That Wall Street saying has a lot of meaning in financial PR. The world of financial PR mirrors the intensity of the City of London and Wall Street.  If thinking about the 2011 Budget sounds like your idea of fun to work in, financial PR could be the place for you. London is the centre of financial PR in Europe, and New York is the American capital for financial PR. Graduates who want to work in finance PR should follow the five tips below to get an understanding of how this fast-paced industry works.

1] Understand what your role will be

Do you want to work in investor relations in an investment bank or do you want to break into corporate communications? Figuring out where you want to work in a finance PR context is key to breaking into the mould. It is not enough to say that you want to work for a big bank such as the Royal Bank of Scotland. You have to pinpoint that you want to be on the frontline of the media section of the bank. Figure out which role you want in your career.

2] Send cold emails

Once you know where you want to work and what job you would like to have, it is time to send cold emails that will get you noticed in financial PR. Call the reception of the company you want to work for and ask for the person’s name in the field you want to work in. If you want to work in Investor Relations, ask for the Investor Relations manager’s name. Formulate a strong cold email detailing that you are a recent graduate who wants to work in investor relations.

3] Call in the early hours or late evenings

This is where it can be difficult. Decision-makers in finance PR tend to be extremely busy. This is why you should follow up on your email in the early hours just before 8.30am perhaps or after 6pm. This way you give yourself more room in your contact’s mind to discuss job opportunities.

4] Dress the part

If you want to work in the City in the fast paced world of financial PR, you need to look the part. Lose the casual clothes and be sharp. Fashion is detailing a return to tailored clothes for men and women. Invest in classic work pieces such as a smart watch for both genders, a crisp tie if you are a man and a smart skirt suit if you are a woman. By dressing seriously as a graduate in the City, you will be taken seriously. Once you are started working in your graduate job in financial PR, take a cue from how people dress around you in your office to set the tone even further.

5] Start networking early

Most people who are successful in financial PR agree that your dream job working for a top investment bank in the media department will not fall in your lap. If you are crazy about being the media face of Goldman Sachs, you need to start networking now to get what you want later. If you are about to graduate from university in a few months, sending a few cold emails and setting up meetings with contacts in the financial PR industry will make it easier for you to get closer to your dream job.

For a way to break into financial PR and investor relations, sign up your CV today for job opportunities.

Jaclyn Gitlin is a San Franciso State University graduate who wants to work in Fashion PR. Originally from California on the west coast of the North American nation, yoga-loving Jaclyn now lives in New York City, looking for a job in fashion PR. In this feature, Jaclyn explains all about job seeking in the US and what you can expect.

1) How time consuming is looking for a job after you have graduated?

Depending on the season it can take anywhere between 2-5 hours of my day.

2) How much time do you spend online looking for work?

Between 2-5 hours

3) How important is networking for you at the moment?

Extremely important. I believe that I WILL find a position through networking easier than by looking on my own.

4) Why do you want to work in Fashion PR?

I always have been the first to know about trending styles, entertainment news, and up and coming designers. I’m an avid user of social media, and I think in this day and age it’s extremely important to be technologically savvy as well as being up to date in the industry.

5) Is it hard to find work in Fashion PR?

It’s challenging finding a position only because for the few entry level positions available, there are probably 40-50 qualified candidates besides myself competing for the same position.

6) Is succeeding in fashion PR a case of being at the right place at the right time i.e representing the next Azzedine Alaia?

Definitely. I think it’s knowing the right people and putting yourself out there in the right way. Networking is a key component to this theory; the more people you know, the higher likelihood they would know of a position available that would suit my strengths.

7) There is an idea that some people have that American job seeking is much more aggressive. What are your opinions of this?

I believe this to be true. Since the state of the economy in the States you have much more people that have more experience looking for work than ever before. This predicament makes it that much more challenging for recent graduates to get a foothold on things. There is also the issue of unpaid internships, especially in the fashion industry. I personally have done 3 (multiple month) internships and several event specific (fashion week, blogger/stylist event, museum event, etc) internships. Apparently, either I’m not showcasing these enough in my interviews, or they aren’t enough experience. So in a sense, I think a lot of the ‘aggression’ comes more from desperation and frustration by trying to make your way in the world.

Fashion PR looks so glamorous but is notoriously underpaid. Does this bother you?

