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Category: Capital Markets

Why is media relations important? Lessons from Covid-19 and beyond


By Isabelle Dann, Senior Media Strategist, Technology  

The importance of good media relations cannot be overstated and, since you’re already reading this, chances are this isn’t news to you. Strong PR has always been prized compared to advertising, as people rightly prioritise third-party endorsement, thanks to its impartial nature. Across all sectors, earned media has always rested on relationships. However, the pandemic reshuffled everyone’s cards, affecting the entire media landscape.  

During the first lockdown, web traffic spiked for publishers due to the widespread impact of coronavirus – yet existing struggles to monetise this readership persisted, even for newspapers with a healthy network of paid subscribers. This was compounded when media buyers and brands pulled advertising spend almost overnight, compelling consolidation across the industry. 

Also, it’s no secret that newsrooms had been shrinking alongside advertising budgets long before the clutches of Covid-19 set in. Consequently, journalists would often find themselves forced to churn out more stories with fewer resources and more ill-targeted PR pitches. 

So, what does this mean for communications now? In short: while the benefits of media relations may be harder to achieve than ever before, they’ve never been more valuable. The pandemic accelerated our evolution into a weightless world, as described by economist Diane Coyle, where more economic activity takes place in digital form – but personalisation is still paramount. 

This is where the importance of media relations becomes most apparent, as true storytelling is people-powered. Certainly, it’s never been more difficult to stand out from the crowd. Businesses that blast out endless press releases about, say, yet another industry award shortlist – opting for quantity over quality when it comes to targets – are doomed to fail from the beginning. 

Good media relations centres around knowing what journalists want, which means aiming far beyond press releases (though of course these remain important). This means reading the news voraciously – sounds obvious, yet so many fail to really do their homework when speaking to journalists. How else are you going to know what a journalist wants unless you read their work? Their competitors’ work? Reading is the catalyst for storylines, the ability to spot opportunities, and respond imaginatively and efficiently to breaking news – which is where we excel.  

As a result, the best journalists come to us for a conversation, to look at what we have written, and to listen to what we can offer them. Above all else, journalists want fresh ideas. That could encompass everything from an opinion piece to a research-led feature, an infographic to an interview opportunity. The point is that media relationships don’t come from a piece of paper like an old-fashioned press release; they grow from a discussion based around a whole package of input. 

Now, how best to go about this? Both brands and communications professionals (whether in-house or agency) should focus on building meaningful relationships with their target media. As the world opens up more and more, this could entail meeting a journalist for coffee or lunch, which helps build a relationship on a personal level. Phone calls work well for formal interviews, but nothing quite beats meeting face-to-face; humans have not yet devolved en masse into bots for a reason. 

At the same time, the rise in remote working has made Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Hangouts meetings mainstream. This has opened up access to virtual coffees with journalists who might not only live in a different city but in a different country, continent, perhaps even in a rural location.

This shouldn’t be a hard sell, but instead a chance to get to know them and what they are interested in, so pitching efforts can be more tailored. Also don’t forget that, by removing the need to travel, you’ll be asking for less of a journalist’s (admittedly scant) time. 

Ultimately, with Google advertising still funding fake news websites, it’s never been more important to support organisations that specialise in telling the truth. What’s more, as publishers are accountable, they’re a valuable place for businesses to spend marketing budgets in the form of PR. Paid media can be useful as part of a wider communications strategy but, in isolation, it’ll only achieve limited success.  

The future of media is uncertain and, when calculating ROI, it’s easy to be short-sighted – but businesses must play the long game if they want lasting growth. Journalists – online, print, audio, and broadcast – are responsible for holding to account key figures in government, companies, sovereign states, and broader society. Individuals and businesses who can provide revealing insights that rise above the noise, creating distinctive value for a publication’s readers, will create a truly lasting legacy.

Get in touch with me if you’re looking to propel your press coverage this year. In the last few weeks alone, we’ve secured Sky News, the Financial Times, and Business Insider.

