The thought of finishing university and being catapulted head first into the world of adulthood is utterly terrifying – not only do you have to decide where you want to live, become more responsible about money, potentially start paying council tax and sorting out your own bills, but there is also the big C word to think about – a career.

Deciding what you want to dedicate the rest of your life to is not an easy task, but if you’re looking for tips on how to get into the world of PR after your studies, you’ve come to the right place!

WORK EXPERIENCE!

I can’t stress this one enough. Work experience is often vital to securing your dream job – and lots of it too. During my time at university, I did 2 weeks at my local council in their press office, I wrote and edited for blogs, I wrote music reviews for a music site, and biggest of all I managed to secure myself a paid internship in PR that I did for nearly a year. This all helped when it came to my interview at MK, as I could demonstrate I had some understanding of what they did and experience of doing it myself.

Working in general

Work experience is obviously great, but even just having a part time job alongside your studies is also a valuable tool when it comes to impressing a potential employer. Not only does it show you can hold down a job, but also that you have the drive and motivation to go and work, when you could be watching Netflix in bed all day or out drinking with your mates. When I was interviewed for my internship, I was asked if I’d ever had a job, and being able to say I’d worked at Premier Inn for two years alongside my studies and during my summer holidays, was definitely useful to prove I was driven.

Persistence

You don’t get anywhere without being a little bit annoying. Constantly send out emails with your CV and call potential employers – let them know you’re keen. I applied for an internship at MK at the end of my second year of university and didn’t get it. I went away and got even more experience, and by Easter of third year I was constantly pestering them with emails with my CV, asking if they had any opportunities. I felt really annoying at the time, but eventually I got an interview and got the job!

Passion

This one should go without saying, but having a passion for PR is key. Whether that passion is writing, researching, social media, events, meeting new people, or all of them, make sure there’s something you love about the job. If you’re passionate, your potential employee should be able to pick that up (especially if you’re that passionate you do it in your spare time, like writing a blog or volunteering to run a charity’s social media).

Research

Finally – research. If you have any interview with a company, research them! Find out their clients, their successful campaigns, their team, their blog posts – it all will come useful in an interview. Not only that, but learning about what PR companies are out there, and how they differ can help you decide which ones would be a good fit for you.