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A guide to getting an internship

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INTRODUCTION PR Internship Guide It is claimed that graduate employers find that few graduates are ‘work ready’, with new recruits lacking basic attributes, such as teamwork, communication skills, punctuality and the ability to cope under pressure. Of the 635 employers surveyed by YouGov for the launch of The Times 2014 Good University Guide, just one in five said all or most of their graduate recruits were ready for employment and 17% said that none of their graduate recruits were prepared for work. So it’s crucial to gain those skills which matter to employers. A survey was undertaken on this subject by the PRCA for Leeds Business School in 17 January 2014. PRCA members were asked to cite the top 10 skills they would expect to see in a graduate for a career in public relations. The questions were taken from an earlier survey posted on various PR industry LinkedIn sites which was conducted between 26 November 2013 and 16 January 2014. It received over 350 responses. Practitioners answered the questionnaire from countries as far afield as New Zealand and the USA. The top five skills that agencies are looking for are (1) excellent oral and written communication skills, (2) common sense, perception and intuition, (3) good listening and engagement skills, (4) empathy and emotional intelligence and (5) time and management and organisational skills. A fuller breakdown of the results is shown on page 4, but it is worth remembering that these are the top skills that PRCA agency members are looking for when you apply for an internship. What really counts, though, is attitude. Do you have what it takes to succeed? Gaining a meaningful internship can seem a rather daunting prospect especially in these difficult times, that’s why I have produced this guide. An innovative scheme which gives an added boost to the chance of students gaining jobs has been launched by the PRCA in conjunction with PRWeek, the forward thinking Taylor Bennett Foundation which runs courses and actively encourages promotes diversity in PR recruitment and the campaign organisation Intern Aware. The aim of the scheme is to bring more young people from diverse backgrounds into the public relations profession. Indeed it will give students a real opportunity to contribute to the success and vitality of the PR industry working for some of the leading agencies in the country rather than being seen as a source of cheap labour. It’s a winwin situation.

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INTRODUCTION (contd) I’ve devised this PR Internship Guide especially for the PR Internship for All Campaign, but of course it can be used to gain other work too. The guide helps to answer:





How to go about getting an internship; What you need to have in place to be able to get an internship; How you go about writing a CV; How you present yourself for an interview/interviews.

What this guide is all about Before you even think of calling or sending an email to a prospective PRCA employer for an internship you will need to have an effective CV, one that presents you in the best possible light. You also need to have a powerful letter to accompany your CV, one which ‘sells’ you to that employer. I’ve sat on quite a few interview panels, written a few CVs in my time, and read hundreds….though perhaps ‘received’ the CVs would be a more accurate description. I didn’t read them all, and the reasons why are explained in the copy that follows. This guide is the culmination of 46 years in the communications business. I’ve been a journalist, a director of international public relations consultancy, where my responsibilities included mentoring graduate trainees, and a managing director of a Leeds-based public relations agency and a global media relations manager for a Norwegian-Swedish shipping and logistics concern. My work has taken me across both the public and private sectors - including the HRH Prince’s Youth Business Trust, helping young people from ethnic minorities start businesses in Brixton, London, to bringing the world’s first concept green ship to a global media audience and handling the opening of an NHS hospital in London. It is experience I want to pass on to you to help you gain decent PR jobs. Kind regards,

Robert Minton-Taylor Senior Lecturer Leeds Business School © Copyright Robert Minton-Taylor 08 May 2014

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RESULTS FROM PRCA SKILLS SURVEY JANUARY 2014

What do you see as the top 10 skills (in rank order) a graduate needs to prepare them for a career in PR on the global stage? Answer Options

1 2 3= 3= 3= 4= 4= 5= 5= 5= 6 7= 7= 7= 8= 8= 9 10

Excellent oral and written communication skills. Common sense, perception and intuition. Good listening and engagement skills. Be empathetic and have emotional intelligence. Time management and organisational skills. Teamwork and ability to work with and respect people from different cultures, sexual orientation, creeds and race. Analytical, strategic thinking and planning skills. Knowledge of and understanding of current events. Adaptability and ability to prioritise and multi-task. Strategic knowledge of/ability to use social media. Signs of creative promise across a number of mediums (words/ images/video). Identifying and understanding the right target audience Strong understanding of how journalists think and what they want. The ability and skill to define the real issue and translate an idea into action. Being able to present and ideas and concepts. Well-defined ethical values, a strong sense of character, and integrity. Good business and financial judgment e.g. budgeting a PR campaign. Personal commitment to life-long learning.

Response Percent

Response Count

91.7% 83.3% 75.0% 75.0% 75.0%

11 10 9 9 9

66.7%

8

66.7% 58.3% 58.3% 58.3%

8 7 7 7

50.0%

6

41.7%

5

41.7%

5

41.7%

5

33.3%

4

33.3%

4

25.0%

3

8.3%

1

Answered question Skipped question

12 0

Results from a survey conducted by the PRCA for Leeds Business School on 17 January 2014. PRCA members were asked to cite the top 10 skills they would expect to see in a graduate for a career in public relations. The questions were taken from an earlier survey posted on various PR industry LinkedIn sites which was conducted between 26 November 2013 and 16 January 2014. The survey received over 350 responses. Practitioners answered the questionnaire from countries as far afield as New Zealand and the USA.

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PART 01 - WHY A CV IS IMPORTANT  Tailoring your CV to match the kind of tone agencies use on their websites will signal to the prospective organisation that you might be the kind of candidate they want to recruit for a PR internship. It will help them answer that important question – “will this student fit into our team?”  I appreciate that this is more applicable to someone like myself who has had experience in a number of sectors e.g. media, travel, shipping, transport, healthcare, financial services, and community relations, but nonetheless you should try and match your work experience to the job you are going for e.g. working in a store as a sales assistant for a retail PR job etc. For example working in a store demonstrates that you are a team player, have good customer service skills, have financial accountability, are reliable, and have a can do attitude to work. To present a CV that contains spelling mistakes and exhibits a poor grasp of grammar is unacceptable. There are no ifs or buts about this.  Prospective employers will expect you to write well.  If you are unsure of how your CV and/or covering letter reads – seek advice.  Always get a fellow student to proof-read your CV as mistakes do occur. I once left the letter ‘l’ out of the word ‘public’ - as in public relations - in a pitch document, when I was working for a big name PR agency. We lost the business pitch and I deservedly nearly got fired as a consequence.  If you use a computer spell-checker ensure you tick the English (UK) options box rather than English (USA) if you are applying for a job anywhere except for Canada and the USA. Remember too, a computer spell-checker will not distinguish between compliment and complement. Grammatical checkers are not foolproof.  I suffer from a mild form of dyslexia and to overcome this – even though I trained as a journalist - I have invested heavily in dictionaries, thesauri, grammar and style guides. I always get my copy double-checked by someone else. Try to get a friend to check your CV for spelling mistakes, grammar errors etc.

