You might have already heard – Orchard is hiring…
We have a vacancy for an account executive, often the first step onto the PR ladder for many people. It’s a position that comes with fantastic opportunities for learning and experiencing new things and developing skills and meeting very useful people. So, rather than writing out another job ad, we thought who better to tell you why you want to be a PR account executive at Orchard than our awesomely talented team themselves. So we asked them a few questions to see what they think.
What is the best thing about working in PR?
Chloe: Seeing coverage you have achieved for your clients. It sounds nerdy but you get a real buzz from opening a newspaper and seeing your story.
Cat: No two days are ever the same because quite often you are reacting to stories reported by the media and participating in issues management. It is also a great chance to develop relationships with clients, journalists and photographers and sometimes you even get the chance to meet a celebrity!
What is your typical day like at Orchard?
Harry: I don’t know if there is a ‘typical’ day at Orchard PR. From media calls, where the local media all want to do interviews with our clients, to photo shoots where I need to get the perfect photo to go with the news release I just drafted, my working day varies so much. One day I’ll be in the office, liaising with journalists on the phone, drafting news releases and monitoring the media and the next I’ll be out at a client meeting, attending an event and networking with local business people.
Cat: It is important to stay on top of what is happening in the news so typically the first duty of the day is to search the morning’s stories online. Picking up the phone to our clients to find out what is happening at their end usually guides us to what we will be doing for the rest of the day.
What sort of clients do you work for and which ones do you enjoy the most?
Cat: A large proportion of Orchard’s clients are from Guernsey’s finance industry however we also work with a variety of companies from different sectors including retail, energy, regulation and even a notable night club. Each client has its own individual needs and as a consequence the work can be very different but extremely interesting and enjoyable.
Harry: A utilities company, a nightclub, a law firm and trust company are just some of the clients I work for and I enjoy dealing with all of them, because they are all so different. Some of the more enjoyable events have included meeting a famous DJ and the less enjoyable…having to wear a fluorescent jacket and helmet…but that’s PR!
Adie: I enjoy our community-based clients and the times when you can get involved with helping out on events and managing projects. I have particularly enjoyed working with designers and printers on the creative elements of campaigns but I am also gaining experience and learning a lot from working with our financial clients.
What skills have you developed working at Orchard?
Chloe: I have always loved writing, and that’s really important in this business, but I didn’t really know how to write news. Reading lots of news has really helped with that but I have also had a lot of practice in a short time.
Cat: Working for a number of different clients requires you to develop excellent organisational and time management skills. It is also essential that you have the confidence to talk to people because on a daily basis you will be communicating not only with clients but journalists from Guernsey, Jersey and the UK trade titles.
What skills are you working hardest on at the moment?
Chloe: I am trying to be more assertive and confident; I was very shy before I worked at Orchard but I can now talk to people on the phone without fear – massive step!
Adie: Honing my communication skills and focusing on my own time management.
Why should people want to be an account executive at Orchard?
Adie: If you are a keen writer, communicator and proactive problem solver, you will enjoy this job. There are so many aspects to your everyday work that you are constantly developing and building upon your existing skills and learning new ones. Some would say you need to be a ‘people person’, but I think ‘an all-rounder’ would be a better description. You need to juggle a lot of clients, be on top of your workload, enjoy writing and always be happy to help. If you thrive when working with people and words, then you will go far in this industry.
Cat: The team at Orchard are really friendly and supportive and because each member of the team is so talented it is a fantastic opportunity to learn new things from them. Another factor which should appeal is the chance to undertake professional qualifications such as the Advanced Certificate and Diploma in PR which are supported by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
If you think you’d like to join the team at Orchard, head to our PR careers page to find out how to apply.
But if you’re still not convinced that you that you should be working in PR, we’ll be back next week with some another blog to hear from a few ‘Orchard Alumni’ and how Orchard helped launch their PR careers.
