Debbie Hulme

With 2009 proving to be the toughest year yet for graduates seeking employment, it has never been more important to shine above the rest after leaving university.  With research showing that the number of graduate jobs on offer has fallen by 28%* – what can students and graduates be doing to increase their chances of employment? 

Extra-curricular activities, courses and creative programs are often a good place to start.  Every year, students can be part of various programs to make an impression on companies they would like to work for and give them the chance to get noticed by reputable employers.  

The Young Creatives Network Awards (YCN) is specifically for art and design students and involves a number of major blue chip brands, including Bacardi and Google.  These companies set real live briefs for students to submit creative work for a chance of winning a coveted award.  The awards run in conjunction with many Universities, Colleges and Art & Design Schools across the UK and in 2008, another brand, The Feel Good Drinks Company set a challenge to find a new creative concept, that would spread ‘feelgoodness’. 

 The Feel Good brief was won by De Montfort University student Debbie Hulme.  The company also worked with five other applicants after the winner was announced giving them all additional work experience with an established brand. 

Debbie went on to develop a short-stop animation featuring a family of Gnomes making a Feel Good juice drink which was then recreated and used for a National TV ad and a regional poster campaign.   The experience gave Debbie the chance to work with a top class graphics company and award-winning animator, as she stepped into a ‘creative consultant’ role on the project.  This not only added considerable weight to her CV but most importantly, enabled her to land a job instantly with a local graphic design agency upon leaving uni. 

Debbie added: “I was amongst so many other graduates trying to find a job when I left university; I knew it would be tough.  However after winning the competition for The Feel Good Drinks Company, I was able to leave university not only with a First Class Honours degree, but a great CV and I’m delighted to say I was lucky enough to secure my dream job in a design agency in my local town!”

2009 marks the 8^th YCN Student Award scheme and the hunt is on again to find emerging students and creative stars.  The Feel Good Drinks Company believe the scheme worked so well last year that the company has now set a new brief for 2010 centred around brand awareness and focusing on its key brand message. 

Some Hints and Tips to Help Futureproof your degree include:

1.       Think about other qualifications or courses you can take to increase your employability – For design students, programs such as Photoshop – this saves a company’s training time

2.      Become a member of a professional body for your chosen trade – e.g. CIPR for Public Relations – it shows you are serious about your career and industry

3.      Get as much work experience in your industry as possible, even non-paid for if you can afford it.  This again shows how determined you are about your career and working for either that particular company or another in the same sector

4.     Approach companies directly, don’t wait for jobs to come to you.  Research your top ten companies you would like to work for and tailor a cover letter and CV, offering yourself for intern / work experience opportunities as well as full-time employment

5.      Keep an eye out for opportunities to get involved with key companies you may be interested in working for, be it through competitions for their marketing/advertising campaigns, Facebook fan pages, Twitter or other places they may ask for input on any ideas.

Name

Work title:
Programme Leader, MA in Public Relations, De Montfort University, Leicester

Qualification(s): 
MA in Mass Communications, University of Leicester.  I was recently awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education and am currently working towards my PhD.

Academic experience:
I’ve been at De Montfort University for two years and set up our MA in Public Relations.

Professional experience: 
A journalist before moving into PR (for publishers Oxford University Press), I subsequently spent six years in corporate communications roles with Royal Mail and then swapped to the agency side, working in senior consultancy positions in the UK and Iceland.

Teaching philosophy:
Don’t be afraid to academically challenge your students, but ensure that you give them the tools that aid understanding and help them work effectively.  Be prepared to spend time with students beyond formal teaching – one-to-one tutorials can really make a difference.

Research interests:
PR and gender; how people working in media occupations use social media technologies.

Interests outside work: 
I lived in a ski resort for three years where I could snowboard every day; now I’m back in the UK I get my kicks from fell running and road cycling instead.  

I spend far too much time travelling round Europe with my husband where we climb, walk, buy wine and fail to send any postcards to our relatives.   When I am forced inside I read, listen to Radio 4 and mess around on the Internet in the interest of research (honest).

Why did you become a lecturer?
In 1999 I was invited to present a careers lecture at Loughborough University, loved it, and wanted to do more.  Consequently, I became increasingly involved in PR coaching and training and ultimately chose an academic career because I was – and still am – motivated by constantly learning, understanding and applying knowledge.  

What do you most like / dislike about your current role?
Dislike?   Nothing, although I wish the University was closer to the railway station – it’s a long walk in the rain.  Like? Every day here is different and I have some great students and colleagues who can make me laugh, think, explore new ideas and surprise me with what they do and say.

What is your proudest achievement? 
When I achieve something I always think that if I could do it, it couldn’t have been that hard – as a result, I’m always looking to the next challenge. 

What is your greatest disappointment?
Every Wednesday at running club when I can’t keep up with the fastest men!

How has public relations changed during your lifetime?  
While working at Oxford University Press a colleague took sick leave after being accused of splitting an infinitive in some brochure copy – I don’t think that would happen now.  However, in those days PR practice tended to lack rigour and took a ‘one size fits all’ approach. There is now a greater appreciation of the underlying theories, issues and problems behind the practice of PR. 

How do you envisage it developing in the future?
I hope that the developments in PR education and professionalism will result in practitioners being seen as advisors rather than tactical paid helps (which still happens!). The industry’s future is in the hands of today’s new practitioners – if they understand the wider contexts in which PR is practiced and appreciate the ethical issues involved, the industry will develop. If not …