Alumni from the Taylor Bennett Foundation

In spring 2012 the Taylor Bennett Foundation is running its award-winning PR training programme in association with MHP Communications.

This programme has been designed to address the lack of ethnic minorities in the PR industry. The deadline for applying to the next Taylor Bennett Foundation Programme is Monday 27 February 2012.

Those selected for the programme will get:

• 10 weeks of paid training
• £210 per week (you will not be liable to pay tax and NI on your training allowance)
• All your travel expenses
• The opportunity to meet industry professionals and visit really interesting organisations (previous field trips have included Channel 4 News, Grazia Magazine, London Fashion Week, P&G, Adidas, Elle Magazine, BP, Save the Children, The Observer, The Financial Times, PR Week, the PRCA, the CIPR, the Home Office, Standard Chartered Bank, Edelman, Unity PR, Fishburn Hedges, Thomson Reuters, ITN, Fremantle Media, Whizz Kidz, The Times and Speed Communications)
• Top media training from journalists and PR professionals
• Weekly career advice sessions from the industry’s best headhunters

Previous interns are now in their first jobs in PR at firms which include Topshop, Brunswick, Cantos, Racepoint Group, Talk PR, Chatsworth Communications, Cable & Wireless, Pepsico, Mumsnet and Macbeth Media Relations and others have gone on to gain work experience at Ketchum, The Observer and Save the Children.

There are only eight places available on this prestigious scheme, so make yourself stand out from the crowd.

In order to apply you must:

• Be aware that this scheme is designed to directly address the greater need for ethnic diversity in the PR and communications industry
• Be a graduate in ANY degree subject.
• Have indefinite leave to stay in the UK.  Post study work visas and student visa holders are NOT eligible for this programme.
• Have an interest in embarking on a career in public relations
• Have strong writing skills

Some current interns

Whitney Brown is an Events Management and Public Relations graduate from London Metropolitan University. She has since worked in the US but says ‘knowing a trade and being confident at that trade are completely different. Overall doing this internship I want my confidence in writing to grow. Plus I want to learn more about the other writing tools such as communications plans and campaigns.’

Cindy Yau was an avid charity campaigner at university the first time around when at Northumbria University studying BA English and Art History where she loved working in events management, fundraising, and writing about my experiences for Oxfam, Coco, and UNICEF.

Lekha Mohanlal is a Media Studies graduate from Sussex University:

“I adore fashion and have also interned in-house at Lipsy and Brighton Fashion Week. It was my vast interest in fashion PR that encouraged me to apply for the Taylor Bennett Foundation internship sponsored by Talk PR. Receiving training and advice from company experts was the main selling point of the programme for me as it is not offered on many other internships. Although I am a self-confessed fashion freak I want to explore the world of beauty PR as I am a product junkie and have a genuine interest in writing press releases and promoting beauty brands.”

Rebecca Smith is a 22 year-old Roehampton University graduate with a Jamaican and British heritage:

“The process of being successful for the internship programme was tough but fair, and being prepared was key. The assessment day was eye opening and I feel was a reflection of the level of commitment and intenseness required to complete the scheme. “

Candice Allen is a 30 year-old mother of two:

“I believe that with this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games fasts approaching, the legacy of the games will bring opportunities for communications professionals.”

This full day event will see a variety of panel sessions and speakers discuss the many different aspects of public relations from working within an agency or an in-house team; the difference between sectors such as consumer, sport, local government, and issues such as sustainability.

A panel of the brightest young PR professionals will discuss what entry level PR is really like, followed by two master classes on breaking into the industry and the ever popular topic of digital PR.

The day will then conclude with a tailored session on CV and interview advice from experts in graduate recruitment.

The full day costs £25 for students on courses at PRCA partner universities (listed here) and for PRCA student members, £30 for all other students and graduates.

Further event details and a link to a booking form are available here.

Katherine Shenton

During her first year as a PR student, Katherine Shenton wrote a blog post called “So you want to work in sexy, star studded PR?” (It’s still one of the most popular posts on my PR Studies blog, ed). That was back in 2004.

Is PR as glamorous as it’s often made out to be?

“PR may have the reputation of being glamorous, but it is not the case. You need to be hard-working, prepared to work long-hours, start from the bottom and work your way up and continue your learning as the industry and channels available are ever changing,” she tells me.

Katherine graduated in 2006 with a First Class Honours degree from Leeds Metropolitan University. She has since won “CIPR PRide North East Outstanding Young Communicator of the Year 2010” and “CIPR PRide North East Best Freelance Practitioner of the Year 2011”.

During her time at Leeds Met Katherine undertook a number of regular placements with agencies such as Citigate Smarts, Golley Slater and Ketchum.

She also took it upon herself to approach small businesses and offer to do PR for them on an unpaid basis; this experience helped her gain plenty of portfolio items to choose from during her time at university. A combination of Katherine’s First Class degree and large amount of ‘real’ client experience has led her to amazing success during the six years that she has been working in the industry.

The bottom line

I asked for her favourite thing about working in the PR industry:

“As you work your way up in the industry you discover that in PR you really can make a difference to the bottom line – this has been my biggest incentive as it’s not just about page views, likes, followers or number of cuttings it is about what difference you have made for that brand and how you have helped generate new business enquiries or sales.”

I asked Katherine for any advice she could provide for success in the industry, she told me, it’s about hard work and understanding everything before looking for promotion. She also said to keep current (checking Twitter etc.) and to remember that “the PR industry is smaller than you think and you never know when you’ll need to rely on someone or need their help so treat everybody with respect and be helpful, even if you’re busy or stressed as this will be remembered.”

Katherine has seen first hand the changes that have occurred working in the PR industry, “especially the development and importance of social media channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Tumblr etc.”

There have also been changes that have occurred because of  the recession. “Clients and agencies are a lot more lean and conscious of costs. As a result budgets are smaller so you have to be smarter and more efficient, this is also a reason why I think social media channels have grown as they are relatively cheap to manage compared to large scale events.”

Geordie Shore, a ratings success

Currently Katherine is working freelance as a publicist for MTV’s ‘Geordie Shore’, a campaign she is proud of.

“I worked with the team to promote the show and the cast to drive people to watch the show. This paid off as it is MTV UK’s highest ratings show…ever!”

Katherine also told me about her favourite campaign to date. She described transforming brand Maddi Alexander from a candle brand sold solely online to an expansion to an entire body collection, which is now being sold in Fortnum & Mason as well as being featured in ‘Stylist’s Hot Picks’!

Freelance ups and downs

I asked about the pros and cons of working freelance, as she herself had left an agency to start her own consultancy. She told me: “Working freelance is great is some respects, you have complete control of your day, what hours you work… You also feel closer to companies than you do in an agency as you really are viewed as working for them in a different location. However there are some negatives such as the difficultly in taking holiday, you have to be extremely disciplined to get things done and on time and you have to be able to work by yourself.”

