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a way to remind the hiring manager about your interview (most likely they will be conducting a number of interviews). If you send the thank you immediately after you leave the interview, you won’t be on the hiring manager’s mind later in the week when they might be closer to making a decision about the position. That being said, you also shouldn’t wait a whole week to drop a note either, typically 1-2 business days is best practice.

By Chelsea Higgins (http://bigfishpr.com/five-tips-for-landing- a-job-at-a-public-relations-agency/)

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An Expert Guide to Getting a Job in PR

Read the news, learn the art of self promotion and be creative with your CV, advise industry insiders.

The PR industry might have a reputation as one long party, but there’s a lot more to a career in communications than champagne and lunches. Competition for jobs can be fierce, particularly in the graduate market where getting that first foot on the career ladder can be a daunting prospect. Here is what a panel of industry experts had to say about standing out from the crowd.

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Hone your writing skills

If you want a career in communications, you need to be able to get your point across quickly and concisely. You’ll need to be adaptable, able to write for different audiences and aware of appropriate tones, messaging and mediums. Michael Rosen, PR and communications director for FTI Consulting, describes it as “telling stories.”

“You may be writing press stories and articles, or creating content for blogs and social media. You need to be imaginative and be able to persuade people to come with you on your journey,” he explains.

Promote yourself

“There is no better PR you can do in this industry than PR for yourself,” says Sam Holl, client service director at Kindred Agency. If you want to get paid for promoting brands, the best way to prove your worth is to perfect your own brand.

“Be confident in your ability, be bold with your CV and get out there and make sure people know who you are,” Holl concludes.

Your online presence is important, but so is your offline activity. “Make sure you are networking as much as possible, attending talks and events,” says Lisa McCabe, PR manager for the British Red Cross. “You never know where you might meet that useful contact.”

Be careful on social networks

“People do check it – especially LinkedIn and Facebook,” says Rosen. “Make sure it presents you in a positive light. It’s hard enough to get a job in the first place, so don’t give an employer any reason to have doubts about you.” “PR is all about reputation building and in current times social media is a huge part of that,” agrees Katy Foster from the Public Relations Consultants Association’s (PRCA) PR Apprenticeship Scheme. “Like it or not a personal social media account can reflect badly on you professionally, so be conscious

of what is associated with you online.”

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Immerse yourself in the media

“An understanding of the media landscape, both off and online is key, as these are the people you’ll be pitching your stories and ideas to,” McCabe emphasises. You’ll be able to pitch more appropriate stories to journalists and be better placed to understand what works for different media organisations if you stay at the cutting edge of the action.

A good understanding of the media is also essential for job interviews. “Be hungry for information – read the news – have an understanding of current affairs and the wider world. I always ask at interview what newspapers people read, and what three things have struck them recently from the news agenda,” says Tracey Barrett, founding director of BlueSky PR.

Qualifications are good – but skills and experience are better

“Work experience, on the job training, is what’s really important for me as an employer, more so than a degree,” says Emma Streets, PR and social media director for Turn Key. “I’ve worked with people previously that have skipped university and gone straight into practical work experience. They have climbed all the way up the ladder.”

While our panel agreed that a degree can definitely help you stand out, employers are equally interested in volunteering, work experience and transferable skills you’ve learned in other industries.

“Lots of admin skills are transferable, particularly to junior positions,” says Koray Camgoz, public relations and policy officer at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

“Internships are also great way to get a foot in the door and gain vital experience,” adds Julia Meighan, executive chairman of VMA Group.

Research your prospective employer

PR has countless different avenues, from cutting edge consumer agencies to in-house jobs at large corporate firms. This is one industry where the one size fits all approach simply won’t cut it.

“Always tailor your applications to the employer. Find out about their clients, their work and stalk them on LinkedIn. They will want to know why you want to be in PR and why you want to work for them in particular,” says Foster.

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“Research the area you want to enter into within PR and comms, as each varies with regard to your day-to-day workload and future opportunities. Then carefully consider your key skills, strengths and areas of expertise, mapping them to the role,” advises Meighan.