Isabelle can be reached at isabelle.dann@aspectusgroup.com and @izzydann 

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Why LME’s publicity pain reinforces the need for humble comms


By Tim Focas, Head of Capital Markets, Aspectus Group

Has there been a financial institution that has gone through the communications mill more so far this year than the London Metals Exchange (LME)? From the 180 degree turn on the planned ring closure post the pandemic, to the exchange’s more recent reputational headache around the nickel-market chaos, it is fair to say there has been plenty to keep the LME press office busy.

But for however hectic a time it has been for their PR team no doubt working overtime trying to take the sting out of every pejorative news mention, the LME’s current situation is a reminder to the wider industry that the comms tail should not be wagging the boardroom dog. In other words, answers to the challenges the LME’s business faces can only be found by the experts from the business, and the role of comms in this period of journalists craving authenticity is to face the stream of negativity head on, as opposed to spin themselves out of the situation.

In the case of the nickel crisis back in March, most of the massive, short bets at the heart of the squeeze were held in deals with banks, so the LME were unable to quickly get a get a handle on the scale and potentially systemic nature of the position. Prices shot up 250% across two days, bringing a bunch of dealers to the brink of failure before the LME suspended the market and subsequently cancelled billions of dollars of trades.

The fallout has consisted of members sending copious numbers of reports on their over the counter (OTC) trading positions and, as a result, LME reassessing how it monitors its market beyond their regulatory obligations. This begs the question – what is the right approach to modern day media management?

It is important not to try and mask over or sugar coat, or worse fail even acknowledge, what has happened. Rather than simply devising a communications plan that centres around nothing but endless promises, why not hold your hands up and issue a mea culpa with the goal of building your credibility in the long-term.

One way of doing this is when a company has positive news. Instead of adopting a “look how great we are” approach, why not say “it is important not to read too much into this. We will have some good months, and some not so good months.” If more established institutions adopted this approach on a good day, they are much more likely to come across as credible when delivering news on a bad day.

This is important as stakeholders will be putting more weight on honesty and integrity. Long established institutions have a choice between hard selling the everything is rosy in the garden approach to comms, or the softer sell where executives are upfront about the deficiencies in their strategy or weaknesses in their product or service, before then talking about the strengths. While the more aggressive hard sell is going to push home the merits of your strategy, the softer sell is perhaps a better way of convincing people to ultimately buy the product or service you are selling. In more cases than most realise, coming across as genuine is a more persuasive way to make a case for your offering, than making the case for your offering strongly.

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Knowing your ABCs – navigating the ESG world


Hattie Curl, Account Director 

ESG. You’ve probably heard this term bandied around, particularly amongst companies and investors. But what does it mean, why is it important – and above all, how can businesses communicate their ESG efforts?

At its core, the ESG acronym refers to the three key factors when measuring the sustainability and ethical impact of a business. 

E – Environmental 
Environmental is the first part of the acronym, which examines how a business performs in regard to safeguarding the environment. Criteria that are often focused on include waste and pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and deforestation.

S – Social  
Social looks at how companies treat their employees and the local community, concentrating on topics such as diversity and inclusion (D&I), working conditions, supporting local communities and health and safety.

G – Governance  
Finally, governance examines how a business polices itself and how it is governed. It focuses on areas such as tax strategy, board diversity and structure, corruption and bribery and donations.

Don’t forget the C 

Now, more than ever, investors, consumers and businesses alike are putting the pressure on to have a robust ESG strategy. And it’s not just the strategy itself that companies need to get right. More than ever, the comms around the strategy is just as important.

This is why another crucial letter is C – Communication. Effectively communicating ESG strategies with key stakeholders is paramount for all businesses.

This might be through owned channels – such as your website’s blog or social media – or earned channels including the press. A great recent example of this is from Mastercard. It recently announced that it will link all employee bonuses to ESG initiatives, expanding an earlier programme which was limited to its senior executives. By doing so, it will help Mastercard achieve its goals of cutting carbon usage, improving financial inclusion and gender pay parity.

Not only has Mastercard clearly communicated its plans, but it has utilised its channels to do so in an educational, authentic way. The announcement has been picked up by the likes of Bloomberg and Reuters as well as other trade publications and has been posted to its blog, LinkedIn and Twitter to strong levels of engagement.

Are you interested in hearing about how we can help develop your ESG communications strategy? Get in touch. 

