Apr 8,2008
I’ve been browsing online for some opportunities. I’m really thinking I am going to go the PR/Marketing route in school. So I figure, hey, why not check out some new job or interning opportunities.
The thing is - I don’t have an office type experience. I’ve only worked in retail and as a nanny in the past. Will this hinder me in my search? I feel like it will. My resume is going to boast all this fantastic childcare experience and I’m going to be looked at as crazy. Why is this girl looking to be a marketing intern or whatever I am applying for? If I have to suck it up a few days a week with an unpaid internship, I will. I need something to get some sort of experience.
Now how do I get them to take me seriously?
Anyone with any experience with this sort of thing or anyone can help me bang out an amazing cover letter and resume. Email me. I’d love you forever. Seriously.
I need help.
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34 Responses for "resumes, cover letters…help!"
hi,
I have been hiring people at work, this is what I’ve learned:
1- don’t focus on your responsibilities, focus on what you achieved
2- get ready for that - where do you see yourself in 5 years? question - and remember, say “with your company!!”
3 - don’t make it a moral statement/ it’s a marketing document
4- don’t give everything away!!
stay positive. you would be surprised how many negative things people say about previous jobs.
i hope this helps,
robin
first of all, i’d say that marketing/PR is an industry you can ‘build’ a resume quickly for, depending on what kind of field you’re thinking within their layers. i mean, you have a pretty strong online presence that you could build out into a brand that would almost serve as a resume in and of itself. like robin mentioned you’d have an existing ‘accomplishment’.
robin’s resume and interview advice is good stuff…i just thought i’d mention that you may be doing a bit more than nannying and you’re not aware of it!
do you follow @paullyoung on twitter? he’s a PR guy huge into social networks…his tweets will lead you to lots of marketing/PR types that i’m relatively sure don’t hand out paper resumes.
I can help! I’m a copywriter for a company with two divisions–marketing and employment (weird, i know.) Anyway, because of this, i’ve been trained to look for brilliant cover letters/resumes–and because of that, I’m decent at writing them. If you want, you can send me what you have and I can re-read it and give you pointers. I help write a blog for work as well on tips of the trade, so I can send you a link to that too. Anyway, let me know! Lauren.Gibaldi@gmail.com
I’m not a hiring person, but I applied to many, many jobs last year. Oh, and I’m an editor, so I can glance through anything you pass by me in terms of format or whatever. Good luck!
you’ll be fine :) you’re young enough to get away with that kind of a resume AND you’re in school
Don’t worry about your experience, that is what an internship is for! I got my first congressional internship with only an ice cream shop and computer tech support on my resume. The first congressional internship lead to a second congressional leadership which *keep you fingers crossed* is going to lead to a job??
Some really great suggestions already. I have been in the business world for about seven years or so…I have a couple examples of my resumes I could send you if you want. Let me know.
Everyone starts with no experience, and interviewers know that, so don’t let that affect your confidence in your job search. Good luck, I’m sure it will all work out just fine.
Absolutely - I work for a PR firm in DC and new media is all the rage. I would focus on your experience as a blogger and how you’ve built your brand.
Clearly you know your way around a computer, so I wouldn’t stress about the lack of office experience.
Internships are all about grunt work and willingness, so just have that attitude and frame of mind when writing your cover letters.
Hey hey. I interned at my college’s Career Services department doing resume and cover letter writing/critiques/fixing and I work in HR currently so I am entirely too familiar with putting together kickass job-hunting documents. You have my email so if you need help, drop me a line.
Play up any school experience that may be PR/marketing related. Specific classes. Projects. Extra-curricular activities. As others have said, you’re still young, so anyone looking for an intern isn’t expecting loads of experience.
Hey there -
I work in PR/Marketing now. Know I’ll see you at the cupcake-crawl on Saturday, let me know if you want to talk more about it. Happy to help.
Everyone has said great stuff, but yes, the cover letter is the opportunity to sell yourself, why you want to be in PR/marketing, what your strengths are. And then on your resume talk about relevant skills you have such as new media branding, etc.
keep us posted!
The thing about marketing isn’t your experience, it is your ability. So if you write a kick ass cover letter/ resume that markets YOU then that’ll sell it. (I’ve been in marketing/ tech for 10 years, trust me.) Shoot me an email to remind me dig out my old cover letter, I always got rave reviews on it.
Have you considered volunteering your time somewhere to build your resume? I suppose I am biased as a Volunteer Coordinator but I think it helps! And non-profits often want/need that kind of service but can’t afford it.
