I have to say, five weeks ago I felt a little bit out of my depth. Yes, I own a smartphone, but that’s about where my technological knowledge came to an end. So sending a press release and doing a media sell-in for a large software company seemed like an extremely nerve-wracking prospect. But in all honesty it’s that kind of experience that really adds the value to this grad scheme.  And really, it’s not so bad. I feel a lot more confident since picking up the phone to software and computer specialist journalists, and actually managing to get the story into the media! It just goes to show that even if you think you can’t do something, with a little bit of confidence, careful research and a “can do” attitude, you definitely can.

What has really surprised me about tech is the variety of clients. This department isn’t all about niche and specialist enterprise, but technology which all of us use (and most of us couldn’t live without). Whether we’re talking software, mobile phones, gaming, social networking, printers or ink, the tech team deals with it all, on some level. And from a grad’s point of view, perhaps the best thing about this variety of clients is getting to experience a mixture of corporate and consumer PR simultaneously – it is the best of both worlds.

So now everything’s winding down, Christmas tunes are on a constant loop and there are more mince pies/chocolates in here than can be found in Sainsbury’s. And with that comes the end of yet another great rotation, and the time to say a big “thank you” to another team. It’s been a great five weeks and I will definitely be leaving tech with a whole wealth of knowledge I didn’t have before. And I’ve had fun in the process.

From donning my best suit at 6am for a client event at Parliament to sipping on wine and nibbling canapés at our very own office, I feel like I’ve done it all since starting at Edelman. I’ve had a number of “pinch me” moments, but in between the glitz, the glam and the crazy running around, there has been a lot of hard work, a lot of lessons learned, huge amounts of fun and even a few fears conquered.

Working in PR, particularly on a grad scheme, is so exciting. You never quite know what the day is going to throw at you, and no two days are ever the same. With a diverse range of clients across the different teams, it’s hard to pin-point every single thing that I’ve learned or done since I started here. I can nonetheless assure you that it is a very long list that will continue to grow. It just remains for me to say thank you to the PA, Corporate & Financial and Tech teams for throwing me right into the deep end and making my first three months’ work so fulfilling.

Next stop…Digital!

Here are just a few facts I’ve learned about LinkedIn over the past few weeks:

• Social networking accounts for one in every six minutes spent online
• 86% of companies will have used LinkedIn to recruit in 2011. Social media is becoming so much more than purely social; nowadays it’s a way to get yourself noticed, to get yourself up the employment ladder.
• The most overused buzzword on LinkedIn in the UK for 2011 is “creative”. This is closely followed by “motivated”. So even if you are both creative and motivated, try to think of a more creative imaginative way to say so. That will make you stand out from the creative and motivated crowd.
• The use of LinkedIn isn’t limited to any one genre of job. During the Christmas period, the LinkedIn team discovered seasonal employees such as turkey farmers, wrapping experts and Christmas tree farmers, all hoping to enhance their business through the use of the site.

So if you’re reading this because you’re beginning to think about your next steps, I strongly suggest that you get yourself on LinkedIn, if you haven’t already. Not only might you find your dream job on the site, but your dream job might actually find you.

Here are some top tips to enhance your career opportunities using LinkedIn from the team here at Edelman:

• Keep your LinkedIn profile up-to-date.  Remember to include your previous jobs and relevant experience; you want to prove you are right for the job!
• Match your skill set to the requirements of the industry which you are looking to join. Include relevant skills in your profile and status, as this will help employers find you.
• Set your LinkedIn profile so that others know that you are happy to receive offers for career opportunities, new ventures and job enquiries.
• Use the LinkedIn search tool to find people in industries that inspire you and don’t be afraid to send them an InMail or request an introduction.

As I write this I’m currently on a train back to the Midlands for some much needed R&R after my last day with Tech.

My first stop on the Edel-tour has been fast and often quite crazy but Tech has been an absolutely lovely department to be part of. Working alongside such great people has meant I‘ve learnt HUGE amounts in a really short amount of time.

In the last six weeks I’ve completed tasks for just about every account going, I’ve worked on Last.fm, CBS Television, HP, Adobe, Avanade, Softonic, Quest Software, Norton Antivirus, Living PlanIT, ICANN, Orange Business Services and AMD. I’ve also carried out lots of new business research, had lots of new starter training (let’s be honest though, perhaps not enough of Edelman’s Social Media Belt System!) and attended a Breakfast Briefing courtesy of Gorkana where I experienced not only the joys of a mini pastry breakfast but also how CNN International pull their daily news agenda together. In addition, I’ve acquired a new found knowledge of cloud computing, NFC, M2M, Smart Cities and the huge role analyst relations plays in PR.

As of Monday I’ll be filling some Polly-shaped-shoes as I try my hand at all things Spook with the Digital team. As an avid Twitter user, I’m really looking forward to seeing how @lolalottie gets on with @spookmedia!

