King’s Careers Blog has the pleasure of welcoming Liberty Communications back with a guest blog all about graduate recruitment. Dive into an employer’s perspective about how Covid-19 has changed the way some companies are recruiting, and tune in especially for a PR and communications perspective.
The Public Relations (PR) industry like the majority of other industries has sadly not been immune to the economic impact of Coronavirus. However, while COVID-19 has undoubtedly influenced recruitment plans for many PR agencies, some interviews are still taking place, albeit via video conferencing technology due to the current government guidelines.
Here at Liberty Communications, we have seen some positive soundbites among many industries, including PR, around a recognition that the future success of the economy and business, in general, is extrinsically linked to the talents and skills of students and young people.
What’s changed for us – an employer’s perspective
From our perspective, we remain committed to running our Liberty Academy initiative, which is a programme aimed at engaging with students who are interested in pursuing a career in PR and communications or simply finding out a bit more about the world of PR.
Sadly, the programme will not quite be the same as it would in normal circumstances, but we are working to explore the potential to run virtual sessions, as well as contributing advice and insight via blogs with King’s Careers & Employability. We are also hopeful of being able to hold face-to-face engagements later in the year if the situation improves and government guidelines permit.
Takeaways for students
We would encourage students thinking about their careers to give thought to the fact that the current situation may mean that certain roles, including in the PR industry, may for the short term require them to be comfortable with working remotely from home.
This is something that is not always easy from a motivational standpoint compared to the buzz of an office and positive workplace culture, but the uncertainty around COVID-19 means this is definitely something to bear in mind just now.
The positive news is that thanks to platforms such as Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, and Microsoft Teams, employees can all remain in touch and maintain that sense of team spirit and togetherness. These are also platforms that interviews will be taking place on currently, and so becoming familiar with at least one or two will be very helpful for students.
King’s Careers’ Take: Interested to read more about how to transition to work or study from home? Explore our blog post for tips, and info about how King’s supports your learning and working with technology.
Employer tips for working on your employability during Covid-19
To work on your employability, we would direct students to some useful advice from the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services around how to build your CV in the current times. These top 3 tips have definite relevance if you’re applying for work in the PR industry:
- Try some free online courses, such as on LinkedIn Learning or Future Learn
- Start a blog or YouTube channel about a topic you’re passionate about
- Sign up for a volunteering opportunity
In addition, have a think about how you can improve the core skills which PR agencies are always looking for in graduates:
- Enhance your knowledge of the media/current affairs – a good understanding of the media landscape, including the topics and stories that are being widely written about as well as some of the key journalists and other influencers writing them.
- Build your confidence – building strong relationships with clients and the media is a fundamental requirement for a career in PR, so an ability to confidently engage is vital.
- Work that creativity! – PR requires a lot of problem-solving and idea generation, with finding creative ways to tell a client’s story and capture the attention of the media a key requirement.
King’s Career’s Take: Looking for more ways to work on your employability during Covid-19? Our help pages have heaps of information and ideas for you to build success, wherever you are on your career journey.
This guest blog was written by Liberty Communications.
Edited by Laura Patari