Assessment Day at Diffusion PR

OMG! I’ve been shortlisted for a PR Grads Scheme at Diffusion PR! Yey! How exciting! After hours spent on filling in Grad Scheme applications and then days/weeks of waiting, I finally received an email saying:

“I am delighted to let you know that you have been short-listed, and are therefore invited to our Graduate Assessment Day at our central London office on Saturday 27 February 2010.”

Triple hurray!

Ok, what now? I was shaking for the rest of the day trying to deal with the news and also trying to figure out how to get ready. The last thing I wanted was to look like a complete fool. This may sound like an action of a complete control freak, but I started creating this document on PR, news, PR disasters and Social Media. I know everything by heart but once my nerves start working their way, I can easily forget my own name. Don’t laugh it’s a true. Unfortunately... (I think I could share the document with you – let me know what you think and if you are interested.)

I was so anxious on my way down to the office. The situation of tube lines closures didn’t help at all. What I found quite ‘funny’ was that the moment I arrived ... the anxiety was gone. All the fellow candidates were nice people and even though we were ‘competitors’ of some degree, the atmosphere in the office was great.

The day started with a short presentation about Diffusion PR as a company and the benefits of joining as a PR Grad. I think that the hidden reason behind this initial step was to motivate us. The “I am delighted to let you know” email didn’t enclose much information about what was going to happen so we were all quietly waiting for the big news. We found out very soon – it was a team work on a PR campaign creation and a presentation.

I was assigned to the Hackney team (team names based on London Boroughs – quite funny but great idea). It was interesting to find out that my team consisted of 6 girls. I think that once there is ‘a girl-only team’ the productivity can be either high, if we all work toward the same goal, or quite off-putting, if some girls become more pushy and competitive. Luckily, our team was great. Based on the Belbin’s Team Role assessment, we had all the key roles covered: the implementer, plant, coordinator, etc. I think that we have all delivered a fantastic piece of work, even though we didn’t know each other prior to the assessment day.

Once the assessment was over we were invited for drinks to Diffusion’s favourite bar. Oh God, I really needed a beer or two! The task of creating a PR campaign was both engaging and challenging in the same time and made my brain works really fast.

Feelings about the day? It was great! I definitely benefited from being put into a situation of working with other students on the campaign. It wasn’t entirely new experience for me but the speed of decision making and moving forward was really shocking and made me see what I was capable of.

Feelings about my chances to be hired? Positive but.... There were so many talented people so the team at Diffusion PR may possibly have it very hard to pick the top 8 candidates for the next stage.

Third year – busy busy busy!

Third year in a PR course is always tough. It is no longer only about delivering assignments, chasing deadlines and sitting exams. The new addition to the busy life of soon-to-be-graduates is the hunt for the dream job. Most of us decide to focus on the PR Grad Scheme applications and some start using Twitter and blogging to enhance their ‘digital footprint’ and ‘PR themselves’... there is a lot to do to succeed!!

In November, I started working on a 2010 Grad PR Scheme list. I found it essential to kick off the whole process of applying EARLY because you never know how busy you are going to be after Christmas.

The first Grad Scheme I applied for was the WPP Marketing Fellowship. I didn’t get in but not because I wasn’t good enough. Yes it was a bit upsetting to be rejected but I always wanted to work in PR so Marketing Fellowship wouldn’t give me what I wanted anyway. The WPP Marketing Fellowship comprises of three one-year rotations through WPP companies – PR, Marketing, Research, etc. Yes I’d have gained a broad experience during the Scheme but what for?

After the initial set back, I had to RECONSIDER my aspirations, desires and preferences. It would be a massive waste of time applying for something I wasn’t into. So since then, I have applied only for PR Schemes that I found interesting and felt that they were ‘right’ for me.

I have discovered a hidden passion for the digital world so started looking at agencies offering jobs/schemes in Digital PR, Consumer Technology, and similar. I’ve applied for quite a few and I am now eagerly awaiting THE phone call.

Recently, I’ve been thinking of the benefits of being in a PR Grad Scheme: team building, training, support, etc. These key aspects are highly desirable by most of the students who need some initial introduction. It is quite interesting to see recent graduates counting only on their social media presence hoping that it will do the trick and get them the dream job in PR.

Don’t get me wrong I’ve been focusing on my ‘digital footprint’ too but still made the time to apply for PR Grad Schemes. Some students only ‘PR themselves and their communication skills’ to the agencies via Twitter & Blog, etc. Is it a good strategy? - Certainly yes. I managed to get my PR Internship this way. But is it enough?

