Careers
Maybe you’re fresh out of college, ready to start your journey in public relations/the digital communications world. Or maybe you’re an established communications professional looking for your next career move. Or you could be 5-plus years in, looking to specialize in a specific skill such as writing, digital ads, or SEO.
But don’t just take our word for it.
Over 88% of employees ranked Hoffman at a 4 or 5 in terms of being a good place to develop their career in our 2021 annual survey.
We also invite you to peruse the Glassdoor reviews above to learn more about the quality of our workplace and employee experience.
Now, let’s dive into how we advance our staff’s career development.
It All Starts with Your Manager
When it comes to your success and happiness at an Agency, there is no bigger factor than your manager, as you can see in the chart below.
This is something we’ve always known at The Hoffman Agency, and it’s one of the reasons we’ve carefully looked for and hired managers who have the emotional IQ to not only help you grow as a PR professional, but also care about the little and big things going on in your life outside of work.
Rest assured you’ll have weekly 1:1s with your manager to help you develop SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely) goals, receive feedback to help you grow, discuss obstacles or challenges you are facing and potential solutions, learn how they can advocate better for you, and, of course, get to know you better as a person outside of PR.
Ultimately, your manager is here for you at more than just your 6-month check in and your annual review.
And that’s the way we think it should be.
Rising PR Stars
For those who are just starting out their career in the wild world of communications as either an intern or account coordinator, we’ve developed a robust program that will set you up for success.
In your first week, you’ll attend what we have affectionately dubbed the “PR 101” training session where you’ll learn the fundamentals of PR and the tools that we use at Hoffman.
This serves two purposes; it allows you to learn about many of the tasks your account leads will ask you to tackle and also gives you another contact in the Agency who isn’t your manager that you can go to with questions.
Additionally, we created our Entry-level Cohort Program during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic that has proven it has the legs to continue to evolve as we transition back into the office with a flexible schedule.
Interns and account coordinators meet with cohort leads bi-weekly to discuss what’s going on with their accounts, make connections with their peers, and learn from their colleagues at the Agency on topics including media lists, byline development, agendas and action items, social media storytelling, and more.
What’s It Like to Be an Intern at Hoffman?
One last point, last year we made the executive decision to keep the vast majority of interns, account coordinators, account executives, senior account executives and account managers on three to four accounts max.
We’ve found through experience that any more than that lowers chances of success and increases stress at work. Sticking to this policy has allowed for even greater quality client deliverables and a better work life balance for all.
Learning Never Stops—
No Matter Your Level
Even if Hoffman isn’t your first rodeo in the communications field, we firmly believe that public relations professionals should never stop learning. Our field changes rapidly in terms of both the technology our clients develop and the communications tools we use to get our messages out into the world.
That’s why we carefully cultivate an annual training calendar that has at least one training per month, including areas such as:
- How to Make the Most of Microsoft Teams
- Managing Up (for account managers and below)
- Wikipedia as a Communications Tool
- Social Justice Toolbox Introduction to Pronouns
- The Everyday Habits of Inclusive Teams
We provide opportunities at all levels to interact with clients, attend tradeshows, go to in-person PRSSA and other industry events/trainings, and more. We also offer a Mentorship Program for all employees. The program is designed to empower employees to connect with more senior coworkers they might not regularly work with to learn and benefit from their expertise. While you might work with your manager on day-to-day performance and account work, relationships with mentors are focused on long-term skill development, career planning, and personal/professional goals.
At the end of the day, Hoffman provides ample room for growth to all employees as supported by our high retention rate; 58% of our staff have been with Hoffman for over three years.
And beyond the length of time our average employee has stayed at the Agency, it’s the personal stories and career trajectories that speak to us (and we hope you) the most.
