Case studies : PR account manager: Hannah

Hannah graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 2005 with a degree in English studies. She now works as a PR account manager for the Central Office of Information (COI).

After completing my English degree I decided I wanted to work in PR and began to pursue options in that area. It’s a very competitive industry but I was lucky to get a position temping in a PR company, which then led on to getting a permanent job.

After working for a while in one company, I decided to start freelancing early last year. This allowed me to get my foot in the door at the Central Office of Information (COI) and meant that when a permanent position as PR account manager came up, they asked me to apply for the job. I wouldn’t have had this opportunity, however, had I not had five years' PR and marketing experience from various in-house and full-service consultancy roles.

I also think my degree helped me to get jobs in PR as I gained some valuable skills while studying, especially during the creative writing element of the course. Journalism exercises allowed me to develop writing skills that have been useful when writing press releases in my current job. The general communication skills that I developed throughout the course have also been extremely helpful in my job.

I also have a Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Diploma in Marketing, which I studied for while working. This is valued by a lot of employers in the PR and marketing field and so I think it also contributed to securing my current role. 

I work in the news and PR department at COI and it’s always busy and varied. I could be working on a number of projects at any one time and will carry out different tasks each day. Typical activities can include organising and attending press calls, designing media campaigns, identifying opportunities to promote national government campaigns in the West Midlands region, writing press releases and liaising with clients and journalists.

I really enjoy the variety that is involved in my job as no two days are ever the same. This keeps it interesting and means I’m always motivated. There is plenty of job satisfaction in what I do as there is always the opportunity to be creative. I also like building a rapport with my clients and work colleagues.
 
The challenging part of my job is trying to juggle several large projects for different clients all at once. However, I get a good sense of achievement when they’re successfully completed.

PR is a very competitive field to get into and so I think perseverance is key for anyone who wants to get a job in this area. For anyone who’s struggling to get in I’d recommend doing a few weeks' work experience. This will look good on your CV and may provide you with some useful contacts.