Question: What century are we living in? Oh yeah, the 21st one. My goodness … we might be living in the 21st century but as the title of this blog post suggests some PR agencies still have a dinosaur approach when it comes to recruiting graduates.
Personally I’d like to think that the British career system is based on meritocracy where one is judged by his or her actions and not by a piece of paper with a particular emblem printed on it. To suggest that graduates from a middle-of-the-road university or, God forbid, a lower ranking one are not good enough to work in top-flight PR then you seriously need to stop drinking that Cognac at the Old Boys Club.
If there’s ever a case of elitism in PR in this century this is it. And it’s the biggest pile of excrement I’ve ever heard in my life. It needs to stop.
Riddle me this: Who would you rather have applying to your agency? A graduate from a top university who “heard PR was good” so wants to give it a try. Or a graduate from a lower ranking university who had given up their free time to gain real experience while in study; studied the industry inside and out so they are certain that it is the career path they want to take and, perhaps most importantly, has something that no university can teach: drive and ambition?
It’s a no brainer.
I could be wrong but I don’t see this going on in the States or indeed Canada. Come to think of it, anywhere else in the world. But it’s typical of Ye Olde England with old fashioned values and old fashioned people to boot.
But, hey, I could be wrong. Maybe there is a logical explanation why graduates from a top university are naturally better at PR.
Oh btw. My name is Stephen Davies and I used to blog here some time ago. 
Stephen is a communications consultant based out of the UK. You can connect with him on Twitter or check out his LinkedIn profile. | Email Stephen
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Melanie
Yeah, in fact in some places in the States, a degree from a prestigious University is looked upon like ‘Well, what are you doing here then? Why don’t you go find a schmancy job to go along with your schmancy degree?’
I’m curious as to what brought this post on? Who has been discriminated against? Do you want me to throw down?
Justin
Let the old boys hire unmotivated execs from named universities and the start-ups and smaller companies use the talent with a passion for the subject. I wonder who will out?
Adam Lewis
I agree that other factors should matter more e.g. experience, knowledge and attitude, but I don’t think the degree can be totally dismissed otherwise what would be the point in doing them?
Some students do get to the top universities just by who they know and the money they have but others work hard to get to those top universities and want something to show for it at the end.
But definitely don’t agree with companies using the statement “only graduates from a top university need apply” as it’s completely short-minded.
Chris Lee
To be fair, snobbery exists in some format in every western country, purely because of the way our societies are structured. The US has the Ivy League (Harvard et al), and I was very surprised when I lived in Melbourne of the undercurrent of snobbery that exists in what I believed was a far more egalitarian society.
Having said that, no, Oxbridge/Red brick typos do NOT automatically make the best PRs and more fool the firms that take that approach. Out of touch and soon, hopefully, out of business.
Justin
I’ve seen it happen in Australia – although it’s normally written as: A tertiary qualification would be an asset or something similar
The instruction is a bit redundant when you think about it. If it was a ‘prestigious’ organisation you’d think they’d do their vetting would be pretty intense. Having to even put this on a job ad makes me think it’s not written properly, advertised in the wrong place and targeted at the wrong people.
I think it speaks volumes about the potential employer…. like they couldn’t get the grads in the first place, don’t do outreach, no alumni programme – Might as well have watermarked ‘fail’ on the ad to begin with…
Dan
Spill the beans then Ste, where did you find this piece of elitist tripe? You might as well do some naming and shaming.
As a job hunter, I’d be put off by that sort of crap, mainly because I know how little a degree from “a top university” contributes to how well you can do a job.
I’m with Justin on this one. i’d like to see just how successful these Old Boys agencies are in a few years…
Laura
Well if graduates need only apply, I should be totally unemployed.
I have no degree as I decided to enter the world of work instead. After eight years as a PR, I like to that I show that you don’t need to go to university at all to have the intelligence, experience and attitude that makes a hard-working PR.
Stephen
@Melanie Nothing. It’s been brewing for a long time.
@Justin Indeed.
@Adam I completely agree that a good degree shouldn’t be dismissed. But I don’t think it should be the only way to get a foot in the door.
@Chris Very true. I just feel that PR can take itself too seriously at times. I mean, is PR a profession? Unlike accounting and law you don’t need to have a qualification to A. Do it and B. Be good at it as Laura demonstrates below.
@Dan It’s not about spilling beans … it’s about the fact that this thing exists in the day and age when our own Prime Minister went to a state school.
