Guest blog: Six months in the life of a foreign PR job hunter – Andra Miclaus

As a PR graduate in Romania, with some experience in event management whilst a student, I moved in the UK a couple of years ago knowing that landing a job in PR would be a mission. Fresh out the plane, I got a job in customer services offering advice on several Government green initiatives. I learnt all the bells and whistles about solar energy and ground source heat pumps. Within six months of my employment, I was the first on the list to had exceeded all targets therefore, I was asked to apply for the team leader vacancy made available. I lost in favour of my colleague who had been with the company for several years, but I was promoted to floor supervisor to provide support with complaints and complex queries. Both my written and verbal communication skills have improved tremendously during the time with the company, I have made some friends for life, enjoyed a lovely work environment and fantastic management.

Having to move from London down to East Sussex, I currently commute to Brighton where I work as a compliance officer. Six months ago, I started to feel as, due to circumstances, I was slowly drifting away from achieving my ultimate goal, a career in communications. With no hands-on experience under my belt I decided to develop my research and writing skills through a personal blog. I consider myself a mover and a shaker so I thought creating Take a minute blog, a place where people are encouraged to improve themselves, would be a great idea. Without any IT experience or web design, I`ve managed to create and maintain my own website from scratch.

Further, I decided to volunteer in order to get a real sense of working for a client in the UK. Eastbourne Boxing Club were looking for someone to help with the usual volunteer chores, painting and such, but knowing there was no harm in asking questions, they eventually accepted me to provide support with digital marketing, web redesign, SEO and events. I sense a particular interest in the creative part of the job such as visual content, managing the club`s social media accounts, concept creation, audience targeting, ROI as a consequence of social media engagement and design of promotional materials for events.

My client was kind enough to recommend me to other community clubs in East Sussex who needed help with logos and promotional material design which gives me flexibility to apply for internships in PR or work experience, paid or not.

I am a strong believer that the hardest skill to prove is reliability as it can only be earned over a period of time based upon dedication and constant support. I feel a great sense of achievement in the relationship and trust I`ve developed with the club. This helped me further to improve my networking skills in person and online and develop relationships with other professionals from various sectors and backgrounds.

Currently, working full-time, volunteering, blogging and helping businesses have helped me improve my time management. Six months ago I was scared and confused. Today I am confident to write, my social media presence and communication skills have improved and I have a rewarding relationship with a client. I am confident that I can transfer my experience within an agency and successfully kick-start my career in PR.

You can read more from Andra on her blog or find her on Twitter.