So You Want to Work in Public Relations

by Liz Ford

The Guardian, Saturday 9 June 2007

A career in public relations is not for the faint-hearted - or for anyone hoping to make big money straight after university. Competition for jobs is fierce and you need plenty of enthusiasm and confidence if you want to successfully sell a client's product to journalists or pitch for new business.

There are two distinct areas of PR in which to work - in-house for an organisation, or at an agency, where you will be handling a range of clients. It can be glamorous - organising parties, mingling with celebrities - and rewarding, but expect to work hard for initially little financial gain. Starting salaries outside London can be as low as £12,000, although they average £18,000 in the capital. That said, a career in PR does offer variety - two days are rarely the same.

Part of any PR job is talking to the media, so graduates need a certain degree of confidence. It's not a career for wallflowers. The job is all about multitasking. In an agency environment you might be working on a number of accounts, but individual clients need to feel they are your No 1 priority at all times. You will be juggling lots of different tasks in one go, while working to journalists' and clients' deadlines.

We've just been through the recruitment process and something I look for is good basic writing skills. You don't need to come into the role knowing how to structure press releases or a feature synopsis, but you should have basic levels of punctuation and grammar. Everything else can be taught. You have got to have a bit of a thick skin and be able to take constructive criticism from clients, colleagues and journalists.

I can't stress enough how important it is to get some sort of PR experience if you want to apply for jobs in this area. There are a shocking number of graduates who have no experience. They write in saying they want to work in PR, but I ask, "How do you know?" Work experience not only shows that you understand what the job is about, but also that you have made the effort and researched it, and are not just applying on a whim.

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has a list of approved courses at institutions that provide degrees in PR in the UK. There is a commonality in what these courses teach. CIPR prepares students for the working world by covering topics such as professional practice, marketing communication, writing skills and campaign planning and evaluation. This is usually complemented by some form of work experience or project that will enable students to get an insight into the real world.

Students are taught about the general business environment - how business operates, how media operates and, particularly now, how new media operates. A module on finance was included to be CIPR-approved. The graduates should have some appreciation of profit and loss and accounts. Quite often students will go on to set up their own businesses.

 

The industry takes graduates from all kinds of disciplines, but what you get from someone who has graduated with a good PR degree, is someone ready to hit the ground running. They will have the basic skills required and through their course will have had some contact with industry.

It's a hard industry to break into if you haven't got any relevant experience. Students need to get out there and get something to put on their CVs, so that when they start applying for jobs they will be in a relatively strong position.

A graduate Alexander Shah, 26, account manager, Luchford APM PR agency says: “I never planned to work in PR. I'd set my heart on a career in advertising, but changed my mind after a stint of work experience at the cashmere label TSE. I'm currently working in the fashion division at Luchford APM, a PR agency that specialises in luxury brands. Before that I worked at the fashion PR agency Modus Publicity. Initially getting into the industry was probably the toughest process. I secured a work placement at TSE as a result of my persistent applications for a role which did not exist, and even then it was unpaid. However, the contacts I made and things I learned there were rewarding. I've done a variety of different jobs in PR - some glamorous, some tedious. I've helped to organise fashion shows and worked closely with celebrities on parties and launches, but I've also had to pack goody bags in freezing conditions with only a broken-down heater for company. You have to take the rough with the smooth. When I first started out I had to work for free for a year as a means of building up my experience working with a reputable company. And even when you get a job, PR doesn't pay all that well initially”.

 

 

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