How to break into PR: 9 tips for new graduates

As graduation looms, are you facing the specter of moving back home with mom and dad? This advice can help you land your first job—and eventually move out.

This is, in part, because of the economic climate.

It’s also due to my recent experience with the New York Women in Communications Foundation. The foundation distributes scholarship money to deserving young women who plan a career in communications.

I was part of the group whose job it was to winnow the number of entries to the select few who would receive financial aid. Because there were so many outstanding and high-achieving applicants, the process was far more difficult than I had dreamed it would be.

It made me think about what sets a candidate apart, especially in our business.

My conversations with a handful of the young women and my study of their entries and school records provided a real lesson in what it takes to rise to the top in a very competitive year.

Here are some important pieces of advice for landing that first job in PR:

Stand out. Even if you have an excellent GPA, internships, and track record, you need to differentiate yourself. And if, like most students, you don’t have a perfect record, then display your creativity or initiative in other ways. Think about these and other attributes essential to success in communications, and show how they apply to you.

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