Why Can’t Millennials Get Jobs?

Millennials — people born between 1981 and 2000 – are creative, good at networking and have strong technological skills.  So why can’t they get a job?

A survey of 501 hiring managers by Adecco, the human resources consulting company, found some troubling answers.

The three most common interview mistakes noted by the managers about Millennials were:

1-      dressing inappropriately for the interview (75 percent saw this);

2-  posting “compromising content” on social media channels like Facebook (70 percent of hiring managers saw this); and

3-  failing to show interest in the job by not asking questions about the position or business and not having researched the prospective position (62 percent saw this).

Millennials can’t afford to appear unprofessional.  According to Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, 58 percent of all new jobs in the past year have gone to workers older than 55.  The hiring managers in the Adecco survey said they were three times as likely to hire a mature worker (age 50 or above) as they were to hire a Millennial — a trend PRofessional Solutions has observed in Washington area public relations hiring at in the past few years.

While only 5 percent of the managers said they think Millennials are “professional” our opinion of the young people we meet is mostly high.  While we do have an occasional applicant arrive in too tight, too revealing clothing, or some who arrive in casual clothing that looks slept in, many others are sharp and professionally put together.  Guess which ones we send to our clients.

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Skills Employers Seek But Don’t Find

Last week Nick Schultz of the American Enterprise Institute noted in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that while observes focus on the need for science, technology, math and engineering degrees, “considerable evidence suggests that many employers would be happy just to find job applicants who have the ‘soft’ skills that used to be almost taken for granted.”

He pointed out that according to the Manpower Group’s 2012 Talent Shortage Survey almost 20% of employers cited a lack of soft skills  — including “interpersonal skills and enthusiasm/motivation” — as a key reason they weren’t able to hire new employees.  Other soft skills lacking were professionalism and a lack of elementary command of the English language.

Also disturbing was a survey this spring by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and AARP that compared the skills gap between older workers nearing retirement and the younger workers coming into the workforce.  More than half of the organizations responded that simple grammar and spelling were the most frequent “basic” skills among older workers that are not readily found among the younger workers.

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Saluting the Stars of Staffing

It’s National Staffing Employee Week and we want to acknowledge, thank and celebrate the stars of our business — our amazing corps of temps!

They write, do media relations, organize press events and manage social media.  They work part-time or full-time.  They cover maternity leaves, supplement staffs during busy times or in advance of meetings or events, and when someone gives two-weeks notice they keep a job on track and allow the organization to take the necessary time to identify and hire the right replacement.

Temping has arrived. When I began PRofessional Solutions in 1994 only 10% of staffing services employment was made up by the professional-managerial sector; today it’s 21%.  And employers are recognizing another benefit of using skilled temps: 80% of clients say staffing firms offer a good way to identify permanent employees.

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Is There More Hiring? What We’re Seeing . . .

At every PR professional society meeting I’m asked if we see things improving in hiring.  But the picture, while better in DC than most of the country, is still blurry.

According to David Wessel, the Wall Street Journal’s economics editor and Capital columnist, “. . . even though the economy has been growing for more than two years, workers still haven’t recovered from the deep recession.”

He notes that the Labor Department reports that of the 6.1 million workers who lost jobs they had held for at least three years between 2009 and 2011, 45% remained unemployed as of January 2012 and around 50% of those who had found full-time positions had accepted lower wages.  

But staffing continues to be strong in temporary staffing, through agencies like PRofessional Solutions and for independents.  A survey by the American Staffing Association,  CareerBuilder and Harris Interactive indicates that contract workers are being hired by over 33% of U.S. companies this year.

Here in the DC metro area, associations, non-profits and businesses often use temporary PR professionals to avoid overstaffing and to test out potential hires.  During the worst of the recession there were fewer assignments as all organizations were working hard to save money, but this year has seen a return to more use of temps and freelancers.

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Stay Smart and Keep Your Career on Track

Whether you’re looking to refresh your skills with a workshop or executive certificate, prefer an intensive graduate studies program or hope to garner more respect by obtaining a professional credential, the Washington, DC area is filled with professional development opportunities for communicators. Staying current is vital, whether you’re hoping to move up or to land a new job. Here’s a list of options to help you get started.

Workshops

Need a workshop to further develop your skills or add new ones? Consider one of these upcoming topics and check with the area chapters of communications professional societies for more throughout the year:

  • Be an Expert on Working with Experts – don’t get caught–creative communications consulting, August 23
  • Put More Power and Precision in your PR/PA Writing – offered twice yearly by the Public Relations Society of America National Capital Chapter (PRSA NCC)

Executive Certificates

Looking to update or add a new focus to your educational background? One of these certificate programs might be the right match:

Accreditation

Do you feel that adding a professional credential will enhance your resume? Two local chapters of professional development organizations for communicators can help:

Graduate Programs

Have you reached the point in your career where you’d like to pursue a Master’s or Ph.D.? The Washington area provides many options:

Posted in Employment Tips, PRofessional Solutions News, Upcoming Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Thank-You Notes After the Interview — Just Do It!

