30 jobs in the PR and marketing world

Starting a conversation with complete strangers can be unsettling.

However, communicators often attend professional development opportunities such as conferences, workshops, roundtables or networking events in their related fields.

These offer many benefits, including discussing problems your peers are facing, making mutually beneficial connections or finding a new professional opportunity.

However, it all starts with an introduction—and that causes some to perspire.

Even those with outgoing personalities can struggle with striking up a conversation with someone they’ve never met. That’s why it’s best to go into these situations with a game plan.

Here are four networking tips to get you started:

1. Have conversation starters ready.

Not everyone is an improvisation expert. It can be hard to speak off the cuff, so prepare some ideas.

The Muse compiled a list of “30 brilliant networking conversation starters” to get you going.

Once you’ve broken the ice, you can discuss topics of interest, which could draw others into the conversation.

2. Move around the room before jumping into conversations.

Walking around awhile gives you the chance to listen to conversations. Doing so helps you discover which discussions afford you a chance to offer your input or opportunities to learn from like-minded professionals.

It’s much easier to join the chat when you feel you have something valuable to offer. Plus, there’s the potential that others face similar struggles as you, allowing for further discussion and a chance to brainstorm solutions.

[RELATED: Overcome your biggest challenges in internal comms, PR and social media]

3. Connect with speakers or attendees on digital channels beforehand.

If you can, find out who will be attending or speaking, and connect on the multiple online platforms available. This preliminary ice breaker makes the introduction process less stressful. You can also conjure topics that may be of mutual interest.

In her “8 easy ways to bolster your networking skills” piece for PR Daily, Helen Deverall states:

It’s much easier to approach people if you’ve already had a conversation on Twitter or LinkedIn. The more you break the ice, establish rapport and connect online beforehand, the more momentum you’ll have when the event starts.

Establishing meaningful, substantive (hopefully lucrative) connections begins with connecting online.

4. Ask a co-worker or friend to tag along.

Sure, not everyone has the time or budget to attend a larger conference, but there are plenty of small networking opportunities that cost little or nothing at all.

These are perfect opportunities for you to invite a friend or colleague along. Don’t, however, spend all your time with that person. The buddy system is great for easing the stress of networking but should not be used as a crutch.

Vanessa Van Edwards, a behavioral investigator and author of “Captivate,” shares her networking tips in Jamie Kravitz’s “ 8 networking tips for people who hate networking ” piece for Business Insider. She shares:

Bring a wingman or wingwoman who helps you be your best self, yet isn't afraid to leave you alone. The best person for this job will show up at the same time as you so you can walk in together, get settled with you, and then help you divide and conquer, Van Edwards said. "Have a deal that if you meet someone interesting, you're going to bring them over," she added.

Have your networking plan in place? Online networking titan LinkedIn seeks a senior marketing manager for executive content and speaker programs in San Francisco.

It summarizes the position:

In this role, you’ll have a unique opportunity to help evolve our corporate narratives and build an iconic brand that drives business results. The successful candidate will be a strong writer and program manager who is comfortable dealing with ambiguity, eager to learn more from customers, partners and peers, and no stranger to strategic problem solving and executive engagement.

Not the job for you? See what else we have in our weekly professional pickings:

Senior strategic communications manager and Infosys managing editor—Autodesk (California)

Social media strategist—Lynn Hazan & Associates (Illinois)

Fashion PR intern—Agentry PR (New York)

Manager, partnership development—Golden State Warriors (California)

Director, celebrity/VIP public relations—Ralph Lauren (New York)

Director of corporate communications—Mozilla (California)

Head of communications—English Football League (United Kingdom)

Content marketing manager—McAfee (Texas)

Copywriter and reporter—Arizona State University (Arizona)

Content manager—Comcast (Pennsylvania)

Senior communications director, public affairs—United Nations Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Marketing communications manager—Microsoft (Canada)

Senior content strategist—GoDaddy (Washington)

Content marketing manager—Showpad (Illinois)

Associate director of communications—UTC Aerospace Systems (North Carolina)

Director of external affairs—University of Saint Francis (Indiana)

Senior manager, partner content and community marketing—Booking.com (Netherlands)

Media manager—The Home Depot (Georgia)

Editorial director—Conscious Company Media (Colorado)

Omnichannel marketing manager—Cisco (Canada)

Marketing specialist – copywriter/creative—Children’s Health (Texas)

Senior communications coordinator—Delta Air Lines (Georgia)

Web Analytics manager—Wayfair (Massachusetts)

Marketing manager—London Business School (United Kingdom)

SEO analyst—Ulta Beauty (Illinois)

Front page editor—Oath (California)

Marketing and communications project coordinator—Ascension (Tennessee)

Director of social media strategy—Epsilon (Maryland)

Corporate communications strategist—Summa Health (Ohio)

If you have a position you’d like to see highlighted in PR Daily’s weekly jobs post, or if you’re searching for career opportunities, RaganJobs.com is the perfect place to find or post high-quality job openings.

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