As a Senior Account Director and Team Leader at PLMR, over the years I’ve had the opportunity to shape and support the growth of my Team and the wider business. Alongside gaining expertise in a range of communications disciplines and developing my leadership skills, this has meant speaking to countless hopeful candidates considering their next career move – many of whom are just starting out in their careers or are looking for a change in pace or purpose in their role.
A very common question asked from the other side of the interview table is about the career prospects and training opportunities we offer. This is always my favourite question to respond to, as I feel that the experiences and opportunities I’ve had access to, and the progression I have achieved during my five and a half years with the company, really epitomises the supportive culture, career pathways, and training you are offered from the second you walk through the door.
I very proudly started my journey here at PLMR as an Intern in 2016, straight out of university and with only a glimpse of what a career in communications and public affairs would entail. Like many graduates, at the time I didn’t have a clear idea of the job that would kick-start my career, but I’ve always very felt lucky to have found a role which is so closely aligned with my interests and, with respect to the sectors we support, my values. I feel very proud to support so many organisations who are doing amazing things, be it socially, economically or environmentally.
It’s very cliché, but since joining PLMR time has genuinely flown. I’ve worked on countless campaigns and projects which have helped to make a positive impact within different businesses, sectors, communities and wider society; developed a broad communications skillset covering PR, public affairs and reputation management; met people from all walks of life; attended interesting events and conferences across the UK and have used my passport several times with company-wide trips including to Paris and Madrid.
Together with learning on the job – and there inevitably is a lot of that – PLMR has also offered me some excellent development opportunities. From our wide-ranging internal training programmes which are supported by expert guest speakers, right through to one-to-one coaching with our individual training budgets, and most recently an eight-week digital marketing course with Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.
Alongside it being a hugely rewarding and stretching job, with no two days ever being the same, the real highlight of my time at PLMR has to be the talented and encouraging colleagues and friends I have the privilege to work alongside and support each day. This includes in my role as a Team Leader of seven other consultants – the same team I started in as an Intern four years before – and joining PLMR’s Management Committee in 2021.
Within both these roles, I love having the opportunity to share the experiences and learnings which have shaped my own development with the brilliant colleagues in my team and across the business more widely. Similarly, having benefitted from so many supportive managers and senior leaders over the years, I know first-hand the difference it makes to have someone who genuinely cares about the job you do and the opportunities that will come your way.
From my experience, a career at PLMR can really be whatever you want it to be, with hard work, an eagerness to learn, and support along the way from colleagues and often even clients alike!
