Your first week at a PR agency is going to be a whirlwind, meeting a lot of new people, both colleagues and clients. You will then be thrown right into the deep end to see how you perform under pressure.
At a PR agency, there is usually more than enough work to go around, so don’t expect an easy first month to find your feet. Let’s take a look at what you can do in your first week to ensure that you set yourself up for long term success at your new career in PR.
1. Watch and learn
Every PR agency works at a very fast pace. As a result of this, the work is usually done in a very efficient manner as speed is just as important as accuracy. By paying close attention to how people are behaving and how they get their work completed to such tight deadlines, you can benefit from years of trial and error to find the hacks they discovered to get the job done.
2. Ask all the questions you have
If you don’t ask every question you have about the work now, you will regret it later. There is a small window when you are new that you should feel comfortable asking basic questions on processes or the client’s needs. If you leave it too long, you may find that you come off as uninformed or not a “go getter”. Learning as much as you can from your colleagues as soon as you walk into the building is very important.
3. Say goodbye to your evenings/weekends
At least for a while. You’re going to want to make the best first impression as possible. By going the extra mile in your first couple of weeks you will be establishing yourself as someone who is willing to put the hours in to get the job done. Don’t be too shocked if you have to put extra time in on weekends every now and again.
4. Get to know everyone in the office
PR agencies are very social places, you should make a point of introducing yourself to as many people as possible. You never know when you’re going to need a special favour from the creative department or the inside scoop on a client from the media team.
By making connections from every possible department both agency and client side, you’re giving yourself some much needed back up. Also, this sort of networking can be very useful later on in your career. Always having someone to talk to at work parties is another bonus.
5. Learn to adapt
You’re going to have to be flexible and get ready for anything. In PR, you will not be able to plan your workload as it will come to you thick and fast, sometimes with the dreaded “please complete by EOD” request thrown in there. This may seem overwhelming, but you will be able to adapt your workstyle to manage this.
Many even like that they’re not always stuck in a routine and get to touch on many projects and clients. Having a heavy workload as someone new to the PR world is a good thing and will give you plenty of skills and experience to draw on in your future career.
6. Stay positive
With the high stress environment, it can be easy for people to fall into the trap of getting fed up with the client and all of the work you are asked to do. If you can rise above this and be positive about your work and the client, this will be noticed and your attitude will mark you as someone with great potential.
