No PR jobs in AZ for females over 50?

By on February 22nd, 2010 In Professional Development

2407467795_32c7f94683_m[1]arizonaIf you’re a female public relations professional over 50 living in Arizona, there’s a strong chance that you’re unemployed right now, especially if you’re seeking full-time employment rather than spotty contract work.   I started to think of all the friends I’ve had coffee with the last few months, and many of them fit into this demographic.   Scary.  

Here are two of their comments on Phoenix’ job situation:

“Finding a high-level PR position in Phoenix has been a challenge since I was in my 30’s, and has only gotten worse over the years. In other markets, where I usually reported to a CEO, expectations have been high. In Phoenix, where the position often reports to a marketing person with small business experience, the PR roles often don’t match the titles, the pay is below average standards and the role is often product publicity and not public relations. Candidates with broad-based, strategic PR experience aren’t valued by those in tactical, sales-driven marketing roles, and the less experienced or entry level candidate is more likely to get the job.”  

“Looking for work in the marketing field, I definitely feel age discrimination.  People want to hire the 20 or 30 somethings and pay them less money.  I think that people also assume that the younger people are more knowledgeable in current trends.  As far as Phoenix, for me, it has been the most difficult market to find work.  I’ve lived and worked in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and the Los Angeles area and have never had as much trouble finding a good job as I have experienced here in Phoenix.”

There are extremely bright, experienced PR contacts here in AZ.   Traditional coaching advice that tells them to “network” doesn’t ring true, from what I know of them and their situations.   What few positions there ARE available in town often do go to the 30-somethings.    It’s not just a gender issue, in fairness – my friend Jim Veihdeffer (Veeds of Arabia) is working in Saudia Arabia this year to wait out the lull here in town.   Public relations is dominated by women, however, so there will be more of them out of work.  

They ARE networking, they ARE leveraging social media tools such as LinkedIn.   One of the challenges, however, is how few companies are actually headquartered here in Arizona, instead of having just satellite offices.   PR positions are located at headquarters, ergo, the scarcity here of opportunity.  The comparative tech boom we had in the 90s, which hired these then 30- and 40-somethings, has subsided dramatically.  Is the problem age/gender discrimination, or is it the lack of substantial business size here in AZ?   It’s not a clean answer – I say it’s both, and it sucks.  And if you don’t have a spouse through whom you can gain access to basic medical coverage, it doubly sucks.

Photo credit:  http2007

Comments

Joe Ricciardi Says:
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:19 am

I could not agree more. I think the primary issue is, as you said, a lack of company headquarters in Arizona and therefore less opportunity for PR roles especially at higher levels. I went through this in 2009 when my company merged with another and our HQ moved to Boston. I wasn’t interested in moving to Boston so began to search and was disappointed in the lack of opportunities in AZ. I found plenty in cities like SF, Chicago, and NY so I couldn’t blame it all on the economy. My challenge wasn’t that younger candidates were getting selected. It was that I didn’t find a single job in Arizona to even apply for (at director level) so I found myself applying for jobs in other states. It all worked out in the end but I can totally understand why others are finding it challenging to secure good PR and communications roles in Arizona.

Shailesh Ghimire Says:
February 22nd, 2010 at 10:00 am

Wow. Didn’t realize it was that cruel for women over 50. Thanks for educating us. I feel like every time I read your post I learn something and am better for it. Thank you.

Peter Faur Says:
February 22nd, 2010 at 10:06 am

Linda, I think the primary problem, as you said, is the lack of companies in Phoenix big enough and complex enough to require a high-level public relations person. There’s a lot of money in Phoenix, but most of it has been brought here, not made here.

Sadly, people might have to be willing to move to find the professional opportunities and challenges they’re seeking. A paucity of Fortune 500 headquarters, coupled with a difficult economic environment, makes this a difficult work place for highly skilled PR professionals.

Dan Wool Says:
February 22nd, 2010 at 10:25 am

I don’t think it’s an age/gender discrimination issue. I agree with others that there are just few large or mature companies here. And very few of those are in attractive industries (mining, waste disposal, defense, B2B computer parts). This is a small business town and PR is a niche skill. Small businesses have smaller cashflows and are likely to outsource PR to consultants to manage costs. Monthly or project retainers are far less money than hiring a full-time employee. Hiring a firm is even better – you get a team of people for less than the price of hiring one person.