I love a good novelty and I love good make up. With this in mind, you can only imagine how impressed I am by the new palette from Urban Decay. The ultimate in girlie gadgetry, The Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol IV not only includes a really lovely mix of bright and neutral shades but also brings UD well and truly into the realm of all things digital.

The limited edition palette includes a mini portable speaker to plug your smart phone into, alongside a pack of QR (quick response) codes which unlock five video tutorials using products from within the palette, all rounded off by a docking station that ensures your smart phone sits next to your mirror, so you can follow the tutorials as you go.

Despite this palette being pretty pricey (£46) I think this is a great example of how brands are beginning to think further and further outside of the box/their immediate function in order to make their products relevant and appealing to both existing and new customers. (After all, if you’re likely to spend £50 on what is essentially some well packaged eye shadow, chances are you’re already quite partial to cosmetics!)

Since beginning my placement with Edelman Tech and in my previous PR jobs and placements, I’ve quickly realised the importance of strong, additional content across many different sectors. Whether that’s ensuring that all formatting within briefing documents is 100% spot on, to researching the relevant publications to pitch content to, to researching news to create an engaging itinerary for a radio broadcast, it’s really interesting to see how exciting and resourceful content can both update a product and generate additional trust in a company, a brand and a new release.

(Just to clarify : Urban Decay aren’t a Tech/Edelman client!)

My first two (and a half) weeks at Edelman have been great. Tech has been pretty hectic so far but really good fun too. From my birthday on the third day (cake, lots of singing, me showcasing my best embarrassed face), to a work night out last Thursday (ending in a taxi sing-song with one of my colleagues), I really can’t believe it has only been such a short amount of time. I know it’s such a standard thing to say in a trainee blog but I really have learnt so much already. From battling with GFS (What code? What code! I still don’t know…) to preparing for the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) gTLD (global top-level domains) event this morning, my work has been varied and honestly really interesting so far.

My main clients in Tech include CBS (Last.fm, ZD Net UK), Habbo, LinkedIn, Softonic and Orange but I’ve also done quite a bit of work for both HP’s Big Bang and Adobe’s MAX 2011 events alongside bits and pieces for Analyst Relations too. I’ve researched, edited and proofread many biographies and helped pull together schedules and briefing documents. I’ve also got to grips with Edelman’s social media influence tools TweetLevel and BlogLevel, learnt how to sweep for coverage, sourced competitions for Last.fm Presents gigs, hit Google to research many different things and had formal training on Basic Media Skills and Social Media as well as Blogging.

From the other grads and the excited for lunch emails (ahem, Polly), to my lovely buddy Renato and line manager Kirstyn, I have felt very welcomed and looked out for in my first few weeks at Edelman. Now all the newbie questions are out of the way (aka, I now know how to use the printer, how to find the post room etc) I’m really looking forward to the rest of my time in Tech before moving over to Digital.

(I should probably admit here that unfortunately I can’t take credit for the title…thanks Gerry!)

Think outside the box

 CREATIVE THINKING                                                                                                                         

 By simply walking around the office, you gain an understanding of the importance of how to think creatively in PR. There are easels for brainstorming sessions, ‘break-out’ areas in the form of Egg Chairs and music blaring or floating, depending on the mood.

Furthemore, there is consistent encouragement to look-out for and recognise brilliant marketing or PR campaigns that have been fuelled by a creative flair.

WEIRD, WACKY AND WONDERFUL CAMPAIGNS

Even just over the last week, I have come across or been shown some brilliantly creative campaigns, whose successes largely rest on the unusual or fantastical ideas that they are based on.

Take for example, the Nike McFly shoe. 

Nike has come up with a new concept shoe based on the 1989 cult film, Back To The Future. By using old images and footage from the movie, Nike has immediately associated their shoe with the future, innovation and what’s cool.

McFly\’s Closet YouTube video

Another example is the PR stunt that has been conducted by George Lucas and Blu-Ray to release Star Wars: The Complete Saga.

The party is due to take place at the top of the BT Tower in the heart of London’s West End, where Anthony Daniels the original actor who played C3PO will switch on a one-day only ‘blue ray of light’ at the top of the tourist attraction thus turning it into the ‘world’s largest lightsaber’.

From JCPR Blog

One of the major clients for JCPR is X-Box, and the X-Box team here are equally as zany with their campaigns. Whilst I can’t disclose exactly what is coming (it takes place on Monday), the team have put their noggins together to promote a new game that is being released. All I can say, is Londoners, keep your wits about you!

Game launch teaser...

