Hi there, my name is Rayleigh, and for the last eight months, I’ve worked as a PR Assistant with Building Relations (BR) in my first property PR job. I’m also a master’s student at Royal Holloway, University of London, and while my tea drinking habits may suggest otherwise, I hail not from the UK but from the US.

I first heard of BR at my university’s job fair, where the agency had set up a table to talk with students. To this day, I don’t know which BR team member I originally talked with who encouraged me to apply for a student position – I remember she was extremely friendly, but then again, that applies to everyone at BR.

I’d never worked in a property PR job before this, in fact, my background is in the ‘other side of the coin’: journalism. The extent of my PR industry experience was seeing the press releases that mysteriously arrived in my newsroom inbox or hearing my father, a PR professional for decades, share about his job.

I was such a PR neophyte that on my first day, when writing a press release for one of BR’s clients, I assumed that by asking me to ‘draft a quote’ from the client, my account manager meant for me to send them an email asking when a good time for an interview would be. Thankfully, they caught me before I hit send, but that’s just one of the myriad lessons I’ve learned while working here.

I think I’ve improved since that first faux pas, with dozens more press releases under my belt, but I’ve also gained skills in other areas, too. One of the nice things about PR is there are so many different tasks you might be asked to do; on a given day, I might do a Google search for a face painter, interview a female golfer or draft a press release about squirrels – all things I’ve done while here.

My duties have ranged from writing up blog posts and press releases to conducting local area research and helping organise events for clients. And one of the nice things about working for a smaller company is you’re able to directly see your hard work pay off; it’s always satisfying being able to watch an event you helped organise take place or see a press release you wrote generate media coverage.

I’ve learned that saying ‘yes’ is so important – taking on responsibilities that may seem intimidating helps you develop and broaden your skills, so don’t be afraid to take the plunge and challenge yourself. I’ve also learned that successful PR is built on creativity; finding the right angle or hook for a particular story sometimes means thinking outside the box. Being an international student, this job has also given me the opportunity to learn about all of the UK’s different regions, each with its own unique characteristics, that make this country so diverse and special.

All in all, my experience at BR has been an incredible one. The entire team is exceptionally nice and amazing at what they do. If you have a curious mind, good writing skills and a willingness to learn, you’ll fit right in.

If you’d like to kick start your career with a property PR job, take a look at our current vacancies.