Networking: the Gen Z dilemma
Without the well-developed contacts enjoyed by senior colleagues, younger PR professionals have often struggled to build careers during the Covid hiatus, writes Lawrie Holmes.
When Covid struck, Titilope Ogunnaike had only been in the PR industry for eight months – precious little time to forge relationships in consumer media before the onset of lockdown.
As a result, the 23-year-old account executive at Four Communications found promoting client campaigns at the beginning of the pandemic very challenging. “I hadn't had time to establish good connections with journalists, so I didn’t have all their contact details,” she says. “Not having that made things a lot more difficult.”
Sheeraz Gulsher may be in his early thirties but is under no illusions about how challenging the impact of Covid has been for younger staff. “It's definitely been difficult for people starting in the industry, because we're in the business of securing press coverage and meeting journalists.
“When journalists were being furloughed on newspapers that were already shrinking it becomes quite a challenge,” says Gulsher, who recently joined social media giant Snap Inc as a communications executive after working in agencies. “It can put a tremendous amount of strain on young people in PR firms under pressure to deliver coverage.”
Geoff Ho, business editor of the Sunday Express, puts the issue in stark terms, suggesting Covid exacerbated an already growing problem created by a lack of physical contact with PRs.