 

Digital Footprint

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To conclude, any soon-to-be-graduate has to do his/hers best to enhance the ‘digital footprint’ they have, select and apply for the appropriate PR Grad Schemes that fits their aspirations and desires, and also finish the University in a decent way – with good marks. It is tough! I am in this process right now and sometimes I had to prioritise what was more important to do – Uni or Applications.

But it is totally worth it!

New Week and New Me

I found myself strangled with work for University and no time to play. The last two weeks were very exhausting. But my Globalization report: “Media Ownership in the Czech Republic” has been submitted (at last), so happy days. What more, I managed to create a nice database with all media contacts in from the Czech Republic....it may be useful one day. 

It’s funny that every PR agency says "We work hard and play harder". I suppose that it is true in a way, but why can’t you work and play in the same time? Public Relations is fun, you get to be creative and build relationships... OK, so what is the downside of this? I suppose that research, building databases and outreach  is not much fun, but that’s why you have all the unpaid Interns working for you, isn’t it? So why is it that you cannot work and play in the same time? The logo should be “We know how to work hard and play in the same time”

Uni work may seem more daunting and in a way dull. The one big Uni rule is:

“We decided that you have to do it, so do it. Doesn’t matter if it has nothing to do with your degree or if it doesn’t interest you at all.”

Over the last two and half years (nearly), I had to deal with number of things like that. The first place would go to Quantitative Analysis. Oh my, how much I was fighting against the Uni rule, not wanting to obey.  But on the other hand, I could have picked some modules instead of those already chosen for me (if they weren’t core). This way I got to do modules such as the Intro to Management, Marketing and then my favourite Marketing Communications. That was hard work but so much fun! If you select your career, you do it because you having fun doing it, right?

There has been so much pressure on me recently and I wasn’t exactly coping well. I always let thing get to me, unfortunately. So when the offer to do some pampering came, I was happy to give it a try. It was the first Christmas present this year – a makeover in a hair salon and professional photoshoot. I’m not a model so I was only looking forward to the hair cut though. I went for a new hairdo. Te shortest I’ve ever had! It is quite funny to see how a change like this can improve how you feel about things, particularly if you are a woman.

 Do I look like a PR girl now?

So I am back, still searching for the perfect PR Grad Scheme or Job. (Not sure If I want to spend another x years just learning) I’ve applied only for the WPP Grad Scheme so far. I like the idea of trying three different disciplines and then making the final decision. I know that I like consumer PR and technology, but wouldn’t say no to corporate comms or B2B. I just need to try things I suppose. See how I can have some PR fun.

I've updated my PR Portfolio at http://kat4pr.wordpress.com/ and intend to add more things in the upcoming days. It is important that my future employer know what I've been up to, right?

Rising Star under Pressure.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been busy searching for a PR Grad Schemes. I must say that it is not that easy. Some of the big and most desirable companies are already in the stage of closing applications.

Eh? I personally don’t get it.

Why WPP had a deadline on 17th November 2009 when the Grad schemes start in September 2010? OK, they need to select the best candidates for the interviews that will take place in January (BTW, don’t forget about me!) It must be a tough job to be in charge of the selection process. The pressure must be huge! At least I hope that it is, there is lots of pressure on our side too. Being in top 100 (out of nearly 2000 application) is just beyond belief. But I still have my hope.

This whole process of applying for Grad Schemes whilst still at Uni has lots of cons. I am under so much pressure to succeed. I feel like I have to show everyone that I am capable of getting into a good Scheme, finishing University with Honours, have shiny personal life and be always at hand to advice or counsel others.

I am no superwoman!

I also need to get the counsel and feel that you trust me and appreciate everything I do. Since I am a person who would do anything just to be there for my friends and family, I spend a lot of time putting them first. I need to become more assertive otherwise anyone will get to me and will hurt me. Or perhaps just think a bit more about my needs.

In the light of the recent changes (or rather attempt to change things) I took one day off and went to the town centre to have a look around shops and so on. It was quite nice to do something by myself, with no one I knew around. It did get a bit lonely in the end though. The first person who actually spoke to me yesterday was this random 40-something guy at the bus stop. He asked me what country I was from. When I told him he said “Oh, I thought so, you Czechs are nice people” Hmmmm. What did he mean with that? I usually get some stupid comments or invitations to do whatever...I always ignore these things. But this guy put a smile on my face for some reason. Perhaps I needed to hear something nice.


Today is Friday and I have many things on my agenda for today and the weekend so I should better start with number 1. There is an assignment on “Ownership of the Czech Media” due next Wednesday. All I know is that some 90% of Czech media are owned by foreigner companies. I still haven’t found a link to Rupert Murdoch but I feel I am getting close.

 Photograph: Saul Loeb/Getty Images