Lessons learned: #raisingtheprofile with Rick Guttridge

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.

Lessons learned through #raisingtheprofile: Faye Oakey shares her thoughts

Fake Oakey is an undergraduate student and Leeds Metropolitan University, studying for a degree in Public Relations.  She is also an Account Executive at youth agency, Two Birds One Stone.

Over the past few weeks, Faye has been an active particpant in the #raisingtheprofile Twitter chats, and so I asked her to share some of her thoughts about the lessons she has learned.

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There was a lot of great advice and insightful discussion during Jane Wilson’s #raisingtheprofile chat, but what intrigued me most was Jane turning the conversation on its head, directing a very interesting question at us:

I was surprised to learn that many young women, like me, did feel there was pressure regarding the work/life balance, and it was reassuring to see that we were united in our woes.

This question sparked similar response between four female PR students simultaneously:

Myself @FayeOakey (Leeds Metropolitan University (1)): I do, as our industry is a constant learning curve it’s worrying that in future we will [have] limited time to keep up to date with current trends and tech

Anne-Marie Bailey @AM_Bailey (University of Sunderland (MA): I do! Maybe it’s because I’m slightly older though! Not sure how you would go about it! How did you manage?

Hannah Powley @Hannah_Monster (Huddersfield University (4)): Slightly, worrying that the only solution you hear is go in-house or change career

Jazz Chappell @jazzchappell (Leeds Metropolitan University (1)): YES I actually do! As PR is more than 9-5, child care, travel etc, don’t understand how it all fits in

Jane, herself a hugely successful PR professional and family woman, had of course some nuggets of advice, so that neither work nor ‘life’ should suffer whilst the other thrives.

She stressed that a good support network is important, as is confidence, and that we should be realistic about what we want. Wise words wouldn’t you agree?

Setting achievable goals is in my experience (albeit limited) is a fantastic aid to success. I’m not saying we shouldn’t aim too high (after all, there is as they say, plenty of room) but being focussed about what we would like to achieve and grabbing opportunities as they come along helps us to note our successes and builds confidence in our ability.

Jane did however acknowledge that it is a big issue for the CIPR and advised that we should look out for a forthcoming report on gender balance and PR, from the CIPR and Hanson Search – I sure will be. She also showed her GSOH, saying a good solution to achieving work/life balance is to ‘marry a feminist’.

I’ve since done some reading on the topic, and by the way, there is a lot of information out there, reinforcing again that work/life balance is a common worry. The BBC devotes a webpage to ‘finding the right balance’ for emotional health, with plenty of tips and advice.

Alison Kenney, a PR practitioner in Boston devoted a blog post to the topic saying we should forget the word ‘balance’ and set boundaries instead.

Similarly, Leslie A Perlow, Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School, even conducted research, concluding that we are successaholics rather than workaholics, and in order to be successful we don’t need to be switched on 24/7, rather, taking breaks helps productivity flow.

Reassuringly I found that the 2012 National Study of Employers (USA) reported that efforts to help people balance work and family has increased, despite the recession.

And so rather fittingly, Jane offered the advice that we can have it all:

So what did I learn? Do what you love! Love your career and your successes, but just as importantly love your family and your free time.

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Another great post I hope you’ll agree!  Thanks Faye for putting your thoughts together to share with us all.

Don’t forget, later tonight I’ll be revealing the next PR pro to take part in #raisingtheprofile.  It really is invaluable career advice you can’t find anywhere else, so make sure you’re involved!

And . . . I’ll be announcing some very exciting news too!

Lesson learned through #raisingtheprofile: Jazz Chappell shares her thoughts

Jazz Chappell is an undergraduate student at Leeds Metropolitan University, studying for a degree in Public Relations.  Over the past few weeks, Jazz has been an active participant in the #raisingtheprofile Twitter chats.  So, I asked her to write a guest post sharing with us some of the lessons she has learned along the way.

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The most recent #raisingtheprofile chat with Jane Wilson, CEO of the CIPR, proved to be very useful indeed.

As living abroad for a few years and hopefully working in PR is an aspiration of mine, I asked Jane, ‘How beneficial do you think experience abroad is?’

Her reply:

It is like any job really in that, actually going out of your way to experience the role in different cultures will, no doubt, be beneficial in the future.  As the conversation went on Jane also mentioned that any travelling experience at all is going to be useful, not purely PR related:

Gap years have become less common due to this 2011/2012 academic year being the last to be charged lower tuition fees. People won’t be taking gap years to go travelling as many others did in years before me. This could mean that they will get through university, find a job soon after and forget all about their dreams of Thailand or South Africa.

It is important to see that it can still be do-able whilst at university. Whether in the holidays or during a placement year; if you want to you can find a way to gain international experience. Yes it will probably mean saving up your wages for a bit, or working for half of the summer, but it will most definitely be worth it. After all it will look fantastic on your CV, showing you are willing to work hard in order to achieve goals.

Inevitably the topic of languages came up next and whether they are an attribute to have in PR. Foreign language skills can certainly give you an edge when working with companies on a global scale.  What about that press release written in Spanish that no one can translate, the meeting with the potential client in France, or needing to hire out that venue in Germany? Knowing a second or even third language can be ever so helpful in these situations.

There’s even recent evidence to suggest that being bilingual actual makes you smarter!

And of course depending on what sector you end up in, a language could be the final push the employer needs to offer you the job! For example, French could be valued in film PR, just as Italian could be in fashion or beauty.  And with the tech industry growing rapidly, Japanese or Mandarin could soon be essential too.

So gaining travel experience can not only widen your cultural horizons and give you a better understanding of the world, but career prospects could be enhanced too.