Dan
@Stephen well that’s not got anything to do with it, has it? He went to Edinburgh University after all…
Stephen
@Dan The point I’m trying to make though is that it doesn’t really matter where you start from … it’s where you end up at.
Wow! I’m sounding so poignant lately.
robin
I don’t think you even necessarily need a degree to work in PR. I’ve worked with some great PR gurus who didn’t have one – Claire Walker, the founder of Firefly, left school when she was 18, for example. [I do have one, just so you know I'm not biased]. As you say, it’s all about what you are doing now, not what you learnt at uni. When I recruit, industry experience is ten times more important than academic qualifications.
Michael
I wish I had learned something useful in my PR degree. If so I wouldn’t need to do another one on top now…
Michael
Following up my sarcastic comment from yesterday: I did my PR Bachelor at a quite crappy German university. (The time in Sunderland was in fact my most valuable Bachelor year.) After graduating I got the opportunity to start a Master course in media management at quite a top uni in Germany (at least if you can believe the rankings). I can only say: It makes a huge difference, at least for me personally. I have to work a lot harder now, but it pays of with an amazing learning curve. (And this is not only the Bachelor/Master gap – I know how hard the undergraduates are working here as well.)
Anyway, from my point of view this does not matter at all for working in PR. I would never consider myself a better PR person now, just because I’m working on an ICA paper. It’s rather the other way round: I became a lot geekier than I was before – certainly not a helpful strength in PR.
All these methodology and research skills, all the theoretical background knowledge – does it really help in PR practice? I would say: no. It helps a lot if you want to become a researcher or a scientist though. Are you sure the agency was looking for a PR practicioner?
Steve Davis
What surprises me the most with this approach to recruitment is that the company is robbing itself of the rough diamonds and the naturally gifted, let alone a whole raft of good solid would-be PR practicioners.
In fact, they are missing an opportunity to discover some good people who might just bring a refreshing and disruptive perspective to their organisation.
I would love to have this company as my competitor!
Ironically, the other great bastion of mother England’s conservatism, Wimbledon, still offers wildcards to allow in the characters who have failed to qualify via orthodox channels.
Sindhu
I completed my degree in 1997 at North Riding College in Scarborough which at that time was affiliated to the University of York. My degree was in Sociology and Religious Studies and it has helped me to understand the world and how people react and why.
This coupled with attending a state school have provided me with the ability to get on and work with people. To me these sort of skills are essential in the PR world. Companies taking a blinkered view will miss out on the variety of people that they will need over the next few years.
Paul
I realise this is an old post now but I’m a little annoyed at your post. I just graduated from Durham Uni, a top 10 university and I am really struggling to find a job in PR simply because I haven’t get a year in the business under my belt. By Virtue of the fact that I went to a ‘prestigious’ university which didn’t offer PR as a degree I haven’t been able to spend the year in industry which seems to come as standard in PR degrees and I’m blocked out ‘graduate’ jobs because they assume a graduate did that year in industry. Last year, while I was still at uni, I went to an assessment day at a PR company where we went around a table announcing what university and degree we took, 3 out of the 12 of us were from ‘red bricks’ and we all got jeered for going to ‘real universities’ by the others at the table, the prejudice goes the other way too
Will
It’s true of advertising as well. I went to Exeter, which is another red brick University, graduated with a first, and had no work experience, so didn’t get a look in.
For what it’s worth, I think Alex & Alain at PR & Comms network do a good job in educating potential grads, and I run Adgrads, which is aimed at helping graduates when they want to get into advertising.
For those complaining about work experience keeping them out of the industry, go and get some. I didn’t have a chance to get any at University (mummy and daddy couldn’t pay for it, sadly, and I didn’t live in London), so I worked at home to get the cash to come to London and do some.
It pays off, honestly – hunger is all important in any comms discipline, as someone’s said above.
kevin read
It is work experience that tends to be the key to getting your foot into the world of PR. Where you do your degree or in what subject is far less relevant.
As someone who regularly organises internships for students from around the world I am often very surprised that we do not receive more unsolicted approaches.
In last twelve months I have done talks for students at a range of Universities, ranging from Greenwich to the Oxford Union. My advice tends to be the same. Make personal contact, sell yourself and don’t be afraid to be persistent.
If anyone is looking for work experience in a leading PR consutancy 2009 let me know