[00:00:00] Mel: Hi, and welcome to Less Chatter, More Matter, a podcast about all things communication without the waffle. I'm your host, Mel Loy, and in this show, I will give you short, punchy, practical communication tips and insights. You can start using in your communication practices right away. I'm a former corporate communication executive who happily took a redundancy, started my own business, and never looked back.

[00:00:27] Mel: These days, I use my 20 plus years of experience to help guide organizations of all shapes and sizes in how to communicate more effectively. I'm wife to Michael, cat mum to Cookie, aunty to 12 nieces and nephews, a yoga teacher, and a group fitness fanatic. I promise these episodes will always be short, sharp, and helpful, so let's get amongst it.

[00:00:52] Mel: Hi friend and welcome to the first episode of Less Chatter More Matter for 2024. It is a delight [00:01:00] to be back with you and wherever you are, I hope you've had a safe and relaxing holiday season. Here's a few fun stats for you; last year we published 47 episodes of the podcast. Who would have thought we'd have that much to say about communications?

[00:01:16] Mel: But clearly there is plenty to say, and we've still got plenty more to share. There's been more than 2, 540 downloads with listeners from 35 countries, listening to 867 minutes of the show. That is so super cool and exciting. So a huge thank you to those of you who listen in each week, and to have taken time to rate and review the show.

[00:01:39] Mel: My goal is to keep delivering the quality content you want every week for as long as it's useful. So speaking of useful, if there's any topics you're really keen for me to touch on this year, please get in touch, shoot me an email or a DM and let me know what's of interest. Okay, so at the beginning of a new year, I know many people are thinking about their [00:02:00] jobs.

[00:02:00] Mel: We've had a bit of time off to reflect, and maybe we're thinking that this year it's time for a change. And whether that's going for your first ever comms role, a new comms role, or even adding freelancing to your mix, now's the time to start thinking about what you want and how you will get it. So in today's episode, I'm going to be sharing some top tips on how to get the comms job you want this year, based on my experience as a hiring manager, as someone who used to look for jobs and as someone who started freelancing and also as someone who hears a lot from my friends in the sector.

[00:02:35] Mel: Now, I'm going to break this down into three categories today. The first category is people who are brand new to the comms sector and you're looking to start your career or you're looking to change from another profession into communications. The second category is people who have been working in the sector for a while and you want a new job in the sector.

[00:02:55] Mel: And the third category is those of you who are considering ditching the job scene [00:03:00] altogether and going out on your own in some capacity. So there will be something for everyone. All right, so let's start with our newbies. So you're the ones who have just graduated or you're about to graduate from a communications degree or a similar discipline.

[00:03:16] Mel: Or maybe you're the one who has been working in another profession for quite some time. And you're just looking for a change. Maybe you've dabbled in comms as part of your , current job, or you're just curious. If that's you, listen up. Here's my top tips for you. Number one, get as much experience as you can.

[00:03:35] Mel: And I highly recommend doing this through volunteering or applying for work experience. I remember back in the olden days when I was an undergrad in my journalism degree, I applied to every news outlet in town to get some work experience. And there were only short stints, but enough to put some experience on my resume and add some items to my portfolio.

[00:03:56] Mel: I recommend doing the same sort of thing if you're wanting to get into comms. [00:04:00] Apply to agencies and in house corporate comms teams for work experience, graduate programs, etc. One thing I will say here is do your research. Snoop around, find out about the types of clients some of these agencies work for.

[00:04:16] Mel: Think about what you are interested in. So for example, if If you're really interested in retail brands and the PR side of comms or crisis management or even corporate social responsibility. Now the great part about doing a bunch of work experience is that you can get a taste for all the different types of niches in communications, but if you're already really passionate about a particular topic, go after that.

[00:04:40] Mel: Also, be aware of what you're not comfortable with. So. For example, let's say you're really against mining and those sorts of industries. Then avoid those companies who work in those sectors. Don't just do the work experiences there for the sake of it. Another side note here, but an important one. Don't think that the experience that you [00:05:00] have done so far isn't relevant.

[00:05:02] Mel: So, for example, let's say you've been working in a customer facing role like in retail. I guarantee you that's given you some communication experience you can be talking about, like learning how to engage with customers, diffuse challenging conversations, listening skills, and so on. So don't discount the work you've already done.

