It seems that some people were listening when I posted about the CIPR Northern Conference and other PR events seemingly shunning students and young PR personnel with their ridiculously high prices.
Within a few days I had received an email from Andrew and Nicky of Don't Panic, offering me the chance to attend the conference for free, which I though as very interesting. Of course I took them up straight away and will therefore be attending on the 6th. So big thank yous to them.
I am really looking forward to going. I do, of course, have to earn my ticket to a certain extent through working the reception a bit and shuffling various delegates about. But I get to attend all the keynote speeches and three workshops. So if you are attending I shall see you there.
I wonder whether they will be extending similar offers to other students? I reckon that if they really want some good publicity they should offer a free spot to one or two students that ask every time.
Or maybe even have a student conference?
Hmm ... I feel an idea or two coming on...
Email me if you are interested in the idea of a student and Fledgling PR conference.
27 June, 2006
23 June, 2006
Lunacy of the job seekers!
At this time of the year there is a certain graduate panic that takes hold, and some people will apply for any job with PR in the title. This is lunacy. For example I was talking to a recruitment consultant this morning who's client is in the financial PR arena. He said that most of the applicants he had phoned regarding this job were unaware of what was involved with that industry, despite having applied for a job in it!Now these are not just PR grads. Apparently PR is the industry du jour amongst grads, a bit like finance in the eighties and advertising in the nineties.
The PR industry at this level is highly competitive and I love the fact that so many people are interested in pursuing a career in PR from so many different backgrounds and are accepted.
But a lot of the people who are applying with no real clue will learn quickly that PR is not for everyone and that you have to research each of your job applications thoroughly before you apply, so you are not caught out.
Another Graduate day!!
Hurrah upon hurrahs, I have another training day with Hill and Knowlton this time.
The reason why I am so up on graduate training schemes is purely based upon the training aspect. I may have left university but I certainly don't know it all and would hope that this is merely the end of one section of my learning process, not the entire.
I know that a lot of my fellow grads are unsure of what will be expected of then in various sectors, despite university training. Graduate training schemes are very good for people who are interested in many different aspects of public relations and therefore can't commit to a specific sector (as they all sound so good). But also give you a chance to understand better exactly what is required from each sector through actually living it from day to day for periods of time. This added to fast track options and other perks I don't see why everyone doesn't apply!
So thank you to the Hill and Knowlton people and wish me luck for the 19th July.
Hill and Knowlton was recommended to me as a graduate scheme by my boss at Genius Creative PR.
I know that a lot of my fellow grads are unsure of what will be expected of then in various sectors, despite university training. Graduate training schemes are very good for people who are interested in many different aspects of public relations and therefore can't commit to a specific sector (as they all sound so good). But also give you a chance to understand better exactly what is required from each sector through actually living it from day to day for periods of time. This added to fast track options and other perks I don't see why everyone doesn't apply!
So thank you to the Hill and Knowlton people and wish me luck for the 19th July.
12 June, 2006
Pass the PR love to the protégés...
Wow it has been about a month since I last posted! I must break these bad habits before they become a problem.
Feeling strangely philosophical at the minute as I try to set myself on a new path. I am still job hunting - the philosophy comes from discovering more about myself and what I believe in as I sit through more interviews and fill out more application forms. Recognising your personal philosophies and goals makes this a lot easier to undertake. But more on the process of job hunting on a later date.
Whilst I have been away a couple of things have caught my eye beginning with this:
A while back now Simon posted about this CIPR Northern Conference 2006. As a non member of the CIPR, although I would like to be, I would have to fork out £185 for a ticket. As Simon points out I shouldn’t be outraged by this – after all “One of the recent PR Week conferences cost £1000+ for one-day.”
Surely this is wrong. £185 (plus VAT) is, and continues to be, a lot of money. Although obviously this will be an amazing event and if I can quote from Simon:
“The two confirmed keynotes so far include:
John Willman - UK Business Editor, Financial Times
Rob Skinner - Chief Press Officer First Direct and Marks & Spencer Money
While the three main workshops that I want to sit in on include:
PR in the voluntary sector - delivered by the team from Oxfam
The Regeneration Game - a panel discussion on the role PR plays in regeneration
Blogging and New PR - Philip Young and Stuart Bruce (but of course!)”