It does and it doesn’t. I think I will be internally motivated and satisfied to be a prominent force in the fashion industry. I think the money will come with time and experience. Everything happens for a reason, as long as I can have a position where I can cover the cost of living and pay off loans, I think I will be alright.

What do you think of this job seeking experience? To hear more about Jaclyn, check out her website here.

Think about this idea and ask yourself the following two questions:

1) Is career success the most important thing in your life?
2) Are all successful people ambitious?

The new pecking order

PR is one of the most cut-throat industries in the world. Much like an actor has to audition for a role and impress the director, a PR is as good as their latest role, which is in this case, a campaign. Ambition is an important part of being successful because it shows you have the drive to succeed.

Let’s face it, the job market is absolutely vicious at the moment. I can see this myself through my work for vox-popPRcareers: from the dozens of PRs I interviewed for features to the jobs I source for the Twitter feed, finding a job in PR is going to take more than just being talented. Many business leaders talk about how execution matters more than your idea: this is completely weaved into the fabric of successful PRs. From the many brilliant PRs who have been interviewed for vox-popPRcareers, one thing is painfully clear: if you are not ambitious, you are not going anywhere in this industry.
Ambition in all forms can be dangerous though: Julius Caesar suffered for his ambition, as jealousy spurred people to betray him. In a PR world where coverage means everything, graduates will do well to focus on executing for their clients.

Make an impression by being an ambitious person who delivers, not disappoints.

1) What key things does a motoring PR do that is different from traditional PRs?

Automotive PR is much the same as traditional. We work with clients to meet their needs, whether that be the promotion of a product or service, the creation of a brand or identity or on more specific projects like website or advert design. I suppose the difference is the type of projects we work on, and the level of involvement and knowledge of the subject required. It would be difficult to talk convincingly without a good deal of prior knowledge and this is often expected. We also spend a great deal of time at racing events and car shows across the country rather than nice restaurants and dainty bar. I’d say we’re a lot more involved with our clients and most if not all PR and media agents have a desire to be a part of the automotive community, even when we are not at work!

2) Most people love and respect lots of famous marques such as Range Rover, Ferrari etc. Is motoring PR as glamorous as it seems?

Not really although certain aspects are very glamorous indeed. The whole racing world is pretty special so you’ll often find beautiful grid girls and lots of important people floating about in the paddocks or on the grid, so in that sense yes, there is some glamour. Day in day out however we’re at our desks, driving up and down the country, writing press releases, arranging events and speaking and meeting with the people that count. There is nothing glamorous about that side of the business and that’s how we spend 95% of our time.

3) What are the career prospects for graduates in motoring PR?

Motoring PR is a relatively small industry, so generally you’ll need some sort of PR experience before hand or to have worked as a motoring hack. If you know your stuff, work hard and are prepared to start at the bottom you will find an avenue, there are jobs out there. Even if you start in traditional PR always keep your eyes on the prize and if an opportunity in the industry pops up, always give it a shot regardless of your experience. If you come across well in an interview and your writing is good you will always have a chance, I know many people who have secured very good jobs in PR off the back of their knowledge of the industry and their people skills rather than having a perfect CV. Managers and MDs alike will always consider someone with less experience because they are cheaper to employ, especially if they are keen motorsport and automotive enthusiasts, but I didn’t tell you that!

4) Will motoring PR continue to grow in the future?

Yes I think it will. Regardless of the type of fuels we are burning or the shift from performance to ecologically friendly motoring successfully companies promote themselves and their products and will continue to do so. I’m not sure that will ever change. Although the internet has made it easier for your average Joes to publicise their wares working with a polished PR company can actually save a great deal of money, negating the huge advertising spends people often consider ‘essential’ in the hunt for editorial promotion. These days’ most automotive companies have recognized the benefits of PR and this channel of promotion is often far, far cheaper than direct advertising. Although many firms’ budgets may have reduced, there will always be a demand for success and publicity is a key factor in this. We work hard to make our client’s products, services or brand name as recognized and successful as humanly possible and it seems that, if you do a good job for people, they will continue to use your services.

5) Is the success of motoring PR connected to the health of the economy?

I think the success of most business is connected to the state of the economy, when budgets are reduced so too is marketing and PR spending. On the flip side of this PR is seen by many as the answer to ineffective advertising, so some could suggest that in a spiraling economy we should actually benefit as businesses look to cut their costs while maintaining a presence within the media and capturing consumer interest. I think the proof is in the pudding; although this year hasn’t been great for many businesses Accelerate PR has continued to grow and take on new clients and we’ve had a great deal of success with each of them.