[00:05:22] Mel: The second tip for my newbies is to start getting some recommendations, referrals, and references. So when you're doing your work experience, don't be afraid to ask if someone will write you a short reference, especially if they can do that on your LinkedIn profile, even better. A short written statement could be included in your resume and job applications and on your social media profiles.

[00:05:42] Mel: This is the social proof that helps a potential employer understand more about who you are and what you can bring to the role. And recommendations and referrals can come through people you already know. So for example, maybe you're a member of IABC and you can reach out to some of the more experienced members and ask if [00:06:00] they have any contacts who you could meet for potential work experience or graduate progress.

[00:06:05] Mel: Maybe you have a lecturer or tutor who you could approach. Look at who you already know and who you're already connected with, say on LinkedIn, and approach them. Or just stalk them and see who they're connected with that they could introduce you to. There's loads of ways to start building a network and getting a foot in the door or getting a foot in a number of doors.

[00:06:27] Mel: And then the third tip for my newbies is to learn and to demonstrate you love learning. So let's start with learning. As a hiring manager, I expect even the newbies to have a basic grasp of the fundamental practical skills for communications. Things like how to write a comms plan, how to write great copy and key messages, uh, understanding of how to set corporate comms strategy, measuring communications.

[00:06:53] Mel: I won't go into detail on all of those because I did a whole episode on that last year. If you go to episode [00:07:00] 31, you'll find that one. So scroll back through your podcast app or just go to heymelcomms. com. au forward slash 031. Now if you don't have those practical skills, you are going to start on the back foot.

[00:07:14] Mel: When hiring teams are resource poor and hiring managers don't have the time to hold your hand, you're not going to be the top pick. It's as simple as that. So make sure that you're learning those practical skills and finding ways that you can demonstrate putting them into action. So for example, volunteering to write a comms plan for your local footy team or an animal shelter.

[00:07:36] Mel: Now I've also got an online course communication career fundamentals that you can take where I teach you everything I know about these practical skills. And I'll give you a pack of templates and a resource guide to get you started. I'll tell you more about that at the end of the episode. And a hint, there is a 50% discount for students, hooray!

[00:07:55] Mel: Now, it's one thing to learn the fundamentals, but the fact is that our profession, like any other [00:08:00] profession, but our profession changes all the time. So we need to be adaptable, creative thinkers who change with it and innovate. So, you also need to be able to demonstrate that you love learning about new things.

[00:08:12] Mel: So, enrol in some online courses. So, for example, uh, get on some courses about using particular social media channels, uh, interpersonal skills, having challenging conversations. Read loads of books, listen to loads of podcasts, and then demonstrate that learning in your job interview, it's even better if you can show how - so through your work experience - you took it upon yourself to learn something new. So for example, maybe you did some work experience in a digital marketing agency and you took that as a opportunity to learn more about the ins and outs of LinkedIn. Okay, that's our newbies. The three tips, get the experience. Get recommendations, references and referrals, and learn and keep learning.

[00:08:56] Mel: Okay, our second category is for those of you who are comms pros, [00:09:00] who are looking for a new job this year. You want to stay as an employee, so an in house role or work for an agency, but you need a new workplace or new challenges for whatever reason that might be.

[00:09:12] Mel: So here's my three top tips for you. Number one. Take your time and do your research. If you are having a tough time at your current workplace, there is absolutely no point jumping out the frying pan and into the fire. I've seen this happen before where people were so desperate to leave a toxic workplace or a terrible job, they just took the first thing they were offered and it turned out to be just as awful.

[00:09:36] Mel: So before you start applying for everything that pops up, ask yourself a few questions. Number one, what do I want out of my next role? So, for example, do I want leadership opportunities, different sector experience, et cetera. Number two, what don't I want in my next role? So check out what the culture is like.

[00:09:57] Mel: What do you know about getting access to C [00:10:00] suite execs? So if you want that access, then you've got to be looking for it. You know, if you don't want a role where you're not going to be challenged and you're not going to have opportunity to grow, then be asking about the learning and development opportunities and career progression pathways.