When it came to crunch time a couple of weeks ago, I was swinging in roundabouts. One day thinking ‘yes definitely x department’, the next day ‘no that department’, the following day ‘but what about this department’ – you can imagine how this continued. I’m normally a pretty decisive person, but this was ridiculous! The factors I considered were a) client accounts b) future progression and c) the people. The thing with Edelman is that each department has exciting, big name clients. The other thing with Edelman is that each department considers your future and will help you in career decisions. The third thing with Edelman is that each department has amazing people…you can see my problem here! The people I must say are talented, dedicated, intelligent and truly welcoming. As a grad you are lucky enough to learn from some of the crème de la crème in the industry.

So what were the highlights of my eight months?

• Working with some Digital pioneers in Spook. The world of communication is changing with the advancements in technology, and what better place to learn about the importance of social media than in our very own award winning Digital team. Try exciting campaigns such as Levi’s® Shape What’s To Come and Puma’s After Hours Athlete
• Meeting Boris Johnson at an event I helped organise on behalf of Douglas&Gordon whilst working in Corp&Fin. Actually hilarious! A point to note about Corp&Fin is the variety in work – a dream for any graduate. From issues and crisis management, to CSR platforms, award ceremonies  and of course the all important media liaison
• My first ever red carpet event at the Xbox Halo: Reach launch, working with some consumer PR gurus to organise a celeb-tastic event and then watching the fantastic pieces of coverage appear
• Pitching for new business whilst in the Public Affairs team. Understanding the insights which are essential in forming strategy, context and desired outcomes
• Working in a global hub at Tech was priceless. I was lucky enough to be involved in brainstorming and then implementing campaign ideas both on a central and local level
• Improving a weakness in Healthcare. I’ve never been a perfectionist and sometimes attention to detail can suffer. To work well in Healthcare you have to study the small print and this was the ideal opportunity to put my weakness to the test and sort it

Any conclusions? Yes….the graduate scheme is truly invaluable. The tools it equips you with, the friends you make and the interests you pick up can only but increase your employment prospects and that’s the whole point, right?

Working on clients in sectors as diverse as mobile, entertainment, gaming and enterprise technology, the variety and amount of work was perfect to say the least. Although it is a rather niche area, the experiences encountered were invaluable. Gaining that insight into how a global hub works through watching the team organise the individual markets and even better, being a part of it, was priceless. I was lucky enough to be involved in brainstorming and then implementing campaign ideas both on a central and local level for HP.

Media audits, media pitches, involvement in new business, product launches and speaker platforms were all a given. I was able to utilise skills picked up from previous rotations and further improve them, proving that the brilliant basics of PR are 100% transferable and essential.

Another project I was fortunate to work on was BlogLevel. This was a particularly special opportunity as BlogLevel will constitute as part of Edelman’s IP.  So we already have created TweetLevel, following suit is BlogLevel. The Tech team really understands the importance of social media and how quickly the world of PR is evolving. This seriously cool tool will be able to measure the influence of any blog around the world, beneficial to the millions! What’s more Tech even has their own entertaining blog, filled with interesting articles. Check it out: The Naked Pheasant

So thank you Tech team for the perfect end to an incredibly beneficial graduate scheme. For more info, check out their website and my blog.

The crazy world of Twitter has taken over like never expected. I remember when it was first launched and thinking to myself “what is the point of this?!” and that “surely no one wants to know everyone’s thoughts all the time”. How more wrong could I have been. The phenomenon is here to stay, and working at Edelman and learning the importance in using the site, has reinforced that for me.

During my Technology placement I have been introduced to the very clever TweetLevel tool that was created right here in the genius Tech & Digital teams. For those who like me, were completely unfamiliar with this tool, it was created to measure four areas of importance with Twitter users. Influence, popularity, engagement and trust are the areas of measurement that TweetLevel helps to break down and understand for whichever user you want to test in the application. I won’t share with you what my level came out at, but I will say that I sure have my work cut out for me if I want to be considered “influential” in any way!

TweetLevel is just one example of the types of leading initiatives that come out of Edelman. In the four weeks I have now been with the company one trend sticks out the most and that is the constant push to be cutting-edge and leaders within our industry. Working in this environment helps to motivate and encourage you to break boundaries and think in an innovative way. If I use the example of Twitter, my attitude and thoughts towards this particular medium has significantly changed in the past few weeks. I am now wanting to ensure that my tweets are interesting and valuable snippets of knowledge, rather than the fact I’m glad it’s a Friday and it’s time to celebrate!

During our 9 month placement in the Graduate Scheme I will be highlighting more examples of the impressive and innovative practices that Edelman is reknowned for. My first bit of advice to future grads out there, who are looking to become involved with Edelman, is to get TWEETING! Test your TweetLevel score and then develop ways to improve it. Remember that ‘knowledge is power’ so the more knowledge you can send into the world wide web, the more power and influence you will start to have – in theory anyway! Have fun and good luck!

Check out more about TweetLevel @ http://tweetlevel.edelman.com/

Feel free to follow me on Twitter @listentomegs