Question:

I am an advertising/public relations major at a private university in Texas, and I plan to graduate this August. I had hoped to relocate to Phoenix, AZ, but have been unsuccessful in my attempts to find any job openings through my online job searches. Does this mean that the market in Phoenix is not conducive to a career in advertising?

First Answer:

Often, the best jobs aren't advertised online or in the paper. Instead, you should try cracking the hidden job market. Here are three ways to do just that.

1. Apply directly to a company that suits you. This is so obvious that few people do it. Which means you'll have far less competition.
   
   Simply identify five or six companies you'd like to work for and call each to get the name and mailing address of the person who hires people like you.
   
   Then, spend an afternoon researching these firms on the Internet. You want to familiarize yourself with each company's products, markets and competitors. Most importantly, try to come up with at least one suggestion for how your target companies can increase revenues or solve a problem.
   
   Next, send a personalized letter and résumé to each employer. Follow up with another letter or an e-mail if you don't hear back from them in 7-10 days.
   
   
2. Your personal network. This is often the most effective (and under-used) job search technique.
   
   Tell everyone you know that you are looking for a job in Phoenix. Call every friend, relative and acquaintance in your address book. If a person can't help you, ask them if they know someone else who can. Your network will soon become massive. Eventually, someone should be able to put you in touch with a decision maker who can hire you.
   
   Even former employers can help. If you parted on good terms with your last boss, he or she might be able to refer you to hiring managers in other companies who can help.
   
   
3. Professional associations. Check your yellow pages, or go to the library and read the Encyclopedia of Associations for more information.
   
   Try to get on the phone with people in Phoenix and ask them if they know of companies who are hiring. Most people are happy to help others in need, and they may even be able to give you names and numbers to call at specific companies.

Best of luck to you!

-- Kevin Donlin, Guaranteed Resumes

Second Answer:

Not at all. In fact, the best way to find out is to connect with someone in the industry there locally and talk to them. Typically, PR and advertising jobs are not advertised anyway, so job postings are not indicative of anything.

Begin with this link: http://www.myjobsearch.com/cgi-bin/mjs.cgi/advance/exploration.html. Through this link you will be able to connect to online resources specific to the advertising and PR industry. These are not job postings. But don't be surprised if you come across a few job postings out there through these links. The best information here for you will be the professional associations and publications related to advertising and public relations. Study these publications for the names of companies and people located in the Phoenix area.

Then go low tech - call them on the phone. Ask for a few minutes of their time to discuss your career in the Phoenix area. Do not ask them for a job. Ask them for local associations, local contacts, and local sources for information about advertising and PR.

Next, try this link: http://myjobsearch.com/network/educators.html. Look up the colleges and schools in Arizona and see if they have any online resources.Talk to professors in their PR and Advertising programs. Ask them for advice and the names of former students now employed in the field.

Next, try this link to career fairs: http://www.myjobsearch.com/cgi-bin/mjs.cgi/fairs.html. This will list both online and offline events for that area and show you which companies will be attending. By finding out who will be there, you can go to their web site or call the company in advance of the event to explore what options they may have.

You should also consider contacting Phoenix Advertising and Public Relations employers directly. Go to http://myjobsearch.com/cgi-bin/mjs.cgi/employers/location.html?ByLocation=AZ to find 14 Arizona business directories online.

Finally, have you checked out the local online job boards? Here's a link if you don't know what those job boards might be: http://www.myjobsearch.com/cgi-bin/mjs.cgi/career/regional.html?ByLocation=AZ.

-- Kelly Stone, Guaranteed Resumes

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