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Why a magic catherine wheel is responsible for our ongoing success


Alastair Turner, Global CEO

In lockdown my kids had to do a news item on Icarus. Twin boys. Two separate reports filmed with the help of their sister and edited by me (never again). It led to interesting discussions about pride, modesty and humbleness.

Our lockdown lesson concluded with us all realising we had a lot of phrases for Icarus’s predicament.

We all know that Icarus…got a bit carried away…became pleased with himself and that…pride comes before the fall.

How many CEOs of major companies haven’t learned that lesson? One minute they are profiled in glossy magazines, resplendent in lycra pounding the streets or hitting the gym, espousing a daily schedule which starts off with getting up before they’ve gone to bed and then gets properly busy from there. Then shortly afterwards they end up with…well…egg on their face?

Perhaps it’s a peculiarly British trait to not want to talk the talk but rather let our actions speak for us. It’s definitely those actions that should instil pride, not some apprentice-style boastfulness built on weak foundations. At Aspectus we have always been proud of three interconnected things: our people, the work they do and the culture they nurture.

Those are the things that we have concentrated on year after year. And since we entered the PR week Top 150 in 2012 at 118, that’s what we have kept our head down doing. Of course, over the years our people, clients, culture and mantra has evolved…today we talk about bringing a combination of intelligent insight, global expertise and excellent execution together to deliver client success, all of which is underpinned by considered creativity and delivered by empowered talent.

And I think that is the key. Our philosophy has always been about empowering our talent. How? By aiming to create a virtuous circle between our people, our purpose and our commercial success. Each element reliant on the next. Each one acting as a catalyst for the others.

That magic, ever accelerating, Catherine wheel has, 10 years on, led us into the PR Week Top 50 and put us in pole position as the UK’s largest B2B agency. We are incredibly proud of that achievement but also modest and humble about it. We are excited to be in an industry that is constantly evolving and realise that there are many brilliant agencies doing amazing, innovative things. We also know that that sustained growth, while great fun, is really hard work.

However, the wonderful thing about the culture our people own is that it’s a proper team effort, ‘as flat as an IKEA flat pack’, and that as individuals and as a business, while we want to soar, we don’t ever get too close to the sun. But we will keep repeating our mantra, keep working on that special equation and see what it adds up to. We now do that with quiet confidence and real resolve…while we have always walked the walk, we can now quietly talk the talk.

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Yin and Yang – Digital Marketing and PR: An Integrated Approach for Success


Ivy Buchelli, Account Manager

Our daily lives revolve around digital, whether it’s how we consume the news, enjoy entertainment or work. With the pandemic, this has been emphasized – so it is unsurprising that digital has woven itself into the fabric of traditional PR even more tightly than before. Companies should take deliberate steps to integrate digital marketing and PR. Otherwise, they risk leaving opportunities on the table.

Often prospects will search online before they reach out to a business. Companies can’t just rely on media coverage to influence their customers’ perceptions; they need to think about their whole online presence. A brand’s reputation can start through a Google search, social media click or a direct website visit, reinforcing the need to have a digital element in your strategy so that you can control the conversation.

Here are a few areas that should be part of your digital marketing toolkit to supplement your PR wins and help you take control of the customer journey.

Website UX

Your website will typically be the first-place prospects go to when researching your company. This is their initial exposure to your brand’s core message and value proposition and will help shape their perception of your brand – so make it count.

A website’s functionality and aesthetic can strongly impact a user’s perception and can ultimately make or break an engagement, so the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” does not apply. In short, a bad website experience can permanently drive a prospect away.

Things to factor in when thinking about UX include load time, navigation, design, SSL certification, messaging, keywords and content. Moreover, the website UX should be optimized for desktops, tablets and mobile users.

Google Analytics is a good place to start when it comes to assessing your website’s user experience. Are there specific pages with a high bounce rate? Understanding problem areas can help you to prioritize changes and give a benchmark for performance so you know that any updates have had a positive impact.

SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), or organic search, encompasses the practice and tactics used to help optimize a website to increase presence in search results and the quality and quantity of traffic from a search engine. With over 85% of the market share, Google is king of the search engines, and as such, your Google ranking matters. It comes as no surprise that page one of Google is a competitive environment. To improve rankings, companies need to understand which keywords their prospects are searching for and optimize their website around those keywords.

