Media Relations in Action

The company

Twenty Recruitment was formed in January 2009, in the depths of the recession, by Paul Marsden and Adrian Kinnersley who were responsible for the rapid growth and sale of Astbury Marsden. The company specialises in mid to senior level appointments within the professional services, financial services and commerce & industry sectors across technology, finance and IT.

The challenge

While the company had recruited a number of senior consultants who were real experts in their field, in early 2009 Twenty as a brand was still a relatively unknown quantity in the market.  They had excellent client contacts but needed an additional differentiator from the more established brands out there.

The solution

BlueSky embarked upon a campaign of placing thought leadership articles in target heavyweight trade media which Twenty then used as examples of their expertise within their specialist sectors.  One of these pieces was an article written for Twenty covering the brain drain from investment banking into utilities within the energy trading space. When Twenty pitched to a major utilities group for a senior technology specialist within its energy trading division, they used the piece as an example of their expertise.  The client felt that this was a clear demonstration of their industry knowledge.  They won the assignment on an exclusive retained basis ahead of two well established executive search firms, placed the candidate and made a not inconsiderable fee.

What they say

“The team at BlueSky have generated an impressive amount of coverage for Twenty but it doesn’t stop there. They have a refreshing approach when it comes to PR and understand that it covers so much more than just the media. They have been instrumental in developing copy for our website; for our employer branding messages and for our social media channels. Regular visitors to the office are popular with the whole team, BlueSky is more than just a supplier; they are a key strategic advisor.” Adrian Kinnersley, Managing Director of Twenty Recruitment Group 

Now, we don’t need to tell you that it’s inadvisable to badmouth your employer on social networks. It’s about as subtle as writing “I hate my job” on your forehead and even if it doesn’t get you in trouble, it certainly won’t single you out as an ideal candidate for promotion.

Under normal circumstances I would argue that, assuming a company has a proper social media policy in place, bringing your employers into disrepute in any way is enough to warrant at least a warning, at worst a dismissal.

However, as more context began to emerge I found myself, oddly, disagreeing with myself. While I still think Mr. Rowat was beyond foolish for posting anything negative about work on Facebook, let’s examine what he actually said. Having come back from holiday to find that work had not been done to a high standard, he grumbled:

“”Had a great day back at work after my hols who am I kidding!! Back to the shambles that is work.”

For a start, Mr. Rowat didn’t mention the company by name. To add to this, at the time of writing a quick search shows he has fewer than 100 Facebook friends – and he posted this to his private wall. While his comments may have been inappropriate, did they really constitute the “gross misconduct” for which he was sacked?

The plot thickens. As it transpires, David Rowat has cancer of the lymph nodes. He had worked at Argos for thirteen years, and even met his wife (who is also in ill health) there.  Facts that the media was all too quick to pick up on.

The story soon became a tabloid’s dream. An extremely unwell man, fired for having an ill-advised yet probably harmless moan on Facebook about a bad day at work, a story of company loyalty being paid back with callousness – you couldn’t make it up.

I’m not an expert in employment law – and I understand that social media needs to be used carefully and that companies need to stick to their policies in order for them to be effective.

But overall, what has caused the company more damage? The poorly thought out ramblings of someone fed up with a bad day at work? Or the business that fired a loyal employee with cancer and a family to support? You decide.

Mean managers have always been portrayed in popular culture from characters such as Scrooge, to David Brent (cringingly bad, but more through incompetence than nastiness) and Basil Fawlty. While complaining about supervisors and co-workers is a favourite pastime for many employees!

Horrible bosses however are not only fictitious but a reality for some people. And they’re not so funny when they’re in the office down the hall! So when your manager is malicious, cruel, or just plain old incompetent, how do you cope?

Here are my top tips:

Talk to your employer

Open communication in the work place is vital. You need to talk to your superior and clearly explain what you need from them in terms of direction, feedback and support. Be polite and focus on your needs rather than telling them (or implying) they are bad at what they do (which is counterproductive and won’t help you meet your goals).

Document your work

Keep track of your accomplishments and of compliments you get from co-workers or clients and record the significance of these. You can demonstrate these achievements and make your manager aware of your successes. In turn if things do turn sour you have evidence to showcase your abilities and achievements to potential employers.

Unintentional

While some of the things your supervisor does may make you unhappy, it might not be what they intended. Until proven otherwise, assume that they mean well and are simply unaware of the effects of their actions.

