Getting a Job in PR: Be the person agencies want to hire in modern stategic comms

You can spend hours polishing a CV and cover letter, only to send the application and hear nothing.The problem may not be that your application is badly written. It may be that it could have been sent to almost any employer with only the company name changed.In this episode, Richard draws together advice from agency leaders Amanda Proscia (LightSpeedPR), Ben Jacobson (InboundJunction) and Komal Lath (Tute Consult) to explore one of the biggest mistakes people make when applying for PR and communications jobs: describing themselves without showing that they understand the organisation receiving the application.You will hear why basic employer research matters, how a thoughtful question can reveal the way you think, and how one small piece of relevant proof can make your potential easier for an employer to recognise.This is not about gimmicks, clever wording or pretending to know more than you do. It is about treating your application as a real piece of communication, written for a particular audience.For more information about the podcast, the live research project and the six-week programme, visit GettingAJobInPR.com.

People are hitting “apply” 200, 300, 500 times… then getting rejected by an AI system in minutes, sometimes in the middle of the night. No human. No feedback. Just silence.In this episode of Getting a Job in PR, I’m joined by Andrew Healy from Water And Wall (a New York agency founder) to talk about what actually cuts through now, and what agency leaders notice immediately.This is not “job hacks”. It’s the stuff that gets you seen by a real person, and the behaviours that make someone worth hiring in the first year.Practical takeaways you can use straight away:A “sniper” approach to job hunting that bypasses the AI slop, and why it works better than mass applyingThe simplest way to personalise a message so it doesn’t look copied, pasted, or AI-writtenWhat agencies are really hiring for when you’ve got little experience (hint: it’s not technical PR skills)The fastest way to build real-world credibility before you get hired, even without an internshipIf you’re trying to get your first PR / communications / strategic comms role, this episode will save you a lot of wasted effort and a fair amount of misery.GUESTAndrew Healy - Water and WallLOCATION: New York, USAWEB: waterandwall.comNEW TO PR?- Check out the new podcast 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.comCONNECT WITH ME- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-midson/- Website - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/- 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.comFUTURE GUESTS- Check out: https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/be-a-guest/

Let's look at getting in-house PR and Strategic Comms roles.In this episode of Getting a Job in PR, Richard speaks with Edeje Onwude, Director of Groups and Communities at the International Association of Business Communicators, about what actually makes someone valuable inside an organisation in their first year.It is not about doing what you are asked, it is not about writing better press releases, it is about understanding business objectives, earning trust with senior leaders, and avoiding the trap that quietly derails a lot of early PR careers.If you are job hunting in PR, thinking about internal communications, or already in your first in-house role and wondering why it feels confusing or overwhelming, this will give you a clearer path.You will hear:Why “being the helpful comms person” can damage your career if you do not link your work to business outcomesHow to approach mentors and industry leaders so they actually reply and remember youHow to speak to the C suite using data, insight and action rather than opinionWhat in-house PR and internal communications really expect from entry-level professionalsEdeje shares what she sees through IABC partnerships with the London School of Communications and what organisations actually need from new PR hires. The conversation also covers hidden job opportunities, why community matters in job hunting, and how to move from sending messages to influencing decisions.If you want to get a PR job and succeed in your first year, this episode will help you think differently about what “value” really means.GUESTEdeje Onwude - IABCLOCATION: High Wycombe, United KingdomWeb: www.iabc.comNEW TO PR?- Check out the new podcast 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.comCONNECT WITH ME- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-midson/- Website - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/- 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.comFUTURE GUESTS- Check out: https://gettingajobinpr.com/get-involved/

This episode isn’t about polishing your CV or saying the right things in interviews.It’s about how experienced people in PR quietly work out whether you’re already doing the job in your head when they decide whether to recruit you.In this conversation, Richard speaks with Ben Jacobson from InboundJunction.com about what actually stands out when someone is trying to break into PR or strategic communications. It's not confidence, not buzzwords, not enthusiasm on its own he says.What comes through instead is something harder to fake and rarely talked about: depth of thinking, where your attention goes, and how you make sense of complexity before anyone asks you to.The discussion moves through real examples, including why a cold outreach message can impress when done right, how curiosity shows up in practice, and why some junior hires gain trust quickly while others stall, even with good skills.This is for anyone trying to get into PR, or anyone already inside the industry who wants to understand how potential is really spotted.Practical takeaways• Why strong outreach isn’t about asking for a job, but showing how you think• What “curiosity” actually looks like in real PR work, beyond surface interest• How reducing friction for others quietly accelerates trust and responsibility• Why early career progress is often about attention and judgement, not tools or processIf you’re trying to get hired, this episode helps you see the game more clearly.GUESTBen Jacobson, Chief Content officerLOCATION: Tel Aviv, IsraelWEB: inboundjunction.comNEW TO PR?- Check out the new podcast 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.comSUBSCRIBE- Video and Audio links here - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/listen/Or search for "The Public Relations Podcast" on all good podcast appsCONNECT WITH ME- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-midson/- Website - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/- 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.comFUTURE GUESTS- Check out: https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/be-a-guest/

