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.

#raisingtheprofile with Rick Guttridge

Can you believe it?  We are now on to the fourth #raisinghtheprofile focus series blog post and Twitter chat!  So without further ado, please let me introduce you to this week’s PR pro . . .

Rick Guttridge draws on a dozen year’s experience at full service and independent consumer specialist PR agencies when running the fast growing consumer PR agency Smoking Gun.

Now in its third year, the business has quickly established itself as a creative and effective PR and social media hot shop, with clients ranging from Carcraft to MFI, Jaguar to Panda Liquorice, Nissan to Butlers Cheese.

The business enjoyed a bumper 2011 growing by over 50% and picking up a number of national and regional awards for its work including the title of Freshest Small Team at the Fresh PR Awards.

Potential Employee Profile:

“The Fresh PR Small Team of the year has an iMac, iPhone and personal development plan waiting for the right graduate who shares a thirst for learning all things media and an incessant desire to constantly challenge themselves and deliver superb results. You will be bright, articulate, inquisitive and a fabulous team player.”

Five Quick-Fire Questions:

In your opinion, what’s the best (and maybe even worst) bit about working in PR?

The worst part is when clients just don’t understand the nuances of PR, what it can achieve and how to measure it, especially when you’ve spent considerable time educating them. It’s dismaying to have experienced the number of marketing heads of major firms asking for PR to deliver ‘free advertising’!

My favourite part of the job is that your best work is always still to come and you never know what brief will come your way next. No matter how long you do the job, the buzz from securing important media coverage or winning a pitch remains undiminished.

How did you first get your foot on the ladder of a career in PR?

Building a portfolio of articles I’d written for both student magazines and via persistence and persuading Wigan Athletic to let me interview players and write for its website. This led to me helping the Club launch, write and edit a new programme insert for their junior fans.

I’d also undertaken a mini PR project to help my friend’s fundraising efforts whilst training for the London marathon. Achieving a page lead story in the Sheffield Star, a decent show in the Yorkshire Post and having local ITV news show Calendar film him train was a major success for a novice.

Having shown some initiative and determination to make all this happen stood me in good stead when applying for jobs and thankfully helped me to secure three job offers from three interviews, from which I’ve never looked back.

If you were a PR student about to graduate, what would you be doing to raise your profile and ensure you’re noticed by potential employers?

I’m continually surprised and annoyed at the poor quality of CV’s and email approaches addressed ‘to whom it may concern’ that mean I don’t read on. Doing your basic research on who to approach at a target company is the very least I’d expect.

I’d also recommend job seekers make better use of all the tools available to them. Too many that I talk to use Facebook but no other social networks. Follow target businesses on Twitter and LinkedIn to get a better understanding of their corporate personality and the style of work they do. You can start to build relationships that way that may just help you secure an interview or placement.

There’s absolutely no excuse for not having a portfolio of written work these days. All of us can self publish on blogs.  You can feel out of your depth writing about media issues, so why not write about a hobby or interest that you’re most passionate about? At least it shows your writing style and ability to generate content.

In the Potential Employee Profile, you told us about the type of graduate you would want to recruit, but what’s a big ‘turn-off’ for you in a potential employee?

Bad attitude. And this can show itself in many forms in my experience. Don’t think the world owes you a break.

And finally, any last minute words of wisdom or advice you’d like to share?

Do something different to stand out – like this initiative for example! It’s the harshest and most competitive landscape possible for first time job seekers and it really is an employer’s market.

Be prepared to pick up the phone and speak with people, don’t just hide behind emails or letters.

Be thick skinned and persistent.

* * * * *

And there you have it – another PR pro sharing brilliant career advice, hints and tips.  Many thanks to Rick for taking the time to participate in Raising the Profile – I’m sure your words of wisdom will help many students, soon-to-be graduates and job hunters alike.

Remember, Rick will be available on Wednesday 9^th May at 7pm for the #raisingtheprofile Twitter chat.  Follow me (@AM_Bailey) and Rick (@Rickguttridge) – we look forward to chatting with you then!

Oh and remember that exciting news I mentioned in my last post? Well, I’m so pleased to announce Rick is in fact my new boss!  As of the beginning of June, I’ll be packing my bags and making the move to Manchester, where I will be an Account Executive at Smoking Gun PR.