Earlier this year our Director of Consumer & Hospitality, Rebecca Broomfield, joined industry leaders at the PRCA Career Development Conference to share their top tips to getting started in a career in PR and communications.

Here’s her top 5 tips:

1. Immerse yourself in the media
A passion and understanding for the media is something you can develop without needing any experience. Consume a breadth of media; national newspapers, broadcast, magazines, blogs and podcasts. Get a feel for what particular titles are interested in and the regular opportunities. Make a note of the journalists and follow all of them on twitter. This will serve as a brilliant foundation for your first PR role as a working knowledge of the news agenda is the foundation to everything.

2. Get social
Social media and influencer marketing is as much a part of PR as media relations. The symbiotic relationship between media, influencer and social is often how trends and news start. Influencers social posts become news and people share real time events as they happen on social. it’s all one and the same. And that’s great because I’m sure social media consumption is already a core part of your day. Use it to your advantage to start to understand where PR stories come from.

3. Be direct
Passion, drive and ambition are desirable qualities regardless of the industry. If you see an agency that looks like a great fit for you get in touch! Connect on LinkedIn and request a coffee and make sure you do your research before you meet. Vist the company website, LinkedIn page and Insta feed. Which campaigns stand out? Why did you like them? What have the team been up to recently? If you show you’ve done your prep, then it demonstrates you are invested in the opportunity.

4. Strength in writing
The ability to write is important no matter which sector of PR you are interested in. Consider taking some examples of your written work to an interview or share as part of your application. One of the most stand out job applications I’ve ever received was a press release announcing the candidate’s appointment at Speed. They got the job!

5. Ask questions
A job interview should be a two-way conversation. For both the agency and the candidate it’s important to establish if you are a good fit for each other. Ask questions about the role, your day-to-day tasks and opportunities for career development. It’s as important to understand if the agency is a good cultural match and will provide an environment you can be happy and thrive in.

If you are interested in finding about more about a career in PR, get in touch with us here.

Watch the full discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLBIhXV-tkM