CV TIP It has taken me numerous attempts to get my CV up to scratch and you learn by trial and error. Write your CV and come back to it a few days or a week later – you will find parts you want to change or a better way of saying something. Review it occasionally and update it or just check through it – there will always be something to change! Stephanie Sheffrin, BA (hons) Public Relations alumna

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PART 01 - WHY A CV IS IMPORTANT (contd)  If you are a non-UK national you will be expected to have good spoken and written English. Why? Would you give a communications job to a person who could not write well in your native language? Of course not. So apply the same principle in the UK.

Writing A Winning CV  There are innumerable ways to write a CV. There is no absolutely right way. However, there are a few essential ingredients that you need to bear in mind when you are writing a CV for a short-term placement in PR.

CVs – A Piece of Fiction?  Stick to the truth.  Telling tall tales might get you noticed, but it is only a matter of time before you get found out. This is more relevant today given the amount of dismissive media coverage on ‘spin’ i.e. bending the ‘bounds of truth’ and, dare I say it, reality!  Companies now have software than detects inconsistencies in CVs, so telling an untruth is stupid and foolish. It will brand you as a liar.  I always follow up on references by speaking directly to the student’s present and past employers. That quickly sorts out fact from fiction. So you have been warned! WHY YOUR WRITTEN ENGLISH HAS GOT TO BE GOOD







I remember being the “PR expert” on an interview panel for a Communications Manager’s post at a National Health Service A&E hospital. I was shocked by the standard of CVs – many were from PR executives - but the grammar, spelling and punctuation were generally well below par. What happened to those applications? I binned them. The person who eventually got the job had no PR experience. How can that be? Simple. She: o Had an exceptionally well presented CV. o Could communicate with aplomb. o Demonstrated she understood the issues that came with the job. o Showed plenty of enthusiasm, character, and a ‘get-up and go’ personality. o Came through a test presentation on a hospital patient related issue with flying colours.

Robert Minton-Taylor

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PART 01 - WHY A CV IS IMPORTANT (contd) CV WRITING TIP














Be analytical, write simply and clearly. Do not make it longer than two pages. Don’t use buzzwords. In PR they are out of place. Remember less is more. Verbose language just demonstrates that you have not moved on from the essay-type prose you wrote at high/secondary school. Cut down the points you want to make to fit the requirements of the job you are applying for. Use an active voice say: “This job gave me the opportunity to develop my communication skills”, rather than "My duties and responsibilities included...”. Be inventive. For example, you could write your CV as a press release or have someone do a vox pop video with you and post it on YouTube with a lick to your CV. Always print an original copy of your CV for each job application on decent paper A4-size paper (e.g. 90gsm or 100 gsm). It shows you care, and presentation is critical in PR. Enclose the letter in a good quality DL-size envelope i.e. white 90 gsm or 100 gsm. You would be surprised to learn that a hard copy letter may well have more impact and get you in front of a senior executive than just an email.

Robert Minton-Taylor

Your CV should contain the following six elements: 1. Name & Contact Details 2. Career/Competency Statement 3. Education & Qualifications – newest at the top 4. Work Experience including PR & Business Skills – the most recent at the top 5. Outside Interests and Personal Information 6. References

NOTE: As far as dates are concerned you should start with the most recent dates & experience first i.e. it should be in reverse chronological order. 1. NAME & CONTACT DETAILS Name  Put your name, Leeds Met and home address, email and landline telephone and/or mobile contact details at the top of the page.

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PART 02 – SIX STEPS APPROACH TO WRITING A CV (contd) Date of Birth  Next put your date of birth. But this is optional. You need not provide this anymore. Marital Status  Don’t put your marital status in, nor if you have any children. I am of the opinion that this is none of the prospective employer’s business. Driving Licence  Some employers require you to be able to drive a car so stating that you have a driver’s licence may be an added advantage. 2. CAREER/COMPETENCY STATEMENT Don't waste space on a personal statement – use a career summary.  Personal statements at the top of a CV — those three to four lines which use words to describe you such as energetic, enthusiastic and committed — add little or nothing, as everyone uses them.  So, instead use the space to write a career summary — three or four lines outlining what you want to do as a career and why. This is helps you focus on what you want to do. Focus is key for agencies when recruiting interns, as many applicants have little idea what they want to do. Plus focus and direction are still a rarity in students, in my view.  A typical statement that adds little or no value would read: "I am a confident,

enthusiastic and hard-working person. I am responsible with a mature outlook and have excellent interpersonal skills and enjoy meeting new people. I take pleasure in working as part of a strong team. I am highly motivated, creative and enjoy learning new skills." This is just a mass of adjectives for any role with no real focus.  A better statement would be: "Career objectives: I am focused on

building a successful career in public relations for [organisation name]. I know that the fast paced, results-orientated environment within your agency will give me the challenge I thrive on. I am a strong relationship builder, resilient and motivated by success."

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PART 05 – SIX STEPS APPROACH TO WRITING A CV (contd) Personal Attributes  Explain how you would fit into the agency. Say what personal attributes you

have that you think would suit the PR consultancy that you are hoping to join e.g. ability to work as part of a team, that you are methodical about how you approach a task etc. Take a look at the firm’s website and get a feel for the kind of company you are applying to – familiarise yourself with the clients the agency works for and bear this in mind when you write your covering letter to them. PR Career Goals  State your career goals. For example you could also say “I want to work for Golin Harris because I believe is a very progressive public relations consultancy where I can maximise the use of my communications skills and where I will be challenged and stretched in my internship”. 3. EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS

You should lay out your qualifications with the most recent experience first University  State what university you are studying at.  Say what course you are studying and then elaborate on what modules you are doing. Remember that these may not mean much to those outside the university so explain (in a line or two) what practical skills you have learnt on the course and how these would be of benefit to a prospective employer.  If you are a postgraduate student, say too what your first degree is in, what university you studied at, what grade you gained and what modules you studied – if you think they are relevant to a PR role. Secondary School  Follow with your secondary/high school details and the subjects and grades you got at ‘A’ level and ‘AS’ level. Put these in a tabular format.  Please note: if your qualifications were not gained in the country in which you are applying for a job you will need to ‘translate’ your qualifications into something which an employer would understand e.g. if you were applying for a job in the UK and had gained the Voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs (VWO) you would need to explain to an employer that this was “gained after six years of study and is a university entrance equivalent exam”. Unless you pointed this out to a UK employer they would not know the real value of your academic qualification.