Hey Jamie! As an HR professional, I have to say that what kind of jobs you had previously is less than important that what skills you posess and what you have acheived. Above all - be honest and let the interview be your time to shine. Good luck dear!
askamanager.blogspot.com
evilhrlady.blogspot.com
hrwench.blogspot.com
and most of all, don’t end up on nothired.com
-R
Before I got a “real” job I didn’t have any office experience either. I spun my experience in the theatre around to meet the demands of an office job. For example, I have great time management skills, I pick up on things easily, etc…it got me my first “real” job and now I’m in an office job that allows me to explore my theatre interests :)
make sure you explain in the resume (i.e. the objective section) why you are switching to a different career. i think that will help potential employers gain some perspective. good luck!
I’m no good with resumes. I had the boyfriend write mine :D
Definitely try to position the experience you have had in terms of the jobs you want. Retail experience could easily be posed in terms of customer contact–it’s all tied into the same thing. For PR–it’s all about writing! Lots of new grads / college kids have the same issue as you, so there is no need to make your resume artificially sophisticated. Just focus on one or two experiences that are relevant and really demonstrate your skills, even if they are volunteer positions or school activities.
If you need help, send your resume my way. I’m pretty good at this stuff.
Jamiekins!
Everyone has given great advice. A lot of what I was going to say has already been mentioned.
Definitely sit down and make a list of your skills. I’m going to start applying again here soon and I sat down and was amazed at how much I didn’t realize I did on a daily basis. It’s not so much my job title that’s going to get me places, it’s what I’ve accomplished (much of which is outside my job description) that will get me another job.
I hired the intern at my company and it wasn’t her experience we looked at, it was her interests and her goals that sold us. We also hired her because she had experience with Photoshop, which was a must. Def. highlight your skills involving technology, they’re important these days with the interwebz and all! Ha!
Miss you!
<3
Sometimes, I feel that you and I share the same brain. Not only are you a nanny, but previously worked in retail and are looking for PR/Marketing jobs too?? We’ve had the same life! LoL good luck with your search. I’m in the middle of my own, and share many of your frustrations, so I can’t offer too many tips, but play up the skills you do have like good people person, really know how to connect, great at focusing, awesome writing skills… :)
I’m not in PR/marketing, but I am a journalist. Which means I’m pretty decent at editing cover letters and resumes. So if you’d like someone to read it over and make it sound nice, I could help you out in that area.
Everyone else has great advice. (:
This isn’t resume advice, but a place you might look for an internship in marketing & pr. It’s http://www.youintern.com/ - they sent me a notice a while ago. They don’t yet do Canadian internships which is why I didn’t pick up the story, but if you’re in the states, it looks like a great resource. Good luck!
Bah…I suck and should have weighed in on this a lot earlier. There isn’t much more to say that hasn’t already been said but just remember that your blog is such a strong indication of your potential in the marketing/pr world. You show initiative, writing skills, social media ability, and development of your personal brand. Rock it!
gah. these are some brilliant suggestions & i’m afraid mine would pale in comparison… so i’m just going to say that you seem like such a wonderful and smart girl, any company would be lucky to have you! let your personality & charm do all the work! GOOD LUCK! xo
If you are applying for unpaid internships, they understand that you are coming in without experience. That is the point of having an internship! Just make sure your cover letter clearly explains what your goals are and why having this internship will help you achieve those goals. That way, they see exactly why you are applying, and why you are amazing. Good luck!
I help people out with resumes and cover letters all the time! I seem to have a knack for just the right turn of phrase (not to toot my own horn). I’d be happy to look over anything for you!
Being a nanny and dealing with kids and retail has got to be some good experience for PR/Marketing. PR is all about smoothing things over. Dealing with random situations. No better experience than dealing with kids and customers.
I would help, but this is unfortunately an area I need help with myself. Good luck and let us know if you find someone fabulous, I’m sure it will benefit more people than you know.
i’m in the marketing and PR industry currently. my recommendation is to focus on getting an internship in that field even if it pays nothing or little to nothing. it’ll pay in experience. and that experience will be the difference in getting a phone call or not. i get resumes sent to me all the time and when i see one with all bartending experience and a BA in marketing it disregard it. you have got to put something on there that is relevant to the job you are going for.
i’m also really good in fudging resumes. i got some good buzz words/phrases for ya! also if you are interested in looking at my resume for an example email me and let me know! : ) i don’t think it is all that wonderful but it got me hired!
Your school should have some sort of career services department where they would be perfect to help you. Besides, for the most part the services are free, and it’s a great way to find support. Remember, you’re paying for it in tuition, so you might as well use it :)
My boyfriend is suffering the job search right now too… I wrote his resume and do all of his cover letters since he’s dyslexic :o) Sometimes it doesn’t even seem to matter about his work experience, despite my lovely words. Nothing changes the fact that his current job is at a restaurant, and I swear people will throw a resume away when they see that.
On this note, I recommend putting an “Objective” statement right above “education” on your resume. If they don’t read your cover letter, that’s what they’ll see first.
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