Help A PR Pro Out

By Richie Escovedo

Image by Calsidyrose via Flickr

Now the you have this altered version of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans’ classic duet planted in your head, I’ll take a moment to add my thoughts on what is turning out to be a unique twist to the it’s all in who you know networking mantra for getting hired.

Help a PR Pro Out
On Friday, February 19 a rapidly growing community of online communicators and PR professionals will attempt to dedicate four solid hours (10:00 am – 2:00 pm CST) to helping fellow PR folks.

Help a PR Pro Out is a community based effort to help those seeking jobs in the Public Relations industry thanks to the coordinating efforts of Arik Hanson and Valerie Simon.

We are hoping to have flurries (hat tip to the folks snowed in) of Tweets, blog posts, job pitches, on/offline chats, videos, Facebook status updates, (and maybe even a few Google Buzz updates) all centered on connecting employers with job seekers.

Follow the fun via Twitter Search (#HAPPO), follow HAPPO on Twitter, on the Facebook fan page, in addition to getting involved in other ways:

• For PR job seekers – If you have a blog, write a creative post on why potential employers should grant that interview. Post it via Twitter with a link back to it. There is a good potential that we’ll have a huge audience picking up and peaking in to this initiative so see and be seen. Use the #happo hashtag so we can retweet your information. Offer an email where potential employers can contact you. No blog? Then consider making a video and posting it to YouTube (like Michael did) or leave your details in the comments below. Be sure to also check out the DFW Communicators Job Bank, PRSA JobCenter, and the Ragan Communications Career Center to get started.
• For employers hiring PR talent – Follow the hashtag #HAPPO on Friday, Feb. 19 and share your openings. Market champions will do their best to connect you with talent they think matches your specific needs. Or leave job details in the blog posts that are going up of the folks you’re interested in, or email them directly. Pay attention to the creativity we are hoping they display as they accentuate their digital footprints.
• For people that know of open PR jobs – Please leave a comment here, via Twitter, or just e-mail me so we can get that information out and positions filled.
• For my Dallas/Fort Worth friends, please feel free to contact me directly (or any of the other volunteer HAPPO market champions listed below) and let us connect you.

The Chorus
Over this next week leading up to Feb. 19, we will post and tweet about the event. Make sure you are connected with the Regional Champions if you’re a job seeker or an employer looking for PR talent. That will help us all get on down that HAPPO trail.

• Jeremy Pepper (National)
• Mary Deming Barber (National)
• Jeremy Porter (Atlanta)
• Kellye Crane (Atlanta)
• Doug Haslam (Boston)
• Jennifer Wilbur (Southern CA)
• Gini Dietrich (Chicago)
• Sarah Evans (Chicago)
• Allan Schoenberg (Chicago)
• Lauren Fernandez (Dallas/Fort Worth)
• Richie Escovedo (Dallas/Fort Worth)
• Jamie Floer (Florida)
• John Sternal (Florida)
• Justin Goldsborough (Kansas City)
• Arik Hanson (Minneapolis/ St. Paul)
• PR Cog (New York Metro)
• Deidre Breakenridge (New York Metro)
• Valerie Simon (New York Metro)
• Heather Whaling (Ohio)
• Anne Buchanan (Philadelphia)
• Abbie Fink (Phoenix)
• Deanna Ferrari (Pittsburgh)
• Adrienne Biggs (San Francisco)
• Danny Brown (Toronto)
• Dave Fleet (Toronto)
• Shonali Burke (Washington, DC)
• Mike Shaffer (Washington, DC)
• Heather Huhman (Washington, DC)

I am so thrilled to play a part in the HAPPO community initiative. It has been impressive and inspiring to watch as it has bloomed. Help a PR Pro Out has received accolades and  has even been featured on the podcast For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, in PR Week, and even PR Daily News. Also, bloggers such as Sarah Evans, Dave Fleet, Allan Schoenberg, David Mullen, Shonali Burke, Rachel Kay, Diedre Breakenridge, Danny Brown, Heather Whaling, Gini Dietrich and others will or have already posted some thoughtful writings.

(Quick hint for my readers: I’ve added all of these links to resources and bloggers because they are among the best for PR industry news, posts, links, and topics for discussions.)

Now it’s your turn: Can you Help a PR Pro Out? The comments are yours.

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