Do it sooner rather than later

If you have a bad relationship with your boss it’s essential that you do something about it as soon as possible. If not, it can have a drastic effect on morale. It can be tempting to wait; thinking that it might get better on its own, or that your manager might be promoted, transferred or leave the business. This may not ever happen and the problem could escalate or you will grow increasingly unhappy. Don’t wait, act on it sooner rather than later.

Don’t be a victim

Don’t become the victim indefinitely. If you have truly tried to make the relationship work, raise your grievance with higher management. If that complaint falls on deaf ears it might be time to move on! If you do part ways with your manager, remember not to burn your bridges. You might be tempted to “unload,” given that you have nothing left to lose but you should fight that temptation and try to be gracious. Besides, you never know if you might run into that boss again later in your career.

Technology has brought us all closer together.  Social networks have provided platforms making it easy to connect with long-lost friends and family, new friends, business colleagues and other people who have similar interests, aspirations and goals. They have also become crucial in job search and career management.   

However good etiquette is still essential. Its infuriating when you get inundated with asks and requests from people you don’t even know.  A simple please and thank you also goes a long way. Social media mimics real relationships. Would you do the following within real face-to-face relationships?

• Jump on the friendship bandwagon without properly introducing yourself?
• Consistently talk about yourself and promote only yourself without regard for those around you?
• Randomly approach a friend you barely talk to and simply ask for favours — repeatedly?

In order to manage and maintain online relationships there is certain etiquette that needs to be followed!

1. Typically only connect with people you know and who know you. 
2. If you are on a professional social network such as LinkedIn and you want to connect with someone you have not met, ask for a referral from someone you know who does have a connection.  Explain your rationale for wanting to link and don’t forget to offer to reciprocate.  
3. Connect.  If you know the person and have had positive interaction, your decision is easy. The larger your personal network of people on sites such as LinkedIn, the better equipped you will be in your business or in a job search. 
4. Unlike traditional face to face networking, your ability to write including grammar matters. It’s shocking how often this element is overlooked.
5. Humanise your profile. Social networking is also about real relationships. Let people know who you are and add an avatar and a bio to your profiles on twitter and LinkedIn.
6. Be honest and respond.  If you’re not interested let them know (in a friendly way).
7. Add value to the site- At the end of the day, the thing that will earn you great connections with others is if you add value to the community. This means not submitting content that nobody cares about and not constantly promoting your brand on networks such as Facebook and twitter.
8. Think about the consequences of your actions. When commenting on Facebook or writing blog posts, you’re leaving your digital signature. Racial slurs, criticisms without warrant, and blatant abuse don’t work in real life, and they really have no place in the social media world.
9. Consider how your comments would be perceived before you actually post them, and think about logic above emotion at all times. Once it’s in the public domain you can’t take it back. It may even be used against you when looking for future jobs.

All of these points add up to one thing—just be nice. Call me old-fashioned if you like, but there’s nothing wrong with being nice to others online.

However, as someone who has been involved in recruiting for our own organisation over the past few weeks, I have been quite literally gobsmacked at the poor level of effort, courtesy and basic communication skills displayed by applicants.  We hear lots of stuff about how we need to really engage with Generation Y – but have we gone too far? Do Generation Y now  feel that they have to make no real effort?  And is that one of the reasons that graduate unemployment is currently so high? Are we creating a whole generation of people who think that they can just sit back and wait for the ever so eager employer to find them within their ‘talent communities’?

A few examples:

• The applicant that I interviewed– a good degree, good A level grades and relevant work placement experience. When asked what had appealed to her about the role, she answered: “Dunno really – I just thought I could do it!”
• The applicant who, during a telephone screening interview, asked our Account Manager:  ”How old are you? Yousound really young!”
• The graduate  applicants ( and I’m not talking about just a few) whose covering letters and CVs are so full of spelling mistakes it makes me want to throw my hands up in despair at the current state of our education system. One was actively seeking a “roll in pubic relations.”
• The applicant who e-mailed me to say that he thought his experience would be of interest to me and directed me to site where I could find out more about him. I didn’t bother – because he couldn’t be bothered to sell himself.

Am I just a grumpy old woman?  Is there something I’m missing? Is it too much to expect applicants to make some effort to engage with ME?  What do others think?

Ok – I know a lot of people will be throwing their hands up in horror but are we trying to put too many people through university?

I recently attended my son’s GCSE options evening and learned about the new English Baccalaureate.  Students who receive an A* to C grade in English, Maths, at least two sciences, a foreign language and either history or geography will automatically be awarded the English Bacc. And why? Well no matter what the official line is, it will be another way for universities to filter through too many applications. And the reason that universities get too many applications is that the Government has this ridiculous notion that we need to send at least 50% of our young people to university. This apparently is so we can compete with China ( whose young people are doing degrees in maths/science/engineering).  The HRD in a recent post talked about today’s youth being a beaten generation. I agree wholeheartedly with him when he says that everyone should have the right to a decent education – but it should be the right education – and university may not be the right route.

