orlaghclaire.com was created September 2016 as an outlet for me to document my thoughts and views on the world of PR and anything else that interested me.
My name is Orlagh Shanks and I have just completed my final year of university at Liverpool John Moores on the Business with Public Relations degree. Just last year, I carried out a placement year with Coty in London, working as the PR/Influencer Marketing Assistant aka the best job in the world.
Public Relations is a career I can 100% see myself pursuing after graduation and in years to come I hope to open my own PR agency.
I’ve never been a home-bird and that is why in September 2015 I packed my bags and left the island of Ireland to move to Liverpool, England.
PR Experience
BELFAST
I’ve had a lot of experience working in the PR industry, for example before I started my PR degree I worked on Belfast Fashion Week with CMPR and I also worked as the PR Assistant for The Burn Nightclub, Lurgan where I helped organise many events and PA’s.
LIVERPOOL
In November 2016 I was recruited as Internal Communications Assistant at MD Insurance Services, Birkenhead where I worked two days a week alongside my studies, gaining valuable experience in the communications sector as well as public relations and event management.
I also spent a week interning at Influential Marketing and Public Relations just before commencing my new role with MDIS.
I then worked full-time as Internal Communications Assistant at MDIS for the month of April and beginning of May 2017 as soon as I finished my second year of university.
At the end of May, I spent four weeks interning at Bold Management, Liverpool, gaining experience in the celebrity and publicity side of PR which was great fun!
After returning from London and settling into final year, I have returned to my Internal Communications Assistant role at MD Insurance Services in Birkenhead. I have been working here three days per week alongside my final year studies since December 2018.
LONDON
Once the four weeks of Bold Management were up, I moved straight down to London for my next internship at The London Fashion Agency where I spent five days before beginning my year with Coty the following week which you can read about here.
Since July 2017 I was employed as the PR & Influencer Marketing Assistant of the Luxury division of Coty, working on brands such as Gucci, Tiffany & Co., Burberry, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Chloé and many more. I had the best year of my life and you can read about my entire placement year here. I was gutted to leave but excited to see where I will end up post-graduation.
When I return to university in September 2018 to commence my third and final year, I will have 17 consecutive months of full-time PR work experience under my belt. I am always looking for ways in which I can learn more about public relations and I love to intern so that I can get an inside view and put theory to practice.
In March 2019, I was invited to the University of Greenwich to give a talk to PR students all about blogging and my PR experience. It still baffles me that my blog has opened me up to so many amazing opportunities that I wouldn’t have today if I hadn’t started it in my second year of university. It was an amazing opportunity and I still can’t believe that it happened. I loved speaking to the PR students at Greenwich and hearing their plans for the future and their interest in starting to blog. Hopefully I inspired a few of them to start too!
Awards
UK’S BEST PR BLOGGER 2018
In May 2018 I was named as the UK’s Best PR Student Blogger and I still can’t quite believe it. It’s one of my greatest achievements to date and never did I think when I started my blog or published my first blog post that I would be at this point less than two years later.
I am so thankful that people (like you right now) take the time to read my blog. After all, it’s just my thoughts on paper and who’d have thought people would find that interesting?!
I hope to continue my blog while finishing my university degree and once I enter into the world of work. Being named the UK’s Best PR Student Blogger is definitely something I will cherish for a very long time – blog post here.
UK’S BEST PR BLOGGER 2019
In May 2019, I was named as the UK’s Best PR Student Blogger for the second year in a row. It was during my final year of university, and my last opportunity taking part in the competition.
I didn’t think with the challenges and pressures of final year that I would be able to keep up with my blogging schedule, but I introduced three new blog posts every week alongside my studies, part-time job and socialising (and there was a lot of socialising) so I definitely surprised myself with what I could produce.
My blog had only been around for two and a half years and I still can’t believe the success that I have achieved with it and the amount of people that come to read what I write. My blog wouldn’t be here if people didn’t continue to read and visit, so really, I owe it all to you, the person reading this right now.
Now that university is over and I can no longer use #PRStudent after every post, I’m intrigued to see where my blog will go and how it will change as I venture out to the world of full-time employment. Whatever happens, you’ll be the first to know about it on here.
UK BLOG AWARDS 2019
In 2019, I was shortlisted for a UK Blog Award in the PR, Comms & Marketing category. Following a public vote and judges decision, I have since made it to the final eight! I honestly can’t quite believe that I have made it to the final of a UK Blog Award in my chosen category and can’t thank my readers, family and friends enough for their support. The winner of the award is due to be announced on April 12th.
Interviews
I interview a lot of people here on my blog, but on a few rare occasions, I have become the interviewee. To read my thoughts about PR, blogging, placements, and inspirations among other topics, check out the below interviews with myself.
- PR Careers – http://prcareers.co.uk/student-life-orlagh-shanks/
- Lucy Emily – https://lucyemily.co.uk/thursdaythought-student-profile-with-orlagh-shanks/
- Thoughts of Jessica – https://thoughtsofjessica.com/2018/07/05/meet-the-pr-blogger-with-orlagh-shanks/
Guest Posts
You can also find other posts that I’ve written for different sites below on various topics:
- StudentJob UK – Why Everyone Should do a Placement Year
- PR Place – How I Write a Blog Post
And crazily, I’ve been cited and mentioned in the PR textbook, Rethinking Public Relations: Persuasion, Democracy and Society Third Edition by Conor McGrath and Kevin Moloney which you may find in your university library.
Contact
If you would like to know more about the name on your screen, find me on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.
Or contact me via email: orlagh@orlaghclaire.com