Finally I asked Katherine if when starting her degree she ever envisioned her success to be so great so soon, her answer was so humble, and just reminded me of how much the little things really do matter in PR…

“I think if you just put in the hard work the rest will follow. You can’t be too focused on success or winning awards as you then take your eye off the ball and your job, which is detrimental. I always had a rough idea of where I wanted to be when, and of course I hoped I might pick up an award along the way. I feel exceptionally lucky to be where I am and to be doing what I’m doing, but I know I have got here by putting the hours in and doing the best I can.”

After all people will always remember you for the relationship you have built with them and the impression you have left them with.

So how do you obtain a full-time position in PR today? Certainly, the age-old adage: “It’s not what you know, but who you know” still stands. But there’s much more to it than simply networking to land the job of your dreams. A bit more homework goes a long way too.

Getting a foot in the door

The first thing to recognize when seeking your first full-time job is the importance of internships.  Internships can open doors that interviews for full-time positions cannot. Despite the dearth of companies hiring for permanent staff at the moment, most still have internships available and, hopefully, paid ones at that!

My time at Aspectus PR began as an internship and subsequently flourished into a full-time position.

Experience shows that internships not only provide the perfect opportunity to get a feel for the industry in which you want to work, but come with a real possibility of a permanent position. You will then have had both the experience of working in your chosen field and the opportunity to get to know your fellow team members and office culture.

The other great thing about searching for an internship or full-time position is that job sites typically allow you to search for either. If you’re a soon-to-be graduate, start with your school’s career services centre. Most offer CV boot camps and interview workshops and should also have a job site for your use. A few of the best commercial sites to search for jobs or internships however, are Reed, jobsite.co.uk and Monster.

Getting your CV in shape

Once you’ve found a vacancy that’s right for you, it’s time to get your CV in shape.  Relevant and appropriate contact information is a must, as are accurate grammar and spelling: ensure the email address listed is one you check frequently (and sounds professional – not hotpants@hotmail.com for example).

Proof the entire document and then proof it again. Ideally, you should then have someone else you trust to give it a final onceover.

It is also important to tailor your experience such that your key attributes best meet the skills-set sought by your potential employer. Although job specs vary, management experience and team-work are always valued, so be sure to highlight how you have demonstrated these.

When applying for a PR position, you will also need to showcase any experience in communications – and writing in particular. Be sure to include any past internships or previous positions you’ve held. And keep it to one page, unless you are extremely experienced in your field or have held a number of relevant positions previous.

Be prepared

Once you’ve secured your interview, the next step is to prepare for it. Begin with reading relevant publications. PR Week and Marketing Week are excellent sources for those looking to break into marketing, advertising and PR. In addition, read the papers and magazines closest to the industry sector you are targeting. Some of the news sites we read daily are The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and Bloomberg Businessweek. It is also critical to take time to conduct some research on the company to which you are applying.

Once all the written work and research has been completed, CVs sent and interviews secured, networking is the final task – specifically social networking. Similar to your CV, your social networking profiles will tell any potential employer a lot about you. It is therefore advisable to Google yourself, because your employer almost certainly will.

Also, don’t forget to check the privacy settings on your Facebook and Twitter pages to ensure that your information available for public consumption is just that! Lastly, keep your LinkedIn profile current. Employers scour LinkedIn for new hires and frequently advertise open positions on their company pages, as well as checking regularly on Twitter and Facebook for potential candidates.

Stay visible

'Stay visible' says Joe Richards

Finally, just as it’s important for brands to remain top-of-mind, it’s equally important for job seekers to remain visible to potential employers and those who might be able to help connect you with the right people: stay connected with former employers and lecturers while maintaining conversations with others who might be helpful.

The great news about learning to network properly and presenting yourself in the best way possible, both in person and on paper, is that it will set you up for success wherever you go.

You’ll be able to interact well with your coworkers, clients and business prospects and, if you change companies down the road, you’ll be ready to market yourself again.

Here at Aspectus, we are always looking for talented interns and professionals, so please don’t be shy and reach out to us at: internships@aspectuspr.com or info@aspectuspr.com

The Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) campaign now has the support of 25 consultancies, including Burson-Marsteller, Edelman, Grayling, Porter Novelli and Red Consultancy. These firms are committed to paying interns at least the national minimum wage.

The CIPR Work Placement Charter, updated in 2010, is also clear in its guidance on unpaid internships:

“National Minimum Wage legislation requires employers to pay minimum wage or above for all work placements, unless they fall within the following exemptions:

• Students who are studying on higher education courses at UK universities or colleges if placed with an employer as part of their course. This exemption may be applied for a maximum period of one year.
• Students doing voluntary work for a registered charity and those doing work-shadowing.”

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has supported the campaign in a column in PR Week:

“The fact is, workplaces across Britain desperately need to be opened up, and PR is no exception. Too often it’s who you know – not what you know – that counts.”

I am often asked for advice on a career in the PR industry. Here are just five thoughts…

Pay your dues. When you are first starting off in a career in PR, you really need to ring fence a few years just for gaining good, hardworking, unglamorous experience. Get your head down and slog, rather than thinking about the glory. If you get genuine experience early on, you’ll have a solid foundation to build on when the bigger, more exciting opportunities come along.

Be nice to people. It is the right thing to do. And people will remember you later in your career. PR is obviously about managing relationships. Build relationships with journalists – not just for the story you are currently working on but for longer term benefits. Same goes for clients and colleagues – and not just the marketing director. Where will the most junior member of staff that you deal be in five years’ time?

Take a risk! In PR, if you risk nothing, you win nothing. Don’t be afraid of big ideas, however new you are to the industry. Back your own thoughts and beliefs and you will get noticed. Big, crazy, outlandish ideas often pave the way to killer concepts that are more realistic.

In PR, if you risk nothing, you win nothing.

Read… a lot! Read PR text books and industry publications, read biographies for media and PR people and borrow ideas that you can put in your own words. You are not expected to know everything when you first join the profession but your proactive ideas are what will set you apart. Consider studying PR at undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

Do work you are proud of, at the highest level you are allowed to. If it is writing a press release, make it your best. As soon as you can, enter PR industry awards. People who are negative about awards have never won any! Be healthily cynical about them but the process of entering them will help you evaluate what you are proud of and how to communicate this to other people.

And, one final bonus point… make sure you keep checking careers websites.

Good luck!

The bottom 15 per cent of employees with a degree also earned less than the average for those educated to around the GCSE or equivalent level.

