Lindsey Hawkins

Some excellent tips in this post for what companies looking for freelance support should put in their adverts. I’d add: make it clear whether a role is freelance or employed by using the word “freelance” or “contractor” for freelance roles and “employed”, “permanent”, or “staff role” for those that are in-house. There currently seems to be a lot of confusion — among recruiters, at least — about what “full-time” means. They often use it as a synonym for an employed role, even in posts about roles that sound like they will be freelance (<3-month contracts, for example), which is confusing to everyone, as most freelancers work full-time (even sometimes for the same client for a specific period of time) and many employees work part-time. It wastes everybody’s time if it’s not clear.

13

5 Comments

Excellent advice for anyone just starting the freelance journey. If you’re struggling with where to start, don’t just jump to reaching out to people. Do the pre-work Stephen Bonsignore is sharing here. This is your roadmap!

4

1 Comment

Not a mom... yet? Anyway, I've always observed that women who have just returned from all the perks and trimmings an organisation has had to offer around childbirth struggle terribly. The truth is organisations have done very little/nada to facilitate an easier transition to the workplace. Why? Because it will need a lot more than just monetary investment. I know a few women who have deferred having a child until they reach a certain level of success that they envisioned because they don't see the organisation/system/leadership supporting them the way they did before the baby. The work pressure to perform at the same level as when you went on maternity leave... It honestly just doesn't add up. From leadership to colleagues to peers to the whole ecosystem... everyone needs to invest a little more time into addressing this important agenda. If organisation's genuinely want equality and equity in their workplace in today's hyper-driven world where everything is snap at it or snap outta here, they will need to make more room, be more, do more. #InclusionMatters P.S: If you look at the original post (and the demographic of the people who interact with mine), you can see that it is largely women who are mothers speaking up, the rest of the universe is silent and can't be bothered.

12

My non-paid side gig is to help people who are seeking communications roles build their "candidate narrative." These could be folks that have been laid off, moving into communications from a different role, or just making a change. It's not recruiting support or writing resumes. It's helping someone best tell their story to stand out, because there are too many great people in need of roles. And for me it's good karma and building new relationships -- it's giving back to the community that has given me so much. Here are a few tips that continually rise to the top when we've built successful candidate narratives: 1) Take all the best practices in communications and apply them to yourself: Build key messages that have an agenda (what you want them to believe, know, feel, do), identify stories that bring your most important successes/lessons to life, and use media training tips to stay focused and tight. 2) Always focus on S-A-R: Every example of success should be a tight situation-action-result. Otherwise, you'll end up wandering for five minutes talking about the great initiative you led. Everyone has a great initiative, and interviewer is now checked out. Not everyone can succinctly hit the S-A-R. Doing this right helps you be sticky in recruiters'/hiring managers' minds. Data, results and transformations are sticky - if you're tight with them. 3) It's hard to read the label from inside of the jar: get a trusted friend, colleague or acquaintance to review your materials, hear what makes you unique, or do practice interviews. Sometimes what makes you special and what people will remember of you is hidden in a lot of words on paper or in conversation. And sometimes it takes someone else to unearth the right expertise or points to make. 4) Speak to cheerleaders/advocates. The one thing that seems to help the most, and what I've found I've delivered to others (if not unintentionally): confidence. Sometimes you need others to remind you of your awesomeness, or see the forest from the trees on what amazing things you've done (then, got back to #1 and #2 to get those messages, stories and results right). 5) What did you look for in candidates? How soon we forget sitting on the other side. If you have some experience, you likely conducted interviews and hired people. Who stood out as the best? Why? What did they do? Can you learn from that and apply? I'm grateful to have helped some folks - it fills my cup. Hopefully this helps some others out there.

99

23 Comments

As I see more posts on what #NoPaidLeaveCostMe, I can't imagine the difficult journey that NICU parents without any paid leave have endured. The current paid family leave laws already overlook the additional time needed for NICU parents to bring their warrior infants home. Much less not having any at all? It's unfathomable. Resurfacing my op-ed in CalMatters from last year, which shares a bit more about our journey and why we need #PaidLeaveForAll – including a specific NICU leave. https://lnkd.in/gvfTNYGu

26

DENVER

3

2 Comments

"Tell me about a media hit you're most proud of." 📰 This is a real question I like to ask candidates interviewing for a media relations role. I ask it for a couple reasons: 1.) I want to understand the strategic thinking that went into said media hit and 2.) I want to see if they're passionate about media relations. IMHO, #2 is the most important. The best PR pros I've worked with love the chase and this usually comes through in their answer. You don't want box checkers. ✅ You want people that truly enjoy finding the perfect news hook and who get a thrill when a reporter lights up their inbox. 👀 Happy interviewing! #PublicRelations #PRAgency #CareerAdvice

