Recognition PR - three months in

As a recent graduate, I have secured my first ‘real’ job at one of the best PR firms in the North of England (definitely not biased!). I say real, as I have had other jobs before of course, but nothing that I have felt was something I could really make a career out of - until now. 

I spent four years at the University of Huddersfield studying Fashion Communication & Promotion, yes, a bit of a niche degree but I did learn a lot about marketing and promotion - or so I thought. It is astounding quite how little University prepares you for such a fast-paced working environment.

Now, of course, I cherish the time I spent at University and am very thankful to those who helped me achieve a degree I am proud of. However, it quickly became clear to me that the best way to learn and develop the necessary skills is not in the classroom but in the workplace.

I started my time at Recognition on a two-week internship. Much to my delight it resulted in a job, marking the start of my Public Relations career. The whole team were very welcoming and I was quickly able to see why the firm had such a great reputation and such a large and diverse client list.

Simply from observing the experienced team and seeing how a busy and demanding press office is managed has been a huge learning experience in itself.  As said before, it cannot be taught from a lecture theatre, meaning if you too are pursuing a career in PR or marketing, real life experience is a must.

Very quickly I was able to get stuck in myself, getting thrown in at the deep end so to speak, from social media, press releases, photo bookings and much more I was able to get a taste for the varied work load in the Recognition office. Following my successful internship I was offered a part-time role as Admin Assistant. Although administrative duties are not something I have much experience in, with training, I was able to pick up the necessary skills fairly quickly.

The more obvious learning curve I have come up against in the last couple of months is realising in the world of PR, confidence is key. Whether that be in your ideas, your work or your overall ability, this is something I have to admit I am still working on.

I am sure many graduates will agree leaving full-time education for the first time can be a difficult adjustment at times. Nevertheless, I have to admit I am yet to miss it, or yearn to return to those all nighters in the library the day before a deadline. I believe this is mainly because my time at Recognition has been just as, if not more, educational than my time at University.

Overall, I must say the best part of my role so far is knowing that there is a lot of scope to grow within the company and being able to learn from those much more experienced than myself. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time so far at Recognition, long may it continue...