Be creative

This is a very creative industry, where original ideas and creative thinking are hugely valued. Think about how you present yourself to a potential employer and see if you can think of a different way to communicate your skills rather than simply sending a typed CV.

“We had a great example of someone a couple of years ago who sent us their CV in the style of an old-fashioned telegram,” says Holl. “It was very good – we picked up the phone straight away.”

(https://www.theguardian.com/careers/2015/ may/18/an-expert-guide-to-getting-a-job-in-pr)

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5 Things to Consider before Starting Your Own PR Agency

After years of in-house or agency work, you’ve decided to go out on your own and start your own public relations company. Make decisions on your own terms. Represent clients that fit your personal beliefs and passions. Shape your company from the ground up.

It’s exciting! But with all of these great aspects of starting your own business, there are many things that should be thoughtfully considered.

I definitely know: In December of 2010, I made the decision to start my own boutique public relations agency. After six years of working in-house for global corporations in the publishing, fashion, beauty, home, and luxury lifestyle industries, it was time to forge my own path – and Allyson Conklin Public Relations (ACPR) was born.

Starting out at just 28 years old and trying to navigate the worlds of entrepreneurship and small business, it would have been a game-changer to be handed a “Guide to Starting Your Own Public Relations Agency” (or at the very least, a checklist of important things to consider). Sure, there are the standard points to contemplate: Do you have the means and support necessary to start an agency? How will you design, build, and market your business? Will you be able to set both shortand long-term goals and use them to measure your success?

But there’s a lot more that you don’t necessarily consider until you’re in the thick of things. Looking back, here are a few others things I’d advise mulling over before going out your own.

1. Do you have what it takes to run a business – from accounting and finance to operations to business development to administration?

As a PR pro considering heading out on your own, you’ve likely amassed a stellar clip book of placements spanning the course of your career.

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But running a company is so much more than just excelling in your core service. On a day-to-day basis, my role can shift from accounts receivable to sales and business development to customer service to, of course, publicity. No, you don’t have to be a superstar in every single arena in business (math is not and will never be my strong suit), but you’re going to have to be willing to at least learn the basics for the sake of your success.

My advice here: Read as much as you can, talk to as many business owners as possible, and become completely invested in getting good at every aspect of being a small business owner.

2.Do you understand enough about the industry and your competitors to design services and set prices?

In your corporate life, you were handed a nicely wrapped package that outlined your job and monetary worth. Now, you actually have to share what you can do, how much you’re worth, and why.

And this requires a great deal of thought and investigation. I’d suggest investing in memberships to public relations organizations, which can be great resources for industry information via literature, webinars, and networking events. Also do detailed research on your competitors. What are they offering, and what does their pricing look like? If all else fails, find a trusted mentor – someone who is or has been at your size, in your industry, and at your level of expertise. He or she can be a great resource for navigating the pricing waters.

3.Do you have the contacts to help you get where you need to go?

In PR, you’re only as good as your contacts. But in addition to the media contacts you’ve made over the years, you need many more people in your Rolodex to be successful.

Think about it. You’ll need a graphic designer, a website designer and developer, a printer, an attorney, an accountant, and a mentor (or five) – and that’s just to get your agency off the ground. Like they say with raising children, it takes a village.

Looking back, there are three individuals who stick out the most to me

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as being instrumental in getting my agency off the ground: A creative and reliable graphic designer and developer who was able to help me brand myself, a savvy accountant who helped me navigate the mind-swirling waters of starting an S. Corp instead of an LLC, and a small group of skilled mentors who dedicated countless hours to counseling me on topics ranging from when to hire my first employee to setting boundaries with clients – not to mention reassuring me that everything was going to be OK during the scary times.

4. What makes your company different than the other thousands of PR agencies out there, and how will you market yourself?

Here’s an important wakeup call: You know those publicists who’ve founded fantastic agencies, the ones you’ve admired for years? They’re now your competitors. And they’re just a handful of the thousands of public relations agencies out there!

So, it’s important to recognize – before you open up shop – how you will stand out among the competition. What makes your company different – is it your specialty? Will you offer other services that enhance the traditional public relations representation? Will you be recognized for your customer service?

