Orchard PR is on the hunt for a new Account Executive. If you can answer YES to any of the following questions…get in touch.
The art of communication
What is PR all about? We asked Michaila Byrne, who spent a few days last week in the Orchard as an IoD KPMG Management Shadow, in order to gain an insight into what working in PR is like…
What is PR all about? My time in a PR consultancy has led me to the conclusion that PR is in some ways an art; knowing what people want to see and making this a reality.
Distinction for ethics study at Orchard PR
We are celebrating staff development again: Orchard account executive Harriet Black has gained the Chartered Institute of Public Relations PR Diploma, receiving a distinction for her main project which focused on ethics in public relations.
Anything can happen in PR
We regularly take local students on for a week or so work experience in Orchard HQ. We usually find that PR is something they are interested in, but not quite aware of exactly what it is PR means doing every day. Naomi Denziloe spent last week in the office getting a flavour of what life as an account executive might be like.
Degree, or not degree?
As one of the few non-graduates at Orchard Towers I often wonder what it was that made me stand out from other degree-educated applicants and land me a job as an account executive.
There’s been a fair bit of chatter about whether degrees are worth the money when you could be spending three years climbing the ladder and this is particularly relevant in sectors such as communications where competition for roles is fierce.
CIPR president Sally Sykes recently visited the Channel Islands and when we went along to her seminar we discussed how PR is not a graduate only profession. She said that it was important to find your own way; that might mean a degree for some and a route through journalism for others. It’s all about whatever works best for you.
So if you choose not to get a degree in PR, how are you going to prove that you have what it takes?
Getting a feel for working in PR
Orchard has been taking part in the IoD Management Shadowing Scheme (sponsored by KPMG) and for a few days this week we have had Laura Butler in the office with us. Laura is really keen to get into PR and plans to study it at degree level after she finishes studying at The Grammar School next year – so she seemed like the ideal candidate to come along to Orchard and see what a manager does here. She will write a report and give a presentation on her experience later in the year, but for a sneak preview – we asked what she thought of her short time here…
The end is nigh for my time at Orchard PR and I can safely say I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and learnt a great deal about the industry I hope to become part of one day.
My few days here have really surprised me as this is certainly not your average 9-5 desk job. It was good to see early on that PR would not just be about being in an office when straight away, before I’d even had the chance to take my jacket off, I was off to the Guernsey Press to get a real understanding of how working with the media and PR go hand in hand and are key in this industry.
Finding your feet in PR
2012 certainly seems like it will be a year of opportunities. For two people starting out in PR it has certainly proved that way as we have opened the doors of Orchard Towers to Laurence Makins and John McCarthy who have joined the team in account executive roles.
Here is what they thought of their first month in PR.
What made you consider a job in PR?
Laurence: Having written for student publications in the past I knew that I would enjoy a job that allowed me to be creative. But what made me consider PR over other creative careers was that it allows for applied strategic thinking alongside more traditionally creative elements.
John: I was looking for a fast-paced, varied job that would allow me to use my strengths and constantly develop new skills, particularly in communication. I have been a freelance reporter for a few years and have a huge passion for writing.
The benefits of studying public relations
We’re big advocates of training and development at Orchard, so today’s post is from Cat, our senior account executive, and her experiences studying for the CIPR’s Advanced Certificate in Public Relations. We also can’t let this opportunity pass by without congratulating Cat on her distinction, a grade that only seven people in the UK achieved on the course this year.
Having graduated from Portsmouth University in summer 2009 with a degree in media studies I had already made peace with the fact that I would probably never end up with a job in the fiercely competitive media industry and that my degree would be the last qualification on my CV.
Where are they now? (part one…)
Last week we heard from our current crop of account executives about working in PR, and of course, working at Orchard. We promised to bring you news of some Orchard apples that have moved on in their PR careers, having been lured away to other parts of the UK and indeed the world. Today we have guest blogs from Martyn and Emily, now forging PR careers in Nottingham and London respectively.
Orchard is still recruiting for an account executive, so if a career in PR sounds like the thing for you, please get in touch.
What a difference a decade makes….
Last week I spoke to about 100 students and managers at the IOD Guernsey Management Shadowing Awards – the reason I was chosen as the guest speaker was that I was the winner of the Management Shadowing programme way back in 2001. For you mathematicians out there you will have worked out that was 10 years ago. My presentation therefore was appropriately titled ‘what a difference a decade makes’….
