Hi all,

Writing partly to vent, and partly for feedback.

I’ve been searching for a new job for a long time. I was in a Food & Beverage PR agency, and while I liked my team and didn’t mind the work, it was low pay, with a lot of micromanaging. I wanted to expand my horizons, industry-wise. And the goal of a “new job” kept me going. Unintentionally, I assumed that the ways I was feeling about my current job wound subside as soon as I left and got a new job.

Well, I did it. I got a new job.

And I feel more lost than ever.

It’s also a PR agency, this time in the fin-tech space. The team is great. Everyone is nice. The pay is better.

And I’m miserable.

The constant urgency on all fronts, the never-ending hustling, the blurring of professional and personal life (you have to be on the lookout for news to “newsjack” all the time), the constant pitching to journalist when you can’t control if they will respond or not. It’s so overwhelming for me.

And it is after I got this new job that it dawned on me. The problem or dissonance might not have been my previous agency. It might’ve been PR agencies in general.

I don’t think this is right for me.

I just don’t know where that leaves me, or where I can go next. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so grateful to have this job (specially in this economy). But I end most days near tears. I even skip lunch! Maybe it’s just the adjustment period, maybe it’ll get better once I’m settled, but I don’t know.

I love writing. I love being creative and bringing creative concepts to life (recently helped direct a video on the side!). I want a chill project-based job that allows me deep focus time and doesn’t come with the constant, teeth-clenching grind. That gives me a better sense of balance while also being good pay.

Did anyone else feel this way? Did you come to the realization that PR may not be for you? And did you pivot to find something better? If so, what is it?

Thanks all.

I applied for an AE position at a well known agency here in the Southeast in the beginning of July. The interview process started off with a writing assessment (which honestly these tests are dumb if you’ve already been working in PR for 10+ years.) A couple of weeks go by for the company to reach back out and tell me they want me to come in for an in person interview. It took the HR person 3 weeks to get the interview scheduled and it only happened because I reached back out saying it was taking too long to get scheduled. The day of the interview actually went well and I got a tour of the office and met every employee. This was a 2 month process only for them to tell me they don’t currently have a job available for me, but to apply in the future (I won’t.)

It’s frustrating how these agency’s waste our time interviewing. If they didn’t have a job available, they should just let us know right away instead of making us come meet the whole team. Any one else go through a similar experience?

Hi all - I’ve worked in PR for about a decade but have had very little exposure to real world crisis communication scenarios. This is an area I’ve been pushing to learn more about.

As a golf fan and YouTube golf watcher, I’ve been thinking a lot about what Good Good could’ve done differently with their recent reputation issue. For anyone unfamiliar, you can learn about it here.

With the benefit of hindsight and knowing how badly it’s gone for them, I thought of the following reputation management plan and would love your honest feedback…

Once it’s clear the advertisement would create significant reputational risk, take the following steps:

1. Work with Callaway and ad partners to immediately pull the creative.

2. Rush produce a new spot on Good Good’s dime to run for the remainder of the ad buy, with Callaway’s alignment.

3. Make a statement through the main faces of the brand (Garrett Clark and other talent) saying something along the lines of: we messed up and we do not take the mistake lightly. We immediately pulled the ad and are taking steps to ensure we have additional layers of review to prevent unintended messages in the future.

4. Along with the statement, communicate that you are donating the entire earnings from the Callaway ad deal for that specific creative to women’s shelters or domestic abuse-focused nonprofit organizations - 1-3 total, could even let your followers suggest/vote on the nonprofits for consideration. (note - the company said it’s donating its Callaway driver sales to a local women’s shelter… it’s unclear how much that would amount to since most retailers have pulled them from shelves/websites)

5. Add additional review measures for messaging campaigns/advertisements moving forward.

That’s what I’ve thought of so far… without any knowledge of how Good Good’s contracts work with Callaway and others. I know this feels aggressive, and it would be near impossible to get the brand’s leadership to buy in, but it’s clear this has become a serious reputation issue and has led to significant losses for Good Good.

Would love your thoughts - thanks!

I’m currently junior in college studying public relations, and I want to add a minor. My main concern is having a desirable skill set that won’t leave me jobless when graduation comes, which I am especially nervous about with the current economy/job market.

I’m interested in working in food/beverage, so I thought food and society would give me an edge in getting a job in the field out of college.

However, I don’t want to specialize myself too much and then risk losing out on other job opportunities if I don’t land a job in food/bev. I figure I could get an edge in food and beverage instead by getting experience in the field before graduation/out of college and get a business minor, so I have more technical skills when trying to find employment.

I could also do both, but that would mean killing myself academically in my time left in college (18 hours a semester or taking a summer semester instead of working).

What’s the best course of action?

hello! The woman who was laid off 3 times in one year, here….again.