Once you’ve determined your point of difference, also think about how you’ll communicate it to the world. Take that know-how directly from your work experience and apply it to your own company. For ACPR, identifying our niche in the beauty, home, design, and lifestyle industries made it easier to market ourselves: We identified our unique point of view and difference from our competitors; we meticulously designed company messaging to attract clients in these industries; we presented services based on a history of success for similar brands; and we aligned ourselves with companies that would give us added exposure in those arenas. By following our own strategic plan for success – something that we do on a daily basis for our clients – we were able to curate a list of clients that we were both passionate about and that made sense for the agency.

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5. Will you be able to make decisions on your own, and can you function in a one-person team environment (at least for a while)?

One of the great things about PR is working on a team: The spontaneous brainstorming sessions, the extra pair of eyes on a press release, the getting a final sign-off on your decision by your boss. But when you start your own agency, it’s just you – so be honest with yourself about how you’ll be able to function as a one-person team.

In the early days, it was a big shift for me, going from the hustle and bustle of a busy office to the quietness of my office. But I tried my best to take it in stride, understanding that those daily latte trips just to be surrounded by a little noise and escape my inactive inbox were just part of the journey.

And soon enough, I found myself welcoming new clients, hiring remote contractors for support, getting on a plane nearly once a month for media trips and client visits, employing a bevy of eager interns, managing an overflowing inbox, moving into an office space (then moving into a larger office space), growing our client list to a level I had always dreamed of, and most recently, bringing on a talented employee to join me in the daily excitement. Somewhere along the way, I learned to trust myself and to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of owning a PR agency.

And guess what? You will, too.

(https://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse /2013/06/11/5-things-to-consider-before- starting-your-own-pr-agency/#2dd8f2636d55)

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TEXT 7

How to Work in Public Relations: a Quick Guide to the Basics

Let’s start at the beginning. What is public relations?

According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), “public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relations between organizations and their publics.”

Okay… so what does that mean?

Basically it means that you’re working with the media to create and maintain a positive relationship between a business and its clients.

The keyword here is “relationship,” because it’s not about telling a customer to buy your client’s product, but instead showing them they want to buy the product because of their interest and investment in the brand.

PR professionals work to get clients featured in different articles or blurbs in newspapers, on websites, in magazines, or on television programs. This exposure is known as “earned” or “free” media coverage.

So what is a typical day like for someone working in PR?

Well, truthfully there is no “typical” day because every day is a constantly changing schedule of emails, meetings, writing press releases and pitches, communicating with the media, and monitoring coverage of clients.

There is one constant, though.

Each day is filled with constant communication. Whether by phone, email, or in person, this job requires you to have a high emotional intelligence.

Okay, so although there is no typical day, let’s break down some of the things that PR professionals do regularly.

1. Find journalists

A large part of the job is finding journalists that would be interested in writing about your clients. This means going through all sorts of publications, whether they be online or in print, finding editors and journalists, and

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organizing lists so that you can easily find specific writers for different clients’ niches.

Now, with the increasing popularity of blogs, this means spending a good deal of time on Google learning about the multitude of writers out there.

2. Network

One of the biggest factors for public relations professionals is their network. In order to get stories covered, they need to have relationships with journalists who will be willing to write about their clients. It’s not a profession for introverts.

You are constantly working to build your network – interacting with clients, coworkers, and multiple media professionals on a daily basis.

When talking about the skills of a PR professional, Lynette Lo Tom, previous owner of Bright Light Marketing, says, “You have to be proactive and look for opportunities.” You’re not going to get anywhere waiting for people to come to you.

But it’s of the utmost importance that you approach these interactions in an appropriate and appealing way. Badgering strangers to write about your clients can often end up with your email address blocked and your story thrown in the trash.

2. Write press releases

What is a press release? PRWeb gives a few different definitions and talks about how these definitions have changed over time. Keri Cook on the blog PRNewsPros takes a closer look at this change in her post “The Press Release Isn’t Dead: Writing for the Digital Age.”

But basically it’s a statement that is sent to the media that conveys information about a person, event, service, or product that is (hopefully) significant enough to write about.

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