Anyone senior in PR here?

[Seenonchannel4]

I’ve got an interview next week for a senior PR comms role. It’s been a while since I’ve interviewed for this type of job - can anyone help with possible questions I might get asked? Thanks.

Hiya! I run my own PR company so haven't been interviewed for a couple of years but I would say now to massively brush up on all things social media. The lines between social and PR are so blurred now that they need to integrate seamlessly.

Find a few recent campaigns that have done this really well and not so well (generating bad press in the latter case) so that if they ask you for examples you can confidently talk them through. Always use examples they definitely haven't worked on if it's an agency role! Mention things you've worked on before that worked well but be succinct so you aren't just reading your CV!

I remember being asked a few times what my dream client / campaign would be / what campaign I wish I could have worked on / most successful or enjoyable campaign I have worked on.

Also it sounds really basic but go through the company's website really thoroughly so you can mention their clients / ethos / news etc. Never be afraid of sounding too keen in a PR role.l but again be succinct and don't waffle.

I've often asked candidates how their colleagues would describe them, then how their clients would describe them. Have found this a useful way of getting past stock interview answers but of course don't know if other interviewers ask this!

I'd say that when it comes to PR interviews, the key traits you want to show off are tenacity, creativity, strategic thinking and communication skills.

Good luck!

If it's a CV based interview, the recruiters will ask you for an overview of your skills and past experience, to determine if you have the capabilities they need for their vacancy. It would be worth being very familiar with what the job will entail, as per their advert and think how you will specifically showcase your achievements from your past role

What PR services have you previously provided?.

What challenges have you dealt with successfully?
What was your value-add, contributions, impact, either in terms of specific revenue gains if servicing the PR requirements of an external client, or benefits delivered to an internal function.

Sorry a bit general and vague, difficult without knowing what the new role is!

Thanks for your replies! Very helpful. Yes, that’s a very good idea to gen up on good and bad campaigns with both the social and traditional PR elements - and the most successful campaigns I’ve worked on. Daisychain, the role is for a large law firm so they’ll be very keen to see what business gen I’ve created, and the value. They’ll be all over this I imagine.
Thanks again - has helped to focus the mind!

Forgot to mention something I think is vital - get your hands on some trade titles to brush up on news and trends specific to the industry of the company :)

If it's client side make sure you can explain the different comms routes for consumer Vs trade/public Vs industry.

And be able to discuss consumer journeys - what does the reader do after they see the press release/ad/influencer post? How does PR integrate with the other teams such as marketing and digital?