This is a guest post by Heather R. Huhman. Heather is the media relations manager at a national health care professional association and entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of the “boutique” public relations agencies. Often times, you are given many more responsibilities much more quickly than at larger firms. If you’re like me and thrive on these things, LaunchSquad (PRWeek’s 2009 Boutique Agency of the Year) might be just the place for you. Founded in San Francisco in 2000, LaunchSquad now has 40 employees, 35 clients and another office in New York City. The San Francisco Business Times recently named the agency a “best place to work in the Bay Area.” I was not surprised about this fact when I read about Volunteer Day, a company-wide event that took “Squadders” to the Exploratorium this year. As I mentioned earlier, you can really wear many hats at a boutique agency—the “hats” at LaunchSquad including messaging and story development, media relations, analyst relations, media training, writing, strategic marketing, international PR, and social media.

Launch Your Career at LaunchSquad

I’ll admit that I’ve never heard of most of LaunchSquad’s clients, but they seem to have had many success stories throughout the past nine years. Big-name clients are certainly not the only reason to join an agency. LaunchSquad currently has an Account Associate opening in its San Francisco office. Duties will include “writing, pitching, research, reporting and general account support.” Make sure you have all the usual entry-level PR position qualifications (i.e., strong written and verbal communications skills), as well as a sense of humor.

Interested? Submit your cover letter and résumé to jointhesquad@launchsquad.com. When following up on your application, your best first contact is Michele Brusseau, HR and Office Manager, at michele@launchsquad.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• LaunchSquad.com
• Jobs at LaunchSquad
• About LaunchSquad
• Services Offered by LaunchSquad
• LaunchSquad’s Clients
• LaunchSquad’s Exclamation Blog

Need help with your cover letter and résumé—or your entire job search? Heather offers low-cost coaching packages specifically for students and recent graduates seeking careers in public relations. Click here to learn more.

We've identified LaunchSquad as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• account management
• all employers
• California
• communications
• public relations

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