I am old enough ( unfortunately) to remember the old secondary modern system where those who were not academically slanted went on to undertake a highly valuable vocational education. As a country we have this obsession with sending a higher and higher proportion of our young people to university. And so we end up with high graduate unemployment, a two tier system where some degrees are valued by employers as more ‘worthy’ and no plumbers!!

My brother was not gifted academically as he will be the first to admit – luckily for him there was still a scheme called apprenticeships – he left school at 16 went on to qualify as an electrician and now runs his own business, providing employment to others, and therefore contributing to the economy! So basically he does exactly the same as I do.  I went to university – because that was the right route for me -we both got to the same destination – we just took a different route.

Education needs some joined up thinking

Further to our recent post Working in PR for Grown Ups, we had lots of response from some great freelance journalists – the problem was they wanted to stay as freelance journalists and what we need is someone who can not only write – and write well –  but who can also account manage.

We’ve had a lot of new business wins recently – and have a raft of potential client meetings stretching into the autumn.  Clients we already work with include Antal, Aquent, CBSbutler, Twenty , Advantage Professional, Handle, Lander Associates, womenintechnology.co.uk, HB RIDA, Ochre House,  Arrows, ……and thats just for starters – we don’t want to show off too much!!

Much of our time is spent in taking the knowledge inside our clients’ heads and turning it into written interesting, authoritative material for publications, both print and online, around the globe.

We work hard and we deliver a great service (or at least that’s what our clients tell us). But we also believe in work/life balance. Which is why we prefer to be based in rural Hertfordshire than the middle of the big city down the road.

If you are a recruitment marketing person who can write or a B2B PR who has a background in content delivery then drop me a line – tracey@bluesky-pr.net   or tweet me @BlueSkyPR

I recently spent the day with Twenty Recruitment at a vision and values day they were holding for their most recent hires.  I have to say it was really refreshing to see a recruitment firm not just talking the talk and paying lip service to the notion of values – but really living them. The firm has three values Life’s Short; Be Eclectic and Crystal Clear. Through the facilitator Rafe Offer, a marketing and branding expert, the new consultants talked about how those values related to themselves, their clients and their candidates.  

 Looking at  ’Life’s Short’ drove a discussion around daring to be different, embracing change, and being brave enough to take calculated risks. ‘Crystal Clear threw up phrases such as transparency, honesty, no spin and clear objectives; while ‘Be Eclectic’ explored ideas such as ‘there is no box’, solutions driven, differentiation and ‘there’s no such thing as a problem – only an opportunity for a solution’.

Then the real fun began with role plays where consultants had to pitch to clients and potential employees – and integrate some of the ideas around the values. I had great fun playing a client!

OK, I hear you say.  So what stops the consultants enjoying their day away from the office and then forgetting all about values when they walk out of the door?  Well, because how they live the values in the business is part of their performance appraisal – and it’s also linked to their bonus.  There was a great discussion around how the consultants felt that they could be judged around those values with some real measurable metrics.  And what’s more – to ensure that there isn’t a disconnect between how the values are perceived internally – and how they are perceived externally – there is going to be ongoing research with clients and candidates around whether the values are being demonstrated.

Recruitment is an industry where sometimes the egos of the founders can suffocate any attempt at creativity or originality.  It was great to see a company where the employees are really driving the vision and the values.

So what do you think?  Comments welcome!

We’ve all been sitting at our desks well into the evening trying to finish bits and pieces and plenty of people work well over seven hours every day whether it be in the office, or at home . Does this mean they are destined for health problems? Possibly they are but there are plenty of other activities that we undertake that are equally as bad – smoking, drinking and even eating that can also contribute to heart – related illness.

This got me thinking – was this just another study undertaken by health professionals attempting to scaremonger us or should organisations take note of this and encourage their employees to not do overtime or if they do, in moderation?

Let’s look at the recruitment sector where a typical consultant works from 8am-6pm – that’s already a nine hour day (if we suppose that people actually take a full lunch break these days!) before any overtime is started! Going by this study all recruiters are faced with the prospect of health issues! I tend to believe that we simply cannot go about life worrying about every snappy headline we see telling us that something we are doing in life is going to result in future health issues – if we did our lives would be somewhat nonexistent!

I for one am not about to demand from my employer that I never work longer than a seven hour day and I suspect most organisations will take this study with a pinch of salt!