2

2 Comments

UPDATE: Thank you for the tremendous interest in this secret project! Here's the fastest way to learn more: request to be admitted to our consulting collective. The project is detailed there on the private group page (top pinned comment). Note that you will only be accepted into the group if you're a seasoned communications / marketing pro with a minimum 10 years experience (must also be a current independent consultant or seriously considering it). Thanks all! https://lnkd.in/g8u_hR7H --------------------- Many of you already know about this, but if you haven’t heard… I'm looking for senior-level, full-time communications consultants (10+ years experience required). If that's you, please connect and send me a message. I’m working on a very special project (can’t say more publicly just yet). [ NOTE: This isn’t a job - it’s an opportunity to participate in something new and special alongside fellow senior communicators. It could lead you to new clients. It won’t cost you a thing. ] I’m especially eager to find experienced comms pros who SPECIALIZE in any of the following areas -- ✔️ Community Relations & Engagement ✔️ Influencer Relations ✔️ Crisis Planning & Response ✔️ CSR / DEIB / Social Impact Communications ✔️ Employer Branding ✔️ Industry-Specific Comms (i.e. manufacturing, healthcare, etc) ✔️ Investor / Analyst Relations ✔️ Public Affairs ✔️ Social & Qualitative Research ✔️ Speaking & Award Positioning ✔️ CEO Speechwriting I’m equally eager to find senior comms consultants who are based in these countries (must be fluent in English; multilingual skills are a plus!) ✔️ Australia ✔️ Brazil ✔️ Canada ✔️ France ✔️ Germany ✔️ Ireland ✔️ India ✔️ Japan ✔️ Mexico ✔️ Netherlands ✔️ South Africa ✔️ Switzerland ✔️ United Kingdom If this sounds like you and you want to know more, please send me a connection request / message! I have something cool to share. Bonus - you’ll be in great company. Many of your fellow communications experts from around the world are already on board (and very excited 😊)

133

55 Comments

So simple. So important. I’m focused on doing this even more.

13

2 Comments

You may groan when you read this, buuuuut trust: You need to write your holiday blogs now, not in November. If you have (or work for) a company that sells anything, especially more things around the holidays, get those blogs done now + pinned on Pinterest. You’ll thank me when that search volume ratchets up in Q3-4. It’s also exactly what I did when I wrote + pinned this blog: https://lnkd.in/gpmSRCGA. #contentwriting #holidaycontent #companyblog #holidayblog #organicsearch

4

This right here. And I am seeing this reflected in the hiring market right now. The bulk of my search work is rooted in executive-level internal communications leadership and my prediction is there is no slowing that down. Employees are asking for more transparency and authenticity, the social political climate is ever changing and companies need to be successful in navigating it. Organizations who are committed to staving off the churn and building a true retention strategy understand the value of finding the right senior leader for the work. #internalcommunications #retention

97

17 Comments

Anyone who has worked with me knows I have a proclivity for using idioms. One of my favorites to impart, especially with junior members, is "You don't lose a client with one big screw up, but with 100 little ones." (And yes, I used the SFW version of this for those who know me well.) Anyone who has a successful career in PR has screwed up royally on more than a few occasions. (Ask me why I hate exclusives.) It's okay. It's character building. A big screw up can be dissected and analyzed and can form some necessary lessons learned. In fact, if you fall on your sword and prove it was a "one time only" event, then it can sometime form an extremely important building block of trust. Smaller screw ups though. Those are the kiss of death. Missed deadlines. Typos. Wheel spinning. Lack of feedback or new thinking. Etc. These are the things that will slowly erode a client's trust and are extremely hard to explain away as one-offers. And with most well-worn pieces of advice, it comes with some inherent poetry. Many is the time I've seen 100 screw ups committed in an attempt to avoid the one big one. A big screw up in inevitable. Little screw ups are avoidable. #publicrelations #clientrelations #pr #communications #management

27

I'm seeing this firsthand. I've been looking for a job for over a year. I've read countless articles on how to land a job in this day and age. I've rewritten and tweaked my resume dozens of times. I thoughtfully apply to every position -- reading the job description, researching the company, tailoring my resume and cover letter -- only to be left with a mountain of generic "thanks but no thanks" emails. I've tried finding temporary jobs or bridge jobs, totally out of the profession (overqualified, scam jobs, no interest). I've had less than 15 real "opportunities" with interviews, with many not even letting me know I'm not moving on or any other updates. It's frustrating, demoralizing and disheartening. My family and friends are wondering what I'm doing wrong. I keep asking myself, is it me? Is it the system? The whole experience is making me consider the impact beyond the next 3-6 months of JUST finding a job. It's making me entirely rethink my future -- how can I ever really retire? How will it impact my grade-school-aged kids with growing up and college? I have plenty left in the tank. All I need is that one chance...

