Why your first 5 years in the comms industry are so important

Our Account Manager Bryony is approaching her 5th year working in PR and communications within Northern Ireland. As 2020 nears its end, Bryony has taken some time to reflect on the importance of your early years in the communications industry.

Like many it took me a long time to decide ‘what I wanted to be when I grew up’, I still wasn’t completely sure when I was sitting in a university lecture hall studying English literature classics and media theory. It wasn’t until I was introduced to Public Relations within my degree that I realised it could be the right route for me. Now, here I am about to enter my 5th year in the communications industry.

When beginning your journey in comms there is no right or wrong direction to take. Everyone’s road will be different. However, I thought I’d share some of my learnings and experiences to keep in mind if your comms journey is just beginning.

Agency experience is like none other

Working in a PR and communications agency, especially of smaller scale, can be fast-paced, extremely varied and sometimes challenging -- but a very rewarding experience. You are guaranteed to learn a lot when working in agency and gain many essential skills that you may not acquire working in-house.

Agencies enable you to gain a wealth of experience and client management skills as you’ll work within many different sectors for a wide variety of clients. During the beginning of you career it’s so important that you’re in a position to help execute comms strategies for a diverse client list, both corporate and consumer.

In order to flourish at the start of your comms journey it’s essential that you receive 1-2-1 guidance and support from an experienced senior team. In Northern Ireland we’re lucky that many of our small agencies are led by practitioners who have excelled in the industry, who are always on hand to guide and support their juniors to be the best they can be.

When I look back and compare my first four years in PR and comms to others who have taken a different route and bypassed agency, the difference in experience is clear. Although you may be given the junior title of ‘executive’ or ‘assistant’, agency roles allow you the opportunity to work at a higher level ‘than your station’ – if you show that you want it, meaning plenty of opportunities to upskill, grow, and rise through the ranks.

Get to know the media

Strong media relations are essential if you want to succeed in PR,and there’s no time like the present to begin reaching out and building relationships, whether this is through social media, client campaigns or networking events.

Relationships are everything and you need to make sure you nourish them to keep them strong. It’s important to have the ability to see client campaigns from a journalist’s point of view and ask yourself, is this news worthy? If not, realise this and work with the client to build a stronger story or manage expectations.

Finally, work strategically to suit your target media – what day works best for them? Is there a certain time that is better to get in touch, or are they working on a campaign that suits my client story? Getting to know how your media contacts work, what formats are easiest for them to receive and work with, and their typical lead-time can really help to show that you are working to help make their jobs a bit easier and is a great way to become a go-to contact for journalists when they need information for a story in the future.

Jump on to the CIPR ladder early!

Like me, you may have naively thought that education stops once you leave university or college and enter the ‘big bad world’, but this couldn’t be more wrong! Practicing life-long learning with the CIPR from the start of your career really does help you get ahead from day one and stay current in an ever-changing industry. 

Logging CPD points with the CIPR is a great way to push your existing qualifications further, becoming an Accredited, then Chartered practitioner. So put in the effort from the start, read the book, listen to the podcast and attend the industry event – every little helps in ensuring you stand out from your competitors.

Step out of your comfort zone

It’s natural for many people to take a back seat and shy away when joining a new company at the beginning of your career. Try not to do this. Believe in yourself, respectfully challenge others, and express your ideas from day one. What you may think isn’t ground-breaking may actually be the answer your seniors are looking for or offer a fresh perspective to a seasoned team. 

Take charge of your own development and be open to learning new things, even accept the opportunities that scare you as only by doing this will you grow. We all have our strengths and weaknesses but those who work on their weaknesses always tend to go further.

Think ahead and be proactive when approaching your client work as well as your own development. Decide where you want to go and develop an effective course of action that gets you there.

As I approach my 5th year in the industry, I’ve been lucky to have had the opportunity to develop my skills, learn from some of the best practitioners in Northern Ireland and work with an extremely diverse client list. My experience in the communications industry over the last few years has been a bit of a rollercoaster with many ups and my fair share of downs, however I’m still going, still learning and excited to see what challenges are thrown my way during the next 5 years!

Bryony. x