Still, it’s not just about keywords. There are more than 200 ranking factors that Google uses, and it evaluates quality through expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Google’s latest algorithm update places more focus on user experience, so it’s important to think about how these elements go hand in hand. Of course, traditional media relations also helps build authority – and getting good quality backlinks from relevant publications is a strong signal to Google that a website is a trusted source.

PPC

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising includes paid search, display advertising and paid social media. It gives companies brand recognition, drives visibility and can support in lead nurturing. Results are easy to measure and track, allowing you to adjust campaigns and scale as needed.

Supplementing SEO with PPC allows even more dominance in search results. By honing in on PPC, you increase the odds of being found through searches – either for your brand name or relevant keywords. However, your competition may also be using this tactic, meaning several companies are competing for the same impressions, clicks, and search terms. If you take the opportunity to explore this venture, you need to ensure you have the expertise to create, implement and manage the campaign so that your budget is being used efficiently. Targeting the wrong keyword(s) without strategic knowledge in match types can lead to high impressions but low click-through rates if the keywords are too generic and the ad copy isn’t targeted enough. Ultimately, this error will eat up your budget without providing proper ROI.

Social Media

Social media allows you to reach a broad audience to communicate and reinforce your messaging. But it doesn’t stop there; it also enables companies to share news stories, announcements, engage with prospects and customers, and drive users to the company website to generate impact. More so, tools like LinkedIn sponsored ads allow you to narrow down your pool of audience members to specific high-quality targets – whether by job title, company name and/or a particular industry.

An exceptional social media post is more than just words; it requires knowing what visuals will resonate with your key targets, understanding when it’s the right time to post, having a strong call to action and remaining consistent.

The Importance of Integration

Traditional PR is an essential element of the marketing toolkit and always will be due to the power of high-quality media coverage when it comes to brand-building and awareness. Digital marketing, on the other hand, allows companies to deliver the right messaging at the right time to the correct audience, and provides a valuable, measurable complement to traditional PR. Digital fuels traditional PR efforts, serving as the yin to the yang of traditional media relations. When done well, using digital as a supporting tactic to an overall strategy can help clients win big in awareness, prospect interest and lead generation, and overall, help increase ROI.

Learn more about our integrated marketing and communications services.

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CEO PR: Celebrity Executive Officer or Chief Executive Officer?


By Emmanuel Adeshugba, Tech Team, Intern, Aspectus Group

The term CEO is likely the most corporate sounding title there is in the workplace. What typically springs to mind is an older man in an expensive suit and tie at the head of a boardrooms.

However, this mental image is slowly becoming a thing of the past. In the technology space the image of a suit and tie is slowly being replaced by a 30-something-year-old in much more casual attire with an office in the heart of Shoreditch.

The slow phasing out of the old corporate images of the past can be seen as a movement into a new era where the focus is less on professional protocol, but instead on results and revenue – whether that is done in dress shoes or flip flops.

This move does come with some externalities that are becoming a staple in the tech industry. The CEOs of large tech companies such as Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are transcending the corporate boss character and are becoming celebrities themselves. With Jeff Bezos having over three million followers on Instagram and Elon Musk with his notorious and sporadic Twitter account.

From a technology PR perspective, does this help or hinder the company’s reputation?

Elon Musk’s tweets are controversial mainly due to their ability to move the markets. The tweets by Musk have had a heavy effect on his own company’s price sinking his stock by 12% after tweeting a poll about selling 10% of his stake in the company. It’s not just his company that he’s impacting though, one tweet by Musk in 2020 caused the price of bitcoin to skyrocket by over 10% in a single day.

The benefits of CEO PR

In a more transparent commercial world public relations extends past just the company and applies to the personnel that represents said company. Unfortunately, the cliche of “all views are my own” does not apply when given the title of CEO in a firm resulting in a need to present a more positive stable public image.

Having the power to control markets in the hand of one CEO with an iPhone can be a scary thought for anyone and is likely a PR teams’ nightmare, but there can be benefits to this.

