Want to work in public relations? Any PR pro will tell you that agency experience is necessary for nabbing a job in the communications industry.
That’s true of other industries as well—95 percent of employers said experience is an important factor in final hiring decisions, according to an annual survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
At my company, account executives hire spring, summer and fall interns. After three semesters’ worth of résumés, writing tests and Skype interviews, I’ve seen it all; unfortunately, some of it can’t be unseen.
In light of that, here’s a list of do’s and don’ts for hopeful applicants.
Do:
Treat hiring managers like humans, not robots. Formal emails and cover letters, be gone! Spare the formalities, and share something unique or funny about yourself. Try to be relatable. Reading dozens of cover letters a week can be monotonous. A cover letter that’s enjoyable to read might help you secure an interview.
Follow instructions. Do it closely and carefully. We send a writing test to our candidates with explicit formatting instructions. Many applicants return the test in a format of their choosing. PR is a detail-oriented job, and disregarding directions before you have your foot in the door is not a wise choice. Read through all the instructions before you start an assignment. Do it again before sending it in.
WORKSHOP: Learn advanced techniques for corporate storytellers and writers in this event hosted by Mark Ragan and Jim Ylisela.
Take advantage of the time in your interview. You landed an interview; now use that in-person time wisely. Many employers will ask you to run through your résumé and discuss your work experience. Instead of reading your résumé word for word, use that time to fill in the gaps and discuss the best things you did at your previous internships or jobs.
Don’t:
Let a typo stand between you and an internship. Triple-check your writing test, résumé and cover letter for spelling and grammar errors before you hit “send.” If you’re applying for a PR position, even the smallest error will be noticed. Be especially careful to spell the email recipient’s name correctly. A past candidate called me “Ms. Hadid” so many times that I am now saved in a co-worker’s phone as “Gigi Hadid.”
Downplay a Skype interview. We interview all our intern candidates via Skype to be as efficient as possible. Even if you are not showing up to an office, that doesn’t mean you should throw all professionalism out the window. If you wouldn’t wear a particular thing to an in-person interview, don’t wear it for a Skype interview, either. Additionally, prepare for your interview by checking your computer’s audio and video and finding a quiet area with a strong internet connection. Don’t forget to sit up straight.
Send an initial email without including a résumé and cover letter. Always include your résumé. Doing so gives the hiring manager a better sense of your qualifications and could save him or her an additional step later. Be confident in what you’re seeking. Applying for something without sending the right materials adds to the email correspondence, and no one has time for that.
Mimi Hamid is an account executive at the Bradford Group. Connect with that agency on Twitter @theBradfordGrp.
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