The data shows, on average, employees with a minimum of a degree earned 85 per cent more than those educated to around the GCSE level, down from 95 per cent in 1993. Employees with a higher education (but not degree) qualification earned around 45 per cent more, down from 54 per cent in 1993, and those educated to around the A-level or equivalent qualification earned around 15 per cent more, down from 18 per cent in 1993.

Over the same period, the percentage of people in the UK with a degree has more than doubled from 12 per cent in 1993 to 25 per cent in 2010. Also, the percentage of workers with a degree in the highest skilled jobs in the country has fallen. In 1993, 68 per cent of workers with a degree were employed in a job in the highest skill group, falling to 57 per cent in 2010. The highest skilled jobs include those in managerial positions, engineers and accountants.

Around one in three jobs within the UK are for those known as lower-middle skill, typically jobs such as retail, secretarial roles or machine operatives. For people educated to around the GCSE or equivalent level it is these types of jobs that most of them were working in, or almost one in every two people with this type of qualification in 2010.

There has been a fall in the percentage of people with no formal educational qualification, from 25 per cent in 1993 to 11 per cent in 2010. This was mainly driven by people aged 50-64 in 1993 who, because of the education system at the time, were less likely to have stayed on in school to obtain a formal qualification. By 2010 these people were over the age of 64 and therefore likely to have retired from work.

Kayleigh Grierson

A Cheltenham-based PR consultancy has recruited a permanent member of staff following experience of the CIPR mentoring scheme.

Colin Higgins & Associates (CHA) joined the CIPR mentoring Scheme in 2008 which paired Colin Higgins (MD of Colin Higgins & Associates) with Kayleigh Grierson, an undergraduate studying Public Relations at the University of Gloucestershire.

The mentoring scheme offers mutual benefits, allowing the student to gain access to advice on skills development, career development and job hunting, whilst giving the mentor the opportunity to establish links with local academic institutions and generate contact with potential employees.

Kayleigh joined CHA for work experience during the summer of 2010 and was later offered a full-time position as a PR Account Executive, to start after graduation.

Colin Higgins, the Managing Director of CHA commented:

‘It’s important to support graduates who are looking to get into the PR industry, especially when there is so much competition for full-time positions after university, as has been the case in recent years.  The CIPR mentoring scheme was a great success and we are delighted to welcome Kayleigh to the team.’

Mark Willock, CIPR Training and Development Manager said:

‘Mentoring is a way of supporting people’s personal and career development. It involves understanding the career issues and direction of an individual (the mentee) and matching them with someone who has suitable experience in a similar area (the mentor). Mentoring is a highly customised way to grow individual talent and can be a form of life-long form of learning for both the Mentee and Mentor. As it is essentially a supportive form of development, mentoring can focuses on helping the individual manage their career and improve skills while also discussing personal issues.’

Kayleigh will be working across all of CHA’s client accounts across a range of sectors including health, aviation, beauty, food and sports.

Kayleigh’s appointment follows a recent expansion at CHA with the addition of Rachel Thomas as Senior Account Executive in December 2010 and Duncan Matthews as Head of Studio earlier this year.

I started early, choosing to apply for a number of graduate schemes. I reasoned that I may as well give it a go, although I knew that the schemes attracted a huge number of applications and that the marketing schemes often didn’t involve PR tasks. The chance to work within large businesses and gain experience in a marketing role would mean I could work my way into their press office department, so I applied for four: BT, Sky, Marks and Spencer, and Sainsburys.

It takes time

Ellie Stokes

Applying for graduate schemes is a long process, with a number of application questions to complete before their personality, numerical and verbal tests. All of this takes place before they will consider you for an interview, which makes the process all the more difficult. The time taken to complete the application is a waste if you don’t really want to secure the position, so think carefully before starting your application.

Unfortunately, I failed to secure any interviews from the graduate schemes and although I was disappointed, I wasn’t worried – there were plenty more opportunities to get an entry-level position.

A couple of months before I finished my degree, I began looking for potential jobs which I could apply for. Employers are expecting you to have to give notice before you can start so choosing to apply a couple of months before I would be available matched up with other applicants who may have been moving jobs rather than seeking their first position.

From about 30 job applications, I gained six interviews. Securing an interview from one in five of your applications is a pretty positive statistic, so I was optimistic about my prospects. I think the scariest part of an interview is when your interviewer has a list of questions and sits making notes about you as you speak. This happened in the majority of my interviews, and was reminiscent of the time I took my driving test when you knew that the examiner making a note was a mark towards or against your success – very nerve-wracking to say the least!

It’s tough to be rejected

The worst thing about the whole job-hunting process was the rejection. I understood that I was not always going to be the right person for the job, in my interviewer’s eyes, even if I didn’t agree with their decision. But it’s still tough to hear. Being rejected from a job you have already secured in your mind is difficult and the feedback is not always helpful.

A couple of my rejections went along the lines of: “We thought you were great and you would have fitted in but we found someone with more relevant experience”. That’s hard because there’s nothing I could have done differently. Although I have a year’s PR experience, when it came down to it, the experience only seemed to help if it matched with the industry I was being interviewed for. The world of PR is competitive and employers have to separate you somehow but I wish that they would see that solid PR experience can translate to any industry if you have the enthusiasm to learn, especially at the beginning of your career.

The moral of the story is not to get disheartened and to embrace the constructive criticism to improve in your next interview.

I think the best advice someone has given me about an interview is that it is a chance for me to ask questions too. It may sound obvious, but it is important to research the background of the company, any recent PR activity they have carried out and any future events coming up which you could ask insightful questions about. An interest and knowledge about the company is key for your potential employer to understand how enthusiastic you are about the job.

This is a tip I will always use in my future career because it is a simple but effective way to impress your interviewer and something they will remember about you when they come to decide their perfect candidate.

It’s online

Social media was extremely useful in my job hunt. There are a number of Twitter accounts with the sole purpose of providing a stream of PR job opportunities (see below).

It is also a great place to network. I used Twitter to ask agencies I liked the look of about potential employment and received positive feedback from this approach. It shows initiative to try something a little different.

Gemma Diaper, a Bournemouth PR graduate also used Twitter in her job hunt, commenting: “Using Twitter, I sent an e-version of my CV out to all my PR contacts, and they provided me with some great feedback – this was invaluable, as you can never be sure what people in the industry want from a CV.”

It’s best to go direct

One thing I would warn against (if you can help it) is recruitment agencies. To me, they were more hassle than help. I always found it easier and got more responses if I applied for jobs directly advertised by the employer, and at least that way, you can rest assured your CV is seen by someone working within the company.

Thankfully, I have found the perfect job, which is a step up from my previous experience and involves a number of responsibilities I am really excited about. Although the time between finishing my degree and finding a job was only about 6 weeks, it felt like a lot longer! Perhaps because the graduate scheme applications started in November.

