PR, Marketing and Advertising Careers

Many companies have integrated public relations (PR), marketing, and advertising functions, and while these three areas share a number of similarities, there are significant differences.

  • Marketing is interested in the market — consumers and demand.
  • Public relations (PR) is interested in relationships — reducing conflict and improving cooperation between the organization and its public.
  • Advertising tells a story to attract attention to a product or service. Advertising is a step in the marketing process.

While some companies have set hiring timelines, hiring generally occurs when employers need to fill positions.

Information Gathering

If you are interested in a career in advertising, marketing or PR, you must be able to demonstrate to employers that you know your stuff and that you follow the field closely. Read trade magazines like AdAge, AdWeek, PRWeek, and PR News; subscribe to newsletters like The Drum; and stay current with popular industry websites like AW360. Follow industry insiders on social media. Research the types of positions that are available in your field. The American Marketing Association provides detailed descriptions of the following entry-level marketing jobs; The Muse summarizes nine common jobs in marketing; Indeed highlights entry-level and mid-level public relations jobs; and Acadium lists entry-level advertising positions and provides advice for those new to the field. Learn about the skills employers are seeking. Check out the LinkedIn article, Most In-Demand Skills for Marketers, and the Digital Marketing Institute’s article, From Classroom to Job Market: 6 Skills Employers Want in Your Graduates. Take relevant Georgetown classes or learn skills like Excel, InDesign and Tableau through Lauinger or LinkedIn Learning. Vault (free to Georgetown students) is another good place to start your search, specifically their industry guides. Company websites, O*NET, and the Occupational Outlook Handbook can also help you learn about the types of jobs in your field.

Select Resources

Vault guides (available through our website), including:

  • Vault Career Guide to Market Research
  • Vault Guide to Advertising
  • Vault Guide to Advertising Jobs
  • Vault Guide to Marketing Jobs
  • Vault Career Guide to Public Relations
  • Vault Guide to Public Relations Jobs

Advertising Educational Foundation: The AEF creates and distributes educational content to improve the understanding and appreciation of the societal role of advertising and marketing through programs on college campuses across the country. Check out the fast forum, industry conversation and career guide sections.

Ad Forum: AdForum currently offers access to profiles of over 20,000 agencies and a searchable library of more than 90,000 different ads from 110 countries.

Public Relations Society of America: The largest professional organization for PR professionals (also includes 255 college and university chapters). PRSA focuses on continuing education for members through networking, professional development and publications. Maintains an extensive job bank.

American Marketing Association: Professional organization for marketing professionals. AMA focuses on continuing education for members through networking, professional development and publications. Maintains a directory for members and a job bank open to all.

Making Connections

Attend employer information sessions, industry events — on and off-campus — and connect with the local chapter of popular professional organizations such as the DC chapter of the American Advertising Federation, the National Capital Chapter of The Public Relations Society of America, or the DC Chapter of the American Marketing Association.

Professional associations host a variety of professional development, educational and networking events. If the membership fee is prohibitive, contact leadership and ask if there are sliding scale prices for students. Volunteering for a conference, educational, or social event is another great way to connect with leaders in the industry.

Develop a LinkedIn profile that communicates your personal and professional brand. Joining groups related to your industry is a great way to meet new people, find mentors, and contacts, and ask them questions. Reach out to alumni through Hoya Gateway and the alumni section of Georgetown’s LinkedIn page. The Cawley website provides helpful guidelines on networking and informational interviewing.

Making Connections at Georgetown

Joining a school club is another excellent way to learn more about the field, develop your skills, and get hands-on experience. Georgetown offers many opportunities for Hoyas to get involved. Check out the Georgetown Marketing Association, for example.

You can also join a group based on your interests and develop your professional skills. For example, if you want to refine your social media skills, you could join The Corp and work on the communications team.

On-campus jobs are another excellent way to build skills that employers value. Many university departments need student help designing promotional materials and newsletters, writing internal and external communication, managing their social media accounts, and implementing an effective social media strategy. Check out the Student Employment Office for available positions.

Preparing Your Application Materials

To better understand what skills to highlight on your resume, check out internships, fellowships, and entry-level positions in public relations, marketing and advertising. Employer websites, the Public Relations Society of America job board, the American Marketing Association job board, and the American Association of Advertising Agencies job board are great places to research industry opportunities.

Your resume should be one page, and your cover letter should be thoughtful and concise. See our resume and cover letter guides for more tips and advice.

In the creative industries, you may be required to have a portfolio or “book” of your best work or a website that doubles as your portfolio. You may also need a visual resume, either instead of or as a supplement to your traditional resume. According to Acadium:

“Your LinkedIn profile can serve as your online portfolio. Many employers are familiar with it; some ask for the link to your LinkedIn profile when you apply. And it’s completely free to use.

Not only do you have the ability to write a compelling headline and description, but you can also post samples of your work. The Featured section of your profile is where you can upload PDFs and image files, as well as links to articles, videos, and other web pages that showcase your work.”

For more information, check out:

Be sure to research the application requirements in the job description. Free virtual tools for designing a portfolio include WIX, Behance and Crevado.

Finally, if you are applying for a position in PR, you might be required to take a writing test. Read AMA: Do I Need a Portfolio to Apply for a PR Job? by Gini Dietrich and Rock the Job Interview: 5 Tips for Nailing Your PR Writing Test by PRNews for tips and advice.

Applying

Many students new to the industry question whether their first job post-graduation should be in-house or at an agency. Unfortunately, there is no right answer. Read through the following articles for the pros and cons of each.

Where should I work? The pros and cons of agency vs in-house by PRDaily

Where should ad grads work – at an agency or in-house? by Rebecca Rivera, LI

Agency vs. in-house marketing: Where should I start? by Peter Tran, LI

In-house agency sophistication rises, output improves: survey by Peter Adams, Marketing Dive

If you are interested in agencies but not sure where to look, Philip Mahler of Eskimi offers the following advice and agency holding map:

“Most of us see hundreds of agencies worldwide as individual players in the industry. However, all of them fall under the giant umbrellas of slightly more than ten agency holding companies (parent advertising agency groups that own smaller agencies).”

The “Big 6” holding companies are WPP, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, Havas, Interpublic, and Dentsu and they own many of the brands familiar to Georgetown students—like Ogilvy and BBDO. Internships and jobs can be found on the websites of the holding companies or their subsidiaries.

Select Employers and Internships

If you’re struggling to find a full-time job after graduation, consider a post-graduation internship or fellowship. These are common in many industries and often lead to full-time employment.

The “Big 6” holding companies:

Popular agencies with Georgetown University students: