Thursday, May 28, 2020

Public Relations (PR) Cover Letter Sample Writing Guide

Public Relations (PR) Cover Letter Sample Writing Guide This cover letter for public relations works like Jill Hazelbaker.But heres your problem:A public relations cover letter has a massive job to do.It has to show you can use words to convince.Write a bad one, and that precious job for the great firm will wave goodbye.You need to wow them like the #IceBucketChallenge to secure the interview.Its not hard.This guide will show you:A sample cover letter for public relations better than 9 out of 10 others.Ten PR cover letter examples that boost your brand.How to write a public relations cover letter that convinces.Why the right PR achievements can put them in your funnel.Want to write your cover letter fast?Use our cover letter builder. Choose from20+ professional cover letter templatesthat match your resume. See actionable examples and get expert tips along the way.Public Relations Cover Letter for a ResumeSee more cover letter templates and create your cover letter here.One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:[I used] a nice template I fo und on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.Create your resume nowSend your cover letter for public relations with a W2O-Group-worthy public relations resume. See our guide: Public Relations Resume: Sample Complete GuideConsidering similar positions too? See other cover letter examples for jobs in your industry:Account Manager Cover Letter ExampleMarketing Cover Letter ExampleMarketing Coordinator Cover Letter ExampleMarketing Manager Cover Letter ExampleProduct Manager Cover Letter ExampleSales Associate Cover Letter ExampleSales Cover Letter ExampleSales Representative Cover Letter ExampleSocial Media Manager Cover LetterWant to explore your options further? See our full selection of cover letter examples for every career:Best Cover Letter Samples for All Jobs.This PR cover letter template is Elliot-Schrage-level:Public Relations Cover Letter SampleYour NamePublic RelationsMailing AddressPhone NumberEmail AddressDateHiring Manager NameTitleBusiness NameMailing AddressDear [Hiring Manager Name],Achieving 100% efficiency to project milestones and goals at Berkadia was a nice win for my career. My skills in policy creation, communications, and distribution made it possible.I'm excited to apply for the public relations position at Alfento Systems. I know from your ad that you need someone skilled in creating PR policies, supervising external communications, and distributing news releases and fact sheets to media outlets. I think I'm a good fit based on:Communications.Supervised an external communications team to secure leads in 10+ top media outlets in the US and abroad.Policy creation.Worked with customer service and sales teams to develop PR policies that improved brand awareness by 20%.Materials distribution.Worked to distribute fact sheets, scripts, and press releases to 25+ media outlets.I'd be glad to discuss how my skills in media relations, Facebook marketing, and crisis management can help Alfento's customers succeed.Bes t regards,[Your Name], Public Relations[Phone Number][Email]PSI'd also like to tell you how I grew a Facebook fan base to 12,000 in 4 months.Thats up there with Share a Coke.A public relationss cover letter like that will make them scramble for your number.Now, heres how to write public relations cover letters that get interviews:1. Use the Best Public Relations Cover Letter TemplatePR specialists know first impressions count.Lets optimize yours. For starters: professional cover letter design.This cover letter for public relations template shows youre the subject matter expert.It lends credibility to your pitch.PR Cover Letter SamplesChecklistyour contact infothe organizations infoDear (hiring managers name)First paragraph: your best career accomplishment that fits the roleSecond paragraph: enthusiasm achievements that show key skillsThird paragraph: your CTAbest regards your name and titlePS (with another offer)Pro Tip: The heading of your cover letter should match the heading of your resume. So remember to use the same setup, fonts, and margins.Whats the right format for a public relations cover letter? See our guide: Cover Letter Format: A Complete How-To Guide2. Start Your Public Relations Cover Letter RightFireworks time.A great headline has to grab your audience.The same goes for the first line of your cover letter for public relations jobs.To drop jaws like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, start with a wow-grabbing fact.These public relations cover letter examples show how:Public Relations Cover Letter Examples [First Paragraph]Pretend the job posting asked for policy creation, communications, and media distribution skills.Right ExampleEmily ProsserPR Specialist2100 Stone LanePhiladelphia, PA 19104215-837-0553emily.prosser@gmail.com1/9/20Jennifer CantosSenior Account ManagerAlfento Systems, Inc.1543 Pheasant Ridge RoadPhiladelphia, PA 19104Dear Ms. Cantos,Achieving 100% efficiency to project milestones and goals at Berkadia was a nice win for my career. My skills in policy creation, communications, and media distribution made it possible.Spot-on messaging.Why does that PR cover letter example boost your ROI?Because it:Starts with a high-grade PR achievement.Adds public relations skills the job ad asked for.But this public relations cover letter example wont influence a soul:Wrong ExampleDear recruiter. Im a public relations specialist with skills in copywriting, editing, and Instagram. Im recognized for my ability to raise brand awareness, and Id like to apply for your PR job, which I spotted on Monster.com.Thats boilerplate.Sample cover letters for public relations like that will flop.Its not