I went down to the placements office the other day with my CV - I was not entirely sure how to spruce it up but there was definate sprucing action needed. I love the placements office, and although I know that it was the right choice for me to continue without it, wish I had considered taking a year in industry just to spend some time in there!
Well, 2 hours later and my CV was covered in pen. Apparently nothing was right and none of my achievements clear. Despite this I was really impressed - they were not patronising, just really helpful. I reckon I have the makings of a killer CV now - hurrah!
03 March, 2006
Its like a Jungle Sometimes - it makes me I wonder how I'll keep from going under
Richard Bailey is not the only one who has got me wondering - well as my lecturer it is his job. Although apparently I'm not the only one, Chloe is perplexed by it all too. In fact everyone for years has been commenting on it. There is even a whole blog set up about it! Why are there so many women in PR and why is it mainly men at the top?
It is implied that women in PR will succumb to the 'glass ceiling' theory, possibly because the men bosses will take pity on the boy applicants - Lord knows why they are out
numbered 5 - 1 (or possibly that's why) - hire them and take them under their wing thus enabling them to reach the top to hire more boys... etc etc. Meanwhile the women hang about largely indistinguishable from each other and therefore going nowhere.
Its like those nature programmes where everyone wants to see the big lion, but actually it is a pack of fairly indistinguishable females who do all the hunting etc whilst the male lounges around playing cards and scratching himself, getting all the popularity in the process.
Now I am not suggesting that this is the way with all PR agencies. But I think it is important that the perceived 'glass ceiling' in PR is effectively removed - after all PR is viewed as modern and exciting and new. For any aspect of the industry to be viewed as archaic will be damaging to that reputation. I am not suggesting that women are picked purely because they are women, but that girls studying PR need to make a concerted effort to be taken seriously within the workplace, and bosses need to be aware that whilst they should not compromise their 'best person for the job hiring' they should be aware of the image they are projecting.
It is implied that women in PR will succumb to the 'glass ceiling' theory, possibly because the men bosses will take pity on the boy applicants - Lord knows why they are out
numbered 5 - 1 (or possibly that's why) - hire them and take them under their wing thus enabling them to reach the top to hire more boys... etc etc. Meanwhile the women hang about largely indistinguishable from each other and therefore going nowhere.Its like those nature programmes where everyone wants to see the big lion, but actually it is a pack of fairly indistinguishable females who do all the hunting etc whilst the male lounges around playing cards and scratching himself, getting all the popularity in the process.
Now I am not suggesting that this is the way with all PR agencies. But I think it is important that the perceived 'glass ceiling' in PR is effectively removed - after all PR is viewed as modern and exciting and new. For any aspect of the industry to be viewed as archaic will be damaging to that reputation. I am not suggesting that women are picked purely because they are women, but that girls studying PR need to make a concerted effort to be taken seriously within the workplace, and bosses need to be aware that whilst they should not compromise their 'best person for the job hiring' they should be aware of the image they are projecting.
28 February, 2006
First Graduate Application Form Ends In Disaster.
I had an absolute nightmare yesterday. I had decided to apply for the graduate application scheme at edelman. They seem really supportive and the scheme looks really good. The cut-off point was the 28th Feburary, so I decided to email it over on the 27th.
The form was one of those standard, reveal everything about yourself and why you are you in 100 words max, kinda forms. But I thought I had put some good answers and was feeling fairly chuffed with myself and just wanted to get it off.
There was a bit you have to sign at the bottom, so the plan was to sign it and then rescan the entire 5 page document to send over to Edelman. Easy. Or so I thought...
Having scanned each of the pages and saved them as bitmap files the only thing standing between me and having some tea was to email it. Here I hit a problem.
Yahoo cannot send files that are over 10MB. shit.
So then I decide that compressing the file will help - as I am fairly computer savvy - I am once again quite chuffed at my brilliance imagining the people at Edelman seeing this as resourceful, etc and full of other qualities they look for in a graduate. Not to be. The compressed file is over 10MB.
At this point feeling really dis-heartened. I decide to send each page off separately just to get it out. All of my former smugness crushed and my longing for tea forgotten. Right now I need a cigarette, thus destroying my so-far sterling efforts to quit - this does not improve my mood.
The emails (all five) get sent off. Feel like a complete amateur.
Checked my emails this morning. There are four mail delivery failure messages. They only got the first page with my name.
A severely unhappy bunny I posted it this morning. I've probably missed the deadline and therefore will not be considered.
Oh well plenty more opportunities out there, as long as my email never lets me down again...
And if you are from Edelman. I tried!
The form was one of those standard, reveal everything about yourself and why you are you in 100 words max, kinda forms. But I thought I had put some good answers and was feeling fairly chuffed with myself and just wanted to get it off.
There was a bit you have to sign at the bottom, so the plan was to sign it and then rescan the entire 5 page document to send over to Edelman. Easy. Or so I thought...
Having scanned each of the pages and saved them as bitmap files the only thing standing between me and having some tea was to email it. Here I hit a problem.
Yahoo cannot send files that are over 10MB. shit.
So then I decide that compressing the file will help - as I am fairly computer savvy - I am once again quite chuffed at my brilliance imagining the people at Edelman seeing this as resourceful, etc and full of other qualities they look for in a graduate. Not to be. The compressed file is over 10MB.
