Top Tips On Getting Into PR

As a recent graduate myself, I find it particularly easy to relate to our more junior candidates. I have recently been in the same position, feeling in the dark about the recruitment process and desperate to know exactly what employers are looking for.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve spoken to a huge range of candidates and learnt an insane amount about recruitment and the sectors I’m recruiting across, particularly PR. On that note, I thought it could be useful to share some of these insights with you all, to hopefully make your job search slightly less daunting.

Having worked with clients and industry experts, I’ve found that employers are looking for three key skills in their PR Account Executives:

• First and foremost, they’re looking for excellent writers. At a junior level you’ll be writing LOADS of content, such as press releases, social media copy, articles, white papers, thought leadership pieces and blogs. They’ll want to see that you’re passionate about copywriting and able to adapt your writing style to suit the clients’ tone of voice. One fantastic way that you can showcase your writing is by starting up your own personal blog, writing about something you’re particularly interested in. You may also want to try writing practice press releases as these could really make you stand out from other candidates. These activities will not only help develop your skills but also demonstrate your enthusiasm and determination – two traits which are crucial at this level.
• Secondly, clients are looking for candidates who can build strong, professional relationships with a range of different people, including the press, industry influencers, colleagues, and clients. You’ll need to demonstrate that you’re confident communicating with people at all levels, and this should come across in your interview. As a junior, liaising with the press can be tough. It’s really important to demonstrate that you have the resilience and tenacity necessary to bounce back from a challenging situation.
• Finally, social media is becoming increasingly prevalent in PR. Clients are therefore looking for candidates who are social media savvy. Previous experience in social media, such as content creation, scheduling, posting and reporting are all absolutely brilliant, but most fundamentally you need to demonstrate an awareness of the key social media platforms and their importance in PR.

Obviously, there is much more to PR than these three things. However, as a junior these are the most integral skills to make sure you’re conveying at interview!

As you can probably tell, I have absolutely loved my introduction to PR and truly believe that it is such a fantastic industry to work in. If you’re a junior looking to break into the world of PR, or a more experienced PR professional looking for an exciting new opportunity, please do get in touch with me – I’d love to help you!