personalized, and it whiffs the job requirements and duties.Butwhat about a PR intern cover letter with no experience?Sample Cover Letter for Public Relations [Entry-Level]In entry-level public relations intern cover lettersList PR accomplishments from:Non-public relations jobsCollegeFreelance work or InternshipsVolunteering or projectsCerti ficationsDont even have those? Start your cover letter for public relations jobs with:A glimpse at your passionSomething that excites you about their organizationSomeone you know who works thereA press release or news item about the company you sawSee the next of our PR cover letter examples with no experience:Bill Andado, your head of sales, suggested I apply. Ive known Bill for three years, and he likes my go-getting attitude and social media savvy.As a blogger at CashWorld.com, my articles raised traffic from 20,000 to 200,000 per month in 8 months. That was a nice win, but my real goal...When I was awarded the Senior Excellence Award at Brigham-Young University...Raising attendance for the Great Catsby Animal Shelter Benefit gave me a nice feeling. My skills in...As a PRSA-certified public relations specialist...Ive always loved giving people good news about something that can help them. Thats one of the reasons Im so excited about your opening in...Congratulations on being name d as one of the top 5 places to work in...Perfect pitch.All those beginnings for cover letters for public relations beat, Im writing to apply...Pro Tip: If you cant think of a grabby first line, dont sweat it. Applying to more jobs will boost your chances, as long as you tweak each cover letter so it fits the job.Need more ways to start a public relations cover letter that turbocharges your message? See our guide: How to Start a Cover Letter: Sample Complete Guide3. Write a Targeted Public Relations Cover Letter MiddleYouve set the hook.Now your cover letter for public relations jobs must target your audience.That starts with a Rob-Shilkin-style middle paragraph.Include:Enthusiasm for this public relations positionA deep understanding of the PR job dutiesClues your public relations skills have reachSee these public relations cover letter examples:Public Relations Cover Letter Examples [Middle]The first of these PR cover letter examples is on-message.Right ExampleI'm excited to appl y for your public relations position at Alfento Systems.I know from your ad that you need someone skilled in creating PR policies, supervising external communications, and distributing news releases and fact sheets to media outlets.I think I'm a good fit based on:Communications.Supervised an external communications team to secure leads in 10+ top media outlets in the US and abroad.Policy creation.Worked with customer service and sales teams to develop PR policies that improved brand awareness by 20%.Materials distribution.Worked to distribute fact sheets, scripts, and press releases to 25+ media outlets.Exclusive.That sample cover letter for public relations jobs has legs.ButThe next of our public relations cover letter examples works like Id like my life back:Wrong ExampleI started out my public creations career five years ago, working for Harvest Train Breakfast Cereals. I brought my passion for PR to the table as I worked to write press releases and other materials and distribute them through multiple channels. Ive learned a lot about what it takes to make a PR campaign successful, and I hope to bring those skills to bear on your business.Failure to launch.You missed the job duties, and left out the traction-proving metrics.Pro Tip: What should your cover letter say? Its good to show you know a thing or two about the company. Online research and informational interviews can help. Theyre the best way to target a cover letter for public relations.Remember: the hiring manager doesnt want to read War Peace. See this guide for pointers: How Long Should A Cover Letter Be? Sample Guide4. End Your Public Relations Cover Letter StrongCTA time.Once the hiring team digests your message, move on to next steps.Ask for something at the end of your cover letter for public relations jobs. ButOffer something too.Do it like the first of these public relations cover letter examples:Cover Letter Examples for Public Relations [Ending]Right ExampleI'd be glad to discuss how my skills in media relations, Facebook marketing, and crisis management can help Alfento's customers succeed.Best regards,Emily Prosser, PR Specialist215-837-0553emily.prosser@gmail.comPSI'd also like to tell you how I grew a Facebook fan base to 12,000 in 4 months.Thats job-ready.That example gives them:More public relations skills from their job listingThe promise of a free PR tip that could help themBut the next of our public relations cover letter samples is down with Samsungs flammable Galaxy Note 7:Wrong ExampleThank you for reviewing my application. I look forward to hearing back from you.That offers nothing, and sounds generic.Pro Tip: Want your PR cover letter to reach out and touch recruiters? Use a PS sentence. Those get attention like #LikeAGirl.Need more tips for your cover letter for public relations ending? See our guide: How to End a Cover Letter [+Examples]Key TakeawayHeres how to write a public relations cover letter:Use a public relations cover letter format that le ts you toss in your own Michael-Kirkland-type skills.Start with a bang. Add your most APCO-worthy accomplishment to your PR cover letter opening.Show enthusiasm. Use your PR pro or PR intern cover letter to win their hearts.Come bearing gifts. Your cover letter for public relations ending should add value.Not sure how to start your public relations cover letter? Want to write a cover letter for public relations that works like earned media? Leave a comment. Well be happy to reply!

