CV writing
- Recruitment specialists recommend keeping your CV to two pages of A4, no smaller than 11 point font size.
- CV layout is important – keep it clear and simple and avoid fancy fonts, diagrams, logos, photos and instead focus on what you have achieved. There are some great websites on LinkedIn for advice ensuring you show a clear employment and study history and your account for any gaps in your career.
- Double check for typos: copywriting and proofreading are a big part of PR so you must demonstrate you can do these well.
- Have you included a unique selling point: what is the reason you should get the job rather than the other applicants?
- Give impact to your start: include a couple of interesting bullet points about yourself at the very top of your CV – everyone has a name, age and address.
- Avoid using emojis and text speech.
- Your CV should be skills rich and if applying with a covering letter, ensure you add relevant material to the job you are applying for even if it has been in a voluntary capacity.
- Ensure that you are not using jargon and three letter acronyms.
- If you are a volunteer, include it in your LinkedIn entry and your CV as it can demonstrate your skills and approach.
- Ensure you demonstrate in your CV what you achieved, led, contributed to, created, and the impact that this had on the organisation. Focus on outputs, outcomes and impact – the Government Communication Service website features great advice on what these looks like for campaigns.
- Be numerate – where you can demonstrate outputs, outcomes or impact with numbers, add these in. Why? Because it demonstrates the strategic importance the public relations profession has and the tangible difference it makes to performance.
- Check the language that you are using in your CV. For example, if you said you 'ran a shift' does that mean that you ran a bar for a few hours or that you were in charge of 120 soldiers in a war zone. Is the jargon understood – does an acronym have more than one answer eg CRM – Cause Related Marketing or Customer Relationship Marketing.
Places to look for jobs
The Milk Round
National Careers Service
Government Communications Services
PRWeek.com
Guardian Jobs
The application process and AI
Research from IBM has shown that 42% of companies have already adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI) to sift applications for employment. This has however shown how risky this is with some high profile failures where sex race and age discrimination all occurred. Mills & Reeve have put together a check list on how to mitigate risks.
Interviewing
Come prepared: research recent news articles, press releases or campaigns you can talk about as examples of a good PR story.
Show confidence: cold-calling journalists is a tough job, and it takes a certain type of character to deal with the many knockbacks.
Outside interests: don’t be afraid to bring up things you do outside your normal daily life. Anyone who gives up time to commit to a sport or work for a charity is likely to show the same commitment to their job. Are you a trustee of a charity or do you run a theatre group.
Sell yourself: what have you done to prove an interest in the industry? If you worked for a student newspaper or hospital radio, bring it up and explain how the experience will benefit you.
Ensure you research the organisation’s own website, social media, and any recent press coverage. You can also decide to search across an industry or sector that you would like to work in. You could for example set up an alert on a range of charity or not-for-profit websites so keep track of what they are doing or and alert for an information service in the appropriate industry e.g. SMMT.co.uk if interested in car industry, edie.net if interested in sustainability or feweek.co.uk if interested in further education.
LinkedIn is a great source for helpful interviewing techniques including the essential, practice, practice, practice with friends, family or ex colleagues. Prepare for all the questions you think could come up including those you feel less confident in and practice these.
Virtual Interviews with Dannie-Lu Carr (CIPR)
Face to Face Interviews with Caroline Black (CIPR)
Maximise your voice with Lorraine Forrest-Turner (CIPR)
Finding company information
Where to look for more information on a company - starting with their own website then Companies House or Charities Commission (if relevant).
Companies House
Charities Commission
LinkedIn - don't forget to follow companies that you are interested in
Mid-career changes and returners to work
There is a government tool kit to help you return to work. It covers all types of career breaks.
You can also find more information on the following website:
Working Mums
Mind
Carers UK
CIPD