Public Relations Work Experience
Parker, Wayne & Kent works primarily in the business and technology
sectors, although our client base is very diverse, including clients offering
consumer products, education and recruitment.
We receive hundreds of applications every year for work
experience placements. We do not take everybody, not just
because we can't, but because we do have some conditions on who
we take.
We offer two week long work experience placements throughout the
year, hence we can be quite flexible.
People who have undertaken work experience with us are
considered first when we have an entry level role available.
Our work experience placements are learning opportunities that help candidates gain entry level roles in the public relations sector. There is a mixture of coaching and activity. Feedback from candidates is very positive and suggests that time spent with us has been instrumental in gaining a
PR job.
Unlike some placements we don't want people to learn how the photocopier works, how to make tea or how to chat to friends on Facebook. Those that undertake work experience with us participate as an active member of the team and will learn about public relations through their experience.
You will be involved in constructive activity, the results of which
add real value to your CV. Typical tasks include news writing, idea generation, media monitoring, searching for media opportunities and media and journalist research.
The mix of activities depends on what's going on in the office at the time you're here. You will be encouraged to build a portfolio to show prospective employers.
That said, we do have some conditions that limit who we take on for work experience:
1) Our work experience placements are unpaid volunteer positions and no expenses are paid. However we invest a lot of time in the people who are successful in gaining a place with us. It's important that applicants are aware that they are not "doing us a favour" by joining our team for work experience. We
respect them for the time they're putting in to learning about
PR, and we expect them to respect the time we put into teaching
them about the industry.
2) We are only interested in offering work experience placements to people who are focused on, and have properly researched, a career in PR.
Our work experience placements are offered to people that want
to gain experience in the sector prior to getting a job, or to confirm
whether a role in PR is right for them. They are not offered to
people who want to find out if it is a role that's right
for them. If you think you would rather work in another sector,
please don't apply to us.
3) Summer is the most competitive time to gain a placement. Also
at this time of year, we give priority to recent graduates as
they are looking for permanent roles immediately, hence their
need to gain experience is more pressing. However, do not be
dissuaded from applying for a place if you are not a graduate
for this time of year, as there may be some weeks where we
may have availability.
4) We will not take final year students during the academic year
as we would rather they prioritise their degree and undertake
work experience after their finals.
5) Any applicants must have secured a place to stay in London for the time that they will be with us. Long commutes from out of town really aren't conducive to a good work experience.
6) Whilst we recommend that people who undertake work experience with us put this on their CV, unfortunately we cannot offer an employment reference. These are reserved for paid employees.
7) When you write to us, include your CV.
Although the above is quite serious, we like to keep a fun and relatively informal atmosphere in our office. We want people who join us to be confident to express their ideas and to contribute to office discussions. It's important to speak up.
There's no dress code, although we do expect everyone to make the effort to dress smartly when meeting clients or attending events, as a mark of
respect to those we meet.
Finally, if u rite lik dis – DO NOT APPLY.
To apply for work experience with us, please send a covering
email with your CV to: entrylevel@pwkrecruit.com
(Do not apply by post.)
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