5

Hot Take of the Day | A Shocker From This Year's PRWeek Salary Survey! More Comms Pros Moved from "In-house to Agency" roles than "Agency to In-House." This year's survey shows that "12% of the people who changed jobs, went from in-house to agency gigs, versus 10.9% who went the other way." That's a shocking turnabout not only from PRWeek's 2023 survey which showed twice as many people went from agency to in-house, but from what we've witnessed as recruiters at PR Talent for the last 25 years. My guess is that it comes down to two possible factors: 1) Corey duBrowa brought sexy back to the agency world. Corey's high profile move from Google's top comms role to head up BCW Global (soon to be Burson) got a lot of people re-thinking the reflexive in-house move and considering a cool agency gig. We've seen other suprising, high-profile reverse migrations throughout the year, so this very well may be a trend. Or... this could just be a statistical anomaly driven by a year where there were fewer plum in-house roles available and agencies wisely took the opportunity to recruit top talent from the client side. (Note to all talent hunters: leveraging market conditions to recruit top talent is always a smart hiring strategy.) We'll be following this hot trend to see if it holds for 2024. Stay tuned! Next Hot 🔥 Take: AI Hiring Trends in Comms for 2024

55

10 Comments

💥 Transparent Moment 💥 I recently went on a job interview with a great organization where I had the opportunity to learn more about the role and how I can contribute my skills. When it was my turn to ask questions I asked, "how do you feel about thinking outside of the box?", and the response was a bit off-putting. While I won't divulge the details in order to protect their privacy, in a nutshell they indicated that it's not something they like to do and "our brand is the box". In communications, thinking outside of the box is what paints the narrative of a cohesive organization. Thinking outside of the box strengthens brands, amplifies voices, and allows your audience to witness your overall growth. Just because you have a brand doesn't mean you should stay within "the box". Step outside the box (while adhering to those brand standards!) in new and innovative ways, and leave the comfort zone behind. For the past 15+ years, thinking outside of the box has earned me recognition, awards, growth, and an opportunity to inspire and lead my teammates. I'm saying all of this to tell you to keep going! Think outside that box! Sometimes our comfort zones are holding us back from achieving greatness. You never know what's on the other side. 💪 Contact me today to schedule a consultation! 📲 (713) 396-2235 📩 durichecomms@outlook.com 💻 https://lnkd.in/eZ94bvyf #SchoolCommunications #MediaManagement #Education #opentowork #Communications #Outsidethebox #Jobsearch #Branding #Strategy

1

My reaction every single time I check LinkedIn to look for new open positions and find yet another "been laid off" post from a friend, a contact, or a 2nd/3rd degree connection. It's disheartening to say the least. Nevertheless, even though the current job market feels like a vast desert with vultures circling above and no oasis in sight, we can't give up. We have to push forward. For me, the word of the day, the week, and the past few months has been Resilience - reminds me of the great book from Angela Duckworth, "GRIT". However, resilience alone isn't enough. We need to start being creative and think of Plan Bs and Plan Cs (see Marc-Antoine Blondin, I'm working on it! 😂). This means exploring new industries, considering freelance or contract work, and perhaps even going back to school to learn new skills (GenAI in my case). It's about being open to possibilities we might not have considered before (Teaching?) and staying proactive in our job search - every single day. Looking at how our skills and experience could be leveraged in a completely different role. Networking is more crucial than ever. Reach out to your contacts, join professional groups, attend virtual AND in-person events, and don't hesitate to ask for introductions. Remember, every connection is a potential opportunity. While our journey may be filled with setbacks and dead ends, maintaining a positive mindset and being flexible in our approach will help us navigate this challenging landscape. On the days you'll get discouraged, remember that better days are ahead and that you'll need to ride the emotional rollercoaster, knowing there's a destination at the end. And though we're not likely to find our dream job immediately, but with persistence and adaptability, we can find opportunities that keep us moving forward. So to all of you out there stuck with me in the "in between" of our professional journey, do not despair. Embrace this time as an opportunity to grow, learn, and reinvent yourself. Use it to sharpen your skills, build new connections, and discover paths you may have never considered before. Remember, every setback is a setup for a comeback. Keep pushing forward, stay positive, and believe in your potential. #OpenToWork #CareerResilience #JobSearch #ProfessionalGrowth #NetworkingMatters #StayPositive #CareerAdvice

62

14 Comments

REMOTE

16

4 Comments

Over the weekend, I saw an article celebrating Hollister Incorporated's summer program that is addressing the youth mental health crisis through music. While I'm thrilled to see that mental health at the forefront of the minds of mainstream brands, a part of me felt defeated and lost. Since 2016, I have been clawing my way to get in front of the right people. Painfully sharing my personal story of struggling with depression and self harm as a teenager, and how my favorite bands truly saved my life. I started SUPERBANDS with no experience under my belt. My shy, introverted-self began cold pitching as many people as I could, sharing my vision to reshape the conversation about youth mental health through the lens of music and fandoms. Because I knew the power that they held in saving lives. I wish I could be sharing a success story for my organization, a David versus Goliath-type of win. But instead, it is the exact opposite. Just because I didnt have any connections, just because I didnt have money, I couldn't make the impact that I have been wishing for since SUPERBANDS began. While I usually look forward to May given my birthday celebrations, this May has been the roughest, most difficult one of my life thus far. It has tested my patience and my resilience. This might be the first time I truly have considered if it is time to throw in the towel. How could someone like me go up against corporations with millions of dollars, against industry professionals with endless connections just a phone call away? I don't know the point of this post. But all I know is that I never will stop believing in the power of music. #FounderJourney #HonestThoughts #Monday

12

6 Comments