Student PR’s Chris Clarke on getting a job in public relations
Posted by Joseph Thornley on October 4th, 2007
Chris Clarke joined Thornley Fallis straight out of school. He was the first person we hired primarily because of his experience in blogging. He’d begun his Student PR blog while studying public relations at London’s Fanshawe College. I subscribed to Chris’ blog and read his posts. Over time, I thought that Chris demonstrated passion for PR and a distinctive perspective and voice that would mesh well with Thornley Fallis’ exploration of social media.
Well, today is Chris’ last day at Thornley Fallis before he leaves us to join another firm that recruited him away from us. We sat down to chat about the highlights of his first PR work experience, what he learned and what advice he would offer to students who are thinking about a career in public relations. Some of Chris’ observations:
- On the job discovery: PR is a small community. Everyone in the business know one another. If you want to build a career in PR, get out from behind your desk and network. “It’s a nice, small tight-knit community, so the sooner you get to know people, the better off you’re going to be… Networking is one of those things that I picked up early on and hung on to because it’s so important to advance yourself professionally.”
- On the job lessons: “You’ve got to listen. Always listen. Write things down. Try to take on as much as you can. … you try a little bit of everything and you learn a lot.”
- Advice for students hoping to break into PR: “Start blogging. Get out there and get involved in the social media community and blog as much as you can.”
You can watch a five minute video of my interview with Chris Clarke here.
October 4th, 2007 » 1:54 pm
Great interview, and useful tips. Thanks guys, and good luck Chris.
October 4th, 2007 » 9:04 pm
Awesome. I’m so glad Joe didn’t have that video camera when I quit in 06.
October 5th, 2007 » 6:13 am
Great interview and great advice.
October 5th, 2007 » 12:25 pm
It’s a super clip, Chris (& Joe). We’ll be making sure our students are aware of the opportunity to hear another virtual quest speaker.
October 6th, 2007 » 10:29 am
Nicely done. I too am glad you didn’t have the camera when Dave Jones left.
October 15th, 2007 » 2:49 pm
I am blessed to have such a great pr program at my university. We are forced to learn the world of social media, but every day it is getting easier and easier as we learn the ropes. I am excited to get out in the job-hunting world and see how my knowledge in social media pays off. Thanks for the encouragement.
January 11th, 2008 » 4:11 pm
[...] the way up to the PR pros. I particularly recommend 5 ways not to get an entry-level job in PR and Reasons a Student Should Get Involved in Social Media from Chris Clarke and Joe Thornley. I may be a little bit bias towards the content on those posts, [...]
April 11th, 2008 » 9:04 am
[...] the way up to the PR pros. I particularly recommend 5 ways not to get an entry-level job in PR and Reasons a Student Should Get Involved in Social Media from Chris Clarke and Joe Thornley. I may be a little bit bias towards the content on those posts, [...]