Last night saw the fourth #raisingtheprofile Twitter chat with managing director of Smoking Gun PR (and my news boss), Rick Guttridge.
While there were many pearls of PR-career related wisdom, two tweets from Rick really resonated with me. The first one was this . . .
Personally, I sometimes wonder do [some] students think that because they have passed their A-Levels, gone on to university and came out the other end with a degree, they have the automatic right to walk straight into a job? If one thing I’ve learned from running my blog and hosting the #raisingtheprofile Twitter chats, this couldn’t be further from the truth – it takes a hell of a lot of hard work!
A few weeks ago, a tip from the top was shared with me by a big-wig of the PR world. They said (and throughout my focus series blog posts, I’ve noticed the number of PR pros sharing the same big turn-off in a potential employee) the biggest bug-bears was badly written covering letters and/or e-mails.
It’s a big no-no to write something like, “A diligent, driven and determined individual seeks a dynamic company to provide me with an opportunity in PR.”
Phrases like this really get up an employer’s nose. Like Rick said, no one owes you a job so why should a company provide you with one? You should be the one doing the work.
Therefore, rather than a run-of-the-mill phrase (let’s face it, we’ve all been guilty of writing something like “diligent, driven and determined” somewhere in our CV or covering letter), show the employer what you can provide them – make them want you!
And this leads me nicely on to my next top tweet of the night. Rick said . . .
This made me think, as soon-to-be-graduates on the cusp of becoming job hunters, we’re often so wrapped up in the thoughts of ‘what can a company offer me’. Question like will I go in as a junior, or straight in at account executive level? Is servicing their clients going to give me the right experience I need to work in my dream sector? If I take this job will I pigeon-hole myself in to a set role? The list is endless.
But, very rarely we stop to think, ‘what can I offer the company?’
I read Phil Jones’ blog earlier today (okay . . . Rick e-mailed me the link . . .) about making it in the big bad world of business. He lists a number of things that have helped him make it to where he is today, but perhaps two of the most relevant points for me are a) there are no easy options and b) there are no quick fixes.
Getting to where you want to be in your career five years down the line takes hard work, perseverance and at times, sacrifice. Make sure you show a potential employer you’re willing to put the graft in – make sure they know you’re keen, you want to make your mark and you want to do all of these things with that specific company. In other words, make them want you!
Once again my sincere thanks to Rick for taking time out of his busy schedule to participate in #raisingtheprofile. I’m sure you’ll all agree some more really useful hints and tips on getting your foot on the ladder of a career in PR.
Don’t forget to check back here on Monday evening when I’ll be revealing the next PR pro to share with us their nuggets of knowledge.
In the mean time, I’d love to know what lessons you’ve learned from Rick, his interview and the #raisingtheprofile chat. Please do get involved and leave your comments below.
Raising the Profile 