I genuinely do not understand what I keep doing wrong. I’ve landed interview after interview. have made it through all the way to finally round and have still not been able to land a job. I have over 7+ years of experience and have worked with clients ranging from start ups to company’s that trade on the NYSE.

It can’t be my resume, as I'm getting interviews, and I don’t really think it’s my interview skills as I am making past the first and second rounds. Is the universe trying to tell me that this is no longer a viable career path for me. It’s been almost two years.

edit: my mom thinks I’m on some kind of pr black list. Who has the tea?!

I’d love to connect with more Chicago-based people in the PR/communications world, ideally through an informal, non-paid group that might be interested in occasional meetups or networking.

My agency is also hiring across the AE through Account Director levels. We’re holding off on posting formal job descriptions for a moment while a few internal updates are finalized, but I’m happy to share more via DM with anyone who may be interested.

If you’re in Chicago and looking to connect with other people in the field, or are curious about opportunities at a smaller food and CPG-focused agency, please reach out.

I've started using it for brainstorming, research, and getting past the blank page, and I can't deny that it saves me time.

But I'm also spending a lot of time fixing copy that is technically fine but lacks true human personality.

Curious what everyone else is actually using AI for. What's genuinely useful, and what's just creating more work?

I’ve made it through the APR process up to the exam. I’ve been studying for months and it’s finally coming up in two weeks.
Would love any tips on the exam anyone could provide. Thank you!!

I could really really use advice from you all in the community, would appreciate any advice while I go through this rough patch:

I was let go a few days ago after six  years doing in-house comms at a tech company in Europe. Tbh, the ending upset me way more than I expected:  while I was still in the middle of doing my handover properly, I found out I'd already been removed from the company website. And the colleague I'd hired and trained, who's stepping into my role, didn't say a word when I told the team I was leaving… 

Before the layoff, I'd spent about a year and a half feeling pushed to the side as new leadership came in (and let’s be honest I didn’t fight for my spot, I let myself be pushed aside, I really didn’t click with the new boss) - my role kept shrinking, and I stayed longer than I probably should have because leaving felt scarier than staying.

Now I'm job hunting for the first time in years, in a market that isn't the best, and the part I'm struggling with most is that I've stopped trusting my own read on my own worth. Every "no" starts to feel like confirmation rather than just... a no. 

So I'm trying to use this in-between time to rebuild a bit of confidence, and some skills, since PR keeps piling on new/or not so new "must-haves" (analytics, AI workflows, automation, GEO, finance) and to me right now it’s starting to feel like a wall. 

1. If you've been through something similar… laid off, or stuck somewhere that made you feel really small for a while… what helped you get some solid ground back? 
2. And: if you had a couple months to upskill without overwhelming yourself, what are the 1-2 things you’d focus on? If you have a specific course or YouTube channel that was  worth the time please do share. 

A big thank you!

Been approached for an in house role at a huge construction company, but I read the job description and it’s like an AM role and I’m an Account Director.

But I’m over agency and trying to get out. So do i just take it to get out? And enjoy for the bit of extra cash?

The girl who I would report into has the same amount of experience as me?

I care cause I’m worried I’m de skilling myself, but I’m also so burnt out by agency I dunno.

I been out of work for 10 months now, and I been applying to a lot of PR roles based in the SoCal area & remote roles. I have a combination of 3 years of PR experience with a proven track record both in-house and agency setting. I’ve used PR net, PR girlie manifesto, LinkedIn & Indeed to apply for these roles. I’d be happy to forward my resume for review.

As far as being out of the job market for long, I been keeping up to date with current trends in the PR market & learning new skills. Any tips or feedback is appreciated.

Hi everyone - I am a freelancer. One of my agency clients does a lot of work with Family Offices. I am not currently working on any of those clients. On Friday, one of the co-founders told me that I should research Family Offices so they can put me on some of those clients.

I asked where I could find info, and they pointed me to the internet. I know I can Google "what is a family office," but I already know what one is, the difference between single- and multi-family offices, and the type of media that coveres them(Crain Currency, WSJ, Barrons, etc.).

Does anyone know the best resources to learn about family offices? Because going on the itnernet at typing "family office" when I know what one is and how it functions seems like it's just going to give me basics.

Edited for context.

I know someone who is looking to hire for a head of communications. Senior job.

Based in NYC area. Hybrid. 3 days / week in office.

Here is what they want:

At least 10 years of experience, ideally 15+ but will consider 10+.

Ideal candidate has a mix of agency and in-house. Agency-only candidates are going to be a very tough sell. In-house only background would be acceptable.

They want someone who has worked in-house ideally at the following: bank/financial institution, professional services, payments company, fintech that has a connection to payments.

If this sounds like you or someone you know please reach out or DM me.

