Grad PR Job Hunt Cont'd

As I mentioned in my previous post my job hunt has started. In the search for the perfect 2010 PR Grad Scheme I decided to do something slightly unusual – visit the Autumn Graduate Fair sponsored by The Independent. It was quite hard to find it to start with, particularly if you go with friends and you are not in charge of the map –thnx Howie :) The venue for this event was located in between Victoria and St James' Park in the beautiful Royal Horticultural Halls.


I must say that I found it slightly disappointing. Since I am passionate about Public Relations and all that comes with it, I really don’t want to apply for IT Consulting, HR or Finance Business Placement. I may consider Management Consulting or the fancy Bloomberg Summer Internship programme but I am a PR girl...
 
I wish there was more of these Grad Job Fairs available in London before Christmas. I should perhaps consider organising one that will serve the need of us, PR & Events Management & Marketing & Advertising & Marketing Communications & Journalism & Sociology etc. graduates. I don’t want to sound like a person that moans about everything, but honestly there was nothing for me on the Show. I received this interesting email prior to the event with a list of matched companies, based on my profile and preferred sectors. One of them: ‘Cisco Systems - Associate Sales Representative’ – seriously? What a joke! I hate sales.
 
There is one good outcome of this. I finally found the time to sit down and update my C.V. and start working on my online PR Portfolio. The latter still needs some polishing since I want to include my student assignments too. At the end of the day I am a PR student and what else can represent what I am capable of better than examples of my hard work at Uni?

I noticed this poll at LinkedIn: ‘When hiring a public relations employee, what area is most important?



A Education
B Current media Contacts
C Writing ability
D Previous agency experience
E Spokesperson experience’


What would you pick? Only one answer counts. Isn’t it fantastic?

I always thought that a person comes in a package. We all have culture background that affects our life choice, ethics and many other things. I will have BA in PR but does it mean I have great writing skills? I have done very relevant PR internship but is it enough? I have worked on a large media contact database but is it what you expect? I don’t have experience as a spokesperson but can’t I learn it? I wonder what will be the result of this poll. Here is the link. So feel free to vote. Don't forget to let me know what you picked. I am curious.

Overall, this week wasn’t very successful in terms of finding one great looking PR Grad Scheme. Hope that the next week will be better. I’m staying optimistic.

Search for a Grad Job Position in PR Starts Right Now

I have noticed that some great and very desirable to work for communications organisations and companies are receiving application for the Graduate Scheme for the year 2010 already. The WPP has a deadline for the Fellowship Programme 2010 on the 17th November for instance! That is really early! I suppose they want to find the right candidates who will spend the time working for them in different positions, possibly across the world. I have to start working on my PR portfolio ASAP so I will have time to submit a presentable and worth the time to read application.

WPP Group is one of the organisations I would love to work for once I graduate. There is still so much to discover in PR and Communications in general and being accepted into the fellowship programme would mean a lot to me. I feel like I have so much to offer and I am not frightened to fight for what I deserve. I really don’t want to end up as some real estate receptionist or anything similar. I am a naturally committed person who loves PR and doesn’t let anyone down. I even hate to be late.

Due to the fact that I am 24 already, I think I have a clearer idea of what I want to achieve in my life. I want to prove to myself, that I am capable of delivering a fantastic job and being rewarded financially. Having an internship is a great experience but it doesn’t pay anything for all the time spent working really hard. I need to see some results and in return some appreciation.

I know I have what it takes but unfortunately it is not enough. Over the next two weeks I will have to undertake a huge research into the deadlines as well as update my CV. I want to be original and I have some creative ideas that I want to do before I apply. I know that it means lot of extra work, alongside Uni stuff and so on, but it is a key to attract attention and win my interview. My PR portfolio is going to be simply awesome!

Well, I should better start right now!

Back to Uni - This Time as a SENIOR!

After nearly a four-month break I returned to London Metropolitan University to finish my studies of Public Relations & Events Management. As a senior I have obvious advantages. I know the location of most of the lecture and seminar rooms, I know that if I need something from the undergraduate centre I should better email or call than queue for hours in hot and steamy corridors of the Stapleton House, and so on. It is fun to watch the freshers who are constantly getting lost with their timetable and a map in their hands. Oh gosh, how long has it been since I was a fresher? Feels like ages ago.

I had to make some changes to my timetable at first. I swapped year long Dissertation module with Project module (spring semester). Over the summer I have realised that I am much more interested in Public Relations that in Events Management so my choice was clear and easy: Public Relations Dissertation/Project. I am already thinking about the topic and I think I have a pretty good idea of what I am going to devote my individual work to.

My timetable for the autumn semester is as the following
1. Venue Management for Events
2. Public Relations Strategy
3. Current Issues in Events Management
4. Globalisation and the Mass Media

I am lovin’ my modules. I’ve been to all of them already and I think I will have so much fun this semester. All of the assignments are so interesting and I already know that I will learn a lot. Venue Management for Events will see me attending an event – Elton John’s concert in Wembley Arena as a volunteer and observing the venue services and facilities – this is so exciting! The lecturer is the ever so fabulous Nicole Ferdinand.

