How do you know if a job vacancy is the right one for you? Reading through job descriptions is a good first step to get a sense of the company, but how can you find out more?
In this article I’ll be revealing where to learn more about an organisation and the internal comms industry, plus sharing views from one of my clients, Jo Hooper, Head of Corporate Communications at Which?
Jo has just posted a job advert on the All Things IC jobs page for an Internal Comms Manager, and I’ve asked her to give us an insight into what she’s looking for.
First up, here’s how to learn about the IC industry and companies to help your job hunt:
Seven ways to learn more about the internal comms industry
- Research: Gatehouse Group published its 10th annual State of the Sector results this week. See Jenni Field’s blog for an overview.
- Jobs market: Keep an eye on comms recruiters like VMA Group, Ellwood Atfield, Comms Leaders and FEEL Communications to see the types of roles they are advertising. What are the rates? What’s the average? What skills are people looking for?
- Global comms: If you want to learn more about global communications, check out IC Kollectif, IABC, Global Alliance, PR Conversations, EACD, Ragan and IPR. See AMEC for measurement info.
- Podcasts: I love listening to podcasts and recommend ICology with Chuck Gose, For Immediate Release podcast network with Shel Holtz, CSuitepodcast, Paul Sutton’s podcast and Talking Comms with Adrian Stirrup. I also listen to entrepreneur and PR podcasts including Chris Ducker, Pat Flynn, Janet Murray, Carrie Green and JLD.
- Join membership bodies such as the Institute of Internal Communication, CIPR Inside from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, PRCA or IABC.
- Read: There are so many specialist publications. Check out Communicate Magazine, PRWeek, Corp Comms Magazine, Marginalia, Voice from IoIC, PR Place from Richard Bailey, and Influence from CIPR
- Use social media: There’s a large community of in-house comms pros online. Come and join me over at The IC Crowd on Twitter @theiccrowd alongside my fellow co-founders Jenni Field and Dana Leeson. It’s a global community of comms pros. We’re also bringing back The Big Yak unconference for in-house comms pros to network and learn together. It’s on 9 June 2018 in London – see @theiccrowd and www.theiccrowd.com for more info over the next few weeks. I also Tweet @AllthingsIC.
10 ways to find out more about an organisation and the IC industry
Here are ways to learn more about an organisation before applying for a role with them:
- Check out the company’s website
- View their Glassdoor profile
- View their LinkedIn profile and see the types of stories they share
- Look up their careers website if they have one
- Search for clues via inside information e.g. their values and culture, you often find that in their careers/vacancies listings. Search YouTube to see if they’re sharing employees’ stories externally
- Look for a company’s annual report. How are they doing financially? How do they talk about themselves?
- Search LinkedIn to see what current and previous employees say about the organisation
- Search social media mentions e.g. what’s being said on Twitter by employees?
- Do a news search to discover what’s in the press now and what’s been said in the past
- Most job adverts have a person to contact for an informal chat to find out more – do take them up on that offer.
- Bonus one – search award entries online to discover any previous campaigns. This will give you an excellent insight into the way they communicate.
Let’s find out more about the new role being advertised by Jo at Which? (who is pictured below).
Jo, what do my blog readers need to know about your organisation?
Which? is an incredibly well-known brand right across the UK, standing for trust, impartiality and rigorous insight.
We enjoy very strong levels of trust among consumers, driven by our external comms promoting our work to make consumers more powerful.
We’re at a crucial point in the history of our organisation – at 60, we are one year into a new five-year strategy to grow our size, impact and reputation.
What’s happening at Which? in terms of comms?
We’ve got big ambitions and our people are critical to achieving them.
We’re now re-evaluating our approach to Internal Comms and Employee Engagement, to ensure we’re helping our people to understand and be involved in our business strategy and that we are providing the strategic advice and support that the organisation needs through this period of transition.
Who are you looking for?
The ongoing work I’ve mentioned means there is a really exciting opening in my team for a driven, strategic and creative Internal Comms Manager to build and lead their own team to drive a real step-change in our approach to IC.
What does good look like for you?
I’m looking for someone who is a natural collaborator, resilient and ambitious for their team and who brings ideas to the table and inspires others to do the same.
You’ve got a lot to work with – a range of channels with tailored and distinct tones of voice and committed, ambitious people in the team and right across the organisation.
As part of a big team with a mix of specialisms, you’ll have the autonomy to work with your team to set the strategic vision for IC for the year.
What’s ahead?
We’re ambitious for internal comms here, we want to operate at the most senior level, giving strategic comms and engagement advice to our senior leadership team; we want to become a digital first team, making the most of our existing digital channels and introducing new ideas to help build collaboration digitally; but we don’t underestimate the power of face to face events and equipping our leaders to be more visible through our monthly Loop sessions and twice yearly all-staff conferences.
What’s important to the way Which? works?
We want to give our people a voice and represent that voice to our leaders, all the while building a strong narrative about the direction of Which? and our ambitions for our organisation and our people.
If you’re looking for a fresh challenge and the opportunity to have real strategic input in an organisation that values its people and has big ambitions for the future, please apply to be considered.
Thank you Jo. The closing date is 26 February 2018.
Find a new comms job
I hope you find this article useful if you are looking for a new role. Thank you to everyone who had advertised with All Things IC over the past few weeks, there are so many new roles around!
You can place an advert for just £99 +VAT per role, per week. Find out how. Vacancies are on the page and also Tweeted @AllthingsICjobs.
Other roles available to explore via the All Things IC jobs page include the following (please note if you’re viewing after the closing date, they will have expired):
- Internal Comms Manager, Which?
- Communications Officer, SES Water
- External Communications and Marketing Manager, Community Integrated Care
- Internal Communications Manager, Tax Pensions and Legal
- Senior Leadership Communications Manager Professional Services
- Junior Account Executive, Ruder Finn
- IC Consultant and IC Account Management roles, H&H.
What do you use when searching for a new job? If you have any top tips, you’re welcome to comment below or Tweet me @AllthingsIC.
How to be a Communication Consultant
Thank you for all your comments, ideas and messages over the past few weeks about my new career series. I’ve been blogging about life as a Communication Consultant to mark All Things IC’s fifth birthday on 31 January 2018.
If you missed them, here’s what I’ve written:
- How to be a Communication Consultant: getting started
- How to be a Communication Consultant: getting paid
- How to be a Communication Consultant: where to work – includes a video tour of my office.
I’ve also featured a freelancer who is four weeks into her new way of working, Ellie Buckingham: Diary of a freelancer – one month in.
How to learn about internal communication
My 2018 Masterclasses dates are now live and there are a handful of places left for the Strategic IC Masterclass on 21 February – be quick!
Following feedback from readers, clients and Masterclass attendees, I’ve created new packages to outline all the different ways I can work with you to help you succeed. Whatever your budget is, there should be an option to suit.
From 1-2-1 VIP Days, to bespoke Masterclasses for small teams (up to five people) and larger teams (up to 10 people), you can now find full information via my website. There are also a range of options to get support via phone including one-hour and two-hour calls.
As ever, I’m open to your suggestions of ways I can help you solve your IC problems. Do get in touch and I’ll see how I can help.
Thank you for stopping by, I hope you have a great weekend.
Rachel
Post author: Rachel Miller.
First published on the All Things IC blog 9 February 2018.
