The perfect fit that isn't so perfect

Searching for a job. 

One of the most awful and most exciting things that you will ever do.

I know this because I am in the middle of the search for the perfect job right now. 

Now I know that since I JUST graduated from college I have to pay my dues, suffer, and work my way up. I understand that. What I don't understand is why some of these employers are having such a difficult time understanding what it is that I do. 

I went to school and earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication for Public Relations. I have a lot of valuable marketing and branding experience from the five different internships that I held all four years of college. 

My resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, Twitter account, Facebook page, blog, and any other possible social media site I am listed on shows my PR, marketing, and communication experience. GET THIS: I even have samples of my work floating around out there! 

If these are my qualifications, this is my experience, and this is what I paid an accredited university to teach me— then why is it that so many companies looking for entry level employees want to hire me for the ONE thing that I DON'T want to do?.....sales. 

There are those who refuse to realize the difference between sales, marketing, public relations, and advertising. Many of my fellow PR young pro's will understand what I mean. 



If I wanted to do face-to-face sales, I would have written sales on my resume and in my cover letter. I understand that marketing is a function of sales and public relations is a function of marketing. However, it is not my job to sell you a product, it is my job to support the sales team by creating a brand and a presence so amazing that their selling process is made much easier when they are pitching to their potential clients.

Today, I received three separate phone calls asking for me to schedule an interview with a "private marketing firm". Sounds exciting, right? After extensive research I found that all three of the phone calls I received were for companies that have no website and hardly any social media presence. That is a huge red flag as a PR person. Obviously, these places are marked as illegitimate in my book. 

I'm looking for the perfect first job because I know what I am capable of accomplishing, and I refuse to sell myself short by accepting positions that are meant for people who did not work as hard as I did in college by gaining real world experience in my field. 

P.S.A.

FELLOW YOUNG PRO'S: beware of these scam jobs. You are better than that. PHONE CALLS, I've noticed, aren't a good sign. If they are calling, fire questions their way. If it's over an email, make sure you scour the internet to gain knowledge of the company and the person contacting you before agreeing to anything.

Here are the three questions I should have asked on the first phone call, but mastered by the third. Ask these if you are suspicious of a company and their intentions of hiring you. 

1. Do you have a website that I can visit to research your company? 
• If they give you an answer immediately, visit the site if you are near a computer while on the phone. If there are no links or the site looks bare, you know as a PR pro that they have a hidden agenda. 

2. Is this a sales position?
• Ask straight out if this is a sales position. If they respond with, "there is some sales involved" or  their preferred terminology, "there will be some face-to-face marketing", and you DON'T want anything to do with sales, politely decline and hang up. 

3. What is your role in the company?
• If they can answer with a legitimate title, and not just a recruiting title or a sales manager, then you should be in good shape and should consider continuing on with the interviewing process.  

Any insight to this would be greatly appreciated by everyone. I needed an outlet for this situation because I've never felt so defeated. Thanks for listening.