April 29, 2010

PRforPeople celebrates a year of promoting professional brands

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When people look for work, the first impulse is often to send out as many resumes as possible, packed with as many facts and skills as possible, to let employers know they are out there. But by doing this, have they done anything to make hiring managers remember them? In other words, have they done anything to establish their professional brand?

This is one of the key points Patricia Vaccarino, managing partner of Xanthus Communications, wanted to drive home to job seekers and entrepreneurs exactly a year ago, when she launched her monthly PRforPeople events. These informal, "happy hour"-style gatherings bring together a wide assortment of Seattle's professionals to build relationships and attract new business.

"PRforPeople has evolved into a group that goes beyond networking," Vaccarino says. "The object of these meetings is to provide business contacts and good information to help professionals to build a memorable professional brand in today's crowded workplace."

On the first day of each month, regardless of the day on which it happens to fall (even on New Year's Day), Vaccarino has hosted the PRforPeople events at various venues around Seattle. Most of the events include a guest speaker, who makes presentations on various personal branding topics -- from social media to presentation skills to writing tips.

This Saturday -- May 1, of course -- PRforPeople will celebrate its first anniversary with a happy hour at Xanthus Communications' Queen Anne headquarters, from 4 to 6 p.m. The guess speaker this month will be graphic designer Nina Barnett, who specializes in building graphic identities for professionals.

Attendance at these PRforPeople happy hours typically attracts between 20 and 65 attendees. "We tend get people who attend consistently because they have it in the back of their minds that sooner or later they will be able to make the time for a 'first of the month' event," Vaccarino explains.

Attendees at the events represent professions that run the gamut, including financial planners, doctors, research scientists, artists, academics, accountants, filmmakers, attorneys, designers, journalists and salespeople. Vaccarino hasn't been able to track how many people have landed new positions because of contacts made at PRforPeople, but she does know of a few hires that were made, plus some new business ventures that were formed out of the monthly confabs.

"Each month we're seeing many more entrepreneurs and small business owners attending our group," Vaccarino says. "New jobs aren't being created these days, so many people are looking to start their own business. And that's why branding and making connections are more important than ever."

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.

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