Mena Patel-Work Experience (2 weeks)
My name is Mena, and I am a 17-year-old A Level student who wants to specialise in either graphic design or interior design. I currently study art, psychology and geography and hope to gain experience for my future aspirations by doing my two weeks of work experience at Milk & Honey PR.
I have really enjoyed my time here; the team have all made me feel so welcome and they were willing to help me out where I needed it so I could step out of my comfort zone and be able to express my opinions in different tasks I was introduced to.
Throughout this experience I have learnt many skills from a professional workspace, such as communication between colleagues and clients, teamwork when working together to meet deadlines, and brainstorming ideas, just as I had done in the Think Tank meeting that I participated in.
Through the simple tasks I was given, such as researching clients or other companies and compiling the research, I learnt important life skills such as learning to discern the information I needed from the masses of results I got from researching and learning to analyse it correctly. I learnt beneficial skills such as writing emails, or using PR tools such as Muck Rack to help locate people that can be collaborated with for press releases. I feel like I have learnt lots of different things that PR entails and I am so happy to have had this experience with such amazing people.
On the first day I was asked to design a LinkedIn post to celebrate 10,000 followers. I admit it was a challenging task at first, but I persevered and got the hang of it. This first task allowed me to understand the importance of deadlines in the PR industry, experiencing how quickly decisions need to be made and how confident you must be in your own work.
This job has really helped me to understand more about the importance of PR and the impact on our everyday lives. Even if we don’t pay much attention to it, PR is still a key factor of promoting brands or assisting with the social media aspects that we see every day.
I want to say thank you to the whole Milk & Honey PR team for being so helpful and supportive towards me. I have learnt so much and it’s given me a great insight for when I choose my career path in the future. I’ve met so many new people that I will keep in touch with and reach out to them in the future.
Madison Boyce-Intern
My name is Madison Boyce, and I have recently completed my internship at Milk & Honey PR. From the age of 16 I knew that PR was the career path I wanted to undertake but I was unsure how to get there. I wanted to keep my options open, so I studied Marketing and Management at Durham University. In my final year, I started searching for graduate opportunities within the industry and I was met with rejection after rejection. This experience was beyond disheartening, I could not understand what was missing from my CV. I began looking for advice from those in the industry and that was when I started listening to the Milk & Honey podcast, “Untick the Box”.
I listened to one episode in which Maz and Maya (two Client Executives) discussed their application process to Milk & Honey. I realised the missing piece of my application was proactivity. So, I decided that if I wanted a job in PR, I was going to have to prove that I was passionate and aim higher. That was when I decided to email Milk & Honey’s Founder and CEO, Kirsty Leighton. I composed a rather lengthy cover letter, basically selling myself to her and how I embodied Milk & Honey’s values, then anxiously hit send.
I felt quite arrogant presuming she would see it, considering the amount of applications they receive. However, after 30 minutes I received an email from Kirsty telling me how much she loved it and she passed me on to Caitlin, one of the Senior Client Managers. Caitlin interviewed me and I was offered a month-long summer internship for July 2024!
I was ecstatic but really did not know what to expect. I graduated from Durham on Thursday, then moved down to London and was in the office for the following Monday – a quick turnaround, right? My first week mostly consisted of onboarding, meeting the team and researching my clients. Gradually, I was granted more and more responsibility as I was ready for it. I went from completing simple admin tasks to reporting, brainstorming, client liaison, pitching to the media, and much more.
The transition was not seamless, there were many questions asked and many mistakes made but the UK Hive were incredible in helping me overcome these. I cannot thank them all enough for their support, I feel as though I have learnt more in a month here than what I did in my 4 years at university! I am also delighted to say, I have since been granted a ‘Golden Envelope’, meaning I have been promoted to the position of Client Assistant – maintaining the 100% success rate of the internship programme. Milk & Honey team members receive a ‘Golden Envelope’ when they have been promoted or have been given a pay rise or bonus.
If I can give anyone one piece of advice going into PR, it would be to email agencies rather than applying on job portals. This shows you are keen and passionate about not only the industry but also the agency you are applying to. If you should want some advice, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Here is my LinkedIn. Best of luck!
Chantelle Brown- Recruitment Manager at Latte
From a recruitment perspective, the candidates that are landing the interviews and the roles are the ones that are persistent, proactive and organised. Don’t wait for an opening; do your research, build a list of 200 + brands / agencies you want to work for, connect with decision makers on LinkedIn and send them a punchy, personalised message along with your CV. See if they’ve posted anything on social media recently that you can tie into your outreach. Maybe they’re passionate about sustainability and this could be something you’re learning about in your studies – generic, AI generated cover letters or emails are easy to spot and an instant ick. Being hyper-personalised in your approach shows you’re excited about the role / company and that you’d work hard once you get in.
Creativity in your outreach is also important. This doesn’t mean creating a confusing-looking CV on Canva or In-Design (and I’d advise against that!) but being different in your approach. Think of the agency’s brand / values / persona and try to tie in your application to catch their eye.
Caitlin Banton – Senior Client Manager, Milk & Honey PR
Securing an entry-level role in PR can be tough and when starting out it can feel like it is impossible to find, then land, an intern role – I know from experience! From being a PR graduate and trying to break into the industry, to then managing the Milk & Honey internship programme, I’ve experienced both sides of the coin.
It’s no secret that it’s a competitive job market, but as a candidate you really do have control of your search – ambitious and driven junior talent is in high demand! First of all, I’d focus your search on getting specific. It can be tempting to blast out your CV far and wide, but it is SO important to find a company that is as good of a fit for you, as you are for them. What are your interests? What media do you enjoy reading? Do you want to focus on B2B or B2C, or both? PR is all about storytelling, so you want to be working with brands that you are passionate about. There are so many agencies out there with their own voices, so it’s about finding one that aligns to you.
Applying for jobs can be hard work, and demoralising, but it’s true that the more you put in, the more you get out. For entry level roles, having experience isn’t everything, people buy into people, so it’s all about selling YOU. Highlight the transferable skills that you have and any examples of working in a team – give your experience a little PR spin to show how you will be an asset to an agency. We get a high volume of applications every day, so it is really about standing out from the crowd. Yes, grand gestures can work if they are executed well (triple check your spelling!) but an application that highlights how you’ve put in the legwork to prove that you want to work at our agency, not just any agency, will catch our eye. Demonstrating proactivity and enthusiasm will get you far.
Finally, show that you are curious and eager to learn – from the application to the interview itself. Ahead of the interview, do your research on the agency, the previous campaigns and swot up on the media landscape. Consuming media and having your finger on the pulse is one of the most important parts of the job (and yes, watching TikTok does count). The interview process really is as much about understanding more about you, than it is about seeing if you have the skills for the job. Interviewers are not just looking for the person with all the answers, we want to see that a candidate is keen and wants to learn, so ask the questions and find out what you want to know too.