The personality of CEOs can become a brand in and of itself that individuals, who may not have heard of the brand before, will now know through the CEO.

Ultimately, this new wave of CEOs with big personalities could be seen as a move in the right direction for firms in a generation that requires more transparency, authenticity, and engagement before making decisions on where to spend their money.

We’ve also seen how media fails can turn into media wins with the likes of BBC dad – when Professor Robert E Kelly let his corporate mask slip and showed viewers some personality – which showed us showing your human and softer side doesn’t make you make. It just makes you relatable.

We’ve worked with some of the most exciting chief execs across the globe to make them household names. To find out more about media training and how we do this for you or your business, get in touch: tech@aspectusgroup.com.

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Technology awards: a comprehensive list of the best to enter


By Sanjana Rao, technology PR intern

Awards are a great way to get your company, employees, colleagues or even yourself noticed as frontrunners and innovators in the tech industry. With several new technology awards emerging year on year, it can be hard to manage these and know which ones are best to go for.

Here are some of our top picks for technology awards in 2022 to enter:

UK Business Tech Awards

The UK Business Tech Awards looks for innovative and exceptional applications of technology that can be used to transform and grow businesses.

The awards include a variety of categories such as Healthtech Pioneer of the Year, Fintech Innovator of the Year, Ecommerce Company of the Year, Edtech Company of the Year, and SaaS company of the Year, among others.

  • Entry deadline: 1 July (17 June for Early Bird)
  • Shortlist announcement: 29 July
  • Awards Ceremony: 13 October

Women in Tech Excellence Awards

In an industry that is still largely dominated by men, the Women in Tech Excellence Awards aims to reward and celebrate women in the tech industry.

The Women in Tech Excellence Awards were designed to help the technology industry move towards a solution by recognising and promoting women.

There are 18 categories in which candidates can be nominated for, these include CIO of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, IT Leader of the Year, Security Leader of the Year and Software Engineer of the Year, among others.

  • Entry deadline: 29 April
  • Finalist announcement: August (exact date TBC)
  • Awards ceremony: November (exact date TBC)

The Cloud Awards

The Cloud Awards celebrate the best in Cloud Computing and is the first and largest awards platform of its kind. It is partnered with The SaaS Awards.

The awards aim to attract nominees across the globe with a focus on striving to not be solely US-centric.

  • Entry deadline: end of October
  • Awards ceremony: TBC

The SaaS Awards

The Software as a Service (SaaS) Awards, is partnered with The Cloud Awards. The SaaS Awards looks to represent software across the world and equal weighting is given to all countries and individual awards in any category may be split into more than one award if the strength of submissions is impressive across regions.

  • Entry deadline: end of May
  • Awards ceremony: TBC

CRN Channel Awards

The channel is a large part of the tech industry, and the CRN Channel Awards look to celebrate the power of the channel.

Described as one of the most prestigious technology awards in the UK IT channel and with a rigorous judging process, winning a CRN Channel Award is a great achievement that any company within the channel should aim for.

  • Entry deadline: 1 July (entries open end of April)
  • Awards ceremony: 10 November

CRN Women & Diversity in Channel Awards

CRN is also hosting their 5th Women & Diversity in Channel Awards. The aim of the awards is not only to celebrate women and champion wider diversity within the industry but also recognising that the challenge of increasing diversity across the country (and the world) is far from solved.

  • Entry deadline: 9 May
  • Awards Ceremony: 13 October

Banking Tech Awards

FinTech Future’s Banking Tech Awards have returned in 2022 for their 23rd year. Nominations are open to financial institutions, banks as well as technology services and software providers. There are 32 categories, including a category for best COVID-19 response.

  • Entry deadline: 22 July
  • Awards ceremony: 1 December

The Tech Trailblazers Awards

The Tech Trailblazers Awards looks for tech companies across a variety of sectors such as the Cloud, Developers, FinTech, Mobile, Security, Blockchain, AI and Big Data. As an award for “Trailblazers”, categories are open to private companies either privately funded or VC backed (Series C or earlier) and under seven years old.

This is a great technology award to enter for newer companies, especially those with unique and innovative solutions to technology problems.

