PR Studies

Recession-proof PR

Robert French has started an important discussion at PROpenMic. What does the financial crisis mean for me, for students and for the PR business? I've posted my thoughts there but will summarise them here:

• For educators. Recognise that we're aiming at a moving target and don't make teaching too formulaic. This may disconcert some students ('why are you asking me these questions and not giving me the answers') but it's a necessary preparation for an uncertain world.
• For students. Recognise that your parents' generation doesn't have all the answers and hasn't got everything right (baby boom turns to bust). Be angry about this - but channel your anger into a determination to help make a better world.
• For the PR business. Expect clients and budgets to vanish for some of your frothier services. This is no bad thing for the reputation of PR since the core service of corporate communications will grow in importance as organisations seek to reconnect with key stakeholders and reestablish their legitimacy.

So you want to work in fashion PR?

I had two enquiries from prospective students interested in fashion PR at a university open day yesterday. I wish I'd picked up this article from Saturday's Guardian before I met them. Ambitious students should note the questions employers are likely to ask you at interview, published at the end of the piece.

Job prospects for PR graduates

I've contributed this post to Ron Culp's excellent Culpwrit blog. In it I address two paradoxes that have been puzzling me all year: how come graduate prospects appear so good in spite of the credit crunch; and why do employers rate our students even more highly than we do? Please join the conversation at Culpwrit if you've any thoughts to add to this.

Women's pay in PR

The gender pay gap is once again in the news. Decades after the introduction of equal pay legislation, the figures are often startling. Take public relations: here's a field in which women clearly do well (being in the majority in our industry by 62% to 38% according to the study mentioned below).

Yet research for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in 2005 suggested a stubborn pay gap remained. The average salary for all men working in PR was recorded as £57,165. The figure was £39,507 for women (these figures are on page 50 of the report). What can explain this gap?

Averages can be misleading, since men are disporportionately well-represented at the most senior levels. So the gap may not mean that men are earning more for doing the same work as women. But what else?

I'm inclined to think there may be some male boastfulness or female bashfulness involved. There are ways to compare salaries without this bias, but it's likely that people were asked to volunteer their earnings on a questionnaire.

But the most compelling rationalisation of these surprising figures came from a first year student in a lecture theatre. Could it be he asked (note this came from a male student), that men tend to choose the better paying roles and sectors (financial, public affairs, corporate), and women the less well paid (such as consumer PR). It's a good explanation, I think. Do you have a better one?

A do and a don't

Best to start on a positive note... I always make time to talk to students if I can. They might be individuals I'm assigned to teach or supervise; they might be others from my university, or students from elsewhere. If I can, I'll answer your questions. Normally that's where it ends. But I was particularly pleased to receive one hand-written thankyou card through the post; given that most contact is by phone and by email / blog comments, this stands out. Well done Ciara - and thank you.

Now for the negative. I'm also happy to provide references for students and graduates - I'm keen to watch your success in the workplace. But it's time-consuming for me to respond to requests from those I don't know well, or barely remember having taught several years before. The answer? If you want me as a referee, try to maintain some form of relationship. This might involve an email updating me on your career and your aspirations (particularly at the point where you've applied for a job you really want); you could add me as a friend on a social networking site (I'm on LinkedIn, PROpenMic, Facebook); you might even consider sending an old-fashioned card (see above). Christmas is the conventional time for this.

Supply and demand

It's my biggest fear professionally: that we'll continue to supply more graduates than the economy can absorb. But we're not there yet.

Even though we have left the long period of high growth coupled with low inflation for more uncertain times, I'm still aware of plenty of work/placement/graduate career opportunities (I post several of them here). Sometimes there are job vacancies and no candidates applying for them (demand exceeding supply).

We've had 74 PR students out on year-long paid work placements this past academic year. I've visited placement students at Airbus (Bristol), Arsenal FC, Intel (Munich), O2, Panasonic, Robert Bosch, South Yorkshire Police, Virgin Radio and at various consultancies in the UK and The Gulf. Employers have very good things to say about these students.

It has to be the ideal combination: a degree, plus work experience within an established organisation.

