Welcome to the PRmoment blog!
Ben Smith, Tasha Pert and Daney Parker, the people behind PRmoment.com, use the blog section of the site to vent our opinions and sometimes anger about the world of PR.
Enjoy …
How do you use LinkedIn?
Posted on January 18th, 2012 by Tasha PertA new infographic from US market research firm Lab 42 gives us a lot of insight into how executives use LinkedIn and why.
According to the graphic, 42 per cent of users update their profile on a regular basis, and 35 per cent of you log on every day.
90 per cent of LinkedIn users find the network extremely helpful when looking for and meeting potential clients. The site’s appearance and content is also a factor, as most like that ‘it is more professional than Facebook’ and can lead to new employees they may not have found elsewhere.
So how do people use LinkedIn the most? Well, entry-level workers use it primarily to hunt for jobs and to network with their co-workers, whereas middle management executives use it to communicate with contacts and to network within their industry. Top-level executives promote their businesses on LinkedIn and use the site for industry networking
If you are curious to find out more, take a look below:
Don’t forget to buy your tickets for The Golden Hedgehog PR Awards!
Posted on January 18th, 2012 by Tasha PertAs we edge closer and closer to The Golden Hedgehog PR Awards ceremonies, the excitement rises here at PRmoment. Hopefully you are all looking forward to the big days as much as we are.
The hard work of 2011 is over, so do the easy bit now – make sure you don’t miss out on all the fun, and remember to buy your tickets!
For those of you in the North, your presentation will be held at the Etihad City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester on Wednesday 21st March, whilst the Southern presentation will be held at Villa Park, Birmingham on Wednesday 28th March.
If you book now, you get the early bird price of £90 + VAT for individual places and £800 +VAT for a table of 10.
The timetable for both events will be as follows:
-Drinks reception: 6:30pm
-Dinner: 7:30pm
-Awards: 9:30pm
-Awards end: 11:00pm
-Bar closes: 00:00am
Dress code for the awards will be black tie.
If you still haven’t checked if you made it onto the shortlists for this year’s awards click here.
Good luck everyone!
How are PR people depicted in the media?
Posted on January 18th, 2012 by Daney ParkerA while ago I complained about how PR people are depicted by the media, so I was interested to hear of a PR blog, PRDepiction from Tom Watson, professor of public relations at Bournemouth University, that lists portrayals of PR professionals. This is the collaborative effort of academics and practitioners in the Australia, Ireland, UK and US.
In it, there are films and books that go back over 80 years. The first reference dates back to 1930 in John Don Passos’s The 42nd Parallel. And an early movie reference is Bing Crosby as the publicist for Hawaii in 1937′s Wakiki Wedding.
Watson says that suggestions of additions to PRDepiction are welcomed.
If you have hours to while away (and want to take a break for yet more pitching), you could easily spend it here, finding out how scriptwriters and novelists like to describe PROs. My favourite has to be the BBC’s Absolute Power. I’m not saying that PR people are anything like the characters Charles Prentiss and Martin McCabe of course!
2012 PR Graduate Schemes
Posted on January 16th, 2012 by Tasha PertPRmoment have rifled through the internet to make you a comprehensive list of PR graduate schemes available to apply for in 2012.
So if you are a recent graduate looking for a career in PR, check out the links below.
If we have missed any graduate schemes that you have heard about, feel free to send us an email.
Hopefully there’s something for you here:
3 Monkeys Communications
No scheme but often hire graduates, keep checking the site.
Babel PR
Open
Deadline: February 17th
Bell Pottinger
Closed
Deadline: January 13th
Burson-Marsteller
Currently looking for graduates to join their healthcare team.
Also open for internships all year round, many of which lead to permanent positions.
Cake Group
No graduate scheme but open for internships.
Chandler Chicco Companies
Open
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
E-mail for job opportunities.
Edelman
Apprentice Scheme (Open to graduates and non-graduates)
Open
Deadline: January 31st
Fishburn Hedges
Open
Deadline: February 3rd
Flesihman-Hillard
Open
Deadline: February 17th
Four Communications Group
Open
Deadline: January 31st
Hanover
No graduate scheme but open for internships, could lead to a permanent role.
Hill & Knowlton
Closed
Open for paid internships.
