Guest post: How I got my first job in public relations

When I blogged last week suggesting that students blog to get ahead in public relations, Anne-Marie Bailey got in touch. She recently started a job after using social media to raise her profile while studying. Here’s her story in her own words. By Anne-Marie Bailey

It all started in January, when as part of my Master of Arts degree in Public Relations at the University of Sunderland, my classmates and I were set the task of creating and curating our own blog.

At that point I’d only completed half of my course, and to be honest, I really didn't feel confident talking about PR theory and practice on a very public platform. What if I said something completely wrong and made an absolute fool of myself in front of people who could potentially give me a job?

So, I decided I’d blog about what I did know; being a student on the brink of graduation, searching for my first job in the industry, and all the while sharing hints and tips I learned to successful job hunting along the way.

And so, Raising the Profile was born. Each week, I’d interview a PR professional about the kind of things they looked for in a potential employee and then post the information on my blog.

A day or two later, I’d host a Twitter chat with the PR professional using the hashtag #raisingtheprofile, giving other PR students and graduates the opportunity to ask their own career advice questions. The day after the Twitter chat, I’d publish another post summing up the lessons learned from the PR professional.

Within days of the first #raisingtheprofile, my Twitter following had more than doubled and people were starting to get in touch with me about the prospect of a job. Before long, I’d accepted the role of account executive at Manchester-based consumer agency, Smoking Gun PR – all before even finishing my course and graduating!

So how did I get my first job? Basically, I blogged my way in. But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s my boss’ side of the story.

Raising the Profile did what it said on the tin - it raised my own profile and got me where I am today. But my story doesn't end here. Just as blogging got my foot on the career ladder, I hope a bit more blogging will eventually help me climb it too.

About Anne-Marie Bailey After blogging her way into public relations, Anne-Marie now works as an account executive for Smoking Gun PR, working on national and international consumer accounts. Connect with Anne-Marie via Twitter @am_bailey.