Reworking Resumes

[FrontierMan]

Hi Everyone,

Like so many others, I got laid off this week. After spending time as a reporter who finally clawed my way into a dream market, I've already decided that I'm not doing news anymore.

For all you former newsers who now work in PR, do you have any suggestions on how I should tailor my resume?

[Roy Hobbs]

Yep. If you want to work for a PR agency, name-drop industries and Fortune 500 companies covered. Then they'll want you on those types of accounts.

[adam & doctor drew]

good luck with your search.

nothing personal here, just a general observation: I'm always amazed at the amount of news people who think they can seamlessly just slide on over to PR, when I imagine they'll be competing for jobs against people with PR experience and college degrees in PR.

I wonder what the reaction would be if a PR person suddenly appeared in a newsroom one day, announcing that he or she wanted to anchor?

[Roy Hobbs]

Considering the contestants for Washington PR Woman of the Year...ummmm...no.
http://www.bisnow.com/archives/women/1107/ww_images/111507a.jpg

[FrontierMan]

I know many reporters off the top of my head who work in copyrighting, PR or as a PIO. I don't know anyone who's done it the other way around. As reporters, we deal with PR people so often and try to call them on their crap regularly.

I think I'd be good at covering up government or company conspiracies while working in PR. And instead of figuring out why someone wrote a press release and what they're trying to cover up, I can just sit down and write them.

[Sir Dropham Pants]

Target companies/agencies that put a lot of effort into PR, and more specifically dealing with the news media. If you've been a reporter your whole career, you might have a hard adjustment getting into a corporate marketing position where they expect you to design a direct mail campaign. If you know writing and you know news, find somewhere that will value that knowledge.
As far as the resume, it's important to translate what you did into real world terms. Those of us who worked in news know what a producer does. It's a good bet those on the outside do not. Many also might think your work as a reporter involved rolling up in a limo to recite the words someone else wrote. Emphasize the fact that you wrote multiple stories each day on very tight deadlines. Sounds like you're in a tough spot - I wish you the best of luck.

[Creative Cutie]

I made the switch 4 1/2 years ago, but I am doing media relations (which deals more with news media than public relations, it seems). If you're looking for a media relations gig, I would stress the fact that as a former member of the news media, you know what members of the news media want, and therefore you know how to identify stories that will interest them, as well as how to best pitch those stories. You know that most stories need some sort of news hook in order to get the news media's interest. You will be able to pinpoint opportunities that aren't necessarily obvious to media relations people who have not been a member of the media, for example, as a former television news person, you know that news stories that tie into programming have a good chance of netting coverage, etc. This, I believe, helped me get my foot in the door. Good luck!