I have an ally!  Danielle Aveta wrote in PR News Online “Writing a thank you note after a job interview isn’t an option; it is a requirement. And in PR, a well-written thank you note is crucial—it’s another test of your communication skills.”

Thank YOU, Danielle.  When I speak on job seeking and point out that few people use this excellent follow-up tool the audience acts shocked.  Yet I’ve been interviewing professional communicators for assignments through PRofessional Solutions for almost 20 years and receive thank-you notes from no more than 25 percent, across ages and experience levels.

Some of Ms. Aveta’s valuable tips:Image

  • Be sure to send a thank you to everyone you met with during the interview process, and personalize them.
  • Include something that picks up on the interview conversation or conveys a point you didn’t get to express in the interview.
  • Write the thank you within 24-48 hours after meeting, but take enough time to craft a thoughtful communication rather than send a two-line email immediately.
  • The thank you shows you were paying attention, are interested and a polished professional.
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More Emerging PR Leaders in Washington Area

So many talented young pros in our field!  Last month it was the Emerging Leaders Awards from Washington Women in Public Relations (of which PRofessional Solutions, LLC was proud to be a sponsor), and today it is the PRWeek list of 40 Under 40.

While this list was gleaned from organizations across the country, we are well represented locally.  Kudos on the recognition to:

Maureen DavenpImageort, VP corporate communications, Fannie Mae

James Davis, Comms director/chief spokesman, 2012 Republican National Convention
Catherine Frymark, SVP communications, Discovery Communications
Sue Hensley , SVP public affairs communications, National Restaurant Association
Jay Leveton , EVP worldwide, Burson-Marsteller
Leslie Schrader, SVP and director, Well-Connected, Ketchum Washington, DC

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10 Tips for Developing an Effective PR Portfolio

PR Portfolios: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

A portfolio is a career picture book. If you’re a job seeker, use it to let a prospective employer “see” what you’ve done.

Why do I need a portfolio?

  • In a tough job market, a portfolio is another way to set yourself apart and to demonstrate your professionalism.
  • A portfolio helps you to assess your growth and progress in your career.
  • Your portfolio can help you to prepare for interviews by reminding you of all your experience and accomplishments.
  • A portfolio helps you to make documenting your accomplishments and results a habit.
  • Your portfolio can help you focus the discussion in an interview on the accomplishments you wish to highlight.

What should my portfolio include?

  • Writing samples and how they were used–pitches, newsletters, web pages, press materials, published articles.
  • If you include a press release, it should be immediately followed by the clips it generated–cause and effect has the most impact.
  • Social media campaigns.
  • Reports, charts or graphs to visually demonstrate your activities’ impact.
  • Letters of appreciation from employers or clients along with industry or company awards and certificates you’ve received.

During our nearly 20 years in business, we’ve seen quite a few portfolios–some good, some bad–and the thing that still surprises us the most is when we meet an experienced communicator who’s never saved samples of his work and taken the time to develop a portfolio. You could argue it’s a case of the cobbler’s children having no shoes, but we view it as a missed opportunity to impress a prospective employer or client.

Posted in Employment Tips, Interview Tips | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

7 Free Sites to Host Your PR Portfolio

PortfolioA well-organized online portfolio could help you rise to the top of a crowded applicant pool and land a first interview. Should you rely solely on an e-portfolio? No. Never assume a hiring manager has taken the time to view your online portfolio. Always bring a traditional portfolio to the interview. Showing the highlights of your work samples during the meeting will allow you to demonstrate your presentation skills and could help you land the job.

Cover all the bases and develop both online and traditional versions of your portfolio. Here are seven free sites we like for hosting an e-portfolio:

  1. WordPress
  2. Behance
  3. FolioHD
  4. Wix
  5. Carbonmade
  6. WorkSimple
  7. Flavors.me

Do you have a favorite site for your online portfolio? Please share your experiences with us.

Posted in Employment Tips, Interview Tips, PRofessional Solutions News | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Judging WWPR’s 2012 Emerging Leaders Awards

WWPR Emerging Leaders Awards 2011

WWPR Emerging Leaders Awards 2011

It was a pleasure serving as part of the judging panel for Washington Women in Public Relations’ (WWPR) 2012 Emerging Leaders Awards. Now in its third year, the program has continued to grow each year both in the number of award nominations and attendance.

Competition was steep for this year’s awards and that made it difficult for those of us judging the nominations. In many cases, it was like splitting hairs to select the top six nominees! I’d call that a happy problem, though, and one that speaks well for the future of the public relations industry in the Washington, DC area.

Sometime today, WWPR will announce the top six nominees via press release and social media so stay tuned. I can’t wait to see if my own top three favorites will be chosen at the program on the evening of July 17th at the National Press Club! For more details and to register, click here.

PRofessional Solutions, LLC is proud to have served as a sponsor of the program since its inception and we look forward to another record turnout this year. Hope to see you there!

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