Deciding to pick up on that Spanish GCSE you forgot about could land you a job at a global PR company, not to mention the sense of achievement you feel when you are able to have a conversation with someone in another language.

Having studied French until AS level, I have always been jealous of those who are bilingual. Thanks to the #raisingtheprofile conversation, Jane has certainly inspired me to pick up my French again with the hopes of going abroad in the Summer!

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Great write up Jazz – thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!  Don’t forget to check Raising the Profile later today, when Faye Oakey will be sharing with us some of the lessons she has learned as a result of #raisingtheprofile.

Lesson learned: #raisingtheprofile with Jane Wilson

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this, as a soon-to-be graduate on the job hunt I often wonder where my career will take me . . .

What sector will I work in?  Which industries would I enjoy? B2B or B2C? Am I best suited to agency or in-house? Will I be happy?  The list is endless!

Last night (Wednesday 2^nd May), during the #raisinghteprofile Twitter chat, Jane Wilson, CEO of the CIPR, laid these fears to rest.

 One of my favourite tweets of the night was this . . .

 . . . and this really struck a chord with me.

Maybe it’s because I’m a little older than your average graduate, (25 if you’re wondering – and before any of my classmates rumble me as the granny of the group!) but I’ll admit, I do feel a little pressure.

It seems society expects a lot of young people; ace university, walk straight into a job, stay on that path and work your way up the career ladder.  But, reassuringly, as Jane said in her Five Quick-Fire Questions, her career in PR was born out of accident rather than by design.

Jane also advised during the Twitter chat, not to rush into further qualifications or corner yourself into a particular area of the profession.  Rather, allow yourself the time to gain experience, figure out what you enjoy and then plan how you are going to get there.  After all, doing the things that interest you  can be a bigger incentive than money to get out of bed on a Monday morning!

I think the take away message from all of this is it’s okay to get out there and explore; get as much experience as possible and enjoy different things.  Like Jane said, life’s too short to shoehorn yourself into a role that doesn’t fulfil you.  Let your career progress naturally and while you’re working your way up the career ladder, enjoy the ride!

Once again, my sincere thanks to Jane for all of her fantastic advice and words of wisdom.  Keep checking Raising the Profile out over the next few days where Jazz Chappell and Faye Oakey will be sharing the lessons they learned as a result of Jane’s chat.

And remember, on Monday I’ll be revealing the next PR pro to take part in #raisingtheprofile.

Lessons learned: #raisingtheprofile with Sandy Lindsay

Last night [Wednesday 25^th April, 2012] saw the very first #raisingtheprofile Twitter chat with PR pro and group managing director of Tangerine PR, Sandy Lindsay.

I’m sure you’ll all agree, whether you took part or just followed the conversation, Sandy shared with us some absolute pearls of wisdom – thank you again Sandy!

The whole theme of the Twitter chat centred around the concept of raising your own profile; making yourself stand out from the crowd as an aspiring PR pro in the ever competitive job market.

I thought I would use this post to share with you three key messages I took from last night’s conversation. . .

1.0   It’s all about attitude:

One of the first things Sandy looks for in a potential employee is attitude.  But as Sandy went on to say, one of the difficulties for soon-to-be-graduates is demonstrating this quality in a letter / e-mail / application to an employer.

Hmmmm. It’s a tricky one.  After all, we can demonstrate our skills through our on and offline portfolio, but how do you demonstrate attitude?

Commenting on this point, Michael Greer suggested students can demonstrate attitude by undertaking difficult projects successfully and completing volunteer work.  Sandy agreed 100% with Michael’s point – employers are looking for employees who have done other (worthwhile . . . not just being in the pub!) things with their time than just study.

So, if you’re not doing it already, perhaps as an aspiring PR pro you need to take a long hard look at your attitude and begin to plan how you are going to demonstrate this to a potential employer – it’s obviously very important.

2.0   Interview preparation is key:

Sandy shared with us the story of a recent Tangerine PR interviewee, who when asked ‘What do you know about the company?’ answered, ‘Oh not much!’ Needless to say, the applicant didn’t get the job. #Next

As Sandy said in her answers to the Five Quick-Fire Questions, employees know students apply for work with more than one company, but (and it’s a big but) you need to make that employer think they are the only one in the world – that they are the only one you want to work for.

So the lesson here is prep, prep and prep a bit more.  Do your research about the company; their clients, their campaigns and maybe even the wider market they operate in.

3.0   A mentor is a massive investment in your career:

During the conversation, Sandy was asked if she had a mentor when she was entering the working world of PR – someone to point her in the right direction and show her the ropes.  Sandy responded saying she’d never had a mentor and to some extent felt she’d missed out.

Sandy went on to say that if you have access to a mentor, use them.  If you don’t have access, don’t worry!  Like Sandy said, anyone can be a mentor; ask questions, get advice and learn from the experience.

A mentor could be your university tutor, a manager from a work experience placement, or a past student who has got their foot on the first rung of the career ladder in PR.  The options are endless, so grab opportunities to learn from others ‘in-the-know’ with both hands.

Commenting on this point, Andrew Ross, a member of the Policy and Communications team at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations said the CIPR is currently working on a member-to-member scheme in the pipeline.  Exciting stuff so watch this space.

So there you have it – my three key messages I took from last night’s #raisingtheprofile Twitter chat.  I’d love to know what parts of the conversation stood out for you.  Did you learn anything new, or did it confirm you’re already doing what you need to do to raise your profile?

Please do share your comments with me, and don’t forget to check out my blog on Monday [30^th April, 2012] to find out which PR pro will be joining me for another round of #raisingtheprofile.