Monday, May 25, 2020

10 Commandments of Successful Candidates

10 Commandments of Successful Candidates 1. Thou Shall Perfect Your CV Your CV should ideally be 2 pages of attention grabbing, hard hitting information about you, your achievements, qualifications, personal qualities, vision and skill set. As most recruiters don’t have the time to wade through pages and pages of career history, make sure it is clear and concise and is tailored to showcase your most relevant skills and experience (including evidence) for each particular role you are applying for. 2. Thou Shall Create an Online Presence Consultants spend a lot of their time headhunting and searching online for candidates with the right fit and skills for roles they are trying to fill. Therefore, if you have online profiles on LinkedIn and Twitter for example then it really is the first step to being targeted by a recruiter. Remember whatever you put on social media can be viewed by potential future employers and recruiters so it is important that it reflects you in the way that you would want them to see you. 3. Thou Shall Be Consistent It is always advisable to have your LinkedIn profile, your CV and any other social media accounts up-to- date with your relevant job information and skills endorsements etc. You could be targeted by a head hunter at any time and inconsistencies across your profiles could cause confusion and doubt regarding your relevance for a role. If you are contacted by a recruiter and you are able to immediately send an up to date CV then it doesn’t delay the proceedings. 4. Thou Shall Be an Active Participant If you are an active member of groups within your industry on LinkedIn and Twitter and are proactively attending networking events and/or workshops and seminars to improve your skills, this reflects positively on you. It demonstrates your commitment to your profession and your motivation.  It will also raise your profile, make you more visible to recruiters/potential employers and increase your chances of being recommended by an associate within your network. 5. Thou Shall Upload Even if you aren’t applying for a specific job you can upload your CV to job boards and to recruitment company websites so that you can easily be found by recruiters and potential employers online and within internal databases when opportunities that you are suitable for present themselves. But as with your online profiles it is better to have consistency. So keep a list of where you have placed your CV and make sure any future updates are amended at every source. 6. Thou Shalt Not Apply for Everything It is fair enough to have your CV on several job boards and registered with several recruiters to increase your chances of being head hunted for an opportunity,  but if you are actively looking don’t apply for every job under the Sun. Only apply for positions that you are genuinely interested in and that you have a chance of getting given your skill set and experience.  If your CV is constantly landing in a recruiter’s inbox for irrelevant roles you won’t be taken seriously and you may be even be overlooked for a position you are actually suitable for. 7. Thou Shall Do Thy Homework If you have been put forward for interview you should do as much research on the company, its products, their customer base and the role as possible. It is essential to show enthusiasm and commitment by demonstrating that you have dedicated your time to researching them via their website and getting to know their values, brand and have an in-depth understanding of what they do. It also helps to arm yourself with a list of questions to ask at interview and to prepare set answers to questions that you are likely to be asked. 8. Thou Shall Dress Appropriately For the majority of interviews the most appropriate attire will be a smart suit, shirt and tie or a suit and blouse, but this may not always be the case. In some instances, especially within the creative industry, a less formal approach may be more appropriate. Think also whether your hair (including facial) and accessories such as piercings, jewellery or bag is appropriate for the working environment. 9. Honour Thy Recruiter Patience is a virtue, there is something to be said about looking keen and interested. However there is a fine line between chasing, stalking and bothering people unnecessarily. A decent recruiter will update you as soon as they have heard anything and they will also contact you if anything has happened which will potentially delay any decision. By pestering or dissecting and trying to interpret every little detail this may change someone’s opinion of you and may lead to you missing out on future opportunities. If however you were told you would hear something by a particular day and this has past then it is obviously OK to give the recruiter a call to see what is happening. 10. Thou Shall Not Be a Sore Loser If you have gone through a lengthy and thorough interview process and feel you have given your all, it is natural to feel upset and bitter if you don’t secure the role. But there is always a chance that there is someone who is a better ‘fit’ is also in the running. You may feel like blaming someone, particularly the recruitment consultant who put you forward, but by doing so you will be alienating the very person who saw your potential in the first place and ruin any chance of them putting you forward for any future opportunities. Use each set back as a learning curve and put it all down to experience, ask for feedback if possible and then you can make sure you don’t make the same mistakes again.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Why Monsters Batch Apply Service is Bad for Candidates

