for more help and seeking out chances to learn and grow. Best advice is to be receptive to new experiences and see them as a chance to experiment in different fields before picking one to specialize in.

-- Debra Feldman, founder of JobWhiz, creator of the JOBWHIZQUIZ, and specialist in cyber savvy strategic job search consultations

Third Answer:

Advertising and public relations are pretty close as a fit, but real estaste is a different ballgame. So I would suggest you start by doing a few informational interviews with individuals who are in the fields in which you have interest. Ask them what their jobs are like, how they got into the field, what it takes to be successful in the field. You may be surprised that many well placed people will happily talk with an aspiring young person interested in their field and how they got there.

The secret in successful informational interviewing is to tell the person you wish to talk with that you are NOT looking for a job, only information. Once you convenience her/him you will be in to learn all they have to tell you. Also prepare yourself with question you wish to get answers on and have some knowledge of the company for whom your interviewee work. This will help break the ice by showing you have the interest to prepare.

Breaking into advertising and or public relations is not as easy as saying it. This field is competitive and some of the most creative people are in or trying to get in. One way may be free-lanceing as a writer, a copywriter spokesperson, coordinator of a project or special event perhaps even as a volunteer. The idea is to get some experience and to make contacts from which to build a network that may guide you to a job lead.

As to real estate the same track may work but I have no true experience to offer you in the area. Selling residential real estate is relatively easy to break into, a matter of getting a license after a brief series of lessons. But it is tough to earn a living in this part of the field. Commercial real estate may be more lucrative and will probably require an MBA to be considered by a major firm. But here again the informational interview will work to get you the insiders view of the field.

Robert C. Resch, Career Center, Triton College

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