Where to job search?

[leshoequeen]

It’s been nearly twenty years since I did any job searching but it’s time. I am desperate to get out of my current place. I’m having major anxiety and panic attacks around work issues and it’s just not worth it anymore.

Here’s the kicker, I’m a high earner in a rural area. I’m going to have a very hard time finding something else local making the kind of money that I do. I’m the breadwinner in our house so I need to stay pretty close to where I am financially. (Cue the additional pressure) I’m currently in government public relations.

Does anyone have suggestions of where to look or what sort of field I could make a leap to? I’m ready to be done with government for a while. I’d love to work remotely for a larger organization, but I know that frequently only comes after a time of demonstrated success in person. Has that changed in today’s job market?

I appreciate any advice.

[jinkies]

I am mostly looking on LinkedIn. You can filter by minimum salary, remote/hybrid, and how recently the job was posted.

I will warn you though that any fully remote listing has 100+ applicants seemingly immediately.

I would also look for professional societies with job boards.

To your question about remote: COVID moved a lot of positions remote and there's no longer a stigma or "prove yourself" period at a lot of companies.

[livinitup]

Does public relations lend itself to marketing yourself to a few clients as a consultant?

That could be a way to give yourself a good deal of control over clients, remote work, and your rate?

I know it’s hard but working your current contacts is the best way to start for new employment. People who know you and can recommend your work and tell you about job opportunities. Can you create a contact list for people outside of government? They would probably be happy to know you are looking.

[thebreakfastclub]

If you don't have a LinkedIn profile, I would make one and quietly start connecting to people you know. I'd turn off notifications during this time so your connections don't see a flurry of activity. You can set job searches in the app as well.

My work is hiring hybrid across the board, there is no probationary period to be eligible. Full remote seems much harder to come by.

[underwaterrhymes]

I don’t know what kind of salary you currently make, but you may be able to find an advocacy job with a nonprofit that pays in the $120,000 - $150,000 range. (Unsure if this applies to all areas or if this would satisfy your earning needs.)

[loira]

When you say you're in government public relations, does that mean you are a public servant? If you're working for a local municipality or department, maybe check the public service jobs in municipalities close by, or even (I'm assuming you're in the US) your state for remote positions that allow you to work from anywhere in that state. I work in PR/comms for government and there are a lot of remote positions in the public service for my province. Public service will not generally give you a better salary than private sector though, but does come with better benefits.

Alternatively you could set yourself up as a consultant, like pps suggested. I know lots of people who made that transition as well and it seemed to work out for them.

[definitelyO]

100% LinkedIn. but if you connect with colleagues be careful about the "looking for work" label. But build out your LIn like a resume and then start searching.

are there any local networking organizations. My career has a large networking/education org that has also been beneficial in job searches.

you can also check out Indeed.

[leshoequeen]

Apr 16, 2024 16:57:10 GMT -5 livinitup said:

Does public relations lend itself to marketing yourself to a few clients as a consultant?

That could be a way to give yourself a good deal of control over clients, remote work, and your rate?

I know it’s hard but working your current contacts is the best way to start for new employment. People who know you and can recommend your work and tell you about job opportunities. Can you create a contact list for people outside of government? They would probably be happy to know you are looking.

It could, but I am in a fairly rural area so opportunities would be limited.

[dutchgirl678]

LinkedIn. I also recently started checking out hiring.cafe. They have many remote roles, though I'm not sure how well represented they are in your field. It's free, so no need to pay for a subscription or anything.

[ellipses84]

If you need help brainstorming, you can put some prompts into chat GPT that may give you some ideas of adjacent roles and/ or companies. Like, what job options are available for a PR person with a work history in government. Find the typical names of the roles and then Google job listings for those specific jobs. They may lead you to companies that hire those roles in your area and you can keep checking their specific websites for hiring opportunities. I know some sites like Indeed you can filter for remote jobs.

If you set up a linked in profile, headhunters may start contacting you or you might find some in your area / industry.

Are you willing to travel some? Is there a city within driving distance that you’d be willing to commute to 1x a week? This may make remote or hybrid positions more viable.

Would you consider a different type of Government? There may be Federal remote positions.

[pixy0stix]

Different field, but when I was looking for jobs I found LinkedIn to be mostly scam jobs, especially remote. I found my current job with Indeed.

[RoxMonster]

When I was making a career transition, I searched on LinkedIn.

If I found a job I was interested in, I would go to the company's actual website and apply through there rather than through LinkedIn to ensure it was legit. The number of applicants listed on the job postings on LinkedIn are not accurate so I wouldn't let that dissuade you. It is counting the number of people who click the "Apply" button, not whether or not they actually send in an application. Of course, it does follow that the higher that number, the more people are interested in the job to begin with.

One thing to be aware of is that I have come across several jobs that may be listed as "remote" but when you read the job posting, it is actually hybrid with some sort of in-office requirement or it requires a lot of travel. There are some true fully remote jobs out there but they are dwindling from what I saw a couple years ago when I was applying.