At this point feeling really dis-heartened. I decide to send each page off separately just to get it out. All of my former smugness crushed and my longing for tea forgotten. Right now I need a cigarette, thus destroying my so-far sterling efforts to quit - this does not improve my mood.
The emails (all five) get sent off. Feel like a complete amateur.
Checked my emails this morning. There are four mail delivery failure messages. They only got the first page with my name.
A severely unhappy bunny I posted it this morning. I've probably missed the deadline and therefore will not be considered.
Oh well plenty more opportunities out there, as long as my email never lets me down again...
And if you are from Edelman. I tried!
23 February, 2006
New Links!
Hey I thought it might be fun if I also provided links to all the companies that I have worked for. I am also trying to upload some of my work. I understand that this could be quite dull - a sort of online portfolio - but I promise that I will try not to add to much dull stuff. Genius Creative PR are just sorting out their website but one that is up there I shall whack on a link!
If anyone else wants a link to their website/blog let me know!
If anyone else wants a link to their website/blog let me know!
22 February, 2006
PR Gifts
First an apology for not writing for a while - things all got a bit hectic over the weekend and somehow I was left stranded away from my computer!
Anyway I am back now. I see that the subject of press gifts are in the news again. The question here is is it ethical to attempt to sway press persons with gifts and press packs? A lot of people may think that this is testimony to bribery, however (as ever) I think that there is slightly more to it than that. There is a certain unwritten rule that gifts are fine as long as they can be vaguely relatively to what/who the PR person is representing but sometimes they stretch these boundaries too far.
For example My father (who is editor of a mechanical engineering mag) went to Las Vegas for a conference the other week. All the journeys were put up in Caesers Hotel and there was quite obviously a lot of funding behind this conference. In a stroke of brilliance (or a very silly move) everyone attending was given a brand new iPod Nano - the tiny tiny ones - with all the information for the conference on them. Once the five days were over they were allowed to keep the Nano.
Now whether this was an excellent idea or not remains to be seen. Apparently those who did not loose them either already owned one or were unsure of what it was really for.
As for what Dad did with his? He informed me that he would not be bought with snazzy technology and that he had never taken it out of its box. He did keep it. To sell on eBay.
Anyway I am back now. I see that the subject of press gifts are in the news again. The question here is is it ethical to attempt to sway press persons with gifts and press packs? A lot of people may think that this is testimony to bribery, however (as ever) I think that there is slightly more to it than that. There is a certain unwritten rule that gifts are fine as long as they can be vaguely relatively to what/who the PR person is representing but sometimes they stretch these boundaries too far.
For example My father (who is editor of a mechanical engineering mag) went to Las Vegas for a conference the other week. All the journeys were put up in Caesers Hotel and there was quite obviously a lot of funding behind this conference. In a stroke of brilliance (or a very silly move) everyone attending was given a brand new iPod Nano - the tiny tiny ones - with all the information for the conference on them. Once the five days were over they were allowed to keep the Nano.
Now whether this was an excellent idea or not remains to be seen. Apparently those who did not loose them either already owned one or were unsure of what it was really for.
As for what Dad did with his? He informed me that he would not be bought with snazzy technology and that he had never taken it out of its box. He did keep it. To sell on eBay.
16 February, 2006
Addiction!
Am rather worried about the addictive qualities of blogging! It has now become another welcome break from the dissertation writing business, and I can make it last for ages whilst convincing myself that what I am doing is very relevant and bordering on the virtious. Rather than the displacement activity that secretly I can admit it is.
15 February, 2006
The Fustrations of Student Reseach
PR Week is upsetting me this week - well actually it has for a while. The same goes - to an extent - with the CIPR website.
I do understand the need to ask for paid subscriptions to the website, it stops (shock horror) non-PR people from having acssess to it, and possibly becoming over stimulated. This I understand.
What I do not understand is the need to block out students who are not subscribers, especially in the case of the CIPR, students on their approved university courses. This seems very silly. After all we may find the news in PR week useful in, oh say, our dissertations for one.
Yes our libraries do have the back catalogues and subscriptions to them both, but this is not extended to the students. Of course this also means that half an hours internet browse could in reality take a day or so.
Would it not therefore be sensible to create an Athens portal on the website, just as they do on Mintel and Lexis Nexis. This would keep out those without a password and allow the universities access for their students.
After all it is difficult enough with the tiny tiny loans, that do of course have a growing interest, then having to add extra cost just because major factors in the industry do not want to help out the next generation of Public Relations. Crazy.
I do understand the need to ask for paid subscriptions to the website, it stops (shock horror) non-PR people from having acssess to it, and possibly becoming over stimulated. This I understand.
What I do not understand is the need to block out students who are not subscribers, especially in the case of the CIPR, students on their approved university courses. This seems very silly. After all we may find the news in PR week useful in, oh say, our dissertations for one.
Yes our libraries do have the back catalogues and subscriptions to them both, but this is not extended to the students. Of course this also means that half an hours internet browse could in reality take a day or so.
Would it not therefore be sensible to create an Athens portal on the website, just as they do on Mintel and Lexis Nexis. This would keep out those without a password and allow the universities access for their students.
After all it is difficult enough with the tiny tiny loans, that do of course have a growing interest, then having to add extra cost just because major factors in the industry do not want to help out the next generation of Public Relations. Crazy.
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