Getting My Foot in the Door

– Public Relations and Communications

Breaking the cycle of no experience, no job

By Mimi Saville
May 2019

Getting a job in any industry presents challenges at all stages of your life and career, but when you are just starting on the employment ladder and have no direct (or indirect) experience of a particular area, your chance of getting an interview is slim.

Most jobs expect even young applicants to have at least one years’ relevant experience under their belt, with some jobs requiring a significantly wider range of experience for entry level roles.

If you have a degree or qualifications in a subject relevant to that industry, but no actual work experience, the chances are that you will be considered for the job due to your academic record, especially if the role is a junior or entry level position.

If you don’t have a relevant degree or qualifications – or any degree or qualifications – getting your foot in the door to get that necessary experience can be incredibly difficult and the circle of ‘no experience, no job; no job, no experience’ becomes hard to break.

When I finished university three years ago, I started looking for jobs with the intention of finding a career that I would enjoy and in which I could excel. Public Relations and Communications stood out to me as an area that would suit me both professionally and personally. However, I did not have a directly relevant degree, nor did I have any previous work experience in PR & Comms.

Although a lot of work experience roles were available in London, London was just not the right fit for me (personally or financially). So, I decided to start contacting local PR agencies as well as in house PR teams in local companies to simply figure out what PR jobs involved, and what the people in those teams did to get to their position.

I spoke to about 15 different teams in various areas of PR & Comms and met one team in person when they invited me to their office to chat and show me around. After a few different conversations with the director of that PR & Comms company – Minerva Communications UK – I was offered the chance to join the team for three months of work experience.

Almost three years later, my three months’ work experience has turned into a permanent job role. I am now an experienced Account Manager specialising in Online and Social Media communications. I have progressed my career with training and experience both ‘on the job’ and through specialist workshops and training events. I have had many opportunities to learn and expand my knowledge base and have worked with clients and partners across the UK, Europe and the world.

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