Linda VandeVrede Says:
February 22nd, 2010 at 10:48 am

From the sounds of it, I would guess it would be tough to be VP-level in sales or HR, also, since many of those positions tend to be at headquarters. These are all great comments. Do you think having more universities per capita here would attract more companies to headquarter in AZ?

Marketing $ociologist Says:
February 22nd, 2010 at 2:05 pm

Ms. VandeVrede:

I have extensively studied this issue. Having been in the Valley for nearly 30 years, I must disagree with you.

I don’t believe it is age, but EXPERIENCE discrimination. For some reason, companies in Arizona want the inexperienced, uneducated candidate – at least that’s who usually gets hired.

In my 30 years, I’ve seen some fantastic jobs offered. The City of Phoenix has a Public Information Director position open that pays $150,000 per year. City of Scottsdale has two similar, well paying, positions open. Banner Heart in Mesa, Florence Crittenton, Pointe Hilton, Make-A-Wish, Phoenix Zoo, University of Arizona, Kitchell, American Traffic Solutions, UTI, Thunderbird grad school, state department of Transportation, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, state Game and Fish – there are no lack of jobs.

United Way, the state’s largest non-profit, tends to hire vice presidents right out of college.

If you watch all the jobs listed above, 95% will go to females, as you’ve posted on this site in the past about no men in public relations, and the rest will go to people with less than two years experience, like the recently filled Arizona Diamondback communications position that had 800 applications.

That’s why the public in public relations have given up trust on the field and why I became a Marketing $ociologist; to differentiate myself from inexperienced public relations practitioners. Would like to say it is a malady indigenous to Arizona, but it is practiced filling PR jobs nationally. A great way to KILL an occupation or craft.

Wendy Kenney Says:
February 23rd, 2010 at 9:45 am

Hi Linda,

Good post, and the comments added are especially insightful. We have seen the same thing occur in other industries as well as companies look for ways to cut expenses, including Human Resources, IT, and Accounting, just to name a few.

We need to understand the forces at work in business world and be proactive.

I personally believe that in the future, regular employment will be the exception, not the norm. More and more companies will turn to outsourcing to fill their labor needs because it’s cost effective and efficient.. in fact it’s already happening.

As workers, we need to be in tune with what the marketplace wants and adapt accordingly…

Tony Felice Says:
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:17 am

I think it’s probably an Occam’s razor situation and both Linda’s argument and Peter’s observations hold true. Larger corporations with sophisticated marketing departments aren’t the norm in Arizona.

Better opportunities exist for those women in their 50s who strike out on their own. Personally, should I have a position available, I’d consider this type of candidate with far more interest than a younger counterpart (though all get equal shot). The level of attention to detail and work ethic at this level is essential to my business and the success of my clients.

phoenix jobs Says:
February 25th, 2010 at 11:03 am

I dont think the situation is a bad as you are saying. May be you had a bad experience, I have one of my friend who is currently working with a reputed company. Maybe there are some exceptions.

M Says:
February 26th, 2010 at 1:18 pm

Actually, as a 20-something with good references and job experience, very few opportunities exist for entry-level PR candidates in Phoenix outside of extremely low-paying agency positions. And even those are scarce. Many of the entry-level positions are going to mid-level candidates. It seems outside of director positions for those with 7+ years of experience, Phoenix doesn’t have much to offer to PR professionals.

Marketing $ociologist Says:
February 27th, 2010 at 11:35 am

Loved M’s comment. Great perspective. Again, here are the jobs that have been recently advertised. Invite someone to track them and see who employers are hiring and what they’re seeking from successful candidates.

Goodwill – public relations specialist
City of Phoenix has a Public Information Director position open that pays $150,000 per year
City of Scottsdale has two similar, well paying, positions open
Banner Heart in Mesa
Florence Crittenton
Pointe Hilton
Make-A-Wish
Phoenix Zoo
University of Arizona
Kitchell
American Traffic Solutions
UTI
Thunderbird grad school
state department of Transportation
Greater Phoenix Economic Council
state Game and Fish
Music Instrument Museum
Cable One
ICM Document Solutions
Cox Communications
Roche – Tucson, AZ
PetSmart Store Support Group
GoDaddy

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