Join the Hourglass Media Team!

⌛  By Kaylin R. Staten ⌛

I’m about to go where no one has gone before -- in Hourglass Media terms, that is.

For the past year or so, we have been gearing up to scale our company in more ways than one, and with the arrival of my first child in September, scaling has been made into a top-tier priority! 

Outside of the job description and other elements listed here, I wanted to offer some insight into what we are looking for in our current opening for a Temporary Account Assistant. I’m going to highlight a few key points below to expand upon the Hourglass Media brand and the requirements of this position.

This is what we are looking for:

Someone who can get behind The Hourglass Principles and offer their own insight.

A couple of years ago, I wrote our own set of PR-related values. While we have many more to add to the revision process (like diversity and inclusion of all narratives), this is the gist:

1. Be professional and ethical at all times by following the PRSA Code of Ethics.

2. Use the RACE/RPIE process with each client, campaign and project. Two-way symmetrical communication is essential.

3. Focus on the strategies and not just the tactics. Use macro thinking to accompany detail-oriented, micro efforts.

4. Always strive to be your honest, authentic self and follow Hourglass Media’s core business values.

5. Timeliness is next to godliness.

6. Writing is the cornerstone of every storytelling effort #behindthehourglass.

7. Listen consistently and efficiently to your publics and reach them where they are.

8. Know when to take a break and then take it. It revitalizes your PR efforts and mental health.

9. Public relations is a life-long learning process. Learn at least one new thing per day.

10. “Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery. But weakness, folly, failure also. Yes, failure most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is.” -- Yoda.

(Modeled after The Page Principles and tailored to our own work.)

Requirements include:

• Experience, interest, and a Bachelor’s degree in the communications industry, specifically public relations, event planning, client management, or a comparable area (Bachelor’s degree can be relaxed if experience is exceptional)

• Ideal experience level: Entry-level

• Has to be based locally in the Tri-State (company is located in Huntington, WV) with a semi-flexible work schedule during the day to accommodate in-person clients

• Some work can be completed on other schedules as long as deadlines are met

• Adherence to PRSA Code of Ethics and other industry standards

The contractor position (a maximum of 10 hours/week for 12-13 weeks) will consist of the following responsibilities:

• Ensuring that all pressing client needs are met each week with oversight from the CEO

• General Research, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation (RPIE) and basic operational knowledge of public relations and business structures

• Internal and external client work, depending on the account, with examples including the following: social media, event planning, committee meetings, general planning, weekly client check-ins, media relations, graphics for print and online, content curation and creation;

• Attendance of virtual and in-person meetings with clients during the standard work day (8 a.m.-5 p.m.)

• Internal Hourglass Media administrative tasks: Keeping meetings and events going by upkeep of calendar and answering requests as needed via specific-to-contractor Hourglass Media email address

• Assistance in reporting and tracking with client- and company-specific metrics to ensure all plans are on track

• Content creation and curation for Hourglass Media itself (blog posts, social media, email copy, etc.)

• Weekly check-in virtual meetings with the CEO and timesheets by each Friday

• Other duties as assigned

Along with being a self starter, master collaborator, Required proficiencies include:

• Very organized and detail-oriented

• Dependable and flexible, especially with regards to meetings and client requests

• Strong writing and communications skills

• Similar principles as Hourglass Media (https://www.hourglassomnimedia.com/our-story)

• Basic graphic design skills (Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva skills preferred)

• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office and back-end website work (no coding but ability to work with Wordpress or Squarespace if needed) and technologically savvy

• Knowledge or willingness to learn systems like Asana, Airtable, Webex (for virtual meetings with CEO)

• Ability to work with multiple clients simultaneously

• Ability to have open and honest conversations about what works and what doesn’t

• A positive attitude and a thirst for knowledge and learning new things every day

Please send a cover letter, resume/CV, portfolio, references, and cost per hour/per project to Hourglass Media CEO Kaylin R. Staten, APR, at kaylin@hourglassomnimedia.com by June 30, 2020. 

Kaylin R. Staten, APR, is an award-winning, accredited public relations practitioner and writer based in Huntington, WV with 18 years of professional communications experience. As CEO and founder of Hourglass Media, she uses her compassionate spirit and expertise to delve into the heart of clients’ stories. She is a recovering perfectionist, mental health advocate, wife, Luke’s mom, cat mom, and Leia Organa aficionado. Connect with Kaylin on LinkedIn.