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PART 02 – SIX STEPS APPROACH TO WRITING A CV (contd)  Put in details of any roles you are particularly proud of e.g. captain of sports team, head boy/head girl, chairperson of debating society, Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme etc. This will help ‘sell’ you as an ‘all-rounder’.

4. WORK EXPERIENCE INCLUDING PR & BUSINESS SKILLS  Work experience is what counts. If you have been in any kind of work, outline what experience you have had. Include the PR skills you have gained at university working on live client projects or at work and how you expect to use these skills in the job you are applying for e.g. if you have served in a store and are want to work for a retail store group’s PR department highlight this in your CV by saying you have retail experience even if you worked just as a shop assistant in a store.  PR is about dealing with people, and consumers are often a primary target audience for PR campaigns.  List the key PR skills you have learnt. Even if you have never had a job (part-time or full-time), include details of what you have learnt so far on your course e.g. ability to conduct basic research, contribute ideas, write press releases, arrange events etc.  Include memberships of professional bodies e.g. Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA), Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR).

CV WORK EXPERIENCE TIP


Even if your work experience is limited to serving in a bar, café, etc, it demonstrates that you have had experience in dealing with difficult situations, worked as part of a team, managed money, and were able to deliver good customer service – all important PR skills. So explain that in your CV e.g. “This job showed me how to deal with difficult situations involving customers etc…..”

Robert Minton-Taylor

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PART 02 – SIX STEPS APPROACH TO WRITING A CV (contd) 5. OUTSIDE INTERESTS AND PERSONAL INFORMATION  This is very important. It is not just what you know or what you are studying that is important, but also who you are e.g. what kind of person you are.  PR requires people with good communication skills and ability to work with and mix with people from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds.  So your outside interests are an important element of what shapes you as a person. Briefly outline your outside interests. Call them ‘special interests’, not hobbies – it sounds less ‘anorakish’. E.g. working with a charity, playing for a sports etc.  List the languages you speak and write (other than English!). If it’s an international agency you are applying for this may help you gain a placement. 6. REFERENCES  You must include referees. Companies may phone for a verbal reference rather than ask for a written one – it saves time.  List the name of the referee(s), their job title(s), organisation(s) they work for, full postal address(es), daytime telephone(s) number and e-mail address(es).  It would be foolish to name a referee without showing them first a copy of your CV so that they can familiarise themselves with your details.  Ensure that a referee is happy to vouch for you before you name them. I sometimes get calls from employers about a particular student – normally ones who have recently graduated - who haven’t given me the courtesy of a call. The result is that I am caught “on the hop” and left floundering because I have no details in front of me about the student so I can't feed any information back to the employer on the graduate. The employer is then left with doubts about the ‘worthiness’ and/or suitability of the employee for the job they are offering, because of my hesitancy in not instantly recognising the student’s name.  So let your referees know who you are going to see before interview. It helps them prepare for the call they may get from the organisation you are approaching.

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PART 02 – SIX STEPS APPROACH TO WRITING A CV (contd)

CV WRITING TIP – AND FINALLY




Put yourself in the position of the prospective employer. Ask yourself, "Does this CV make me want to call this student in for an interview?” If your CV does not do that, then go back to the beginning and fashion it until it does.

Robert Minton-Taylor A PR Qualification Is Good – Don’t Forget It  Please remember that PR agency Human Resources staff may not have a clear idea of what your PR/communications/marketing/journalism course involves. So remember to list the modules you are studying, and if necessary, briefly explain why you think those modules are relevant to PR.

CV RANT There is nothing more annoying than finding that the listed landline number rings without an answer, or do not have voicemail or a voicemail saying that the person cannot be contacted, please call back. I rarely do! Therefore:
If you have a land line invest in BT’s Call Minder Service;
Or buy an answering machine (they cost about £25);
If you list a mobile number, ensure you can leave voicemail messages on your mobile. If not, pay for the network provider’s voicemail service.
Please, please have a sensible message on your voicemail service which sounds professional. Remember your message says a lot about you.
I have just called a student on their mobile only to get a voicemail message which said: “Ha, ha I’m out.” Is this a message you would want a prospective employer to hear? I think not!
So record something like: “This is (name). Sorry I cannot take your call. Please leave your name and number and I will get back to you.” The caller then knows they have (a) reached the right person and (b) you have a record of who called and their phone number. Robert Minton-Taylor

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PART 02 – SIX STEPS APPROACH TO WRITING A CV (contd) GREAT CV TIPS FROM THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

Lucy Cheatham, marketing director of Grad Central — a recruitment specialist in the West Midlands Is your CV keyword-search friendly? Graduates need to be mindful of how CVs are searched and screened by employers and recruitment specialists. With the growing popularity of searchable job board CV databases and sophisticated recruitment databases able to run multiple keyword searches to find the perfect matching CV, it's really important for job seekers to create search-friendly CVs that show case their skills and competencies to the full. Thinking about the key words and phrases that recruiters will be looking for should be part of your planning phase when you're writing your CV. Prospective employers will be looking for terms relating to specific personal qualities, key competencies and technical skills relevant to the role and the industry. Key areas of expertise might include direct marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimisation and campaign management. Key competencies could include teamwork, communication and negotiation.

Rowan Manahan founder of career management consultancy Fortify Services and author of The Ultimate CV Give employers a reason to meet you: The most common problem I encounter with CVs at graduate level is that they are overlong and they don't give me a reason to want to meet you right up front. Think about the person who is scan-reading your CV in the midst of a pile of dozens, maybe hundreds, just like it. What are the three things that person needs to know about you that distinguish you as someone who is worth meeting out of that large pile? Give serious thought to your points of difference — in marketing terms, your unique selling point — and put those three things up front in a visually accessible way. Making the recruiter's life easier greatly increases your chances of being shortlisted. So, include examples from your work experience/internships or extracurricular activities that demonstrate accomplishment, initiative, leadership potential, communication skills and the ability to work smoothly and effectively with others.

