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About Me

I'm Daniel Méndez Aróstica — a bilingual corporate communications leader with almost two decades of experience across mining, energy, biopharma, and healthcare.

I started my career in the Atacama Desert, supporting billion-dollar mining operations in Chile. Since then, I've led communications at BHP, Bechtel, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Johnson & Johnson — advising C-suite leaders, managing high-stakes issues, and building narratives that actually move people.

I'm also the founder of #CommsJobs, a LinkedIn community of over 24,000 communications professionals worldwide. I built it because job searching is hard and generosity scales.

I believe in AI as a tool — and in humans as the irreplaceable part. I've been an early adopter of emerging technologies and applying it to corporate communications work since before it was a trend. I know what to automate and what to protect.

I'm based in New Jersey. I work globally. I think in two languages.

On AI & Technology

I've been an early adopter of AI in communications as a capability multiplier. I've completed MIT's program on Artificial Intelligence for Business Strategy, and I've spent years helping teams understand what to automate, what to protect, and how to integrate new tools without losing the judgment and voice that make communications credible.

I speak about AI and communications at conferences and industry events, including PRSA and others. My take: the human parts of this profession — judgment, taste, ethics, courage — matter more now, not less.

On #CommsJobs

In 2021, I started sharing communications job opportunities on LinkedIn using the hashtag #CommsJobs. What started as a small act of generosity grew into a global community of over 30,000 professionals.

I built it because I know how hard job searching is — especially when you're new to a country, pivoting industries, or just trying to figure out your next move. 

The community is free and everyone is welcome.

Outside of work

I'm a cancer survivor. At 18, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. That experience changed how I see time, relationships, and what actually matters. It's part of why I show up the way I do — with urgency, with gratitude, and with a genuine interest in helping others.

I'm a husband and a father of two. I'm also a musician — which, honestly, explains a lot about how I think about collaboration, timing, and knowing when to stay quiet.

“I was incredibly lucky to have access to wonderful doctors and nurses that looked after me during that time. And I was also lucky that my type of cancer had a treatment,” Daniel said. “Many others couldn’t make it and that’s why I never take my life for granted.”

Read my full story here

Daniel in the media

Smart in Public Podcast: Pack Your Career Go Bag with Daniel Mendez

If you've been quietly doom-scrolling job boards and wondering if it's just you — it's not. The communications job market is genuinely hard right now, and nobody's being fully honest about why and what to do.

Daniel Méndez Aróstica, MBA built hashtag#CommsJobs because he lived it. After making the leap from Chile to the US, he found himself navigating an overwhelming system and decided to try to understand it and to help fix it. What started as a hashtag became one of the most useful communities for communicators in transition on LinkedIn.

In this episode, Daniel shares his unique POV about what's actually happening in the market, why job descriptions are becoming increasingly disconnected from reality, and what the hidden job market actually means in 2026.

What we get into:
🌎 How Daniel built a global community of comms pros 20k+ strong
💼 The brutal truth about the current communications job market
🤝 Why "network when you don't need anything" is critical
🤖 AI's real impact on hiring in communications
🎯 How to find the jobs that never get posted and why following real people beats job boards every time

Whether you're actively searching, quietly considering your options, or trying to future-proof your career, this one's for you.
Periodismo UCN •

Desafíos y Oportunidades | Entrevista a Egresados UCN - Lilian Villagra y Daniel Méndez

En este primer capítulo del conversatorio Desafío y Oportunidades, moderado por José Morales Donaire, académico de la Escuela de Periodismo UCN, conversamos con dos destacados egresados de nuestra Escuela inmersos en el mundo de las comunicaciones: Lilian Villagra Merello, Directora de Cuentas en Agencia Ocho Comunicaciones, y Daniel Méndez Aróstica, Fundador de #CommsJobs.

La conversación aborda la comunicación estratégica en los contextos laborales, explorando cómo ha evolucionado el rol del periodista dentro de las organizaciones, cuáles son los principales desafíos que enfrentan las áreas de comunicación en Chile y qué competencias resultan clave en el escenario actual.

¡Síguenos en nuestras redes!
https://www.instagram.com/periodismoucn/
https://www.facebook.com/periodismoucn/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/escuela-de-periodismo-ucn-354a09189/
On Top of PR with Jason Mudd podcast •

Networking Without an Agenda: The Key to Career Longevity

Daniel Mendez of #CommsJobs shares how the importance of early and active networking.

Tune in to learn more!
🤔 5 things you’ll learn during the full episode:
How networking must be intentional and ongoing
Why you must give in a relationship before you can take.
Why PR professionals shouldn’t neglect personal branding.
The role of PR and communications and how it shapes narratives.
The role of community in your career and the impact it has on it.