Why Monsters Batch Apply Service is Bad for Candidates If youve visited the Monster website recently you may have noticed their new innovate ‘batch apply’ function which allows you to apply for multiple job openings with just one click of a button. While Monster seems to think this is a good thing, I couldnt disagree more. In recruitment we call this the shotgun approach, this is where candidates apply lots jobs hoping the more they apply for the more likely they are to get find work but it usually produces the opposite effect. Whats the problem? Imagine for moment you work for recruitment agency and you currently have two hot jobs that you need filling ASAP for two very different clients. The jobs are as follows: Job A is for a B2B Marketing specialist. Youre looking for an experienced marketer specialising in B2B and must have experience working within pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. They should be trained to degree level and will be supporting the Business Development Manager by running events through out the year as well as working on tender proposals. Job B is for a Digital Marketing specialist working for an online retail store. Duties would include running the companies social media campaigns with the ultimate goal to increase onsite conversions. They must have experience of using Mailchimp to send out mail shots with any additional knowledge of SEO and HTML being beneficially. Your standard approach is to advertise these jobs online in the hope of getting some excellent candidates through. Within five minutes of posting the advert you receive an application from Joe Bloggs for job A which seems promising. Five minutes later you receive another application from Joe Bloggs put for job B. Can this same person be a specialist in both digital marketing and events with vast experience in both medical sales and retail? What would you do in is scenario? In most cases like this I wouldnt even open up the CV as immediately I know this person hasn’t read the job description properly, otherwise they wouldnt be applying for both jobs in such a short space of time. While they might actually be suitable for one of the roles if they cannot put in the extra effort it takes to write a targeted cover letter and CV then that says a lot about their work ethic and type of employee they would be. While this isn’t a new approach to job hunting, candidates have been using this approach for a long time, Monster’s new batch apply service makes it a lot easier for them and also suggests it’s a good idea, doing a disservice to job seekers everywhere. Social media is making the shotgun method obsolete. Social media has dramatically altered how we connect with each other and what information we share with the world. Recruiters are capable of finding out in depth knowledge about you which you’ve left off your CV by searching online through your LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook accounts. Your online personal brand can either benefit your job efforts or hinder it. If youre mass applying for jobs with a generic level CV then a recruiter may use your online personal brand to determine your suitability for those roles. I have always preferred a sniper rifle approach to job hunting. Be specific, create a list of ideal jobs and go out there and find them. Before applying for a job find out as much detail about the recruiter or the employer as you can as well as the job itself. Use LinkedIn to identify who maybe replacing and see how your background matches theirs then tailor your application to fit. The best way to improve your chances of securing the job you want is by building your personal brand online and having a well thought out career progression path. It is not by mass applying for any job that seems remotely similar to what you want. Applying for three jobs that you have a higher probability of getting will work better than applying for twenty jobs you have little chance of getting. Also you have to think to yourself if you did get one of those jobs you batch applied for do you really want and how long will it be before you start looking again? Dale William’s is a founding director of  Yolk Recruitment  as well as a Dynamo role model based in South Wales. At the age of 24 Dale setup his own recruitment business with his business partner Duncan Powell and believes anyone can be a successful entrepreneur with the right drive and work ethic. Related: What People Search for on UK Job Boards.