[00:10:15] Mel: And the third question is what kind of work environment suits you best? Where do you do your best work? So, for example, maybe you like the corporate life and the culture going into an office. Maybe you want something more laid back and a little bit more, I don't know, out there, so to speak. So once you've answered those three questions, what do I want out of my next role?

[00:10:36] Mel: What don't I want and what kind of work environment suits me best? Look at the roles that are available. And then shortlist those by the ones that answer those three questions adequately. Look into the companies who are advertising those roles, see what you can find out. It's okay to call and have a chat and ask loads of questions before you even put in that application.

[00:10:58] Mel: So do your [00:11:00] research. Which brings me to tip two, look carefully at the job description. Now the job description can give you some really key information on what the role and the culture is going to be like in reality. If you read between the lines. So, for example, a friend of mine shared a job description with me a few months ago when she was looking for a new gig.

[00:11:20] Mel: And in the JD, it mentioned that she would have no direct reports, but be responsible for pretty much everything and anything to do with comms, internal and external. And there was also talk of after hours work. Now looking at that remit, unless that organisation is using a lot of external agencies to help, that person is going to be burned out pretty darn quickly.

[00:11:42] Mel: And also for the salary they were offering, it was nowhere near that stress. Another red flag in the job description was that this role would be responsible for implementing the strategy, not for developing it. So someone higher up was just going to direct this person, even though it was a manager role, to just do tasks, [00:12:00] not actually get them involved in setting the strategy.

[00:12:03] Mel: So it really pays to read these things carefully and ask loads of questions. So in preparation for this episode, just out of curiosity, I jumped onto Seek.com and had a look at some of the comms roles currently available in Australia to see what some of the job descriptions looked like. And there was plenty that raised red flags.

[00:12:22] Mel: This is just one example. And this particular example raises red flags for me because again remit and I can't see anything that tells me that there is good support there. So I'll just quickly read through this part of the job description. And I've given them a fictional company name. I've called them Jolly Good.

[00:12:41] Mel: So the communications manager drives Jolly Good's core purpose of connecting and engaging with older Australians through the effective development and implementation of our integrated communications and stakeholder engagement strategy. Reporting to the Chief Executive and with support from the Digital Coordinator and our admin staff, the communications manager works [00:13:00] across the organisation to increase awareness and perceptions of our brand, promote our programs and services, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[00:13:06] Mel: They use strategic marketing and stakeholder engagement initiatives to grow the supporter base for our organisation with responsibility for developing a positive and actively engaged stakeholder community of customers, members, social media followers, corporate supporters, event sponsors, advocates, and the media.

[00:13:22] Mel: The communications manager is involved in all official communications between our organisation and its community, et cetera, et cetera. Okay, so they also mention in the section about their organisation that they offer a flexible culture. Now, if I were interested in this role, I would be calling first and asking questions like, do you use external agencies to support your work?

[00:13:46] Mel: Okay, so it's a huge remit. It's mostly external by the looks of things. But it's just one person with the support from a random digital coordinator and admin staff, apparently. Uh, I would also then be [00:14:00] asking, well, how much do the admin staff actually support this role and what work do they typically undertake?

[00:14:04] Mel: Because, again, this could be people that, with great intention, but no capability or skills to actually undertake good quality comms work. And you will end up holding their hands a lot of the time. I would be asking how experienced is the digital coordinator. So you've got this digital coordinator reporting to this person and supporting them, but how experienced are they?

[00:14:24] Mel: I mean, digital coordinator to me seems like quite a junior role. So I would be asking about their level of experience. And also when they say flexible, what does that actually mean in practice? Because that means a bunch of different things depending on what organisation and what sector you're in. Now that's just one example.

[00:14:43] Mel: There were plenty more with very limited information about the size of the team, what flexibility options were actually available, if they use agencies, etc, etc. Now also, can we just take a side moment here to think about how job ads are written? They are full of jargon. That one I just read [00:15:00] you was not only full of jargon, but the sentences were about a paragraph long.

[00:15:04] Mel: The most enticing job adverts I've ever seen are the ones that have been written in conversational language, have been really open and honest, or sometimes even just a bit funny. Those are the types of adverts that will get more people applying because they're focusing on connecting with people, not just selling them a potential role.