Check out Accelerate PR’s impressive client list here, and also follow Joel & his team on Twitter by clicking here. Do you want to work in automotive PR? Let us know what you think of the industry by commenting now.

If you are looking to gain experience in PR and media, email your CV and a cover letter to parm.evans@btinternet.com.

Please quote vox-popPRcareers in your application as the source of where you found the placement.

The placement is in Weybridge so interested students or graduates should be willing to travel there.

This cover letter below is a real cover letter by an anonymous applicant, who applied for a job at one of the most well-known PR companies in the UK, which is an industry standard for its work.

This cover letter won the applicant the job last year so read it to know what works in cover letter writing.

To protect the graduate’s identity, certain details such as the respondent and university name have been blotted out.

—————————————–

Dear XXXX,

I have just finished a postgraduate diploma in magazine journalism at XXXX. I would like to apply for the position of media assistant at XXXX. I would like to work at XXXX, as it is a successful and growing brand in the PR and Journalism industry. It is a name that is regularly mentioned by people in the media.

I worked as a marketing executive for six months at XXXXX, a company that does marketing for restaurants, which involved organising trade shows and festivals. Here I had a largely administrative role with varied tasks ranging from taking charge of distribution teams to organising what was required for the venues. The role also involved coming up with marketing strategies and cold calling hard sales. As part of the sales team, I learnt to motivate my team members, which was crucial to success in sales. Even those with the strongest tenacity sometimes get disheartened.

I have also had experience working for magazines and newspapers. I completed many researching tasks while working for different magazines. While at XXXX, I rang all the PCTs across the country to find out who they had tendered their GP-led health centre and if they hadn’t the reason why not, as the deadline had passed. I put all the information I gathered into Excel. At XXXX, I used the phone to find out what different supermarket stores’ locally sourced products were. I’m confident in carrying out research tasks and have done many vox-pops for articles as part of the diploma. Every placement requires some sort of internet research. One example is that while at XXXX I researched calorie counts for takeaway meals .Completion of the statistics module, as part of the magazine course, means that I’m comfortable and adept with figures. In terms of administrative packages, I have used Excel and Access and I have an AVCE (equivalent to an AS) in ICT.

My work experience placements have taught me to multi-task and prioritise, as many staff members, all at the same time, gave me different jobs to do. So I am confident I will be able to maintain a solid level of support to PR clients. Working on news teams, for B2Bs and a national newspaper in Kenya, has developed a shrewdness that enables me to execute a task quickly and efficiently. I worked to deadline producing a few news stories each day. In journalism circles, accuracy has been heralded as a pillar of journalism. This and my meticulous nature ensures that I am precise at all times. Also, as a journalist I’m accustomed to working with other journalists and so I understand their personalities and daily pressures. I’m confident I will be able to build good relationships with editorial staff.

Yours Sincerely,

1) Do you think graduates have it harder this year to land a job in PR?

I do not think it is any harder this year than any other. The PR industry has always
been a highly competitive one and takes a great deal of resilience and determination
to break through.

2) What kind of qualities would you look for in a candidate for work?

Passion, determination and creativity.

3) What key growth areas do you think graduates should look at in PR?

I would say it’s worth getting experience of every possible aspect of PR rather than
just one sector. Looking at the trends today, the future belongs to those who can
work across all disciplines of PR.

4) Why is ethnic PR important?

I strongly believe that ethnic PR is here to stay and hopefully, when the 2011
census is completed, governments and businesses will have a clearer picture of the
diversity that now exists in Britain and how important it is to know and understand
different cultural nuances.

5) How does it feel to have one of your own employee’s listed in PR Week’s
‘rising stars’ features?

I am very happy and indeed proud of Miss Sarpong’s achievement.

6) What is your future vision for Rich Visions?

To devise new plans, including a blueprint for a new, wider marketing agency;
generating business across the UK, Europe and the US which is focused on equality
and diversity.

7) Do you think the PR industry in the UK could do more to encourage more
applications for ethnic minorities?

Absolutely-by encouraging the engagement of specialist agencies like Rich Visions
which has the expertise to fill the gap between mainstream agencies and diverse
communities since there still seems to be fears and misunderstanding in the
mainstream world about ethnic PR.

Photograph courtesy of Mavis Amankwah.