There was nothing I could do after applying for a job except wait and hope that something came from it. As a person who likes to be busy and to have a plan, the uncertainty about where I was heading was sometimes hard to handle. For a while, I was worried I may have to compromise on what I was looking for and bide my time before seeking the perfect position.

James Hall, a PR graduate from Leeds Metropolitan University recommends waiting for that perfect job: “My advice to graduates still looking for a job would be not to give up! I think it is important for people to find the right job that suits them and one they truly feel they can do. Take some time out to really go over your options, don’t worry about what your friends or peers are doing, just go for what you think is best for you.”

My quest for a graduate job is complete, but for those still looking, patience, passion and persistence is key. Confidence in your ability will carry you well on your way to your dream job. I wish you every success in your search!

Recommended resources:

Twitter:
@VoxpopPRCareers
@UKYoungPR

Resources for Graduate Schemes:
www.Milkround.com
The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers (a guide book printed annually)

Websites for PR Jobs:
www.PRWeekJobs.com
www.Jobs.Guardian.com

Gabriela Balcerzak

While face-to-face meetings are thought to be the best way of networking, not everyone is willing to leave their comfort zone and take full advantage of the possibilities.

Many students and young professionals do not realise that relevant contacts can lead to many opportunities and help make them successful.

And besides, human beings can not normally function without interpersonal interactions. Families, friends, friends of friends and business relationships are part of everyday life. We cannot run away from them.

With no connections, young PR professionals are stuck in the middle of nowhere. Contacts with the right people can help them succeed in the industry.

But to find these people, students need to investigate, grab chances offered by universities and interact with those who want and are part of the public relations and media environments.

Universities or local companies often organise PR events and meetings with companies’ representatives which are equally beneficial. Companies can spot talent and promote themselves while visitors use the chance to make their presence felt. Very often, meetings not only allow students to network with industry people, participate in competitions but also to learn about their experience, mistakes and disappointments.

Shona Hendry, an account director from the Big Partnership, one of Scotland’s most successful PR agencies, says that attendance as a student at, for example, events run by the Grampian PR Group, is remembered by employers. Ms. Hendry believes that it looks promising when young practitioners go to industry events that are not especially designed for students.

Public relations is about… relationships

Lack of relationships with people within the business often leaves postgraduates alienated and lacking in confidence in the public relations world. For many of them it is like being sent to a desert island and asked to run a campaign for a client whose expectations are always high. And of course the campaign could not be successful if there is no interaction with media and other publics.

In addition, being well known in the environment increases prospects of finding a dream job much quicker as employers like providing work for individuals whose presence is long-lasting.

Students and young PR enthusiasts who are thinking of applying for a PR job in a successful agency should be aware that their potential bosses will look at their experience and consider whether they can or cannot bring new ideas to their team. If they can provide a full book of contacts, it is a bonus for them.

“Potential employers will be impressed to see students making contacts and attending industry events before they are in the job market”, says Shona Hendry.

“If you make a contact, note their details down and remember something about them – use this information when you subsequently approach them for a job or in your line of work.”

‘Difficult and uncomfortable’

However, many students and young practitioners find networking with industry people extremely difficult and uncomfortable. Meanwhile, it can be very valuable and a key to successful career in Public Relations.

“It would be easier for me to use Facebook and Twitter to network with employers, but when it comes to being face to face with them I would find it hard”, says Matthew Buchan, 21, a former Media with Public Relations student.

But amongst these students, there are those who do not have any problems with talking openly with potential employers. But do they always do it right? Some of them often go to meetings just to show that they are there. They shake hands, smile and cheer their mentors in everything they say. Then they disappear like stones in the water, giving up the opportunities that they have just been offered.

Relationship rules

As Lisa Rattray, a PR lecturer and former PR adviser for Texaco says, there are some clear rules of networking.

“Don’t hassle people, don’t be rude, and take advantage of every opportunity – even if it’s just making tea. Be keen, be helpful, and be grateful – always write a thank you note”.

The first approach is very important and beginners should not show that they expect something in return. Showing an interest in and respect for the contact is essential. We do not want them to think that the only reason that we are there is because we want a job or their approval.

Another important but often forgotten issue is awareness of personal space. Keeping at least four feet away from the contact will make them feel less intimidated. Furthermore, preparation is key. Make sure that you know information about people you meet and the company that they work for so that it does not seem all you are interested in is making a contact.

“If you are going to an event, it’s a good idea to try to get a delegate list beforehand and identify who would be useful for you to make contact with, then make sure that you seek them out at the event – do some research on the company beforehand so you have something relevant to speak to them or ask them about”, advises Ms Hendry.

The account director of The Big Partnership also adds that one of the don’ts would be being too overtly sales-oriented, pursuing the same agenda every time you speak to someone, talking more about yourself and your products than the other person, not allowing them to speak and not listening to their responses.

Punctuality can affect your image as a professional, too. Being late can negatively impact the first impression. Moreover, expressing appreciation by showing gratitude for their time and effort is an advantage. However, being over nice can be seen as a minus. A thank-you card or message is more than enough.  And finally, finding a reason to get in touch with the person again will help to maintain the contact.

However, is networking just an occasion to find a good professional and contacting influential people? Often professionals pay money to be members of an elite club just to meet successful people like themselves. For that reason, making contacts is also about being likable in the industry amongst people who share the same passion and interest in life. It is not a race for glory but a chance to make friends and achieving professional fulfilment.

Graduate opportunities are on offer across the complete range of Adecco Group recruitment brands – including big name recruiters such as Adecco, Office Angels, Badenoch & Clark, Modis, Spring Technology and Computer People as well as specialist brands like Roevin, Judd Farris and Glotel.

The group is offering prospective applicants a ‘try before you buy’ approach through a ‘recruitment experience programme’. Under the programme, applicants will be invited to attend a free five day residential workshop designed to give them a thorough understanding of what a career in recruiting will entail.  The workshop will also explore individuals’ working styles and provide guidance as to possible career options.

Commenting on the initiative Peter Searle, CEO of Adecco Group UK & Ireland, said:

“People are the lifeblood of our business.  As the UK’s largest recruiter we’re able to offer a broad range of opportunities in a wide variety of markets with outstanding prospects for career progression. This isn’t just about offering a training scheme – we’re offering compelling and rewarding careers to graduates.”

The recruitment campaign, under the strapline ‘The freedom to be’, stresses the flexibility offered by a graduate role with the Adecco Group.  More information can be found at www.wanttobe.co.uk

The 'careers in communication' event in Aberdeen

The students, all from Robert Gordon University (Lauren Strachan and Nicola Cameron, CIPR student representatives; and Zoe Barbour and Titilayomi Fakorede, GPRG student representatives) organised and managed the successful event held at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen on Wednesday 4 May.