I have a second round interview for an account executive position with a company out of Santa Monica CA, but the agency name “Helios” is so generic that it’s hard to tell if the reviews I’m seeing are for the correct company. Apparently there’s a Devilcorp called Helios that goes door to door, there’s a solar panel company and financial services with the same name. Has anyone here heard of Helios World Wide or would you maybe be willing to share if you’ve worked for them before?

Edit:
Here’s the post I applied to

https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/public-relation-account-executive-on-site-at-helios-partners-4446375330

I think I’m getting close to leaving my agency job. I feel guilt because I’m worried I’d be screwing over a couple of clients… they rely on me way more than they rely on the rest of my team. I also don’t want to give my boss a heads up to start transitioning things or being prepared to transition things, because if I don’t get the offer I’m chasing, I’ve now shown my cards for nothing. Am I wrong for leaving when client relationships are this dependent on me? And separately, should I have flagged that dependency sooner, before I started looking to leave?

I am a journalist looking to get back involved in​ media relations. I worked on and off in sports media relations and sports information early on in my career and now I want to get back involved in that or some form of it. anybody have any suggestions or for that matter job openings or know someone who might have job openings? I love sports I love to write but I'm sick and tired of being micromanaged by people younger than me trying to tell me how to write or what we can't write anymore. I believe my calling has always been media relations and I just went away from it after I had a bad experience with a company I worked for and turn completely to freelance journalism but now I want to turn back to media relations.

hi everyone!

I’m a recent grad a little over a year into my first agency job. as I start to wonder what I want to make of my career moving forward, I was curious about the above question.

I’d really like to one day manage comms for companies I personally enjoy or feel a connection to. my current client set isn’t exactly that; though they are helping me get experience I believe I can leverage.

when I look into the types of jobs I want one day, they all require years of work experience in the specific field they’re in.

it left me wondering, how long it is until you’re essentially stuck in a specific niche, and too far into your career to pivot (if that’s a thing that happens)? like how many years is the deadline before I really need to make actionable change towards the type of work I want?

thank you so much in advance for any insight or answers!! super grateful for any help as someone new to the industry haha :’D

Hi everyone, I've been in PR for a few years now and considering moving in-house. I've only had agency experience, starting with an internship and other agency experience at various companies. My concern is the structure and tone of my CV. For instance, my personal header is focused on being diligent (e.g AAE/AE/SAE/AM), but how can I word it to become more general? Should I mention the fact that I've got X years in agency and ready to transfer skills in-house?

If anyone has left PR or done a short stint elsewhere? Where did you go? Thinking about leaving PR, feel like I don't have many options.

I have been working at my current PR agency for 5 years. I work on great brands, have gotten great reviews and know I am a valued member of my team. But I am completely burnt out. I have so much anxiety about work and quite literally almost had a mental breakdown the other day and had to take time off. I wake up late during the week because I dread it. It is hard for me to find meaning in it, I don’t feel like I’m growing anymore, and I feel like I have to put on a mask all day just to function and get through the work day, which leaves me exhausted. I want to get promoted to make more money but I feel no excitement picturing myself doing what my boss does a few years from now.

My husband is currently unemployed and seeking a new job, otherwise I think there’s a chance I would just quit and look for something new. But doing so now would cause financial strain. I have applied to a few brand side roles thinking it may be better but now I’m wondering if I need to pivot out of this world completely.

Is this a sign that I am in the wrong field? How do you know if feeling this way is just temporary burnout vs. an actual career misalignment? I feel a bit silly because I know the vast majority of working people don’t necessarily love their jobs, but I feel like I’m losing it.

Need a bit of positivity today.

I have an interview tomorrow for a corporate social media marketing role and am honestly so nervous.

My background is pretty nontraditional: I was a creator, then built and ran a multi-client social media agency for three years before moving in-house at a higher-education nonprofit, where I’ve been for the past two years. I know I’m qualified for the role, but pitching clients feels very different from a structured corporate interview.

Has anyone made a similar transition from creator, freelance, or agency work into a corporate role? I would really appreciate any tips or tricks that helped you alleviate interview nerves.

I have a client that is planning to host an analyst day 48 hours before an investor day — and they are asking us to help plan, create analyst kits, and brainstorm whatever else we need.

I’ve done some research and I’m just feeling a little lost — maybe I am not asking the client the right questions. The rest of my team is also confused or hasn’t done AR before and all of our senior team members are OOO this week.

I’ve been in B2B for about six years. My experience with AR has always just been prepping for the standard biannual pre-briefings and briefings for various industry reporting and research the analysts are regularly producing quarterly, biannually, etc.

Has anyone else helped with one of these? What was the run of show like? What did you provide them with in media/analyst kits? What else did you have for them?

What questions should I be asking to fully understand the goals/objectives of this event? I might also add, they are trying to plan this in under 60 days — which makes me especially nervous.