Happy HAPPO Day! (Resources)

Happy HAPPO Day everyone!

Last year, I wrote a post called "Resources for Those Looking for A Job." I am pasting what I think are some of the best sources and including in this post some twitter hashtags I follow regarding the job market. While I know today is about extended networking and job listings not necessarily found on job sites, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite resources to help those who are continuing to search for a new opportunity.

Below I have listed some of my favorite job sites. Please feel free to suggest additional sites in the comments section of this post. This list is in no way comprehensive - just where I or others I know have had some success:

The Brad Traverse Group - A subscription site ($5/month) the Brad Traverse Group lists jobs in and around the DC area for those interested in public affairs, public relations, media and consulting. It's worth the $5 a month as many jobs are exclusively listed and will not appear anywhere else.

Indeed.com - A job listing aggregator, Indeed.com will save your searches and let you know how many new jobs have been listed since your last search, saving you time. I really like Indeed because it is simple and efficient.

Ned's Job of the Week - Ned's list (available for view on the Web site) highlights jobs in defense, communications, and event marketing/promotion. While the job listings span the globe, there are quite a few in DC Metro Area.

HillZoo.com - An online publication for those on and around Capital Hill, HillZoo.com lists on and off the Hill jobs for those interested. Some are political, some aren't. Definitely worth a look.

Social Media Jobs - For social media and digital strategy pros, Social Media Jobs lists opportunities nationwide.

Other job sites for PR Pros/Communicators:

O'Dwyer's PR Job Seekers and Employers

PRWeek Jobs

Ragan Communications (A great site for corporate and internal communicators)

SoloGig.com (Great for independent consultants. Also lists some short time and permanent positions)

PRTalent.com

Public Affairs Council (Government relations, associations, public affairs, policy and communications positions)

DC Public Affairs + Communications Jobs (Great blog that seems to catch and list hot jobs in the DC Area and beyond)

For those interested in nonprofits:

Idealist.org

Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, DC Chapter - You will have to register to gain access to its career center, but registration is free and it's a great way to network.

Twitter:

I follow the hashtag #prjobs on Twitter to see who is posting jobs. I strongly recommend this. Of course, I would also follow #HAPPO and the specific #HAPPO tag for your area (e.g. #HAPPODC). For entry level I would follow #EntryPR and for internships #PRIntern. You will be able to see individual agencies as well as independent pros, recruiters and job boards that post new opportunities.

Please feel free to send me your favorite job resources and links. Let's all try to help each other out today!

What the New Administration Means for PR

Congratulations President-Elect Obama!

Having lived in the greater D.C. metro area for most of my life, I can see where the new administration is going to have a significant impact - including how government agencies, government contractors and corporations communicate with their constituents, clients and customers.

For what it's worth, here are my projections on how the new administration will impact PR and our cousins in public affairs (Thanks to Ted McKenna (@tedmck), Washington Bureau Chief of PRWeek for Twittering about a story he's working on which inspired this blog post). 

• Government will be expected to move faster - May not happen overnight, but the Obama campaign and several senate campaigns made such great use of social media and other technologies to disseminate information and keep their supporters informed that the populous will expect to receive information from leaders on a regular if not more frequent basis.
• "Need to Know" mentality still present but weakened - Traditionally D.C. is a "need to know" town, meaning things are sometimes "above people's paygrade."  While this still applies to key areas of national security, expect to see a more transparent form of government and communications.
• The dismantling/breakdown of the federal agency/corporate silos - Traditionally (but especially over the last eight years) federal agencies and even departments in corporations have become increasingly isolated.  Cooperation and sharing of information has decreased significantly across all government agencies and some companies.  Expect to see an overwhelming sentiment of cooperation in government (whether it actually happens remains to be seen) and more transparent communications and collaboration tools (think intranet wikis) so different organizations - commerical, non-profit and federal will be able to share information more easily and more timely.
• Increased demand for communication pros (political or other) with digital/social media experience - I expect to see an increased demand for PR pros who know their digital space. To keep the electorate that elected the new administration motivated, forward-thinking government agencies, contractors and corporations will be looking to hire communication pros that understand the fundamentals of PR and PA as well as how to execute these strategies effectively in the digital world.
• Government and corporations increase communication budgets - While it may not be on strict communications initiatives, I expect the federal government and corporations to invest more in updating/improving their infrastructure in order to implement digital communication initiatives. More money might be put towards IT capabilities (such as increased broadband for streaming videos; live coverage of government hearings, etc.) and more money spent towards the creation of content for increasing awareness of government programs or corporate marketing initiatives.  I also expect to see increased budgets for internal marketing communications at corporations.

I'll reevaluate my projections 100 days after Obama and the new members of Congress take office.  What changes (if any) do you expect to see in PR/PA with the new administration taking office?