This is a terrific event that I and I’m sure many of my peers would love to go to. But then why put such a price tag on it so that so few of my generation of PR people can attend?
And what about the other conferences that cost £1,000 a day? Wow-ee who would you get there?
A lot has been said about the possible barriers to entry for young Public Relations practitioners, monetary being one of the biggest. The CIPR does a fantastic job to remove so many of these, with reduced rates for student and the Behind the Spin magazine.
But where is the free or reasonably priced PR love for fledgeling PR people in the form of these amazing days out? It saddens me that these price tags can be perceived as anything but ridiculous
So many Bloggers are also educators (not just the academically associated ones), and though their blogs have taught me so much, all for free. Same goes for the amazing podcasts available from forward and FIR. But despite all these amazing mediums, nothing really compares to being in the same room as someone who can impart wisdom, and the atmosphere of being at such events, and learning new information face to face.
Surely if the industry shuts out its younger members then it also shuts out their ideas and feedback, and all the things that we can teach them, all the creativity that is blocked.
I know there will be people who feel that all conferences are this expensive - from accounting to computing - so why should PR be any different? But does this really excuse it? As anyone whose mother has said 'if everyone else was jumping off a cliff would you?' can tell you - no, it doesn't.
So I suppose it is back to personal philosophy again. I just reckon that there should be greater breaks for those who are just starting out in the industry such as the students and the new PROs. And ultimately won't this will help to build a stronger, better PR industry in the future?
Feeling strangely philosophical at the minute as I try to set myself on a new path. I am still job hunting - the philosophy comes from discovering more about myself and what I believe in as I sit through more interviews and fill out more application forms. Recognising your personal philosophies and goals makes this a lot easier to undertake. But more on the process of job hunting on a later date.
Whilst I have been away a couple of things have caught my eye beginning with this:
A while back now Simon posted about this CIPR Northern Conference 2006. As a non member of the CIPR, although I would like to be, I would have to fork out £185 for a ticket. As Simon points out I shouldn’t be outraged by this – after all “One of the recent PR Week conferences cost £1000+ for one-day.”
Surely this is wrong. £185 (plus VAT) is, and continues to be, a lot of money. Although obviously this will be an amazing event and if I can quote from Simon:
“The two confirmed keynotes so far include:
John Willman - UK Business Editor, Financial Times
Rob Skinner - Chief Press Officer First Direct and Marks & Spencer Money
While the three main workshops that I want to sit in on include:
PR in the voluntary sector - delivered by the team from Oxfam
The Regeneration Game - a panel discussion on the role PR plays in regeneration
Blogging and New PR - Philip Young and Stuart Bruce (but of course!)”
This is a terrific event that I and I’m sure many of my peers would love to go to. But then why put such a price tag on it so that so few of my generation of PR people can attend?
And what about the other conferences that cost £1,000 a day? Wow-ee who would you get there?
A lot has been said about the possible barriers to entry for young Public Relations practitioners, monetary being one of the biggest. The CIPR does a fantastic job to remove so many of these, with reduced rates for student and the Behind the Spin magazine.
But where is the free or reasonably priced PR love for fledgeling PR people in the form of these amazing days out? It saddens me that these price tags can be perceived as anything but ridiculous
So many Bloggers are also educators (not just the academically associated ones), and though their blogs have taught me so much, all for free. Same goes for the amazing podcasts available from forward and FIR. But despite all these amazing mediums, nothing really compares to being in the same room as someone who can impart wisdom, and the atmosphere of being at such events, and learning new information face to face.
Surely if the industry shuts out its younger members then it also shuts out their ideas and feedback, and all the things that we can teach them, all the creativity that is blocked.
I know there will be people who feel that all conferences are this expensive - from accounting to computing - so why should PR be any different? But does this really excuse it? As anyone whose mother has said 'if everyone else was jumping off a cliff would you?' can tell you - no, it doesn't.
So I suppose it is back to personal philosophy again. I just reckon that there should be greater breaks for those who are just starting out in the industry such as the students and the new PROs. And ultimately won't this will help to build a stronger, better PR industry in the future?
17 May, 2006
After discovering Technorati Alex realises she has some catching up to do...