My lecturer for Public Relations Strategy is already well known to me from the previous semester: Gareth Thompson. He taught the Technology & PR module. We will have to work in groups to create a BRIEF presentation as a client to an agency and then individually come up with the appropriate PR strategy based on the brief. I can’t wait to crack on this one.

Current Issues in Events Management are taught by a new young lady who is so fabulous. She certainly knows what she is talking about. The assessment of this module is a report and then an exam. I think that once I do all the readings I should be just fine. It is all about the common sense.

The lady lecturer for Globalisation and the Mass Media is so passionate about her module. She has completely captivated my attention. We will attend the London Film Festival in Week 3 as a part of this module, which is just so fantastic! We are going to see a new British film ‘The Scouting Book for Boys’ at the VUE cinema in Leicester Square.

As I said before, this semester is filled with excitement and a strong will to discover and learn new things. It is something I never experienced before, I used to be scared of doing things like presentations or group work. But now I look forward to everything what this semester brings along! Fingers cross that my attitude will stay this positive.

What I Have Learned and What is The Next Step

I can’t believe that my internship is over now. Fabulous 5 weeks that I will never forget.

When I look back I can see how much I’ve learned and grown. As a Uni student I know the theory, but that is NOT ENOUGH!!! Things have become easier and more understandable now ... simply I know what is expected from me when it comes to PR. I have a clear idea of my future full time job position now.

It is the end of August and I have someting like six months to concentrate on my dissertation. In January I want to begin looking for my graduate job and start sending out copies of my C.V. I must say that I feel that I have a huge advantage already. I’ve already been there and know what is expected from me. I know that I won’t be held by my hand and that I will have to show 100% commitment, enthusiasm, creativity and will to deliver a fantastic job.

Working with lots of different clients can be challenging though. I’ve learned how to prioritise my weekly tasks when it comes to 2 clients and it was tough sometimes. Having a job in a PR consultancy is even more demanding yet fun in the same time. You work on lots of different projects and try hard to deliver them all. Time zones will see me work around the clock but hey, it is all totally worth it. I may moan about working long hours but that is the career I’ve chosen to proceed. I haven’t decided whether I am going to do fashion, technology or any specific PR yet. No, I think I am quite versatile and able to get to know any industry. I suppose that my first full time position will determine it all.

Hai Media Group gave me a chance to learn a lot about online PR. The rest is up to me. Since I take my laptop everywhere (even on holiday) I think that I could be good in online PR and social networking one day. Who knows? My professional life is not decided yet and I want to discover a bit of everything before making my final decision.

My last week with Lisa Devaney was one of the best ones. The Press Release finally got approved! This happened tiny bit too late – towards the end of the contract but still. We didn’t waste our time and published it online. It is now live on PR Web and on the PitchEngine, this backs up our hard work and add credibility to our communication. I was the one in charge of publishing the press release on the Pitch Engine so I can say YES I know how to do it! Great for my C.V. too and we’ve had more than 100 hits over the last 4 days!!

During the upcoming weeks I will monitor the situation with this client and look for blog posts that can be added to my portfolio. I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a professional portfolio of my PR cuttings. The only thing that I have to do now is to find the right place for it. I was thinking worldpress perhaps...? Not sure.

Since my internship is over and the beginning of my senior year at Uni still a few weeks away I decided to treat myself and take some time off to summarise my thoughts about dissertation and PR and everything. Right now I am sitting on a gorgeous balcony that belongs to my fantastic apartment it Lagos, Algarve (south Portugal) and I’ just hit published.

###

Waw, WHAT A WEEK!

I have been busy since 9 am on Monday. Pitching, Following up on emails, making shipment request, creating social media presence for Hai Media Group as well as for our big American client, updating my database, sending out facebook messages, etc etc etc.

Ha! Now that it’s Friday I can say I did it all plus more. Lisa Devaney has been keeping me pretty busy! But hey, I am not complaining. I am quite enjoying creating ‘relationship’ with bloggers. I already noticed that my pitch perhaps goes straight into the spam box so if I follow up on this, most of them are very kind and excited about getting free samples and writing a review on them. I would be for sure. Give me a great product and I will give you a fantastic review! I am really looking forward to reading these reviews. I was also promised to see a short video...can’t wait! I am sure it will be great!

I have actually managed to get my first ever cutting!!! How great is that? And there will be more, just it’s taking more time. Now I am looking for the best place to create my online portfolio. Maybe wordpress? That would be quite appropriate for a PR wannabe girl. Or is there something better out there? Not sure, will do some research.

Working on building the relationships with my bloggers reminded me of how important it is to see them as normal and nice people and not just as a tool to get the message across. Public Relations are really interesting and as I am getting into in more and more I always discover something new. You need to communicate and relax, don’t push anyone into doing things for you but don’t ignore and don’t be lazy to reach out. Online Public Relation or so called PR 2.0 deals with relationships on a different level – that practically means - via emails. Yes, one of the main differences from the traditional PR is that you spend more time indoors, with your laptop or blackberry and you work unbelievably long hours for clients around the globe.