Festivals, events, apostrophes

Here's a graduate opportunity I recommend in Bristol (good people, great place). I've posted the details on my jobs and placements page.

This is an excellent opportunity to take on diverse and challenging role, working across a wide variety of the accounts, liaising with clients and the press, visiting festivals, events and exhibitions on behalf of our clients.

Festivals, events and exhibitions. Sounds fun. So please note this:

Candidates must have good writing skills... and knowledge of the use of apostrophes definitely preferred.

The emphasis is mine, but the words are the employer's. Think of apostrophes (here's another one) as bridges linking two separate words. Sometimes, the lack of an apostrophe can change the meaning; but a lack of apostrophes always shows a lack of attention to detail. It matters...

Photo of Clifton Suspension Bridge by ktvyeow posted to Flickr

Blogs, fashion and the future

Blogging's no longer new; it's no longer fashionable. But that doesn't mean that it's no longer useful.

Mitch Joel makes the case well in Blogging gets a second wind. The one point I'd add is that because they're not twitch-speed (in Marc Prensky's phrase), blogs have been emerging as a useful tool to support reflective learning and reflective practice. Twitter and Facebook may be more immediate and interactive for digitial pioneers and digital natives, but there's useful thinking being expressed on blogs. (There's useful thinking on videos and podcasts, too - but published words are still the best way to achieve SEO, as Joel points out).

Let me connect some blogging threads. Helena Makhotlova has been reflecting on changes in the media and what this means for public relations. Meanwhile, Richard Millington asks which aspects of a PR job are most likely to be outsourced and Rachel Todd sees a future in refocusing on new media.

Inspired by these threads, I'd been contemplating a big post on the future of PR work, but I haven't found the big idea. In times of change, there are threats and opportunities (you see, I've nothing new to say). Students will be excited by the opportunities, while some older practitioners may justifiably be fearful of change. Many journalists will continue to find work in public relations (they have always done so) because their ability to research and write objective news is becoming even more important in a Google-mediated world. (Remember Jakob Nielsen's call for web writing to be 'concise, scannable, objective'? Of course you don't, that was more than ten years ago, but Google has a memory.)

There's one skills gap waiting to be filled. Even more than writing skills, the need is for editing skills. Can you edit a group blog? Can you produce a viral video or a snappy podcast? There's a future for writers in PR; there's a future for editors; but the glittering prizes will still go to the thinkers. Now what's the point of blogging?

Networking is working

My taxi driver in Bracknell yesterday was noticing a downturn in the local IT-driven economy, though I tried my best to help out by shuttling between Bracknell and Slough visiting placement students and their employers.

Here's one thing I noticed: you can view it as a downturn if you like; I view it as good business sense. One student was managing highly competent trade and technical media relations for a division of a large organisation. This student is paid more-or-less £1,000 a month. 15 years ago, I was a senior consultant (ie account director) with a PR consultancy in Slough specialisting in the technology sector. We aspired to charge our clients more-or-less £1,000 a day. For highly competent trade and technical media relations. Spot the difference?

Now I'm back I've posted several new vacancies on my jobs and placements web page. One came via email from a university colleague; one via email from Heather Yaxley, who is well connected in the motor industry through involvement in MIPAA; one via Andrew Smith to a Facebook group; one via Paull Young to a PROpenMic group. These are some of my networks; they're proving useful.

Take a look. One requires evidence of an ability to 'form relationships with online communities (this could include blogs, message boards, social networks and other emerging web communities)'. Another describes their expertise in this way: 'We’re media relations experts, brand guardians, copywriters, event managers, social media gurus and marketing strategists.'

We may be in for a period of readjustment (note how another job is full-time, but temporary), but change creates opportunities. Good luck.

Job vacancies

I still hear from more employers seeking applicants than from students and graduates desperate to find work - so my subjective and unscientific assessment is that the PR jobs market is still buoyant. (There's a very lively Facebook group to suggest this too.)

This can and will change depending on the economy, and certain skills and expertise are currently more in demand (eg social media) than others.

There have been several updates in recent days to my jobs and placements page, so it may be worth checking out if you're a graduate seeking work, or a student seeking work experience.