The CIPR and GPRG ‘Careers in Communication’ event brought together 60 students studying the HND, undergraduate and postgraduate communication and media courses at Aberdeen College and Robert Gordon University, as well as over 15 young practitioners and top employers in the Aberdeen and Grampian region to network and gain tips and advice about the PR and communications industry in Scotland.

The three and a half hour event covered many different sectors of the PR and communications industry, from in-house corporate communications to consultancy PR, and crisis communications to charitable PR. Guest speakers included Behind the Spin Editor Richard Bailey, Neil Jones CIPR Scotland Representative, Jilly Powell Communications Manager for Petrofac Offshore Engineering and Operations, and many other local professionals from companies such as The Big Partnership, CLAN, and Fifth Ring.

One student complimented the event and said: “a very well organised and enjoyable event, and the presentations were altogether interesting, informative and inspiring.”

Overall the session achieved a high level of student engagement and involvement. The innovative use of interactive workshops and the inclusion of a networking session allowed the students to interact with local professionals and in make some contacts. One attendee commended the networking opportunity, saying: “The networking session was something different but highly beneficial. It’s not one of my strong points so I welcomed the opportunity to progress in this.”

News story written by Lauren Strachan, studying MSc Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen

The survey of 2,614 students shows that over half (57%) want universities to do more to help them understand employability skills, such as customer awareness, team working and self management. And two thirds (66%) would like more support in developing these skills. This comes as the majority of students (79%) say that they decided to go to university to improve their job opportunities.

These findings follow last week’s publication of the 2011 CBI / EDI Education & Skills Survey which shows that employability skills are the single most important consideration for businesses when recruiting graduates. However 70% of employers said that university students need to do more to prepare themselves to be effective in the workplace.

Some universities already embed the teaching of employability skills into course structures, but the CBI is calling on all institutions to follow this best practice.

Susan Anderson, CBI Director for Education & Skills, said:

“Employability skills are the most important attributes that businesses look for in new recruits, but graduates are currently falling short of employers’ expectations. Competition for jobs is intense and graduate unemployment remains high, so students need to proactively develop relevant employability skills. But at the same time all universities need to explain these skills better and make sure they embed them in teaching.”

Aaron Porter, NUS National President, said:

“Access to higher education opens the doors to a world of possibility but it is incumbent on universities to do more to work with both students’ unions and employers to equip their students to face the challenges the future brings. Students are increasingly demanding of their institutions and quite rightly expect more in the way of information, support and resources to prepare them for life after university.”

The CBI and the NUS have worked together to produce Working towards your future (pdf), which explains what employers are looking for in new recruits and provides practical tips to help students meet these requirements. The guide explains how employability skills can be developed through university courses, but also by other methods including participation in clubs and societies, volunteering in the community and by gaining work experience.

According to the CBI / NUS survey the majority of students have thought about the type of career they would like to pursue once they have finished their studies:

• Over half (53%) have thought about their future career to some extent, but have no definite plans
• 39% say they have firm plans
• 9% of students say they haven’t thought about future careers yet.
• Just under half (45%) of students are fairly confident about the chances of getting the type of work that they want, while only 7% are not confident or think there is little likelihood of securing the career that they want.

The survey shows that the majority of students do some kind of paid work while at university:

• 28%  of students do paid work during in term-time and vacations
• 22% do paid working during vacations
• 12% of students say they do paid work in term-time only.

Employability initiatives praised by the CBI and NUS include:

The Bath award – recognising wider skill gains

Recognising that degree results reflect only the academic side of university life, the Bath award has been developed by the students’ union and the careers service at the University of Bath. Students were keen to have some formal accreditation of what they gained from active participation in other aspects of university life, but at the same time there was a shared acceptance there had to be a relatively demanding assessment process to ensure quality assurance.

Students begin by completing a skills competency framework assessment to rate their work-related skills and identify areas for improvement. Participants have to complete four elements to qualify for the award:

1. A minimum of 300 hours of extracurricular activity in the form of volunteering and/or work experience. The volunteering can involve activity within the university – such as acting as an academic representative within a faculty or helping manage a student society – or external activity, such as acting as volunteer helper in a local charity
2. Completion of at least four skills training sessions, drawing on the courses run by the students’ union and/or the careers service
3. Preparation of a submission bringing together evidence of activities, skills competence assessments, and short pieces of writing articulating and reflecting on their development
4. Submission of a sample CV and job application, plus other exercises related to future job search.

The Bath award is currently administered by a member of students’ union staff. Reflecting its partnership development, the team of assessors is drawn from the careers service, the students’ union, faculty and professional services volunteers.

University of Portsmouth – Employability is everybody’s business

At the University of Portsmouth, increasingly close links have been forged between careers advisers and the academic faculty as part of moves to ensure the development of employability skills is embedded in all learning, teaching and assessment. The university is now going further, so that all courses approved or re-approved in future will need to demonstrate how they foster employability.

Key elements of the university’s approach include:

• Every careers adviser is linked to an academic faculty and they spend time there regularly, speaking to students as part of the academic programmes
• The university has built up a careers and recruitment service that operates on a commercial basis, placing hundreds of students into part-time work during their courses, as well as helping graduates find work and providing the full range of careers service support.

Only 3.5% of female university students would definitely consider a career in the automotive industry; 61.5% of female university students say they will not be considering the automotive industry as a future career option at all.

The figures are very different for male students; 61% of them say they are very interested in the motor industry, and 39% say they would definitely not consider a career in the sector.

“It is disappointing to learn that so few female students are considering a career in the motor industry,” said Autocar editor Chas Hallett. “As we launch the 2011 Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award, we really do want to encourage female university students to put pen to paper and enter. It’s such a great opportunity.

“The industry does have a number of women doing great things right now – for example, Anna-Louise Clough, Colour and Materials Design Manager and Lianne Daly, Head of Marketing, McLaren Automotive, Fiona Pargeter, global PR Director for Land Rover, and one of the Autocar-Courland Next Generation protégés, Holly Robinson. She was runner-up of the Next Generation Award in 2009 and now works for Audi.

“There are numerous career opportunities for ambitious graduates, from design through to showroom, and that includes the obvious engineering-led roles but also specialist marketing, public relations, sustainability, accounting, policy, human resources as well as customer-facing opportunities.”

The research showed vast regional differences, at the top of the table more students from East Midlands are looking to join the motor industry, followed by Scotland, North East, West Midlands, South East, London, Yorkshire and Humberside, South West, East Anglia, Northern Ireland and North West. No students from Wales that responded to the survey are looking to the motor industry for their future career.

The Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award is a national competition to identify, support and develop top automotive talent of the future. Entrants from UK universities are invited to answer a brief set by Autocar’s Editor-in-chief, Steve Cropley.

