Over at Flawless Buzz, Adam Lewis has been kind enough to tag me in his very first meme.
The meme has three questions to it, with the aim of helping people looking to get into PR:
- What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone entering the world of PR?
- The favourite part of your job?
- Why did you decide to go into PR?
If you’re hoping to get a career in PR yourself, there’s plenty more advice and insight out there from the others tagged in the meme. I’ll update this list as the meme spreads and more posts appear:
- Chris Reed
- Richard Bailey
- Jed Hallam
- Alex Permain
- Amybeth Hale
Here’s my answers to Adam’s questions:
1. What is the one piece of advice you would give to someone entering the world of PR?
Demonstrate your passion and enthusiasm for PR.
This could be through developing an online presence (as Adam suggests) by writing a blog and joining Twitter. But it could be more simple than that – read every issue of PR Week to get the latest news, views and a general feel for the industry, join PR Open Mic to gain the knowledge of students, tutors and professionals around the world, or read around the issues of the day on the hundreds of blogs on PR that are out there. You could also undertake an internship during your term or holidays to gain valuable experience and add to your CV – again, showing your passion and enthusiasm for the industry.
2. The favourite part of your job?
My favourite part of the job has to be the people that I get to meet on a day-to-day basis and those I’ve met since starting work in the industry. I feel privileged to be working with colleagues who have a knowledge and enthusiasm for their work that matches my own, which shows itself in the results we get. At networking events, there’s always a friendly face to say hi to, being as this is a very sociable career to take. The people I’ve met have also opened some fantastic doors and given rise to great opportunities, like Twestival and Bright One, which would only be possible to do because of the nature if the people that work in the industry – passionate, hard working, and friendly.
3. Why did you decide to go into PR?
I actually wanted to go into journalism, much like a lot of PR professionals I’m sure.
After a successful stint as Editor of York Vision, winning Guardian Student Newspaper of the Year along the way, I felt that was where i was headed after graduating from uni.
Much as I wanted to go into journalism, the opportunities were just not the same As an idealistic and naive student, it was my aim to get onto the grad scheme of one of the nationals, e.g. The Guardian. But, I soon learned, this was the aim of every student journalist out there, and as the industry became more and more competitive, there were less and less opportunities to find work. The only people I know who have landed jobs at nationals had to do a year of night shifts before getting their position – and they obviously wanted to get into journalism much more than I did.
PR offered a great alternative. I got to use my writing and creative skills, everyday brought on different challenges, and I got to meet lots of people through my every day work. I quickly realised that this was the career for me, and 15 months in I feel the same way, if not more so.
I realise I’m lucky to be working in a fast moving and exciting specialism of PR – Digital/Social Media – and a client portfolio that I’m sure many would be envious of, but I still have to dig in and work hard as everyone else does. I just feel lucky that I really enjoy the work!
I’m going to try and take this meme worldwide, tagging a few bloggers based in the US: Staci, Amybeth and Kelli. What answers would you give to the three questions? What other advice would you give to those hoping to start out in a career in PR?