We thought it was about time we put up some more interview advice, so we’re going to run a mini-series of posts on preparing for PR consultancy interviews. These will cover as much as possible from initial preparation at first stage, through to advise with interview skills and on to tips for handling presentations and final stage meetings, so keep checking back for more. While these tips use consultancy as the model, the tips can also easily be applied to an in-house situation.
In this first piece, we look at preparing for the first stage, having secured the new employer’s interest (and for CV tips to help you do that – have a look back at our previous posts).
The first interview with a potential new employer is generally some form of informal chat. This is the all-important first impression that you make in person. It’s therefore mostly about your persona and will determine if you get a second interview, which is usually (but not always) more competency based. So how to prepare?
The Three Golden Questions.
In any interview, you are likely to be asked a combination of the Three W’s – What? Why? Where? – and more than likely to have them asked twice – first in relation to the employer, and second in relation to your experience. Preparing for these should underpin all of your first stage preparation. Like all good PR, something that on the surface looks like a semi-casual chat actually has a lot of groundwork supporting it.
Regarding the employer:
- What – do you know about us?
This is where your background research comes in. You need to have read the recruiter’s notes thoroughly, had a good look around the agency website and have a good understanding of the clients and the work that the agency is doing for them. Research into recent press releases and PR Week articles will help with this. You should also have a grasp of the agency size and ideally, some information about the person or people interviewing you. - Why – do you want to work here?
You must have prepared an answer to this, its fundamental. Think about what the new employer can offer you in terms of career progression and expanding your experience. Think about your recruiter briefing and the way the company was presented to you. Maybe it’s a bigger agency with larger international clients and a well designed training and development programme. Maybe it’s a smaller agency that offers a closely knit team and very tangible connection to accounts where your input shows direct results. Have a good think about an answer that presents you in the best light and shows that this role will help you progress in important ways. - Where – do you see yourself in five years?
Yes, that old chestnut. It’s a question that really asks if you have some kind of a plan, or at least a grasp of where you are heading. You might want to talk about heading up a team and passing on what you have learnt to others, or you might want to talk about progressing to a ‘global’ level role and gaining a reputation for providing sound senior counsel.
Clearly, the above questions are simply assessing that you have reasoned out why you want to move jobs and why this employer is the best option for you – that your understand why you are there in front of them and it’s a positive decision on your part. Any uncertainty will come through immediately.
Regarding your experience:
- What – have you been working on?
- Why – did you do it in that way?
- Where – did you gain coverage, hold events etc?
As you can see, the Three W’s can be applied to pretty much everything. ‘Where’ is sometimes changed to ‘How’, but the principles are the same. Be prepared to talk through your clients and campaigns. Think about them as mini case studies and run through the initial planning, activities and outcomes. Try to make them a relevant as possible to the new job on offer. Try to get the balance of describing them fully, while making sure not to ramble on. Think about how you’d media train a senior executive from one of your clients for interviews and then apply that to yourself. Also, remember to describe what you have contributed, not just ‘we’ – as in your team. This is also a good time to introduce some work examples if you’ve brought them along. It may sound old fashioned, but generally three to six pieces of your very best work will support your case and shows some preparation.
Preparation is everything. Candidates that leave it to the last moment or think they can wing it at the interview rarely do well. Your ability to appear calm, collected and well researched shows that you are serious about this job opportunity. No gum chewing, swearing or playing with mobiles allowed. This is your sales pitch – you are the product they are buying into.
Our next post will be five top tips tips to ensure your full preparation, so keep ‘em peeled…
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