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PART 02 – SIX STEPS APPROACH TO WRITING A CV (contd) Rob Cross, expert in graduate and talent development and author of Grad Expectations: the essential guide for all graduates entering the workforce Focus on value, not tasks: Having read hundreds of graduate CVs, I find it amazing at how many people are still fixated on telling us what they've done, rather than what value they've delivered. In writing their CVs, what these people forget is that as an employer I have customers, shareholders and employees, and each of these parties expect something from the investment or effort they put in. And because of this, it's essential that anyone joining our company is focused on adding value. With this in mind, as you write your CV it's essential that you focus on proving that you're the type of person who can use your initiative to deliver real value. This means writing a compelling story about value you've delivered, not just the tasks you've done. For example, a person writing about tasks would state: "head waitress at local restaurant", whereas a person writing about value, would state: "increased nightly takings and customer satisfaction 20% by implementing new training programme as head waitress". When you read this second example you immediately take notice; you want to employ them because they make a difference, they add value. This is what will make me want to give you a job.

Richard Freeborn, national graduate recruitment manager at the bank, Santander Spend time on your applications: My top tip would be to spend a good amount of time on your applications. Every day I see applications that have been rushed, with some candidates just putting one word answers in boxes with a word limit of 100. It's important to develop your answers logically, stating the context, what you did and what the end result was. By following this loose structure, you should be able to outline your answer in an ordered, cohesive way.

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PART 02 – SIX STEPS APPROACH TO WRITING A CV (contd) FINDING A PR JOB Not so long ago I was invited to an assessment day at a top London PR agency. I arrived feeling pretty confident. However, I soon learned that for the 40 candidates they had invited to the assessment day there were only five jobs available! Needless to say, I did not get offered a job! However, I learnt a great deal that day. When talking to the staff there I did not feel comfortable and the most important thing when you arrive for an interview is that you feel the atmosphere of the company and if you get a negative vibe – then maybe it is not the place for you. Additionally, on many occasions, employers are looking for somebody that … stands out from the crowd. Everybody has a degree these days so employers are looking for that candidate that has gone the extra mile and tried out new things. I cannot stress enough the importance of this to graduates as the industry is becoming increasingly competitive and it is that edge and their personality that will get them the job. Life is one great learning curve and you are not expected to get it right first time. The most important thing is that you learn from your mistakes. So my message to students/graduates is never give up. There will be tears and days you feel hopeless but hold you head up high and you will get where you want to be. Stephanie Sheffrin, BA (Hons) Public Relations alumna

PART 03 - CV DESIGN Just follow these points to ensure your CV looks great:  Keep it simple i.e. no fancy text or fonts.  Don’t underline headings.  Avoid writing on both sides of the paper – it is more difficult to photocopy.  Creatively use white space i.e. don’t clutter the page with masses of text.  Write to the right length - two pages will be just fine.  Do not use coloured paper on your CV. It can look cheap and nasty since most office photocopiers print only in black and white. Also ensure if you use a colour font to highlight something ensure that it is legible if it is printed out in B&W.  Likewise stay clear of clipart – it can look tacky.

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PART 03 - CV DESIGN (contd) Adapted with kind permission from International Graduate website http://www.internationalgraduate.net/cv-graduate.doc

SAM BLOGGS Address: 100 Street Name Townville County SW0 0WW Tel: 01888 888888 Mobile: 07777 777777 Email: [email protected]

Career Statement Personal Statement/Career Aim – this is optional, but if you do include it, don’t waste space by writing anything generic. Keep it brief (three or four lines max). Tailor this section to the role and company you are applying to. (Don’t use flowery ‘spin’ English).

Education & Qualifications – the most recent first Date from – Date to

University Name Undergraduate Degree Title (Class)

Modules Studied (if relevant to the job application)

Module name + description of module Module name + brief description of module

Module name + brief description of module Module name + brief description of module

Module name + brief description of module Module name + brief description of module

Final Project/Dissertation: Include this if relevant to the job application Date from – Date to

Date from – Date to

School/College Name A Levels or equivalent:

Subject Subject Subject Subject

(A) (A) (A) (A)

School Name GCSEs or equivalent – subjects and grades optional

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PART 03 – CV DESIGN (contd) Work Experience – the most recent first Date from – Date to

Job Title Employer, Location • Duties, responsibilities, skills • Duties, responsibilities, skills

Date from – Date to

Job Title Employer, Location • Duties, responsibilities, skills • Duties, responsibilities, skills

Date from – Date to

Job Title Employer, Location • Duties, responsibilities, skills • Duties, responsibilities, skills

Professional Training Date from – Date to the course

Training course/professional exam, grade (if applicable)

Administrator of

Date from – Date to the course

Training course/professional exam, grade (if applicable)

Administrator of

Interests/Activities/Positions of Responsibility • • •

List of interests, leisure pursuits, sports etc. you are involved with outside of work and education. Also include any positions of responsibility (non-academic) at university/college/school. Include any volunteering work and/or involvement with the community.

Skills IT Proficiency

List computer applications and level of competency

Driving

Full Clean Licence

Languages

Any additional languages and level of proficiency

References Work Reference Name Job Title Name of Organisation Address Tel: +44 (0) Mobile: +44 (0) Email: Website:

University Reference Name Job Title Name of Faculty Name of University Tel: Mobile: Email: Website:

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PART 04 – ELECTRONIC & SCANNABLE CVs ELECTRONIC CVs Sending CVs by email is increasingly popular with employers. Guidelines  Check first, if possible, whether the CV should be sent in the main body of the email or as an attachment.  If sending a CV in the main body of the email, save as text only (i.e. without formatting).  Make sure you fill in the subject line of the email with a catchy heading e.g. “Motivated PR For Hire”  Remember to make the first screen interesting, so the employer wants to read on. Your covering letter could form the first part of the email. SCANNABLE CVs  Many employers are now electronically scanning CVs they receive in the post for full time jobs.  Employers use this scanning to see if the applicant has the appropriate skills and abilities for the job you are applying for by picking out the key words from the CV. Guidelines  Follow the employer's instructions.  Make good use of nouns e.g. names of modules studied.  Select key words from the job advertisement.  Keep it plain: do not use bullet points, bold or italics etc. in emails; use an 11 or 12 point sans-serif typeface, such as Arial or Tahoma; left align the text and don't use columns; use no more than two pages.

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PART 04 – ELECTRONIC & SCANNABLE CVs (contd)

FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN & TWITTER – A WARNING!






















Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are great social media networking tools. Just remember that anything and everything that you put on Twitter can be viewed by anyone around the world. So carefully set your security protocols on your Facebook entry. Recent stories, including one in The Times, suggest that “one in five employers is vetting potential recruits on Twitter, Facebook and similar websites. A graduate told me that an interview for a job application was withdrawn because the prospective employer viewed their Twitter and Facebook pages. I take the view – learnt from 46 years in journalism and PR - that ANY material sent from a laptop/PC desktop is NOT confidential whatever the privacy protocols say! Don’t post anything up on any site including You Tube, Facebook etc. that you would not want written about in a newspaper or broadcast publicly. I have seen graduates of ours use the ‘f’, ’c’ and ‘s’ words on Facebook and show revealing pictures about themselves on social networking sites. Explicit sexual information or photos of you looking inebriated could put you in a compromising situation and do your professional image a considerable amount of damage. It has been known for ‘friends’ to post potentially career damaging information, comments, photos on your blog, Facebook page etc. which could get you the sack or prevent you from being hired. So be aware of the consequences of what you write and ‘post’ on social media. If in doubt – ‘Google’ yourself, you will be able to see what employers see. If there is something you don’t like try to change it or get it removed before sending off you CV Adapted from text supplied by Stephanie Sheffrin, BA (Hons) Public Relations alumna

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PART 05 - COVERING LETTERS COVERING LETTERS SENT WITH CVs  Never address a letter to Dear Sir/Madam – it will go answered.  Always attach a covering letter even with an email application. Not to do so is stupid and your email will be deleted or, if a hard copy, thrown into a bin.


One page long.




No more than 5-6 paragraphs.




The first paragraph states your interest in the job.




The second paragraph summarises your background.




The third paragraph requests an interview.

 The covering letter should be targeted to the role you are applying for.  The covering letter is a PR and marketing tool and it should be clear about what you can provide and what is wanted in the role you are applying for.  The details about what the agency is looking for should give you a guide as to what is needed by them.  Remember to customise your CV for different agencies.  The two or three central paragraphs should highlight that you match the skills required for the agency job and that your practical experience is relevant. These paragraphs should really ‘grab’ the agency’s attention.  The final paragraph should look forward with confidence to the interview. You could say: “I look forward to meeting you soon”.  Close with ‘Yours sincerely’, sign your letter and type your name under your signature.  Never write a letter which begins, “I am writing to you to request an internship…” Just think about it from a prospective employer’s point of view. Why on earth should they take someone on just because you are studying on a PR course? Where is the sell-in? What’s in it for the agency? Nothing!

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PART 05 - COVERING LETTERS (contd)  Check the name and correct spelling of the company you are writing to.  Take the time and trouble to know the exact name of the person and the title of the person you are writing to and double-check the spelling of their name (e.g. there are two ways of spelling Ian or Iain or is it Stuart or Stewart and is Chris short for Christopher or Christine?).  Check this out with the person’s PA or secretary or colleague rather than the organisation’s switchboard who are usually the last to know about staff changes and current spellings of names. (That’s not a criticism of switchboards, but in my experience they are often the last to be given the most updated information).

Finally:  You need to find out who you are writing to. How would you like it if you were addressed as Mr/Mrs/Ms Student, (name of university), and then written to as Dear student. It doesn’t look very professional or personal to that individual. Does it?  Write to managing director or human resources director or executive in charge of recruitment by name. SUMMARY Ensure that your covering letter captures your:


Desire to work for their organisation.




Commitment to PR as a professional communications discipline.




Proficiency in turning your theoretical PR knowledge into practice.




Determination to be of value to the organisation.




Willingness to offer PR help in any way you can.




Ability to work as part of a team.

FINDING A PR JOB TIP Make it short, sweet and to the point. I believe that I missed out on many opportunities due to a lengthy covering letter. I have cut it down to 5/6 paragraphs max and tailored it for each application. Stephanie Sheffrin, BA (hons) Public Relations alumna

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PART 05 - COVERING LETTERS (contd) (Please DO NOT copy this sample letter. It’s to give you an idea of what you could say. You are after all on a PR course. You are supposed to be creative!) (Your postal address) (Contact daytime landline or mobile number (Note please ensure you have voicemail on your phone) (Email address)

(Date of letter) (Name of person you are writing to) (Job title) (Address of organisation) Dear Mr/Ms/Mrs ……….. I have recently completed a competitive pitch project with IKEA, the iconic furniture and furnishings brand where I am studying for a (name of degree) at (name of university). The team project I was involved in included conducting primary and secondary research into buyer behaviour. Our research helped in devising a communications strategy and key messages for the firm. We then put together measurable communications tactics to help build awareness of the company’s loyalty card scheme and increase spending by customers in the store. My work helped improve my oral and written communication skills to a professional standard as well as developing my analytical and strategic planning skills. It also gave me a unique insight into working in a multi-national team for a global company. I am focused on building a successful career in public relations. I believe that the fast paced, results-orientated environment within your agency will give me the challenge I thrive on. I am a strong relationship builder, resilient and motivated by success and feel I would gain much by doing an internship with your agency. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to read through my letter and CV. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours sincerely Signature (Full Name of Student typed)

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PART 05 - COVERING LETTERS (contd) Do 1. Think of your letter as a new business pitch to entice the agency into reading your CV. 2. Treat your letter like a college/work project which will be assessed. 3. Make sure the letter conveys your personality, not just what you've done. 4. Show you have vision. It's no longer good enough to show you meet the minimum requirements for the job, so show you are keen to give more than is asked for in the basic job description. It'll make you marketable. 5. Talk about what you do really well and what you're offering, making sure you give examples. Everyone wants the job, so focus on what you can contribute. 6. Make sure you have some experience to talk about, even if you're still a student. Talk about the skills you've gained e.g. working on the IKEA project i.e. whatever will distinquish you from other graduates applying for the job. 7. Use direct language, not clumsy, ‘flowery’ English and ensure your style and use of English grammar are up to professional standards. Always spell-check your letter and remember to use a dictionary. Do not rely on Microsoft Office spellchecker software – it is not invincible! 8. Make it clear what you want to happen next and be courteous and polite. Thank the employer for their time. Attach the letter to your CV and keep a copy of it, so you can call up and check its progress.

