How I got into the wacky world of PR

I often get asked how I got into PR, so given its my four year anniversary working in public relations I thought it was fitting to tell my story, so here goes…

After graduating with a communications degree I was determined to work in TV or radio and secured a range of work experiences at some amazing companies. These were the days before companies paid expenses, so I was scrimping myself for months on end in order to get the experience under my belt. Unlucky for me, I graduated in the middle of the credit crunch and a paid media job was a needle in a haystack. So I started working in retail on the weekends and continued interning in the week. 

During my weekend work I got talking with one of my customers and I mentioned that I was looking for full-time work in media. He mentioned that he had a friend who worked at a well-respected PR agency and said he would be happy to put me forward. A week later I got a call from the agency offering me a two week work experience position. I happily accepted and started my placement the next week.

For two weeks I got my teeth stuck into the culture of the PR agency. From the dangerously loud dance music, sporadic Vienetta eating competitions, trendy clothing and the constant profanity being used by everyone. It was totally mental and I had never experienced anything like it. I got stuck into the role right away; packing more samples for journalists, contributing wacky ideas in brainstorms and best of all, securing press coverage in local papers. 

At the end of the two weeks, the work experience guys n gals were tasked with creatively introducing ourselves to the rest of the company and were given an afternoon to prepare. I hate doing anything in front of a crowd and I was literally shitting myself, well not literally but you know what I mean.

After remembering job offer could be on the cards if I smash this task, I decided to do a short and punchy rap and practiced my lyrics for about two hours straight. The rap went down so well with the staff members that I had a crowd around me afterwards asking who I was and where I came from lol.

To end this dragged out story, I was offered a permanent position the next week and began my journey in PR J

My advice to anyone thinking about starting a career in PR: Do some work experience, Its priceless! Not only does it boost your CV making you more employable, but also gives you a glimpse into what could be your new working environment. PR certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted and when you start out it can be a lot of long hours with not much pay. But once you get some experience under your belt the money starts coming in.  you have the flexibility to either freelance, work for yourself and have a range or sectors to choose from as the skills are so transferrable.

Hope this helped and watch this space for my next post about hints and tips for making it in the world of PR!