Hotwire Group
Open
Deadline: January 30th
Ketchum Pleon
Open
Deadline: March 30th
Lewis PR (European Graduates Only)
Open
Lexis
Open
Deadline: February 20th ( Next stage applications forms deadline is March 12th)
MHP
Closed
Napier
No graduate scheme but open for paid internships, interested graduates/students should email jobs@napier.co.uk
Ogilvy PR
Closed
Porter Novelli
Open
Deadline: January 31st
Portland
No graduate scheme but open for paid internships, could lead to a permanent role.
Weber Shandwick
Closed
Deadline: January 12th
Are in house PR jobs really better than working in an agency?
Posted on January 13th, 2012 by Ben SmithTalking to most agency middle rankers just now it seems the lust for an in house PR job has reached an all-time high. An in house PR career appears to have become the holy grail of the PR job hunter. But is the idea that by “going in house,” you will get your life back a myth? Or a fair reflection?
According to many agency people I speak to, those ones that are looking for a new job that is, in house roles are the way to go because they mean more pay and equal less work! But when I talk to in house people the reality doesn’t seem quite so stark.
How happy in house PR people are in their jobs seems to vary enormously – but interestingly it seems to vary according to company, not according to sector. For example, one healthcare PRO I spoke to recently increased her earnings by about 15% by going in house, added a company car and got a very generous pension scheme. So she was happy. Especially as she had left behind a stressful agency role, with lots of targets and new business pressure.
But then I spoke to a guy who was also working in an in house healthcare role. He reckoned that in the last 5 years he’s had at least 5 departmental restructures and suggested that the stress of working for multiple departments was, essentially, just as stressful as working for an agency with multiple clients.
So, if you’re an agency PRO considering your next move, in house may be the way to go – but not all in house PR roles quite match the perception. So choose your company carefully!
Why it’s easier to find a PR job in London than the rest of the UK
Posted on January 9th, 2012 by Tasha PertJob-hunting can be a very stressful process, especially in the current climate. When labouring through countless recruitment sites, should we now be moving focus from where we want to work to where can we get work? I believe yes is the answer to this question.
As a recent graduate, I am more than familiar with the twice-daily routine of searching through every jobsite known to man, and I think it’s fair to say that London appears to be keeping most relevant vacancies to itself.
So why is it easier for PR professionals to find work in London than anywhere else in the UK? Well, it would appear there are a few reasons.
According to PRmoment Jobs, 92% of UK PR jobs advertised on their site are based in London, 82% of vacancies found on PRWeek Jobs are in the capital too. Those staggering figures alone tell you that despite anything else, there are quite simply more PR job opportunities available in London than anywhere else in the UK.
Not only that, but the latest insolvency figures published by Experian showed a massive 25% year on year increase in the number of businesses failing in the UK. Digging deeper, it is interesting to see how this varies regionally. For example, London experienced a below average increase of 15%; a good result when compared to the 61.6% increase in the North West. If this trend continues throughout the New Year, then it would seem that your job security could certainly benefit from you working in London.
Finally, if you were to try out our PR Salary Checker, you would find that the average salary of a PR professional working in the capital is higher than that of any other location in the UK. That goes for whether you work in-house or for an agency, and regardless of how many years of experience you have. Of course you have to take the higher cost of living in London into consideration, it could still hit you hard especially if you are looking for entry level work.
There you have it, the main reasons why it is easier to find PR jobs in London than anywhere else in the country. There is greater choice and prospects, a sense of security surrounding your career and, some would say most importantly, you are probably going to earn more. All in all, a pretty convincing argument for PR job-hunters to pack up for the Big Smoke.
Have you tried the new PR Salary Checker?
Posted on January 3rd, 2012 by Tasha PertEver wondered whether you are earning the right salary for your PR experience? Well now you can find out using PRmoment’s Salary Checker.
Easy to use, the Salary Checker estimates your annual wage based on how many years of experience you have, your location and sector. Ideal for those looking to find new PR jobs in this New Year, why not try the Salary Checker to see what to expect wage-wise in your desired area. Whether you work in-house or as part of a PR agency, this online tool allows you to confirm whether you are falling under the UK average or are receiving that little bit extra.
It is of course recommended that you use any results you get as a rough guide; they are only an approximate wage in reflection to survey responses. Please don’t all march into your boss saying you want double your money or else!
To find out whether your salary puts you in the national average range, head over to the Salary Checker page now.
