Outstanding Small Consultancy
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How many PR professionals does it take to destroy a donkey pinata?
16th August 2010. Posted by Chris Lind. Trackback
Five, apparently. Plus one work placement girl and one sharp pair of scissors. And, as it turns out, a significant amount of what I can only assume is some serious repressed hatred of donkeys (‘Die, Donkey, Die!’ – Tara Tomes).
The donkey piñata (who we couldn’t quite bring ourselves to officially name) proved surprisingly resilient to almost half an hour’s worth of sustained and energetic whacking. Eventually, we were forced to adopt less conventional piñata destruction tactics, slicing open the poor chap’s underbelly and shaking him until he was empty.
We were victorious in the end. We have a tin brimming with sweeties sitting in the office, and the donkey piñata is sitting dejectedly in our recycling box. But breaking into a donkey piñata is, despite what the films might suggest, not as easy as you might think.
This I learnt during my four week placement with Rewired PR, which I won after entering the fantastic B-Hive scheme earlier this year. I did of course learn other things as well, which are probably much more pertinent for a career in PR. But the bit about the donkey piñata is probably the most entertaining to blog about.
As a very recent graduate from the University of Birmingham, I am in a prime position to deliver the groundbreaking news that trying to break into the job market is currently about as easy as trying to break into an apparently reinforced donkey piñata.
Many graduates are currently finding out the hard way that assailing the job market with hundreds of application forms can be as ineffectual as assailing a donkey piñata with a wooden stick. In times like these, making yourself an attractive potential employee requires initiative as well as perseverance. Or, metaphorically speaking, you need put aside the wooden stick and give the scissors a go.
I think the metaphor is now officially exhausted (it fell apart a lot quicker than the donkey piñata). So, I shall put it aside and finally get to the point. I am singing the praises of work placements, and of work placement schemes, as a means of marking yourself out from the job seeking crowd.
The placement here at Rewired PR has given me the opportunity to really find out first hand what life is like in a small PR company. What’s more, I’ve gained invaluable experience of the workplace, and have been able to get a good impression of the role which PR plays in the business world. During my time here, I’ve worked on a wide range of interesting projects, getting involved with work for several of Rewired’s clients from fashion events to community projects. I’ve had a chance to develop many of the key skills which lie at the core of PR work, such as writing press releases, putting together press lists and mailers, and of course all-important brainstorming.
Armed with all that I’ve learnt during my placement, I am now in a much more auspicious position to enter into the increasingly competitive graduate job market. Although I might see if Rewired will let me borrow the piñata stick. It may not have been much good against the donkey, but it might do the trick against any fellow PR wannabes who get in my way.
Comments
wait until it comes to changing a light bulb.
John James
17th August 2010