The PR Approach to Your Job Search

Finding a job is a task in itself. But what kind of task is it? When you think about it, job hunting is actually a public relations task.

When you're job hunting, you're advertising yourself. If you finally want to land your dream job, you need to do good personal PR. So treat your job search the way a PR professional would treat a PR campaign.

In PR, we love catchy acronyms. If you've been job hunting long enough, you'll come to love this one: RPIE. It's pronounced "R-Pie"... okay, maybe not that catchy. It stands for Research, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation.

Research

This first phase of a campaign is often overlooked by PR professionals and job seekers alike. Solid knowledge about yourself and your future employer forms the foundation of your job search. Here's how to get started:

1. Begin with a brainstorming session. What are your skills? What tools do you have at your disposal? What makes you a valuable asset to employers?
2. Then go online. Where do these skills and tools fit in? Which companies are looking for a valuable employee like you? Where would you be a good fit?
3. Create a list of the companies you want to apply to and read everything you can find about them.

Planning

This is where you develop your strategy. Create a plan for writing cover letters that clearly and concisely say, "I know your company, and I know you need me!" Use your research to find the keywords your potential employers are looking for and incorporate those keywords into your resume. Create a step-by-step action plan for how you will approach each cover letter, phone call, and interview. Remember your research? It's still your foundation.

Implementation

You have your plan; now it's time to get going. Build your personal brand. Send out your cover letters and resumes, follow up to show your interest, and walk into interviews with confidence, supported by the knowledge you gained during the research and planning phase.

Evaluation

When it's all over, review what happened. What did you do right that you'll repeat next time? What pitfalls will you avoid on your next trip? How can you improve your job search skills? Get ready to repeat the process.

Job hunting is a PR campaign, and like a PR professional, you bill your work by the hour. The more you invest, the more you get back. Campaigns don't just last a few days; they're ongoing. Job hunting is a full-time job—until you find a full-time job.

The RPIE framework provides a disciplined and effective approach to the often-overwhelming task of job hunting. By treating your job search as a professional public relations campaign—complete with thorough Research, detailed Planning, confident Implementation, and honest Evaluation—you shift from passive applicant to proactive candidate. This self-directed strategy mirrors the structured approach that modern HR systems require. Just as IceHrm provides tools for companies to manage and evaluate employee performance, the RPIE method allows you to manage and evaluate your own campaign performance. Dedication to this full-time process is the key: the more time, effort, and strategic focus you invest, the greater your return will be in securing your ideal role.