So it finally happened: I’ve just worked with someone who was born after I started my career. This got me thinking about what anyone entering our industry now will need to know in their first year in communications.
I’ve been in tech PR, journalism and digital for 22 years now. Either through agency work or training that I run, I meet a lot of people in the early stages of their careers, and I remember how daunting it can be.
A chance conversation had me thinking what I’d say to someone starting out in PR or comms and what they should know, do and ask for in their first year.
So, here goes…
Have a career goal in mind
If you’ve chosen a career in PR or communications, then you probably already have some idea of where you want to take it. If you fell into the industry, like I did, then definitely set a realistic short-medium-term goal, whether it’s the sector you’d like to work in, or the type of clients or skillset you want to develop. Be clear about this at interview, as it will set you apart from many candidates. Your goals will probably change but at least you have thought about a path.
One of the greatest advantages of a career in communications is it arms you with lots of transferable skills that can be deployed elsewhere, whether it’s people management, budgeting and planning or branding, for example, there is plenty of scope to take what you learn into other sectors if you feel PR and communications isn’t for you.
Find something to major in
Once you’re in PR, you’ll be exposed to all sorts of elements of communications – digital, creative, corporate and consumer comms, public affairs, influencer relations and more – and you’ll also get to try your hand at a wide range of skills.
In our industry, it’s important to know a little about everything in marketing – Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned (PESO) – and how they fit together so brands can achieve their communications and business objectives.
Find areas that you enjoy and are good at and major in those. Personally, I chose to major on content strategy and copywriting after being utterly terrible at media relations. Luckily for me, content and copywriting are in huge demand, so now I train on those two topics as well.
Read and absorb knowledge
Personally, I tend to read industry and company blogs and listen to podcasts rather than read books because they are easier to consume much more up to date. They’re also often written by people on the front line, so are more hands-on than many business writers.
If I were to recommend someone any books in their first year to advance their career, they would be around understanding the human condition and data:
A bit of a cliché here, but The Art of War by Sun Tsu and Niccolò Macchiavelli’s The Prince are must-reads. They are centuries old, but they will help you understand intent and strategy, and help you anticipate (or at least rationalise) the actions of the many alpha people you will encounter.
You will use data an awful lot and being able to understand how to manage data and present it in a useful and simple way both internally and for media purposes is a core skill. For this, I recommend David Speigelhalter’s The Art of Statistics: Learning from Data.
On the creative side, Dave Trott’s Creative Mischief is great, coming from an advertising angle. Read PR Week, PRovoke Media, PR Moment, The Drum, Campaign, and other industry press.
Take all the training that you can
I didn’t get much guidance at the beginning of my career – nothing about strategy, planning, objectives or how the media works. I kind of muddled through via observation. Good agencies will offer regular internal and external training, and there are lots of free webinars from the PRCA, BrightonSEO, and even some vendors that are worth tuning into, just to get to know a) topics and b) industry leaders. Also, watch/listen to relevant TED Talks.
So-called ‘soft skills’ – empathy, managing egos and difficult people etc. – are core life skills, as much as career-enhancing assets. Seek out training on these.
Stay curious: You will/can never know it all – so take a mindset of constantly looking to learn throughout your career.
Don’t get trapped
The UK PR sector is incredibly fluid. If you’re not happy somewhere, move on. Do as much personal research and outreach as you can when looking for a job. It appears more personal to the hiring company and also saves them the cost of sourcing talent via an agent.
Which brings me to…
Network! Network! Network!
Relationships are everything and you can never know too many people. Build your personal brand – online and offline – make yourself known. I freelance for people I used to work with more than 12 years ago.
And at the same time, the industry is too small to afford to burn bridges.
And, finally…
Your employer will offer you a pension – take it and pay into it, however small. It’ll accumulate for you and will add up. Plus, depending on the pension provider or platform, it will give you a taste for managing long-term investments.
Anything I missed? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.
*None of the above constitutes ‘advice’ – these are just some tips from me.