andy giefer

4 Questions to Ask Before Your Next PR Hire

Feb 19, 2010 at 9:40am

In the spirit of HAPPO, here's a look at some questions to ask when considering you next PR hire. My responses as a candidate in Minneapolis/St. Paul follow. If you like what you read, let's get in touch:

andy@andygiefer.com
@andy_giefer
LinkedIn

1. Do I need a traditional PR person or a someone with a broader skill set?

While traditional PR skills are still important, technology has infinitely broadened the scope of the field. Is it important that your hire is skilled working outside that traditional box?

My abilities reach beyond traditional PR. Over six years at an integrated agency, I demonstrated expansive skills including PR, digital/social media, creative and strategic thinking, writing and branding. I'm also someone who's driven to enhance my skills and develop new ones as PR evolves.

2. Am I committed to the strategic use of digital and social media?

As the social web becomes the center of gravity, PR is poised to capitalize. Are you on board with this shift? Will your next hire be ready to make it happen?

If you're looking for someone to immediately take advantage of social media, we should talk. My passion for and knowledge of social eliminate the learning curve. I'm prepared to strategically build, implement and manage programs from day one.

3. Am I looking for a cog or a linchpin?

A cog is a replaceable gear in a machine. A linchpin, in Seth Godin's parlance, is someone indispensable. Which will your next PR hire be?

I'm driven by a desire to help others, do meaningful work, teach, learn and provide great ideas. I'm not interested in the cog life. I try make myself a linchpin through exceptional results, insights and productive collaboration with smart people.

4. Do I have a sense of humor?

If your work culture is rather buttoned down, your PR candidate should fit that mold. If you believe that humor, personality and fun are prerequisites to creativity, make sure your next hire does too.

While I do work hard, I'm not someone who gets accused of taking myself too seriously. I want to work with fun, interesting people with an opinion and a story to tell. I believe that kind of culture ends up producing the best results.

What are you looking looking for in your next PR candidate, and do I fit the bill? If so, let’s talk soon. Reach me at:

andy@andygiefer.com
@andy_giefer
LinkedIn

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Should today's communications practitioner be a specialist or a generalist?

Dec 10, 2009 at 11:45pm

355/365 - April 24, 2009 by meddygarnet. Photo: meddygarnet

A wise man once said that when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

But today, communications practitioners have access to such a bewildering array of tools, they never have to reach for a hammer unless it's the best thing for the job.

So the question is, with all these tools at your disposal, do you diversify your skill set, or keep hammering away? Are you a pr, ad or web professional, or some kind of multidisciplinary guru? (I'm mostly directing this towards solo practitioners, startups, small agencies.) Arguments for both approaches:

Arguments for Specialization

1. My positioning is tight: I own a niche that fills a very specific need for clients or future employers.

2. My expertise is deep: I know my subject matter as good as anyone and I can authoritatively blog, present or give an interview on it.

3. My community is my toolset: What I don't know I can collaborate on or outsource to my network.

Arguments for Generalization

1. My door is always open: I can take on (and get paid for) almost any job that a client or employer throws my way.

2. My theory is we're in an age of "good enough": We've entered an era of conversational marketing that's filled with free, easy-to-use online tools and user generated content that makes much of the "professional grade" content that specialists provide less necessary. Besides, social media is turning all of us into internet marketers.

3. My search engine is my toolset. What I don't know I can ask google or my network about, then do it (mostly) myself.

Coming from an integrated agency background and now in the digital/social/pr realm, I fall under the generalist category. Where do you land?

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Explaining My Year Abroad to Employers: Common Interview Questions

Dec 7, 2009 at 10:40am

Puente de las Mujeres, Buenos Aires

It's right there in the middle of my resume. "Year Abroad," followed by a few bullet points of explanation. Yes, I left my pr job in Minneapolis to live in South America (mainly Argentina) for a year, where I taught English, studied Spanish and traveled widely. Since returning in April 09, I've taken on a few freelance projects while searching for full time work.

Since it's not directly relevant to my pr/marketing career path, I often think about how my year abroad colors job interviewers' impressions of me. Here's a sampling of what I've heard along with some of my responses.

1. The Skimmer/Dreamer

Interviewer: What an experience! I'm jealous...that must have been an amazing time.

Me: It really was a life-altering and eye-opening experience. I would definitely do it over again.

2. The Motive Seeker

Interviewer: What made you decide to leave your job and go to South America?

Me: Careerwise, I had reached a point where I was ready for a new challenge. It was either going to be a new position here, or I was going to take the plunge and do something completely different. Ever since college I'd always longed to immerse myself in a foreign culture, learn the language and appreciate different worldviews. But there was always something holding me back. Then I reached a point where everything was in order and I had no excuses not to go, so I started looking for opportunities abroad. I kept reading about the great need for English teachers in Argentina, and my language in college was Spanish, so I had a good base to work from. And the more I learned about Buenos Aires, which they call the Paris of the South, the more I liked it. The stars aligned, so I decided to go for it.

3. The Return Inquirer

Interviewer: What made you decide to come back?

Me: I planned to be gone for about a year and time was up, funds were low, and I was ready for the comforts of home again, so the time was right to come back. Although I didn't realize the economy would be quite this bad until I was actually here.

4. The Doubter

Interviewer: Why do you want to go back into pr/marketing?

Me: I always knew I was going to come back to this field when I returned. This is the work I'm passionate about. I enjoy the strategy, the writing, the relationship building, getting results, and I'm an advocate of social media. Some people wonder if I left because I hated my career and wanted to run away from it all, but that's not the case. I always saw it as: life is too short not be adventurous, and my year abroad would be an enriching experience. And that I'd come back feeling fulfilled, recharged and ready to jump back into the the pr/marketing world. And that is what happened, which is why I am here talking to you.

5. The Sarcast

Interviewer: Ever run into [SC Governor] Mark Sanford down there in Argentina?

Me: Haha, no, but it's funny because when they would show the apartment building of his mistress on the news, it looked very familiar, and I realized that I knew exactly where it was, because I used to run by it all the time. I lived in Palermo, the same barrio that she did.

6. The Dullard

Interviewer: [Is apparently not intrigued and asks no follow-up questions]

Me: [This is a total enthusiasm crusher and turns me off to the job because it tells me that the person sitting across from me doesn't find my year abroad worthy of further discussion. Maybe they think I'm not a good little worker bee? Or that I'm hiding something?]

7. The Perfect Question [which I have yet to hear]

Interviewer: How has your year abroad prepared you for this position?

Me: It demonstrates that I'm willing to take risks that pay off in the end, that I'm willing to see a vision through when few believe you'll actually do it. It tells you that I can hold independent thought and have the audacity to go against the grain. Most importantly, it tells you that I am a lifelong learner who is always looking to grow and enrich myself, rather than being mired in complacency. Overall, my year abroad demonstrates that I have the kind of character that employers value.

So how am I doing explaining myself? Are these answers satisfying for interviewers? Well, I'm still looking for a gig so maybe they could use some work. Suggestions welcome.

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4 Questions to Ask Before Your Next PR Hire

Should today's communications practitioner be a specialist or a generalist?

Explaining My Year Abroad to Employers: Common Interview Questions

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