WRITING A COVERING LETTER TIP







My advice is to call the prospective employer first. It gives you an opportunity to: (a) Establish contact. (b) Highlight what you are looking for. (c) Demonstrates you could be of valuable use to them. (d) Write to your prospective short-term placement organisation along the lines of “Dear Caroline, It was a pleasure to speak to you about working for (name of company) …..” Why is this important? I for one take more notice of emails or letters from people I have had contact with, rather than those from faceless perpetrators of junk email I have never met, or spoken to. PR, after all, is a people business. Robert Minton-Taylor

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PART 06 - CORRESPONDING BY EMAIL If you are sending your CV as an email attachment – ensure first that the agency you are sending it to knows that you are sending an attachment. Otherwise it could be deleted. Some organisations have email systems set up to automatically delete attachments since they perceive them as potential viruses or ‘spam’ mail. Professional  Also ensure your email address is professional. I have come across hotmail addresses with crazychick, funboy, and missfun. It might impress your friends, but unless you want to set yourself up as ‘a lady or man of the night’ just imagine how unprofessional it looks when you are applying for a short-term placement. I suggest you use your full name in your email address. It says who you are and it will give you an opportunity to promote your name to the organisation to whom you applying for a job.  Better still, use your student university email address as it looks more professional than some Hotmail address.  Also remember that some Hotmail addresses are blocked by spam filtering software, because they are notorious for being used by individuals and organisations sending unsolicited emails. Subject Box  Any email arriving without anything in the subject box is likely to be deleted or never opened. Also be creative about what the wording for the subject box. Think in terms of a headline for a press release. Be concise  You could use your message within the email as your covering letter, but ensure it is concise and to the point. Contact details  It never ceases to amaze me how many emails I receive that do not include the sender’s contact telephone number – make sure you include one.  If you are asking someone to send you something, remember to include an address. I receive around 400 plus emails a week and of those 30% have no telephone contact details on them – crazy or what?

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PART 06 - CORRESPONDING BY EMAIL (contd) 1. Put the important points first "Make sure that you make your most important point first," says Fran Wilson, an adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). You have a few brief chances to make your point, so if you are applying for a position in marketing, state this in the first few sentences. You don't need to go into great detail about your education qualifications at this stage in the letter. 2. Make it concise and well structured Make sure your letter is short and snappy - ideally no longer than a page. "Many employers are busy and wouldn't get past the first few sentences so if your letter is more than one page, it's likely that it won't be read," says Fran Wilson. The letter should be around four or five paragraphs with each one focusing on a different aspect of your experience and qualifications. Match your skills and experience to the job. 3. Show knowledge As part of your research, you should be aware of the issues facing the industry and more importantly of any recent events connected to the company. Making reference to news about the company - for example, a recent business win or an acquisition - shows that you keep up with current affairs and have done your homework. 4. Don't forget your contact details Include all your contact details: phone, email and mobile. State your availability for interview and explain that you will contact the company to discuss your application.

PART 07 - SUCCEEDING AT INTERVIEWS SUCCEEDING AT INTERVIEWS  The key to a successful interview is preparation, preparation and preparation. Before you go to an interview do your homework by researching the agency on the web.  Check out who the agency’s clients are, then click on the ‘About Us’ column can tell you a lot about the organisation and in particular how it likes to portray itself to the world.  If there are any profiles of the executives working for the agency click into these too, especially if you know they are going to interview you. If they are not on the website, check if they are on LinkedIn.  Try and glean as much information as possible from the agency’s website about how they think as a firm, how they work with their clients, what they do for their clients.

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PART 07 - SUCCEEDING AT INTERVIEWS (contd)  Professional interviewers are trained to ask open questions like, “What do you enjoy about your course”, so present yourself as a benefits package i.e. use phases such as, “The experience I gained while working in a multicultural team to deliver a communications project for x project at (name of university) measurably helped develop my problem solving and strategic communications skills.” Preparing answers to the following 10 questions should get you through your interview with more confidence. 1. What do I know about the organisation? 2. What do I know about the job? 3. What do I know about the interviewer and the selection process? 4. What is my short response to “Tell me about you”? 5. What points are unique to me and support my application? 6. What achievements will the interviewer be most interested in? 7. What possible problem areas are there in my application and how can I put them across positively? 8. What would I like my referees to say about my experience and achievements? 9. What lasting impression do I want to leave with the agency? 10. Can I demonstrate enthusiasm for the internship on offer?  Write down on a card the five key points you want to make to your interviewer(s). Points that will demonstrate that you are just what they are looking for. Use the card as an aide memoire during the interview.  Try and get an opportunity to talk through a university client project which shows off your public relations skills.  Allow plenty of time to get to the interview, plan your journey, factor in possible traffic delays, train delays etc. It is better to arrive early, than turn-up late.

IT NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME




To be an effective PR practitioner you need to be aware of what is happening in the world. Countries like the UK are no longer ‘islands’, politically or culturally. Yet, it never ceases to amaze me how many students do not bother to read a daily paper, watch TV News or view current affairs blogs. PR involves what is going on around you. You cannot begin to understand what PR is about if you are not on top of current business trends. Robert Minton-Taylor

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PART 07 - SUCCEEDING AT INTERVIEWS (contd)

INTERVIEW TIPS Ensure that you: 1. Dress smartly & demurely, no plunging necklines or very short skirts. Men should wear a suit and tie. Women should not have over-the-top jewellery or make-up. 2. Body language says much more than words alone, so relax and be natural. Be courteous and charming. 3. Be positive - Shake hands firmly i.e. no limp or ‘wet’ handshakes please. Say “I’m pleased to meet you” or whatever comes naturally to you; 4. Then they ask you if you would like a drink always accept, even by just asking for water, otherwise you look meek (Stephanie Sheffrin, alumna) 5. Express your enthusiasm, but don’t be too effusive. 6. Highlight your work experience to date. 7. Express confidence, even if you feel very nervous, but don’t be arrogant. 8. Make eye contact with the interviewer(s) and remember to smile and be expressive in your conversation. 9. Nod occasionally when your interviewer is talking, as TV interviewers do – it demonstrates that you are listening. 10. Have at least three questions to ask to the interviewer(s) at the end of an interview and future opportunities/ job role/ expectations (Galia Reichenstein, alumna). 11. At the end, thank the interviewer(s) for their time and trouble in seeing you. 12. After the interview write a letter of thanks. Why? Because perceptions count in this business and courtesy demonstrates good manners. 13. Have their name(s) and contact details and give the lead interviewer a phone call afterwards to see how you got on. 14. Even if you have failed the interview, it’s worth asking why. You may not get a straight answer, but it could help you fine tune your interviewing technique.

