Yesterday’s Pre-budget report has been the subject of intense media speculation about what it may contain - and funnily enough, when Alistair Darling opened his red box surprises were hard to find.

The Chancellor’s PBR had been comprehensively leaked before the Parliamentary statement this afternoon - unlike any other budget before. But what did the government stand to gain?

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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.

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Among them were some familiar faces who have or are about to undertake work placements with us and it was a refreshing chance to share the knowledge I have on the different roles that students can expect to be carrying out once they graduate.

I promised a series of blogs over the coming weeks to follow up my lecture and will make the first one later this week reiterating the varying PR career paths open to people. I will also offer some advice on completing CVs, covering letters and tailoring your applications to ensure yours is picked up by potential employers.

In the meantime, thanks to those that gave up their free Monday evening to listen to me and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. For those of you who weren’t there then there will be a video to view on the internet shortly.

How uplifting it is to read positive success stories in the Yorkshire Post’s special supplement recognising the achievements of the region’s vibrant PR and advertising companies.

Our client ICM Creative Communications is showing above average growth in an industry in which fees increased on average at 9.8 in 2008 compared with an 8.5 hike in 2007. Quest PR, which will have grown by 25 per cent by our year this December, featured prominently in the supplement with the below article.

From the Yorkshire Post:

Quest PR: An ethos of success

Since launching Quest Public Relations in 2001, MD Sharon Cain, a former Sky TV and BBC reporter, has built a business with an enviable reputation.

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So the two latest casualties of the trial by media culture we have are Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand. Depending on your take on the issue it’s likely you care little or not at all for the welfare of these highly-paid media stars but that misses the point.

Many commentators (nods to Borkowski and Will Sturgeon) have already shared their thoughts on the issue and my own rather flippant opinion has been given short shrift both on Facebook and Twitter (nod here to Anne Wollenberg).

To me there are several things at play here: a media hungry for alternative stories to the credit crunch endlessly being played out before our eyes, a rather antipathetic feeling towards Brand and Ross and the hyping up of the chattering classes who view anything mildly tasteless as hugely offensive. Essentially, a recipe for a media storm in a teacup.

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Wednesday’s This Morning appearance by former Atomic Kitten-cum ubiquitous reality star Kerry Katona left many people concerned for her health and state of mind. Watching the clip on Youtube raises serious doubts about whether she should even have appeared - indeed my posting of it on Facebook lead to a slew of comments, many sympathetic to Katona’s cause (nod to Sally Whittle here).What struck me as a PR is the reaction of her publicist Max Clifford. Speaking on the BBC he denied any knowledge of the interview prior to it airing and said that if any of ‘his girls in the office’ had known about it, he wouldn’t have let her go on.

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Earlier this week I had the opportunity to speak to second-year PR students at Leeds Metropolitan University about getting the most from their placement year in industry.

The students raised a number of interesting issues - from checking up on potential recruits on Facebook to what kind of clients different agencies worked with.

So, for any PR students looking for experience, or anyone thinking of a career in PR, here’s a brief run-down of the issues to think about when looking for a placement. And if after reading you’re set on a placement, why not email me to hear about opportunities at Quest?

(NB - The picture is only an artisits impression of what happened)

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Sometimes you come across a story that is truly inspirational.

When ordinary people tackle extraordinary challenges you can’t help but feel a sense of admiration, and our recent work with retired Harrogate fireman Tim Ralph underlines that impression.

Tim decided to climb the seven continental summits (the highest mountains on each continent) after reading a book on things to do before you die.

The 53-year-old has climbed five of the peaks and is set to scale Mount Vinson in Antarctica next month to raise money for our client Henshaws Yorkshire, Society for Blind People.

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With union warnings of 250 journalists and technical staff being axed, discerning producers will, more than ever, welcome story outlines from savvy PRs who understand this visual medium and who can present stories which will ’stand up’ and come to life through great pictures and strong interviewees who are well versed in the art of producing ’soundbites’. Companies wishing to maximise opportunities are also advised to undertake expert media training to ensure they handle their media interviews confidently and competently.                   

So maximise the wealth of regional TV opportunities by thinking pictures and soundbites - and visualise how fabulous it will be when your organisation’s story makes the flagship news programme!    

Having just returned from a long weekend in Italy I’ve spent a lot of time taking photos (see above) and returning to work I was greeted with The Times’ front cover snap of David Milliband and Gordon Brown.

The power of photography is unquestionable - journalists are always on the lookout for the shot that will both draw in customers and tell a story. Sadly in this case, the subject is far from the intended beneficiary of the implication but adopting strong photography can work wonders for any PR campaign.

At a recent seminar we ran in Leeds with Yorkshire Business Insider editor Peter Baber about how PR helps businesses reach their goals and help them establish an authoritative platform. Peter’s role was to highlight what makes a good story. He cited one example of a good photo that meant he went against his usual judgment and include a story about a company’s charity work. It happened to be ours by the way for our pro-bono work with WalkTalk (we practise what we preach).

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