How many octopuses does it take to change a lightbulb? - Guest post by Jared Keleher

Right, now I have grabbed your attention with my tenuous octopus related joke, I think it's time I told you about Octopus Public Relations.

Today I attended the careers talk entitled "PR and Marketing - Getting In And Getting On." As I study Marketing here at Keele and I am intending to work within this industry, attending made a lot of sense; so I turned up. Then, in stepped Paul Kirby the brains behind the operation and the man I had agreed to listen to for the next hour of my life.

As I had expected the talk was extremely interesting and useful. Paul talked us through a brief timeline of his employment history - demonstrating to our mixed bunch of students the many routes you can follow in life. He took the time to ask us undergraduates what we wanted to learn from this talk, just to make sure that what he spoke about was relevant. As  was evident from his slides, he was already way ahead of us! Paul talked us through a "how not to apply for a job" scenario - which despite seeming a bit backwards - actually clarified some things for me that just wouldn't enter my mind otherwise.

He encouraged us to get creative and as his talk progressed, my mind was whizzing away thinking of 'out of the box' ways to apply for a job. What struck me about Paul, was his honesty (Brutal honesty!). This, combined with his obvious passion for marketing and public relations was completely refreshing. Having shocked me slightly by telling us the truth behind managers reading everybody's applications, (If you can't be bothered to check for spelling - I can't be bothered to read it). I actually felt more certain than ever that my application would never be one of "those" applications. (spellchecker here I come!)

In addition to the helpful stories that will stick in my mind for a long time, Paul actually gave us some ideas of how to proactively work towards a career in marketing alongside our studies. Having simply attended this talk from an ex Keele graduate, I left the room feeling confident that I personally knew what to do next and how to go about it.

The talk not only inspired me to get on with my personal career journey, but it also inspired this 20 year old student to sit and write this blog so that you who read this, will make your own journey start. Signing up to a free careers talk on your own campus isn't much effort now is it!?

Oh, and as a reward for getting all the way through this blog, I suppose I'll tell you exactly how many octopuses it takes to change a lightbulb - 1/8.

Jared