An insightful and informative Q+A with Czarina Charles, Recruitment Manager at Hill & Knowlton. Not got time to watch a video? Then check out the main points below... What advice would you give to someone trying to get a foot in the door? "Get some experience. One of thing that frustrates me about some of the graduates who come out of uni is that they then do things that are not related to PR. So they don’t get their PR internships behind them. And I think those are really important because when we’re looking for junior level people, we will definitely look for someone who’s had at least a couple of months experience under their belt, working in a PR agency and getting that PR experience and knowledge." Where are the big growth areas for PR right now? "Here at H&K, Food and Drink is one of our booming sectors. Financial and professional services – there’s a lot of activity there after having a fairly shaky start. Healthcare is also another that’s doing really well right now." What impact has the digital boom had upon PR? "It’s critical. To me, digital shouldn’t sit over there and PR over there. To me, a PR professional is someone who has an integrated approach to communication. So when I’m interviewing, I want to know what integrated campaigns candidates have worked on, their knowledge of digital communications, whether or not they have an online presence." What are the big challenges for your sector? "Good PR professionals are always hard to find and you’re always fishing from a very small pond. So it’s very important for companies to make investments at the junior level – to get grads in and train them up to become the more senior level practitioners that then go on to lead business sectors." Are you seeing any new trends or delveopments in the sector? "That clients are less cautious. I’ve noticed that the market has definitely picked up. We have much more briefs because we’ve won lots more business as the economy has improved. And that’s opening up opportunities for people to come and work with us and that’s really exciting for me." Search for the latest PR jobs now. To find a new superstar performer for your team, contact us on 020 7836 4041 or upload a brief here.