Most PR job hunting advice focuses on CVs and interview answers. This episode is about what actually makes you useful once you get hired. Too many people get in the door and then get let go. So how do you survive?Richard speaks with Seth Linden from Dukas Linden PR in New York, and starts by asking what Seth would do differently if he were starting again.There are plenty of ideas in this episode, but one big theme keeps coming back. If you understand how a business works and why a business needs marketing, not at a surface level but in a clear, model-driven way, you will have a huge head start. You will be able to communicate clearly in real rooms with real clients and real C-suite leaders. That skill makes you valuable fast, even as AI speeds up research and drafting.This is a practical listen if you are applying for PR roles, switching from journalism into PR, or trying to stand out in a crowded graduate market.Practical takeaways- Learn basic business literacy so you can talk about how money moves, not just messaging or marketing- Build your voice early through public speaking, theatre, or any environment that forces you to perform under pressure- Read outside your bubble so you can handle clients and journalists with different views- Use AI for speed, then prove value by checking accuracy and adding human judgement and creativityGUEST: Seth Linden, Dukas Linden PRLOCATION: New York, USAWEB: dlpr.comLINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dukas-public-relations/NEW TO PR?Check out the new podcast Getting A Job In PR: https://gettingajobinpr.comSUBSCRIBEVideo and audio links: https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/listen/Or search for The Public Relations Podcast in your podcast appCONNECT WITH MELinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-midson/Website: https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/Getting A Job In PR: https://gettingajobinpr.comFUTURE GUESTSApply here: https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/be-a-guest/

Most advice about getting into PR stops at the interview. But the next test is what happens when you get through the door.In this episode of Getting a Job in PR, I speak to Komal Lath from Tute Consult about what people who hire PR and comms staff want to see in the first six months. Komal shares honest stories from her own career and from hiring and managing teams across agency and strategic comms roles. She talks about early mistakes, learning while working in the background, why some people get backed quickly while others stall, and how value is really judged long before promotions or praise show up.This episode is for anyone starting out in PR who wants to survive the first year, avoid common missteps, and quietly build a reputation as someone worth investing in.GUESTKomal LathLOCATION: Mumbai, IndiaWeb: www.tute.co.inNEW TO PR?- Check out the new podcast 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.comSUBSCRIBE- Video and Audio links here - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/listen/Or search for "The Public Relations Podcast" on all good podcast appsCONNECT WITH ME- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-midson/- Website - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/- 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.comFUTURE GUESTS- Check out: https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/be-a-guest/

If you have been stressing about your lack of experience, this episode will calm you down fast.In this interview, Amanda Proscia from Lightspeed PR explains why enthusiasm and curiosity often beat experience when she is hiring, and how she spots both within minutes. She also shares which personality types struggle most in PR, what makes someone stand out on a CV, and why some juniors last only a few months.This is the real hiring criteria from someone running a global remote agency team, not guesswork or theory. If you want to understand how to get noticed, survive the pace, and actually be useful in your first year, start here.You’ll get:• The hiring signal that matters most• How to work out if you are better suited to agency life or in-house comms• What juniors can do on day one that instantly makes them useful• How to use AI in a way that helps you rather than exposes youPerfect for anyone applying for PR roles, planning an internship, or trying to work out whether this industry is the right fit for them.GUESTAMANDA PROSCIA - lightspeedpr.comLOCATION: New Jersey, USASUBSCRIBE- 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.comCONNECT WITH ME- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-midson/- Website - https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/- 'Getting A Job In PR' - https://gettingajobinpr.comFUTURE GUESTS- Check out: https://thepublicrelationspodcast.com/be-a-guest/

Public relations and comms face a problem today.Job seekers are confused about what employers actually want, while employers often tell us they need creativity, responsibility, etc., but then admit they don't quite know what those words will mean in the next few years. Because, of course, AI is changing everything. For one, the number of junior roles is falling.In the past, agencies could afford to bring in juniors, spend time and money training them in return for doing some of the simpler work. But AI is changing that. Today, it's not a question of whether I can find someone good enough to join us; it's a question of how I find top talent who can bring real new skills and value to my company from day one.So this podcast is for both sides of that equation.FOR AGENCIES: We discuss recruitment today. Who's getting hired, why, what works and what doesn't.FOR JOB SEEKERS: We're trying to identify the real talent amongst you and then not only help you understand what's needed, but to nurture you and encourage the best of you to stand up and get noticed.So, Getting a Job in PR is a podcast, but more importantly, an increasingly live experiment with a simple goal: To find what the industry actually needs today and to encourage the people who match that to stand up above the noise.So....If you are a job seeker: Check out our monthly webinar on the website at GettingAjobInPR.com. That's a roundup of the latest findings from our industry research. Then listen to the shows to hear what agencies themselves from around the world are telling you. If you are an agency: Come on the show and tell us what you wish newcomers had, so they know when they are ready to apply and when they should keep building their skills.To quote that famous movie, we want to help the best of the best of today's new comms talent connect with an industry looking for the best. Welcome then to Getting a Job in PR. Enjoy the episodes and reach out as soon as you are ready.