Are you looking for a job, or trying to hold onto a job?   Take a tip from the public relations pros, who are masters at promotion and creating a positive image.  These thoughts are from Mary White, M.A., SPHR, over at Mobile Tech.

Worried about finding a new job or hanging on to the one you  have?

Regardless of where you are in your career, one of the best things you can do is create a PR plan for yourself.  At its heart, public relations is all about building awareness and creating a positive image.  What better way to position yourself to have the career you really want!

Networking is one of the most frequently overlooked public relations tools.  If you’re looking for a job, you need to make yourself known to the right people–the movers and shakers in your industry.  Join and get involved with relevant professional organizations.  If you want to work in PR, get involved with your local Public  Relations Society of America chapter.  If your goal is to become an HR practitioner, become part of your area’s Society for Human Resource Management chapter.  No matter what field you want to enter, you’re likely to find one or more relevant asosciations with chapters in your region.  Keep in mind that just putting your name on a membership roster isn’t going to help you out.  Instead, become a member, go to meetings, join a committee or two, and get to know the members.  Put your best face forward and conduct yourself with professionalism at all times.  You’ll likely find out about open positions in the field, as well as meet people who can become excellent references for you.  You might even meet your next boss or coworker this way. 

When companies want to demonstrate their value to the communities where they do business, they focus on getting involved with local charities and civic organizations and promoting their efforts.  You can use the same strategy to communicate your value and worth to your current employer.  Don’t just do your job and then leave quietly every day.   Instead, take steps to make yourself a valuable team member in a way that will send a positive message to “the powers that be.”  Position yourself for promotion by becoming an enthusiastic team member who is willing to go the extra mile.  Offer to help out in other departments.  Ask to be trained to perform tasks beyond the scope of your current job.  Doing these things will help you position, or “brand” yourself, as an invaluable asset to your organization.

(Mary White is also the author of 101 Successful PR Campaign Tips.)

This entry was posted on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 2:02 pm and is filed under career advice, job hunting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.