The last fact makes you spend long hours on compiling huge research into the media structure of different countries. You may think that everybody speak English but nope. The world is not an English –speaking oasis.

Sadly, my Internship is nearly over, I have only one week left now. Then, who knows...

Working on it!

Oh God! I’ve just pitched to some of the most influential bloggers in the US! Hope that they will get back to me soon. I can’t believe that after weeks that I’d spent on building my database I finally started pitching. And in fact, that my boss trusts me enough to do it all by my self –well, with help of course. Lisa created a pitch for lifestyle and parenting bloggers and other media and I just modified it so it will better suit the needs of my bloggers – garden, DIY and Lawn. Taking into account that I didn’t even know what lawn was in the very beginning, I have moved a long way since then. Yeah, laugh at me, but I really didn’t know that you can call the bit of grass in your garden that you cut every other Sunday A LAWN.

The pitch was, of course, checked by Lisa. She made some changes in the beginning. I suppose that she understand the lawn culture & US passion for soccer and football much better that I do. Well, there is no doubt about it. She comes from NY, the best place in the world to live in. (that’s just my opinion)

Unfortunately, some blogger they just don’t want to be reached by PR or don’t want people to know their email so in some cases, I had to fill up an online contact page asking for the provision of their email. This required me to come up with a friendly message rather than send the pitch. It feels like you have no control of whether they will receive it, read it and respond to it. Ohh, frustrating.

At one point I was so thankful that my lecturer for Communication and Technology at London Met, Gareth Thomson, made me start using Twitter. I used it to DM my blogger asking for the email and luckily she DM me back with the much needed detail. How great is that? Nowadays, you don’t need to call anywhere, you go online, send a few emails, post a new tweet, update your blog and facebook page and there you go. You can have a ‘conversation’ with anyone in the world. I wonder what the world will be like in 10 years from now. The technology innovation is so fast.

I have sent out most of my pitches by Friday and now I am getting ready for the follow up as some may think that I was a spammer. Hello, it’s PR people! Don’t be scared :D :D You can actually get something good for free and help yourself to make your blog more popular so get back to me! :)

After a whole week in-house I was so happy to leave my office on Friday and go to the Tuttle Club. I don’t know why but I always manage to be there first or second (that was just ones that Lloyd, the person behind this fantastic club, made it there before me). Me and Lisa we always work, we take our laptops and work beside each other. It’s fun and it also shows the huge commitment that we have. This Friday she introduced me to this very important lady in PR – @Barb_G You can say that she knows what she is talking about in PR. I would love to have her confidence and self esteem. Well, working on it :)

Coming out of my shell

My second week as an intern for the Hai Media Group has been great. My blog database has turn into a massive list of essential bloggers and their contact details, I went to an exclusive party for audioBoo, I also learn a lot about social networks and many more.

To start with I discovered www.alltop.com. This website helps a lot when you are trying to find the right blogs for your PR 2.0 strategy. Technorati blog directory seemed great at the beginning but the blogs tend to appear more than once, which only mean more work for you.
It would be fantastic if somebody managed to get all those categories, names, and contacts into one online database or programme. I think that people would be willing to pay for it. It would save so much time! I know that FeaturesExec and Media Disc can do a lot but still...the online world is different every day.

Just in the middle of my hunt for bloggers, the hidden reality of living in London came unexpectedly and hit hard. My boss Lisa Devaney had a serious incident with a ruthless biker in the middle of the day! He nearly poked her eye out! When I received the news I was completely horrified. Middle of the day, a busy street and the last thing you expect is this to happen. We all should learn a lesson from this. We don’t know what is going on in other people’s minds. The reaction that we expect may not happen at all or happen but in a completely sick way. And you can end up with a swollen eye or maybe worse.

Thursday was a highlight of my week. I was heading to the exclusive audioBoo party held down at SUN Microsystem. Lisa overcame the shock from the incident, which was very brave of her as her eye wasn’t properly healed yet. My very own beautiful business cards arrived and we were ready to network.

This certainly sounds like fun for most of people but I was tiny bit nervous as I didn’t know anyone there. I am a member of the famous Generation Y, people who understand technology, computers and the online world but when it comes to face to face contact ... Oh dear! I am not good and I know it. Well, need more practice I suppose and lots of courage. I didn’t really feel like coming to the party at all but Lisa made me come, which turned up to be the right decision. The party was fun! You got to talk to really great and well respected people. As a Uni student you only sit and listen to the great people but there you can actually join in a conversation about the future of the newspapers (or something). Isn’t that great? I think that every Uni should think of putting on event for students as well as lecturers.

Internship is considered to be a hands-on experience. Students are supposed to learn and improve all sorts of skills to become more competitive in the current job market. Unfortunately some people end up making teas and coffees and picking up dry cleaning. This certainly doesn’t apply to me and I am thankful for that. I am slowly coming out of my safety shell and getting used the idea that I am a PR consultant (at least for the time of my internship).

The next week will bring even more interesting things but for now, let’s enjoy the rare sunshine that decided to come to London this weekend.