Missing out on a decent tan to get ahead in life

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Edinburgh PR agency discuss why you should pick a summer internship over a summer holiday

Written by Amelia Birt

sunbathingGetting employed is one of life’s biggest hurdles which, in the last few decades, has become increasingly difficult to scramble over.

There are a few reasons that could be given for this, but what stands out is the rising level of competition everyone is facing when applying for a job.

In the modern world women and men have, arguably, equal access to employment opportunities. Since the collapse of the British empire and joining the union, immigration rates are steadily rising and are benefitting from government schemes that aim to import skilled labourers from beyond our borders.

Finally, higher education is available across most of the globe. So if we observe the facts – when looking for a job you are no longer competing with your neighbours, but with anyone, from everywhere, who has motivation, experience or an education relevant to the field.

Here at Holyrood PR, we’re all about PR and we know that graduates face all these problems in our industry and they need to do all they can to get ahead of the competition.

So, what would we recommend to graduates facing up the realisation of job hunting? Perhaps, this year, skip your summer holidays and apply for a career changing internship.

And we have the evidence to prove it works – in PR anyway.

Not only have we seen the majority of our interns (who are only here for a month) go almost immediately into employment, but many have progressed a long way up the PR ladder proving to be hugely valuable members of the fraternity.

In fact, we believe in an internship so much that we asked our current intern Amelia to help write this blog.

The process

The entire process of simply applying for an internship provides you with essential life skills. Practice makes perfect? Well then, better apply to as many 07 MAR Interns-0530EDITinternship programs that you can get your hands on.

Eventually someone is bound to get back to you – the more applications you send off the more you increases your chances of being called back.

Writing CVs over and over again, sitting half a dozen interviews, it is a trial and error process that you will eventually get right.

Work experience

The next step is the actual work experience. This is a fool-proof way of setting yourself apart from the crowd and getting a leg up on the other hundred or so applicants you’re up against when going through the application process. With regards to future employers, an internship will set you out from the crowd.

Very few people know exactly what field they want to progress into after Uni and of those who do, a majority change their mind.

Work experience is vital to demonstrate you are serious about a career in PR – especially if you completed your further education in traditional courses like History, Politics or English literature – and it makes you more marketable as a feasible option to employers.

It will be assumed that you might need less training and can handle more responsibilities on your first day on the job.

Thrive

With regards to yourself; an internship, specifically in the PR industry, acclimatises you to the difficulties of juggling multiple responsibilities and clients in the fast paced world of PR.

You’ll also benefit from the opportunity to get used to the relevant jargon and the programs and softwares that are relevant to many work sectors, such as media list tools and websites and how SEO fits in.

Holyrood PR in Edinburgh internshipTo thrive in this sector, you’ll primarily need strong, clear and concise communication skills out loud and on paper.

Don’t feel discouraged, most if not all of these skills can be learned and improved on, on the job. An internship can help you develop and work on your PR skill set, while also adding a much sought after gritty edge to your usual good manners. You’ll learn to be polite but firm, pushy but enticing.

Research into Holyrood PR’s previous interns on LinkedIn lends evidence to this argument, revealing a majority of them to have continued on the path of communications if not specifically PR.

Gerard Klein, for instance, is now an Account Executive at Grayling, Jordan Hooks who interned in 2014 is working as an Administrative Assistant at Houston Advisors LLC. Amy Glasgow is currently employed by Houseology as a PR and Social Media Executive, Veronica Gomiero is a marketing assistant at Asylon Theatre and Jennifer Harley who did three weeks with Holyrood is now a Marketing Officer at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen – and that’s just some of our interns from the past two years.

Most of these interns have even left their mark by writing their own blogs about their time at Holyrood.


 

Check out the blog our interns have written during their time at Holyrood PR


 

We’re incredibly proud of our history of helping PR stars of the future get their first taste and make their first step towards a rewarding career in PR and communications and we would encourage all recent graduates or those looking to graduate in the next couple of years to find an internship to help them on their way.

Do you want to be the next intern at Holyrood PR?

If you believe you have what it takes to be the next intern at Holyrood PR fill in the form below and we will get right back to you.

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