Robert Minton-Taylor

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PART 08 – RECOMMENDED WEBSITES Some useful websites with advice on how to write a CV:  Your own university careers service no doubt has some excellent advice on “Writing a Good CV”. http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/studenthub/cv-written-applications.htm  The Guardian - gives up to date advice on how to get a job, help with your CV and covering letters, ideas on how to prepare for interviews.http://jobsadvice.guardian.co.uk/ But here are others:  Alec.co.uk – specifically geared towards undergraduates. http://www.alec.co.uk/cvtips/writstcv.htm  Graduate Jobs – a website dedicated to gradtate jobs which incudes advice and hints and tips on CVs http://www.graduate-jobs.com/gjs/graduate-cv-advice.jsp

PART 16 - RECOMMENDED BOOKS FURTHER READING – RECOMMENDED BOOKS  The following books on writing CVs, jobs and handling job interviews are recommended and/or were given good ratings by readers of www.amazon.co.uk.  The prices below have been checked at www.amazon.co.uk as at 08 May 2014 and are exclusive of postage and packing.

I am an enormous fan of the 'Brilliant’ series of books published by Prentice Hall The 'Brilliant’ series of books published by Prentice Hall are really excellent sources of information on all aspects of careers from writing your CV to how to handle yourself at a job interview and progressing your career. They are without exception clearly written, delightfully designed, offer great practical tips. Their advice is thoughtful and pertinent too. I can thoroughly recommend all the titles. While the books below are written for the general jobs market they are relevant to graduates who are setting out on the career ladder. You’ll find a lot of the advice these guides.

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PART 16 - RECOMMENDED BOOKS (contd) I trust the selection below will cover a variety of different styles and tastes. I suggest you browse these titles in good a bookshop e.g. Blackwell’s, Waterstones, or look under www.amazon.co.uk and do a search for the book. Amazon generally gives a publisher’s synopsis of the book and more often than not recommendations from reviews. If one was cynical one could say that some of the customers' recommendations come from people known to the authors, but nonetheless customers’ feedback is a useful guide on a book’s worth to you. My advice would be to check out the reviews of the recommended books on Amazon’s website www.amazon.co.uk and make your choice from there. Then check if you can buy the book from the Amazon Marketplace, where it may be cheaper. CV Guides  Brilliant CV: What Employers Want to See and How to Write it by Jim Bright and Joanne Earl, published by Prentice Hall (December 2010), £8.99 (A well written, eminently readable, and well-designed book. It’s also easy to ‘dip into’ for information). Interviews  Brilliant Interview by Ros Jay, published by Prentice Hall (November 2010), £6.99 (A very readable guide. It gives tips on what employers want to hear from you and how to say it concisely).  Brilliant Answers To Tough Interview Questions by Susan Hodgson, published by Prentice Hall (November 2010), £6.99 (Susan Hodgson who taught job-hunting skills and interview techniques as head of a university careers service). General Books About A Career in PR  How to get a job in PR by Sarah Stimson, published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 2013) £8.80 (Sarah Stimson is the Course Director of the Taylor Bennett Foundation ,a charity dedicated to improving diversity in the PR industry. She has placed people in jobs both in PR agencies and in-house communications teams). http://www.taylorbennettfoundation.org/  The Caterpillar Factory: Kick Start Your Career in the PR Business by Vyvyan Kinross, published by Matador Business (April 2013) £8.48. (Vyvyan Kinross has been in PR consultancy for 30 years. In 1987, he co-founded his own successful PR agency and grew it into a top 50 PR firm. http://www.linkedin.com/in/silverfox123  This Is How You Pitch: How To Kick Ass In Your First Years of PR by Ed Zitron, published by Sunflower Press (10 Sep 2013) £10.37 (I know nothing about Ed Zitron but, apart from a great name, he is the founder of EZPR, a New York-based media relations firm focusing on consumer tech start-ups. He has an interesting website at http://www.edzitron.com/index.html.

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APPENDIX I – THE INTERN CONUNDRUM Prospects Magazine – Winter 2014 edition To pay or not to pay: The intern conundrum In this article, Robert Minton-Taylor1, Senior Lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University, looks at the importance of paying student and graduate interns for the work that they do and uses evidence from a study conducted by final year undergraduates to explore some of the issues surrounding unpaid internships, using public relations as an example. It is claimed that graduate employers find that few graduates are ‘work ready’, with new recruits lacking basic attributes, such as teamwork, communication, punctuality and the ability to cope under pressure. To remedy this many higher education institutions promote internship programmes, as does Leeds Business School, part of Leeds Metropolitan University. However, internships on these programmes are often unpaid – is this a fair state of affairs? Of the 635 employers surveyed by YouGov2 for the launch of The Times 2014 Good University Guide3, just one in five said all or most of their graduate recruits were ready for employment and 17% said that none of their graduate recruits were prepared for work. Researchers said the survey “calls into question the effectiveness of the millions of

pounds universities are spending in augmenting degrees with programmes designed to equip their graduates with the workplace skills to make them an immediate asset to employers”. Getting our graduates ‘work ready’ At Leeds Metropolitan Business School we work with employers to provide students with practical experience in the ‘real world’ of work by getting them to solve ‘live’ corporate and social responsibility and sustainability issues using a broad scope of strategic public relations and marketing solutions. Students are also offered paid yearout internships with responsible employers, such as GE Aviation, Glaxo Smith Kline, John Lewis, NHS, Nike, O2 Telefónica, Panasonic Europe, Porsche, Sainsbury’s, Walt Disney, and Warner Bros who pay students a living wage4. 1

Robert Minton-Taylor is a Senior Lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University Business School with 46 years' experience in PR and journalism. He has held directorships in consulting firms and is a member of Council of the Public Relations Consultants Association 2 YouGov. (2013). YouGov / News UK results 130814 Good University Guide Students. Available: http://research.yougov.co.uk/documents/8322/ 3 Greg Hurst. (2013). High fliers hold the aces in placement poker. Available: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/gug/ 4 The London Living Wage is currently £8.80 per hour, outside London, it’s £7.20 an hour, reflecting lower costs of living, for the most part. A new living wage will be set in 2014 to reflect rising costs. Living Wage Foundation. (2014). What is the Living Wage. Available: http://www.livingwage.org.uk. Last accessed 30 January 2014.

