How do I network effectively? October 15, 2009
Posted by helencurry in networking.Tags: careers, job hunting, job seeking, networking, podcast, PR
add a comment
One of the questions that came up when we asked students for input to the marketing, advertising and PR podcasts, was how to make networking effective? The student remarked that it was always recommended, but he rarely got responses to his emails. If this sounds familiar, you might like to have a listen to our new podcast on how to network, which includes plenty of tips and ideas for different approaches to try and identifying various kinds of networking opportunity.
Let's talk! Photo from thinkpanama.
One of the key points to remember is that networking isn’t about finding people to ask favours from, a prime reason to network is just to find out information. Getting a job offer from it should be a secondary concern. This article discusses the “informational interview” approach to networking in more detail, and gives this great example which demonstrates how it works and how to make connections, as well as being an admirable example of a motivated, focussed strategy to job-hunting through setting personal goals.
Ben Samples of Portland, OR provides a terrific networking interview success story. “ When I graduated I found it very hard to break into the PR agency world. I set a goal to arrange one informational interview per week with an established PR professional. Using social media tools such as LinkedIn and Twitter I was able to connect with directors and managers who were willing to meet with me. One informational interview turned into a job interview, which turned into an offer. Two months ago I began working my dream job and I owe it all to informational interviewing.”
Networking is a bit of an art, but it is worth sticking at it as it is a beneficial skill to have throughout your career. Keep practising, trying various approaches (email, face-to-face, phone, social networking) to see what works best for you and your contacts.
Further reading
For more advice on networking and recommended books and resources, download our free careers information sheet Networking.
For examples of questions you might ask, to get you started, see my previous post on networking.
Send us your questions for Marketing, Advertising and PR recruiters! March 10, 2009
Posted by tcginfo in advertising and PR, marketing.Tags: advertising, marketing, podcasts, PR
add a comment
We’re making a series of podcasts with top Marketing, Advertising and PR companies and professionals, and are looking for career related questions to ask them. This is a chance for you to get tips, insider information and advice about job hunting, the work, the future of the industry, or anything else related to careers.
Email us your top three career related questions by Friday 27th March 2009 and we’ll pick out the best ones to ask them.
We’ll let you know when the podcasts are live so that you can download and listen to them, and hopefully get some useful answers!
Email us at [careerspodcasts@gmail.com] by Friday 27th March 2009.
Marketing 
Advertising 
PRQuestions about graduate careers? Ask us on Facebook! November 25, 2008
Posted by tcginfo in advertising and PR, marketing, medicine and healthcare.Tags: advertising, Facebook, health, marketing, Medicine, medicine and healthcare, NHS, PR
1 comment so far
The Careers Group has started some sector-specific pages on Facebook which are checked daily by Information Officers and Careers Advisers. Ask your questions here, and we will get back to you right away with advice and useful links to help you research your career. We will also post any relevant events we find, and closing dates of popular schemes.
Careers in the health sector
e.g. graduate entry to medicine, physiotherapist, dietician, radiographer, clinical psychologist, nurse, NHS careers, administration, research, drama therapist, midwife, pharmacist, dentist, health visitor, optometrist, sports psychologist, chiropractor, mental health nurse….
Marketing, Advertising and PR
e.g. copywriter, creative, press officer, advertising account executive, PR officer, marketing executive…
Promise we won’t send out lots of updates or spam you! We want to create a forum where we can personally respond to quick questions, and where students can help each other with suggestions and their experiences and get debate going.
Good PR October 24, 2008
Posted by tcginfo in Uncategorized.Tags: aptitude tests, courses, diagonal thinking, marketing, PR, public relations'advertising
add a comment
It seems that, despite gloomy predictions as to the economic state of the nation, graduate recruitment levels have taken an upward turn at most of the UK’s largest PR agencies. Meet the Graduates, a recent article in PR Week , 17th October 2008 looks at the current trend in graduate recruitment within the industry and interviews 3 new starters and 3 graduates who are one year into their traineeships, to find out about their experiences so far. Click here for a list of all the journals that we subscribe to here in the library
Hot off the press and onto our shelves is the new edition of Hollis-UK Public Relations Annual 2009. It’s packed with information about PR consultancies and news contacts in companies and official organisations.
If you are still at the stage of exploring careers in this area there are still a few places left on the Careers in Marketing, Advertising & PR course. It’s a 2 day course designed as an introduction to all these areas and gives you a chance to meet the professionals in the sectors.
Still not sure if the advertising industry is for you? It seems that if you are a “diagonal thinker” you are equipped to succeed in all the main roles in advertising. According to the IPA 10% of the population can think diagonally – that’s both logically and creatively. If you want to find out if you are one of the 10% then you can take the free Diagonal Thinking Self-assessment Test online and find out if you might be suited to the advertising and communications business. Anyone scoring more than 90% can print out an IPA certificate proving their scores and attach it to their CV.