The Brief: Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award 2011
Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award entries should be no more than 500 words long and written in English. They should also include images or illustrations, if relevant.

“Using your area of expertise, write a 500-word proposal suggesting some improvement (be it an invention, a legislative change, a change to corporate policy or the adoption of a new convention) which you believe would be a worthwhile benefit to the automotive business, on a small or large scale.”

2010 winner Hari Meyyappan who studied at Loughborough University commented, “I am really delighted on winning the Autocar Next Generation award 2010 and I consider it to be a very important success for my career. Just over a month ago, I was reading about last year’s winner and I never expected that I would be standing beside him so soon.

“I am eagerly looking forward to the placements with the 5 sponsor companies. I feel that these placements will be life
changing events that are going to happen in a very short period of time. This dream prize would serve as a unique ‘money-can’t-buy’ opportunity for students to have a very broad exposure in the rapidly growing automotive industry. I wish to sincerely thank Autocar, Courland and the five sponsor companies for the prize and also for providing me such a platform to present my idea!”

Autocar conducted the research in March 2011 as an integral element of the launch of the Autocar Courland Next Generation Award 2011.

Laura on a road trip across America

The travelling bug normally hits students the hardest before they start university, while others see the long summer holidays during their degrees as the perfect opportunity for a spot of globe trekking. More and more, however, graduates are finding themselves booking those once-in-a-lifetime flights once they’ve already begun establishing a career.

As it does with almost everything these days, the economy has its part to play in the reasons for this. The last time I went travelling in 2009, the recession was in full swing and many of the people I met during my trip claimed that redundancy (and the payout that came with it) was what motivated their trip. With no other job prospects to turn to, exploring the world seemed a better option that sitting at home, checking ever-shrinking job listings each day.

This is one way of meeting the financial costs of travelling. If a redundancy package isn’t what will fund your trip however, it’s more likely that a long period of strict saving will be the secret to your backpacking adventure. I saved the money from every part time job, birthday and Christmas for a few years before setting off on a road trip across the United States. Working while abroad wasn’t for me; I wanted to experience as many destinations as possible during my trip, and fitting in a job tied to one area wasn’t going to work.

The finances do depend on the type of trip you’re planning however; a few months of rapid moving around will take a lump sum to fund it, while a longer trip to a concentrated area, such as the ever-popular Australia could be easier to fit in with some casual work, though a friend of mine did revert back to the first of these options after a few days of working on a farm and discovering the existence of jumping spiders (the name, teamed with the size of an Australian spider, is fairly self-explanatory I feel).

Going solo

As well as dumping the career to pick up the backpack, another trend I am noticing is the rise in solo travellers. This is often the easiest option: travelling alone means you have total control over the destinations you visit and for how long, without giving in to someone else’s itinerary. A sudden redundancy notice can also leave you in a different position to working friends who don’t have the indefinite time to commit to a life-changing trip, though having someone to share your experiences with and provide support in difficult situations is worth some compromises.

Many graduates will recognise the opportunities that diving into something new presents from when they moved to a new city for university. This is one of the best aspects of travelling: putting yourself out of your comfort zone forces you to meet people quickly! Whether it’s locals in the area you’re visiting, or other travellers who may have established a good feel of the area, meeting new people abroad is the best way to explore a country, and my personal favourite part of travelling. While in the US I discovered Couch Surfing (www.couchsurfing.org), an organisation that allows travellers to stay with locals for free. Doing this meant I got a personal guide of the area as well as plenty of sight-seeing recommendations the main guidebooks left out.

Travel bug or homesickness?

Meeting people from the same country as yourself often helps to alleviate any homesickness you may be experiencing, especially in parts of the world that have offered large culture shocks upon arrival.

Full Moon parties in Thailand are fast becoming known for their western dominance. However, many ‘hardcore travellers’ are now describing it as ‘too English’ to visit for a true cultural experience, likening it to the beaches of Ibiza and Malia, full English breakfasts included.

This leads to the big question of the backpacking trend: is it independent travel or a new variant on the package holiday?

Of course, the details of this largely come down to whether you researched your trip using a Thomas Cook brochure or the advice of a local fruit seller you ended up talking all night to, sat outside a beach hut. Only one of these options will leave you sitting at the edge of a chlorine-filled swimming pool, brimming with dive-bombing children and 18-30 members, surrounded by mass-produced lounge furniture and tower block-style hotels.

Travelling is ultimately a lifestyle, and it’s difficult to lose the bug once you’ve caught it, whereas holiday-makers are often the more settled type, preferring a fortnight-long holiday with a clear return date attached.

But this is where the problem lies: are graduates who are leaving their careers behind simply individuals incapable of unpacking their belongings into something bigger than what they can carry on their back? Never going travelling again in favour of a career can be hard to accept, and this is often the fear many people have. Who can expect their employer to allow indefinite leave every time they feel the need for a break?

Beach or mountains: what's your dream?

It’s a hard scenario to comprehend, and one which few employers will understan if you’re lucky enough to have a secure position in an unstable economy, but sometimes the timing may be dependent on you rather than the job market. Perhaps you are the type able to plan years ahead, and in this plan you see a move in your career, location or company. Instances like these provide ample opportunity to leave the working world behind for a while and return to a fresh start.

For Caroline Gibson, travelling was always part of her plan for life after university and Cow PR opening new offices in the north offered an ideal solution to her need for a short term contract:

“I already had a year’s PR experience before finishing university from my placement year and I was lucky enough to be asked back by the same company to help open a northern office. They had already spoken to me about returning to London which I said I was unable to do as I was saving to go travelling, however when they got in touch with me about the northern office it was ideal. I could stay in Leeds, do something really exciting, get some great experience and they already knew I would be leaving in a years and a half’s time”.

Not everyone will have the same luck in this respect, and will have to take a leap of faith in leaving their job to travel. However, you should never assume your employer won’t be happy with your plans and that giving up work is your only option.

David Sutherland approached his bosses with a suggestion that worked for them both:

“The company I work for has its quiet time during the summer months and they wanted to save money wherever possible during the economic downturn. Allowing me a few months off while the work-load was low meant they saved paying me a salary for a while and I was able to return to work as things picked up again later in the year”.

Finding yourself settling into a career after university can often cause the unexpected alarm bells that tell you that now is the time to do something different. A PR exec with two or three years experience may find returning to work easier than someone further into their career looking for a specific management role – so getting out before you get too involved is the slightly pessimistic way of looking at it. The way Caroline Gibson sees it is that travelling can be an advantage for your career:

“Nothing has been set in stone for my return, I don’t have a guaranteed job to go back to but I have some fantastic experience on my CV and travelling has made me more focussed on the future. I wouldn’t change what I am doing for the world and it has even made me tempted to come and work abroad for a year in a PR agency – so who knows what will happen when I return”.