  • Entry deadline: 31 August (Early bird deadline is 4 August)
  • Shortlist announced: 14 October
  • Voting closes: 4 November
  • Awards ceremony: 15 November

The Heath Tech Awards

Following the pandemic, health tech seems to be more important than ever, and the industry has seen an insurgence of great innovation and talent. The Health Tech Awards has categories which range from patient care and services to mental health solutions to video consultation software.

  • Entry deadline: 23 June
  • Finalists announced: 13 September
  • Awards ceremony (digital): 13 October

At Aspectus, we’ve won multiple technology awards for clients. From handling the research through to drafting compelling and creative entries. Get in touch if you’d like to win more awards in 2022: tech@aspectusgroup.com.

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Why proactive reputation management is pivotal for hedge funds


By Natalia Lapotko, Account Manager, Aspectus Capital Markets

Economic uncertainty following tragic events in Ukraine puts a spotlight on hedge funds, institutions that are specialising in hedging risks and controlling the intensity of their exposure in financial markets. A crisis like this is a test for major players and a potential death sentence for smaller ones. For the second time since 2020 global markets are undergoing massive changes and like during the COVID crisis, hedge funds find it increasingly difficult to stay “under the radar” as journalists are assessing how various players are facing this challenging time.

According to this FT article market turmoil is splitting hedge funds into macro winners and tech losers. Macro hedge funds enjoy one of their best Q1 results, while technology and growth funds experience double digit losses. Funds with a heavy focus on Russian assets attract a lot of attention from media and vocal supporters of tough sanctions on Russia.

From a communications perspective, this is a good case study showcasing why it is important to secure proactive reputation management ahead of turbulent times.

Helping to benefit from positive news without company comments

In March, BH-DG Systematic Trading fund and Systematica Investments secured positive coverage thanks to their strong performance. FT, for example, explained this success by the fact that these are computer-driven and macro quant funds trading without human sensitivities. These hedge funds educated the audience about their strategies and their benefits in the past and consequently experts used them as examples of a successful quant approach. It is interesting to note that Systematica Investment’s image is powered by its CEO Leda Braga whose nickname is “the queen of quants”. This illustrates that a hedge fund can benefit from the strong public image of its leadership.

Providing stronger Investor Relations (IR) comms to replace media engagement during crisis situations

In April Tiger Global’s 34% slump was widely covered in the media and although the hedge fund declined to comment on this matter, media outlets quoted the firm’s investment team letter to investors:

“In this moment, we are humbled, but steady in our conviction and confident about the go-forward opportunity.”

Although this note hardly changes the situation, it still shows the hedge fund’s willingness to honestly communicate with its investors.

Like many other hedge funds which lost in this situation Melvin Capital, which ended first quarter with 20.6% loss, declined to comment and Bloomberg’s piece on this matter appears to be less favourable without any mentions of IR communications.

Presenting an alternative viewpoint in challenging events 

FT story on Firebird Management which pioneered investments in the Soviet Union and is still heavily focused on Russia illustrates that engagement with media can help to present an alternative viewpoint even in situations which appear to be inherently negative.

The article cites Harvey Sawikin, Firebird’s co-founder and lead manager of its eastern Europe and Russian funds, admitting that this risk could have been addressed. While declining to comment on potential losses, he stressed that many investors are interested in buying cheap Russian assets as they are expecting bargains on them. This approach allowed the hedge fund to present itself as a transparent institution which can admit its mistakes but also provides an alternative viewpoint on a very challenging situation.

Shifting attentions from sensitive issues throughout a crisis

During a crisis, like never before, it is useful to have several ongoing projects presenting the company as a forward-looking organisation. During turbulent times, when actual performance may be suffering, this may help to shift the attention from negative agenda. For example, in April HFObserver published the results of its study showing that hedge fund firms hired women for almost half of new ESG jobs. Although media outlets that picked up this news did not cite specific companies, it was a good opportunity for hedge funds to feature on the ESG front.

Conclusion

As the 2020s uncover one crisis after another, hedge funds must be ahead of the curve in their communication strategies. A proactive communication strategy powered by strong IR capabilities can help hedge funds to smoothen negative coverage and own a story when a player benefits from dramatic events.

