Following my recent lecture at Leeds Met I promised to help people make their first moves in to the hugely competitive PR jobs market.

Over the course of the next few weeks I’ll do a few posts on topics such as handling interviews, writing CVs and what to expect from your first few weeks and months in a job.

We often receive speculative approaches from both students and those already in work - and so I’ve seen examples of how - as well as how not - to do it. Here are my top five ways of ensuring yours stands out from the rest.

1) Research, research, research. The way to a new employer’s heart is to show them that you care about them and have taken time to learn as much as you can. Knowing why you want to join a team before you send in an application means that you become more focused as well - rather than adopting a spray and pray approach. (NB this remains valid for your PR career as well - research journalists before sending a media approach and tailor it to their needs). Call the company beforehand to ask them who the best contact is for speculative approaches so that you don’t waste time by sending it to the wrong person.

2) Keep it short and sweet. The people you are approaching will doubtless have several other priorities the day your letter or email arrives and they will not spend time reading War and Peace. Pick out three key areas that demonstrate how you understand the company and that ‘sell’ your achievements and personality.

3) Feel free to be creative. This is a fail-safe way to make your approach stand out from the crowd - but target it well: coloured paper, pictures and scented envelopes might make some people cringe, however if you’ve done your research and think your prospective employers will appreciate it then go wild. I once wrote a letter like a press release - demonstrating my writing ability as well as showing that I was prepared to do things a little differently to get noticed (both key skills that will serve you well in your career). I got the job by the way!

4) Demonstrate your proven success. Even if you don’t have specific job experience show that you work well in a team, understand the industry and have the commitment to succeed. Ensure your personality shines through and that you’ve tailored your experience to the specialisms of the company.

5) Follow it up. Call the recipient of your letter after a couple of days to get some feedback from them on your approach and also if they would like any additional information (or hopefully an interview). This might seem a little scary at first but it shows your potential employer that you’ve got both the confidence and the nous that they’ll doubtless be looking for.

The key to any job approach is that it’s as much about you wanting the position as it is about the company wanting you. Use your time wisely to find out where you want to work and what you want from your career - look for long enough and you’re bound to find the right job for you.

What I’ve not said is make sure your English is perfect - spelling, grammar (particularly apostrophe errors for pedants like me) and inappropriate language will mean yours will be the first in the rubbish bin.

Best of luck!