This week I received a CV from, what appeared to be a very experienced public relations consultant, who sent me an email from their existing employers’ email account.
Into the trash it went.
I interview a lot. Why, because as a growing PR company in Sydney we’re always on the hunt for new hot PR consultant talent. Ironically, I haven’t been for a job interview in nearly 10 years, but sitting on the other side of the board room table, I’m quick to work out who will fit into this public relations agency, and who won’t.
Interviewing for a role is as much about the employer sussing out the employee, as it is about the employee sussing out the employer and the chosen PR company.
You need to be equally interesting as you are interested. Interested in the environment you’re about to throw yourself into, interested in the culture, the clients, and the type of public relations consultants who you’re going to work with each day.
Here are seven quick tips for people going for a job interview in PR:
- Research the public relations agency
- Get to know their specialty and align it with your skills and interests
- Get a view for where you ‘fit in’ in the pr company and who your direct reports will be
- Ask to meet them – if you’re going to be working with them you would like to know that you can get along
- In order to be a public relations consultant you need to be available – so don’t ask what the working hours are. Chances are you won’t last 5 minutes
- Join the public relations agency’s social media networks so you get a feel for campaigns they’ve recently worked on. And the golden rule…
- Follow up after your interview. Be keen. But not too keen.
And, if you’re not successful, then keep trying – there’s a PR job out there for you somewhere, you just have to be persistent.