Philip Young tagged me a long time ago (all the way back in February - sorry) and I did not even know. But today I discovered exactly what technorati actually does and it's fascinating!
So now I have the chance to right all my wrongs and thank all those who have linked to me but I have been too ignorant to thank them, starting with Philip - I shall complete the questions and keep the meme going (albeit a bit late).
So now I have the chance to right all my wrongs and thank all those who have linked to me but I have been too ignorant to thank them, starting with Philip - I shall complete the questions and keep the meme going (albeit a bit late).
- Lighting Department of Peter Jones
- Waitress in Cypriot restaurant (in London)
- JD Wetherspoons supervisor
- Designer Clothes shop
- The Godfather
- Drop Dead Gorgeous
- Life of Brian (if pressed to put only one Python)
- Amélie
- Spaced
- Doctor Who (guilty geeky pleasures...)
- CSI - any of them
- Scrubs
Four places I’ve been on holiday:
- Kathmandu (well trekking)
- Cape Town
- Clearwater (Florida)
- Toronto
- Melintzanosalata
- anything with chillies in
- Shellfish
- bread and butter pudding (has to have golden syrup in otherwise its not right!)
Four websites I visit daily (aside from my own):
- Yahoo
- Radio one
- The Onion
- PR Blogger (Stephen Davis' site)
(perhaps I should now add technorati)
Four places I’d rather be:- Shoe shopping
- Reading, on holiday in Southern France (St Emilion area preferably)
- Getting rather tipsy and listening to some good live indie rock and roll with excellent company
- Painting / Drawing
Four bloggers I’m tagging:
Well the results are in from Edelman.
There is of course the good news and the bad news. I have failed to secure a place in the next round of interviews. This is of course a set back. Rebecca was very willing however to answer 
any questions relating to where I could have gone wrong. Frustratingly they seemed to think that I had not fully prepared my individual presentation sufficiently, although I scored highly in all the other tests (especially grammar). This is of course irritating but there is little that I can do about it.
The light at the end of the tunnel is that one of the women there was Jackie Cooper, who heads up Edelman’s sister company JCPR. They represent more consumer based clients than Edelman. She was apparently impressed by me and is interested in giving me an interview on the 6th June.
I suppose, from the purposes of this blog that it would have been fairly dull if I had just strolled into a job straight off the bat. Now I represent the job seeking PR graduates slightly better, I will also have more time to write all about it again due to less academic constraints. I can also spend all my time preparing for June 6th and trawling PR Week Jobs, Guardian Media Jobs, Brand Republic Jobs, Monster, Reed, and the rest.
So although I am fairly annoyed that I have been knocked back, I have been offered a second stab. So I can take their criticisms on board and this time leave no doubt in their minds that I prepared fully for this interview.
any questions relating to where I could have gone wrong. Frustratingly they seemed to think that I had not fully prepared my individual presentation sufficiently, although I scored highly in all the other tests (especially grammar). This is of course irritating but there is little that I can do about it.The light at the end of the tunnel is that one of the women there was Jackie Cooper, who heads up Edelman’s sister company JCPR. They represent more consumer based clients than Edelman. She was apparently impressed by me and is interested in giving me an interview on the 6th June.
I suppose, from the purposes of this blog that it would have been fairly dull if I had just strolled into a job straight off the bat. Now I represent the job seeking PR graduates slightly better, I will also have more time to write all about it again due to less academic constraints. I can also spend all my time preparing for June 6th and trawling PR Week Jobs, Guardian Media Jobs, Brand Republic Jobs, Monster, Reed, and the rest.
So although I am fairly annoyed that I have been knocked back, I have been offered a second stab. So I can take their criticisms on board and this time leave no doubt in their minds that I prepared fully for this interview.
16 May, 2006
BBC Interview
I hope that none of my interviews are this pressured! Guy Goma turned up for a job interview with a BBC website and due to a case of mistaken identity he was then interviewed live on BBC News 24 about the Apple vs Apple court case .
He says his appearence was "very stressful". I hope that he got the job, I reckon that he will possibly be the most memorable of all the candidates!
He says his appearence was "very stressful". I hope that he got the job, I reckon that he will possibly be the most memorable of all the candidates!
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