Asking for advice

Whatever view you have, asking the advice of others is always the key thing to do. Advice from some may have a philosophical edge, “It’s now or never, don’t think about it, just go for it”, but I’ll conclude with a few practical tips for planning a journey:

• Work out a budget, and add 50%. This may prevent you running out of cash too early or allow you to relax a little more when it comes to spending; finding a hostel which has suddenly put its prices up a significant amount due to a busy weekend will seem much less stressful if you’re not worrying about money.

• Take a pay-as-you-go mobile phone and buy a local sim card for the country you’re in. You may not need to use it much, but when you’re stuck in a bus station at 3am and need to get hold of your accommodation you’ll be thankful for it. If you can afford to take a small laptop or netbook too this will save you an incredible amount on Internet café charges ($3 per hour every day adds up when you’re constantly booking accommodation).

• Buy a travel towel. They fold up unimaginably small and dry amazingly fast. It’s a must. Concentrated washing detergent you can use in a sink is also unexplainably helpful.

• Most of all, have fun! Don’t spend your trip worrying about unemployment – there’s always more travelling to fill a recruitment gap and you’ll have plenty to talk about when those interviews start lining up again.

Carr Manor pupils with Laura Eardley and Alicia Chadwick (centre) and Victoria Grimes (right)

Three Leeds Met students currently in their second year studying Public Relations with Marketing designed and delivered a presentation and workshop at local Leeds high school, Carr Manor.

They started by giving the class of 20 business studies pupils an overview of university life in Leeds. They described their personal experience of studying PR at Leeds Metropolitan University. Then they explained about public relations through the use of definitions and examples.

The use of video examples, one being the Cancer Research UK anti-sunbed campaign launched to inform teenagers of the dangers of using sunbeds, allowed the pupils to see the creative side of public relations. Showing it to the specific target audience allowed the PR students to see how and if it had any impact. This allowed the pupils to see the importance of relating a campaign specifically to its target audience.

During the presentation they were set two workshop tasks. They were shown two cases of bad media celebrities had received during their career: Kerry Katona on This Morning and Wayne Rooney and his affairs. The pupils were then asked to write the headline and introduction of a press release from the perspective of one of the celebrity’s PR advisers.

They were then asked to organise an event to raise money following the Japanese tsunami and asked how they would obtain press attention for their events.

The one and half session achieved a high level of involvement. The use of workshops allowed the school pupils to learn through practice and was seen as a better approach than talking for the whole session.

The results of the presentation spoke for themselves with 19 out of 20 students finding the presentation useful. 18 out of 20 said that they have a better understanding of what PR is and 12 said that they would consider choosing a PR related degree. The students who gave the presentation were aware that PR would not suit everybody, so the feedback that they received was extremely positive.

Using students to lead the session meant that it was more accessible to the school pupils. The students were in the same situation as the school pupils only a few years ago so were better able to relate to them. They knew what would work and what information they would need to know. Making it as entertaining as it was informative meant that the pupils were interested and involved from the beginning.

“Public Relations is an unknown subject among school pupils as it is not taught or introduced to school or college pupils. In order to ensure that pupils thinking about coming to university choose the correct course, it is important that they are introduced to as many subjects as possible,” said PR student Alicia Chadwick.

“With such a broad range of courses available it is a hard decision to make and the worse thing is to be on a course which you don’t enjoy or does not reach the expectations you had. With the proposed fees for 2012 being so high it is crucial that people coming to university are making the right choices.”

“Many school pupils choose ‘safe’ subjects which leave them with no specialism upon graduating university. This makes finding a job, especially in the current economic climate, difficult. Choosing applied degrees such as public relations creates new opportunities for students as well as allowing the sector to grow.”

Leeds Met students are continuing to give presentations to schools across the Leeds and Bradford areas.

Applicants will need to submit a written proposal by 6 June. A shortlist of up to 10 will be put through their paces in a day-long selection process at the Mischief office in London. Creativity, passion and media knowledge will be tested in a series of interviews, presentations and written tests. A ‘speed date’ with Mischief’s Creative Directors will also feature in the day.

Mischief Managing Director, Mitchell Kaye said:

“We are very lucky to have a bright, talented and creative team of people at Mischief. The Mischief Grad Scheme has been responsible for recruiting 20 per cent of our team – so we know there is a huge amount of talent out there and we’re looking forward to bringing it into the agency.”

CIPR CEO Jane Wilson added:
“Our partnership with Mischief offers an exciting opportunity for a new graduate to step onto the PR career ladder. It is one of several initiatives feeding into the CIPR’s Year of the Student and Teacher campaign during 2011-2012, which aims to boost the prospects of students, graduates and PR professionals in the early stages of their career.”

For details on how to apply, visit the CIPR website.

Laura Smith: graduate job seeker

We’ve had the tough news, now it’s time to do something about it. It’s no longer about saving money individually but collectively instead, in what David Cameron likes to term the ‘Big Society’.

The internet has seen a boom in websites offering money-saving tips and ways to make our salaries go further, but what about those who don’t yet have a secure income, and further still, aren’t looking at gaining one in the near future?

This year will see yet another large number of students graduating with fantastic results, but what use are hard-earned degrees if the country has no jobs to offer?

Not all doom and gloom

How bad is the graduate jobs market? Obviously this varies depending on the field you’re graduating into, and it may not be all doom and gloom, especially when it comes to PR and the creative industries.

Failure and a lack of prospects sells newspapers, but as with all newspaper copy we should take what we read with a pinch of salt.

Companies still need employees. Our degrees aren’t pointless after all. I must reiterate I cannot speak for every industry out there, but in the grand scheme of things there are still jobs to be done and seeing as we haven’t quite caught up with our space-age predictions prior to the 21^st century of robots taking over every human function, there are still jobs for us to do.

The jobs are there, but the ads have gone

What I believe we are seeing is not a slow down in recruitment as the media reports, but that companies are looking to save money. They’re saving it by spending less on advertising rather than halting recruitment altogether.

I’ll use myself as an example. Scouring The Guardian’s website for jobs does seem to lead to the conclusion that if I don’t want to work in sales and marketing then I may as well give up now.

However, an alternative job search via contacts on Twitter tells me differently. By cutting out the middle man I have secured myself two interviews. Both of these came from a ‘I’ll pass your CV on’ scenario, costing the company absolutely nothing in advertising.

The difficulty for companies is that they may not receive a wider range of applications as in conventional job advertising. But it costs them nothing and if they don’t find the applicant they’re looking for then a quick tweet or notice on their website will soon alter that. I believe it’s not only due to the recession, but also a sign of where we’re heading.

Being a media student and taking a close look at trends in PR and social media has told me this is generally the way things are going, spending cuts or not.