Undoubtedly the future will bring more crisis situations and it is never too late to start preparing for them. Prep work can not only help to handle a crisis but even to benefit from it.

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Tips for how to ace an interview


Sanjana Rao, tech PR intern

We understand that interviews can be daunting, especially if it’s your first one, but we’re here to put you at ease.

If you’re applying to The Aspectus Academy, our London apprenticeship (or any Aspectus role for that matter), interviews are simply an opportunity for you to tell us about how great you are, and a way for us to get to know each other.

Here are our top five tips to calm interview nerves, help you feel prepared and, ultimately, ace your interview.

1) Research the job role

An important part of interview preparation is researching the job or apprenticeship you’ve applied for. Think about:

  • What you’re excited about and why – consider if there’s a particular sector or element you’re looking forward to most.
  • What your day-to-day responsibilities will be – if applying for a PR and marketing apprenticeship, you’re likely to be talking to journalists, brainstorming creative ideas, writing social media posts and supporting the team. If it’s an accounting job, it will be maths based, spreadsheets and thinking analytically.
  • What makes a good candidate – think how you can perform the job well. From practical skills like writing or organisation, to personality traits. At The Aspectus Academy, we’re after drive, positive thinking, creativity and teamwork.

For more information on The Aspectus Academy, read our blog: “Everything you need to know”.

2) Research the company

Our second interview tip is also about research. This time, about the company.

A good place to start is the company’s website. You’ll usually find pages like ‘Culture’, ‘About’ and ‘Blogs’ which will introduce you to some people who work there and give you a feel for what the vibe is like.

Company websites are also the best place to find out what a business actually does. For example, Aspectus is a global integrated communications agency – meaning we do PR, digital marketing, social media, messaging, strategy and more! We also work with different clients, different sectors and have clients across the globe. Check out our ‘Services’ and sector pages online to find out more.

You don’t need to know absolutely everything, so don’t waste time learning obscure facts. But do make sure you understand what a company does, and why you want to work there.

3) Prepare answers to common questions

This is where your research comes in handy. Interviews are a free-flowing conversation, but you can generally bet on being asked certain questions, so prepare answers ahead of time. For example:

  • Tell us a bit about yourself
  • Why would you like to apply for this job or apprenticeship?
  • What skills do you have that will help you in the role?
  • What’s your proudest moment?
  • What are you most looking forward to and why?

If you’re applying for our London apprenticeship, The Aspectus Academy, make sure you’re confident chatting around the questions on the application form.

4) Prepare questions

At the end of your session, interviewers will often ask if you have any questions for them. Asking questions proves that you’re passionate and genuinely interested in the job or apprenticeship.

You also need to know if this is the right fit for you, so use questions to learn more about the role, the company and the industry. Interview questions to ask include:

  • What’s your favourite part of your job?
  • How did you get into this industry?
  • How can I prepare for the role ahead of time?
  • What is the company culture like?

Think about what you want to know, then go for it! There’s no such thing as a silly question.

5) Prepare for the interview environment

In a world changed by Covid, it is important to consider the setting of your interview. If it’s online, make sure you can access the application (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet etc.) and you have the link to hand. Sometimes you must download an app onto your laptop, so make sure this is done before the day. You should also test your webcam, speakers and mic.

For the interview itself, try to find a quiet environment with stable Wi-Fi. This could be somewhere at home, or if you’re applying for The Aspectus Academy apprenticeship, you could do it at school.

If your interview is in person, you’ll need to figure out how to get there. Make sure to plan your journey in advance, especially if taking public transport as you never know what can happen!

Despite all this, sometimes things go wrong; if you’re ever unsure or struggling to get online/somewhere for your interview, let the interviewer know. For The Aspectus Academy, email academyjobs@aspectusgroup.com.

Back yourself!

With all this considered, the final thing to remember is to be yourself. Employers like to get to know your personality and they appreciate authenticity.

Interviews can be scary but thinking about it in a different way will calm your nerves – this is an opportunity to shout about yourself and reflect on all the amazing things you’ve done! By following these tips you’ll feel better prepared, now you just have to trust the process. You’ve got this.

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