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APPENDIX I – THE INTERN CONUNDRUM (contd) However, the question I am often asked by academics is: Should we insist that these internships are paid? While this is an important consideration for universities and academics making internships available to their students, there is a more pressing concern for students and graduates. The conundrum is that finding a job after graduation without work experience is incredibly difficult, but you can't get work experience unless you have a job. This puts pressure on students and graduates to take unpaid opportunities but not all can afford to work unpaid. Payment for interns The law on paying interns is murky. Legally, a person who is defined as a “worker” must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage. But this of course is not the same for volunteers who can volunteer for any kind of business, not just charities. As such, determining whether an intern is a worker or a volunteer can be tricky in law. If an intern does not have an employment contract, does not receive any financial reward for working and does not have to turn up on any particular day, then legally they are probably not a ‘worker’. However, if the intern is required to work set hours and complete certain tasks, they are likely to be considered a ‘worker’ and as such are entitled to at least the National Minimum Wage. Financial pressures There are two main driving forces behind the explosion in the number of internships in recent years, the recession and higher levels of unemployment. Many businesses need to save money on labour costs, but also need to attract young enthusiastic talent and so look to unpaid internships as a solution to their recruitment needs. Students and graduates are likely to consider an internship as a way to get a foot in the employment door, especially during a recession when jobs are not as accessible. However, they often feel obliged to take unpaid jobs because they are desperate to gain practical experience in their chosen profession. This state of affairs perpetuates the lack of diversity, particularly in the public relations professions, as the majority of graduates finding their way into these professions are from white middle class backgrounds. We need a greater ethnic diversity in our professions, but this will only come about when we pay interns a living wage.

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APPENDIX I – THE INTERN CONUNDRUM (contd) John Lehal, managing director, Insight Public Affairs said: “The dinner party circuit

which sees parents securing placements for their children or the free long term work placement has served some in our industry well, but the gifting of internships has excluded many talented people and in the long-term it will not deliver the diversity that is critical to our businesses. Those employers who expect students and graduates to work for free or below the National Minimum Wage5 deprive many young people of the opportunity to learn business skills and play a part in regenerating the economy because they cannot afford to work without pay”6. As Tanya Joseph, Director of Business Partnerships at Sport England added, “The question of diversity will be integral to the success or failure of the PR industry in the next five years. Only with a workforce that is truly representative of the nation will we be taken seriously” 7. Findings from the internship survey In December 2013, final year public relations (PR) undergraduate students at Leeds Metropolitan Business School conducted a study8 into internships, which included responses from employers, professional bodies and students. The key driver for the survey was a quote from The positive finding of the Leeds Business School survey was that 70% of employers interviewed agreed that, ‘students should be paid the minimum wage for internships’9. The same proportion of employers said they would ‘pay travel expenses and offer lunch expenses’ for students on short-term work placements10. At Leeds Metropolitan Business School we require our public relations students to undertake work with employers to build up a portfolio of work which is assessed throughout their degree. Distressingly, the study highlighted some of the more unethical practices of firms offering internships in PR. For example, a PR consultancy manager, who had blogged about the iniquity of ‘slave labour’, but in reality, paid interns nothing.

5

The minimum hourly wage is just £4.98 for workers aged 18-20, £3.68 for 16-17-year-olds. HMRC. (2014). The national minimum wage. Available: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk. Last accessed 30 January 2014http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/migrantworkers/nmw.htm 6 John Lehal, Chair, PRCA Access Commission. (2012). Maximising Opportunities: Broadening Access. Available: http://www.prca.org.ukLast accessed 30 January 2014. 7 PRCA. (30 January 2014). PRCA's newly-launched Diversity Network. Available: http://www.prca.org.uk/TanyaJosephandRobertPhillipstoheadupPRCAsnewlylaunchedDiversityNetwork. 8 Roberts, A., Sizer, L., Brannick, P., Nguyen, Q., Sanjawalia, J. (December 2013) “Internships” Leeds Business School. Available from Robert Minton-Taylor Email: [email protected] 9 Internships are generally considered to be continuous work placements of between a few months and a year 10 Short-term work placements sometimes called work experience last from between a day a week or one or two weeks of continuous employment

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APPENDIX I – THE INTERN CONUNDRUM (contd) As a former managing director of a PR agency myself, the business model that this consultancy uses, which depends on free labour and is happy to bill out students’ time to clients while paying them zero, is cynical not least hypocritical. Indeed, the agency may well be breaking their clients’ corporate and social responsibility (CSR) guidelines on employment. An organisation recently contacted me who said they help businesses to find interns free of charge through their online recruitment platform. The firm’s various websites include the logos of FTSE 100 companies. When I asked their founding partner what their policy is on pay for interns they said that they don’t get involved with the financial agreement between the intern and the company. To me, this is morally reprehensible, but it does raise the question as to who is responsible for deciding whether an intern is a ‘worker’ and should therefore be paid. Further support from the professional bodies Both the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) take a highly responsible line on internships. Francis Ingham, CEO of the PRCA, which represents most of the major PR consultancies in the UK and communications teams at Europe's leading corporations, said, “We want

all in-house PR teams to say they will only work with agencies that pay their interns. It's an issue of law and morality”. Phil Morgan, Director of Policy at the CIPR said, “We expect our members to follow best

practice guidelines and pay the National Minimum Wage or living wage no matter how short the period”. The ‘Minimum Standard’ We have deemed at Leeds Metropolitan Business School that ‘genuine’ unpaid work placements with a proper learning contract should last for no more than 20 full working days and the employer should be prepared to pay the student’s travel and subsistence. Year-out internships must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage and preferably a living wage. Both forms of work experience must come with a learning contact. Learning contracts should set out:


what the learning aims and objectives are of the internship




how the employer is going to meet the aims and objectives




what evidence the student will produce to demonstrate achievement of those aims and objectives

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APPENDIX I – THE INTERN CONUNDRUM (contd) The opportunity to be gained Universities have an opportunity to set the standard of corporate and socially responsible behaviour in regards to internships. We owe a duty of care to the young adults under our charge to change the landscape on how interns are viewed from one of a source of cheap labour to one that values them as individuals who can contribute to the success of industry and commerce. A PRCA executive left me with this thought and I will leave it with you:

“I wouldn’t expect my son and daughter to work in a fast food restaurant for nothing even if they are on a training programme, so why should I expect them to work for nothing doing an internship?” Author: Robert Minton-Taylor is a senior lecturer at Leeds Business School with 46 years' experience in PR and journalism. He has held directorships in international consulting firms and is currently on the Council of the Public Relations Consultants Association. His award winning work includes launching the world’s first concept green ship ES Orcelle for which the company he was working for was awarded the Thor Heyerdahl International Maritime Environmental Award from King Harald V of Norway.

The PR Internship Guide Contact: Robert Minton-Taylor Senior Lecturer Leeds Business School Tel: +44 (0)1535 634 634 E-mail: [email protected] Address Robert Minton-Taylor Senior Lecturer Leeds Business School The Rose Bowl 1 Portland Gate Leeds LS6 3HB United Kingdom 08 May 2014