The problem is not the recession, but competition

So now we can look at applications in a different way, the problem is not recession, but competition. Many students in the last few years have opted to study what I like to think of as ‘open degrees’; degrees which don’t specifically lead into only one career. Not only do we have to fight off other graduates from different subjects, but those who are still scouring the market from last year.

Professionals are all offering the same advice to students hoping to begin a career during these financially unstable times: promote yourself. By blogging, tweeting and networking you are more likely to succeed if companies recognise your name, no matter how unstable the economy may be.

I am writing to tell you how I see your future profession and to emphasise one point: you are in the best place at the best time. PR is a global science and practice. Additionally, PR is growing rapidly. The education, the science, the practice are becoming globalized.

Arriving in England in January

I arrived from Hungary at Leeds Metropolitan University in the middle of January to spend three months here as a visiting scholar to the public relations and communications subject group.

My university – Széchenyi István University (named after a noble Hungarian from the 19th century) is located in Győr (at the meeting point of three rivers). It has three faculties and two institutes and it is attended by about 12,000 students each year.

I work for the Faculty of Business in the Marketing and Management Department as an associate professor and I teach various management and communication modules, among them Public Relations.

From next semester I will teach some modules in English, for our Erasmus students and for our postgraduate Marketing students. This was one of my motivations to apply for a scholarship when invited by my university.

I would like to gather as much information as possible about the latest trends in communication management: by attending lectures, reading books and articles, taking part in several events, joining research programmes, getting in touch with excellent PR practitioners, researchers, academics, and by picking the brains of my English colleagues who are great authorities in their field.

Because PR is global one, we can apply this to Hungary, as well.

Public relations in Hungary

Some data about the history of Hungarian PR: in 1990 the Hungarian Public Relations Association was established with 40 members. As the next step, in 1992 the PR profession was registered as an individual profession in Hungary. The first PR magazine, the PR Herald was launched in 1995. Hungary has been the venue for several international PR conferences.

Public relations education was accredited in 1998 within Communication and Media Sciences. Nowadays this course is offered by 19 Hungarian universities as a BA and by 10 universities at MA level. The curricula and the applied books/tools are similar to English programmes.

There are PR agencies, consultancies and in-house PR departments in Hungary, as well as individual PR experts (publishers, editors, journalists, event organisers). Grayling – the large public relations, public affairs, investor relations and events consultancy – has run its own office in Budapest since 1994.

As I told you: you are in the best place at the best time. Many foreigners arrive in England to learn about communication, marketing, public relations and journalism. Leeds Met is one of the leading universities in these fields.

Communication is one of the essential life skills since it’s clearly related to success with family, friends and success in the workplace. If you look at successful people, you’ll almost always find they have the ability to communicate with others, either one-to-one or in groups, far more effectively than less successful people. And you can be a professional in it.

Don’t worry! Great speakers are not born but they take training. Pick your lecturers’ brains! Make the best of your time! Ride on the wave!

I enjoyed spending this useful time in England, I learned a lot. Thank you. Haye…

This is not only due to the recent recession and an increase in people attending university, but also the sheer number of students wishing to progress in a professional career such as PR.

Media, and specifically PR, are popular career destinations for today’s graduates. Public relations and media careers are known for being relatively glamorous and, crucially, these professions accept unrelated degrees such as Media Studies and English Literature. So as a result, once the graduation ceremony and ball are over, a huge number of graduates begin clamouring for that elusive PR job.

This desperate rush for the “easy” careers (as some undergraduates deem them) has serious consequences. It’s a simple matter of supply and demand. At a graduate level, there is a massive supply of labour, all clambering for a limited number of PR jobs.

So what can students and graduates do to differentiate themselves from their rivals?

From grads to riches

Sarah Murray: glad to have a good job in PR

Sarah Murray, account executive at PR and marketing agency MCC International, describes her route into PR:

“I graduated in 2009, slap bang in the middle of the recession.  The job market was in such a dismal state that our lecturers and tutors were encouraging us to go travelling for a year or apply for jobs in supermarkets and coffee houses in order to ride out the recession.

“Many of my fellow students followed this advice and saved up quickly, working in pill-packing factories to buy their plane tickets to adventure. I, however, wanted to hit the ground running. I feared that all I had learnt would just disappear, not to mention that sleeping in hostels in malaria-ridden countries just wasn’t for me!

“In order to tackle what seemed to be the biggest shock of my life, I jumped in at the deep end. I moved straight into a flat in Southampton, a city which seemed to have plenty of small retail jobs that would tide me over and got a full-time job in Pret A Manger. This paid the bills, but was rather disheartening work, so I applied for every job possible.

“I signed on with all the recruitment agencies in the local area and registered with jobs websites, setting the goal of applying for five positions every day. This was a heartless task and a discouraging one, following my fun days at university. However, I kept trying and managed to get a temporary job in Southampton Solent University in the finance department. This was a real breakthrough and allowed me a better wage and a chance to keep applying for jobs in the industry that I studied in.

Lucky break

“Throughout an internship, networking is key. I kept in touch with all my old PR work-placement contacts and tried to gain as much experience as possible. I’m not going to lie and say it was a breeze working and studying full-time, but it was definitely worth it in the end.

“As I came to the end of both my course and internship, I decided it was again time to look for a job in PR. I had done as my tutors and lecturers suggested and filled my year after graduating with work experience and learning, so hoped that all my hard work would pay off in the form of a job in PR.

“Sure enough, the first one I applied to hired me and now I am working as an account executive at the international PR and marketing agency, MCC International.

Adventure junkies

“Many of my classmates did not have such luck. The majority decided to delay working full-time by going travelling for a year or two. Many of them haven’t returned yet, hooked on sunshine and adventure. One friend came back and managed to get a job at Champion Communications in London, which saw her land on her feet – she was one of the lucky ones. Another went on to secure a job as a PR and marketing assistant in Southampton, until the recession caused mass redundancies in the company. The good news is after a shaky start she is now working for a PR agency in London.

“One of my close friends found getting a job in PR impossible so started applying anywhere in a sporadic fashion with no success. So she decided to work in an estate agency showing properties. She has recently been head hunted and is now moving to London as an estate agent.

“Another friend now works in Tesco on the tills and has resigned herself to the fact that there are no graduate jobs out there. She is saving up to move abroad and hopes that she will find something overseas.

“The job market has shrunk with all the recession cutbacks and the majority of jobs are now found in big cities such as London and Manchester. PR graduates are having to look into alternative jobs until a preferred position opens up in a company or settle for a completely different career. I’m just glad that I managed to differentiate myself from others and stand out when it comes to the job application process.  With the change in tuition fees, the job market will change again and hopefully, make it easier eventually for graduates to get jobs in their chosen profession.”

Ben Smith is managing director of PR commentary and careers site PR Moment.