Help me help her
July 11, 2006 11:10 AM Subscribe
How can I help my girlfriend find a job in product development/PR/advertising in LA?
I'm baffled by this.
My girlfriend has been trying to switch jobs and get back into the advertising/pr/marketing business for the last 6 months. She's looking for a low-level account executive or PR job in the fashion or cosmetic industry. Ideally she'd be doing cosmetic product development, but she's really just looking for something a notch above reception that hopefully pays at least $35K.
She has (in my opinion) a fantastic resume... experience working for a reputable ad agency in NY on major campaigns as a junior account manager [granted, though, this was right out of college, ~3 years ago], several freelance branding jobs, work as an in-house publicist, work as a professional makeup artist. She's the highest seller at the retail job she's currently at. Creative writing degree from very prestigious liberal arts school, education at ivys.
Yet, she can't get interviews. She's been looking mostly on Craigslist.
Is this symptomatic of this industry in this city? Are things just so competitive that even entry level jobs require tons of experience?
Any ideas of where I could get her resume looked at? Other avenues to pursue? Does she need to adjust her expectations and apply for the gopher/intern jobs? Does she need to apply to FIDM and get a specific cosmetic marketing degree?
I'm baffled by this.
My girlfriend has been trying to switch jobs and get back into the advertising/pr/marketing business for the last 6 months. She's looking for a low-level account executive or PR job in the fashion or cosmetic industry. Ideally she'd be doing cosmetic product development, but she's really just looking for something a notch above reception that hopefully pays at least $35K.
She has (in my opinion) a fantastic resume... experience working for a reputable ad agency in NY on major campaigns as a junior account manager [granted, though, this was right out of college, ~3 years ago], several freelance branding jobs, work as an in-house publicist, work as a professional makeup artist. She's the highest seller at the retail job she's currently at. Creative writing degree from very prestigious liberal arts school, education at ivys.
Yet, she can't get interviews. She's been looking mostly on Craigslist.
Is this symptomatic of this industry in this city? Are things just so competitive that even entry level jobs require tons of experience?
Any ideas of where I could get her resume looked at? Other avenues to pursue? Does she need to adjust her expectations and apply for the gopher/intern jobs? Does she need to apply to FIDM and get a specific cosmetic marketing degree?
In NYC, Craigslist is NOT a great source of professional jobs. Try http://mediabistro.com/.
posted by DenOfSizer at 11:54 AM on July 11, 2006
posted by DenOfSizer at 11:54 AM on July 11, 2006
Other than the obvious craigslist/simplyhired/monster/hotjobs route (and I do recommend that), You might consider looking in to more industry-specific employment sites like Mediabistro, Talentzoo, Engine33, and ProductionHUB.
posted by ChasFile at 11:55 AM on July 11, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by ChasFile at 11:55 AM on July 11, 2006 [1 favorite]
Is this symptomatic of this industry in this city?
Also, and I'm sure your GF already knows this, it is pretty typical for the advertising industry to slow way down during the summer, and from the looks of things (for me, at least) this summer will be no exception.
So it may be that companies aren't hiring right now. You might consider trying back in August or September, when business starts to pick back up.
posted by ChasFile at 12:00 PM on July 11, 2006
Also, and I'm sure your GF already knows this, it is pretty typical for the advertising industry to slow way down during the summer, and from the looks of things (for me, at least) this summer will be no exception.
So it may be that companies aren't hiring right now. You might consider trying back in August or September, when business starts to pick back up.
posted by ChasFile at 12:00 PM on July 11, 2006
I don't work in cosmetics, and I'm not looking to hire a PR person right now, but I do hire marketing/advertising people. If you want to send me her resume, I'll take a look at it for her, and make whatever suggestions I can. You can send it to "Will" at the domain listed in the homepage URL in my profile. Include MeFi in the subject line.
The answer of networking is the right answer though. Particularly in PR where your contacts are everything. Who are her media contacts and can they point her to particular people in particular companies? Who are her potential client contacts, and can they point her to particular people in particular companies? Is she a member of PRSA? If she is (and even if she isn't), who does she know in that organization, and who do they suggest she contact?
posted by willnot at 5:04 PM on July 11, 2006
The answer of networking is the right answer though. Particularly in PR where your contacts are everything. Who are her media contacts and can they point her to particular people in particular companies? Who are her potential client contacts, and can they point her to particular people in particular companies? Is she a member of PRSA? If she is (and even if she isn't), who does she know in that organization, and who do they suggest she contact?
posted by willnot at 5:04 PM on July 11, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
(Sorry, obvious, but has to be said)
posted by dagny at 11:47 AM on July 11, 2006