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Help! I’ve got an interview!

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Alongside gin and a jolly good night out, one of our favourite things at Professionelles HQ is being asked for our advice (and the occasions when we have an answer that doesn’t revolve around gin and a jolly good night out).

Imagine then, how pleased we were when our friend Vicky, recruitment-consultant-extraordinaire, sent one of her chums our way with a careers-based query. If you happen to be on the verge of a career in public affairs and/or an interview, the below may well be of interest to you.

Question:

I have an interview coming up with a public affairs company that are based in Brussels. Vicky told me that you work (or worked) in public affairs and I was wondering if you’d mind giving me any tips on:

  • What sort of questions I should prepare for?
  • What’s the daily routine of a public affairs consultant?

Obviously, this is the sort of question that Olivia has been waiting for…

Hi Alex!

Congrats on the interview! I used to work in healthcare public affairs in Westminster, so I’d guess that some things will be slightly different as a Brussels-based agency is likely to have more of an EU focus than most firms based in London. However, below are a few pointers that I think are useful everywhere (and for all industries!):

- Make sure you know exactly what public affairs is and can sum it up in a couple of sentences. When interviewing for junior roles, I found that there are a surprising number of people who don’t really know (or think public affairs is the same as PR). The same applies across lots of entry-level positions; obviously if you’re applying to be a postman, you’ll know that your job will be to deliver post, but when so many jobs have vague titles like ‘executive’, ‘consultant’ or ‘officer’, the type of work you’re involved in and the clients you work with can really vary. So before the interview, make sure you know what you’re interviewing for.

- Research the company in as much detail as possible; check who its clients are and research them so you have an idea about the kind of policies the agency is interested in. Swot up on policy news and the relevant movers and shakers (ministers, relevant select committee members, constituency links, trade bodies. etc.) too. This also applies for pretty much every interview, ever. We really do say this all the time and we’re sorry if you’re sick of hearing it, but research, research, research. And then research some more (if you already do this, excellent! You’re ahead of the game).

- In the same vein, check out the competitors of the company you’re interviewing at, and even the competitors of its clients if this is relevant. I’ve been asked in a number of interviews about the company’s competitors, so make sure you know your stuff.

- Expect to be asked:

  • Why do you want to work in public affairs?
  • Why are you particularly interested in this role?
  • Why are you interested in working in the EU?
  • Plus all the usual generic questions about your previous experience and how you meet the criteria for the role. Most of the ‘Why’ questions are transferable across every industry, too.

If like our pal above, you fancy a public affairs role in Brussels, some very obvious but useful things to do would be:

  • Swot up on how policy making in the EU works and the relevant important people that your potential new clients might be lobbying (even if you just casually name drop them. Not name drop them like ‘I was out for coffee with Jose Manuel Barroso’ but just you know, in passing).
  • Also obvious, but make sure you’re up to date on any EU specific news stories or recent policy developments – not as easy as it sounds, considering the fairly paltry coverage anything EU-related gets in the UK press.

In terms of the daily routine of a public affairs consultant, we’ve got this covered and you can read it here!

If, like Alex, you have any burning careers-related questions, do send them over to us at hello@professionelles.co.uk. We’ll do our very best to answer them or find someone else that can (and if all else fails, we can point you in the direction of a stiff gin and tonic). 

Image credit: ines saraiva

Help! I’ve got an interview! is a post from: Professionelles | Career profiles & style info for young professionals

The post Help! I’ve got an interview! appeared first on Professionelles | Career profiles & style info for young professionals.


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