🎧 Quotables
“What you’re trying to do is build relationships” — @DanielMendez
“PR people are amazing at promoting others and telling other people's stories, but we forget to tell our own story.” — @DanielMendez
“The best opportunities that I've ever gotten in my career didn't come from a job board, they came from people.” — @DanielMendez
“People think communications is just sending an email or a poster … It's not. It's so much more than that.” — Jason Mudd
“That personal brand is what people remember when they're making decisions about who to bring on board.” — Jason Mudd

📚 Resources
Listen to more episodes of the On Top of PR podcast: https://www.axiapr.com/podcast
Find out more about Axia Public Relations: https://www.axiapr.com/
Daniel Mendez’s website: https://www.mendezarostica.com/
Daniel Mendez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/commsjobs/

Additional Resources from Axia Public Relations:
Navigating PR and communications hiring with Brooke Kruger: https://www.axiapr.com/blog/navigating-pr-and-communications-hiring
How public relations impacts company reputation, revenue, and recruiting: https://www.axiapr.com/blog/how-public-relations-impacts-company-reputation-revenue-and-recruiting
Corporate comms, PR, and marketing employee turnover and staffing is hurting brands: https://www.axiapr.com/blog/corporate-comms-pr-and-marketing-employee-turnover-and-staffing-is-hurting-brands
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA Memphis •

AI Without the Anxiety: A Communicators Guide to Whats Next

In this session, hosted by Corporate Communicator Daniel Mendez, we’ll delve into the current state of AI in communications, demystify its applications, and provide actionable insights to help you harness its potential responsibly. We’ll address common fears, highlight real-world use cases, and offer strategies to integrate AI into your workflow without compromising the human touch that defines our profession.
PR Daily •

2025 social media predictions from comms pros - PR Daily

Social media has always been a mercurial, fast-changing industry, but in 2024 it arguably underwent some of its largest shifts in the last decade. From the doubtful future of TikTok in the United States, the continued decline of X and the search for a microblogging successor, to increasing regulation in the space, the year held surprises and curveballs for professionals. So what will 2025 look like? We asked on LinkedIn, and more than a hundred people responded. Here are some of their answers.
PR Week Global •

What is the most bone-chilling thing a PR pro can hear?

As Halloween quickly approaches this Thursday, PRWeek thought there was no better time to pose the question: What is the most terrifying thing a PR professional can hear?Apparently, there are quite a lot of phrases that can strike fear in the hearts of communicators everywhere. Meredith Klein, Pinterest’s former head of consumer and product comms, noted that three words will drop the heart of the most seasoned professional: “We got scooped.”“Scoops lead to fire drills — for internal staff, exter...
PRNEWS •

How Communicators Harness Free Resources for Professional Development

Staying updated with the latest trends and continuously developing your skills is not just a choice but a necessity–especially in the rapidly-changing world of communications. However, the cost of formal education and training programs can sometimes be a barrier. Fortunately, there's a wealth of free resources available for communicators, offering valuable insights, skills and knowledge.

Julia Voloshchenko, PR Manager at Usetech, highlights the significance of free education in her professional
PRNEWS •

Top Tips: Best Lesson You Learned in College

On a recent trip to a department store with a big red logo, we experienced difficulty finding a shower curtain. Or towels. Or storage bins. It was then that we strolled past a big sign saying “college supplies” that we remembered the time of year that crept up on us—back to school.

Faster than you can say “Don’t You Miss Bed Bath and Beyond?” we became inspired to reach out to you, the readers, about your own college experiences. Aside from the mandatory use of shower slides—we wondered what ot
Apple Podcasts •

"Deep Dive: Coaching for Creatives" Podcast

In this episode, Coach Cami introduces you to the multi-talented and delightful Daniel Méndez. While he calls himself a corporate communications professional, you'll hear through his stories just how much more than that he is. He’s a cancer survivor, a musician, an immigrant, a husband and father, and an unlikely Little League baseball coach. The theme that kept showing up is his ability to create communities: at work, at play, and everything in between.





Ready to dive deep?
Facultad de Humanidades UCN •

Daniel Méndez, egresado de Periodismo UCN: “Siempre tuve interés en el área de las comunicaciones, era lo que más disfrutaba en la escuela”

El profesional destacó el aprendizaje y el gran apoyo que recibió por parte de la Escuela de Periodismo durante su formación profesional.

Oriundo de Iquique, Daniel Méndez Aróstica es periodista, bilingüe y posee un magíster en Dirección de Empresas de la Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN). Tras titularse como periodista en 2007, emprendió su camino laboral en las comunicaciones corporativas, especialmente en el área de la minería, donde tuvo la oportunidad de mudarse a Estados Unidos.

Actua
Bristol Myers Squibb •

‘Embrace feeling vulnerable’: Tips From a Cancer Survivor

Daniel Mendez whispered — sometimes whimpered — those words to his father during four grueling week-long cycles of chemotherapy in 2003, during his battle against testicular cancer, a diagnosis he received at the young age of 18.

“The first two cycles were OK. The third and fourth were brutal,” Daniel remembers. “My parents would pick me up out of bed and carry me to the car to take me for treatment. If it wasn’t for them, I would’ve never made it.”

The pain and anguish may now be just memorie