[00:15:22] Mel: Anyway, that's a story for another day, so sorry about the side note there. Okay, my third tip for those of you who are comms pros looking for a new role this year is to demonstrate your value, not list the tasks that you do. This is the best piece of advice I can give you. If you do decide to apply for that role, then on your resume, in your cover letter, and in your interview, demonstrate the value you've added to organisations - don't just go listing tasks. So, as a hiring manager I'm not particularly interested in the tasks that you managed. I'm more interested in what you achieved in those roles that benefited different stakeholder groups and [00:16:00] benefited the business. So writing out a list of tasks like I update the website, update and manage social media calendar, blah, blah, blah.

[00:16:07] Mel: Those tasks are often something that anyone applying for that job could do. Where you will differentiate yourself is by showing how you showed creativity or initiative in completing those tasks. So when writing your resume, for example, I would start each experience by listing what you have achieved.

[00:16:26] Mel: And then if it's really necessary, list some task examples. Now, speaking of your resume, some people might not agree with this, but I always like it when you list the most relevant roles first. So not necessarily your experience in chronological order. I don't want to have to go searching for the relevant experience. Make it easy for me.

[00:16:49] Mel: Okay. The third and final category we're chatting about today is those people who are thinking about ditching the nine to five altogether and working for yourself for a change. Now, [00:17:00] freelancing definitely has its advantages. It's far more flexible. You get to avoid the office politics, which I absolutely love about this job, and you can engage in a huge variety of interesting work.

[00:17:13] Mel: Now, that said, you don't have to go full time into freelancing right away. You can just start with a side hustle and build from there if you want. But whatever way you want to go, there's three top tips for you. Number one, be really clear on your unique selling proposition, your USP. If you were to start freelancing as a consultant today, what would set you apart from the other communications consultants out there?

[00:17:38] Mel: Who would your ideal client be and what problems would you help them solve? Now we covered this in quite a bit of detail in my Fresh to Freelancing course because it's the absolute crux of a successful freelancing business. If you don't know what your niche is and who you're selling that to, you just won't get anywhere fast.

[00:17:57] Mel: So right now I would encourage you to think about [00:18:00] what it is you're really good at, what you enjoy doing, what people come to you for advice on. And there's a good chance that in there somewhere is your special niche. The second tip for those thinking about freelancing is to start building your personal brand now.

[00:18:16] Mel: So think about what do you stand for? What are your values? What's the reputation you want as a consultant? And then how will you get that out there? Your personal brand is why people will hire you. That's how important it is. And it shows up in your social media profiles, on your website; the way you interact with potential clients, and so on.

[00:18:37] Mel: People need to see your name and have instant recognition of who you are and what you do and have a great feeling about all of that. So when you're developing your personal brand, ask yourself questions like, what are your values that you work by? What are your strengths? What's a legacy you want to leave?

[00:18:54] Mel: What's the feeling you want people to have from working with you? And how does all of this show up [00:19:00] in real life in inverted commas? And again, we go through this in more detail in the Fresh to Freelancing course. But if you want to get started now, I do actually have a freebie. I released it a little while ago.

[00:19:10] Mel: It's a mini workbook that helps you develop your personal brand and then pull together some case studies that show your brand in action. So I'll pop the link in the show notes for you. My final tip for those who are looking to take the leap into freelancing in 2024 is to start now. Get ready now. If you want to do this, you will want to have a plan in place.

[00:19:32] Mel: So when you're ready to go, there's no big nasty shocks. So that means like, even if you're not planning on getting started in the next six weeks, maybe it's six months away, maybe it's another year away, whatever. You've got a plan, you've got the confidence to hit the ground running when you go. Now that plan should include things like how you'll set up your financial and admin systems, knowing how much you need to earn per month, having a marketing plan in place, etc.

[00:19:57] Mel: It also means start amping up your networking [00:20:00] now. That means get active on LinkedIn, post regularly and showcase your expertise, connect with more people, comment on their content and so on. Start building a website in the background, meet with people over coffee, you know, basically you just want to get on people's radars now and have an active audience.

[00:20:16] Mel: So when you do launch a freelancing business, you have an audience to launch it to. Now, there's lots of other ways to build that audience and get on the radar. And again, if you can check out the Fresh to Freelancing course, our next cohort kicks off in February and I'll put the link in the notes. Okay. I do have one more big tip for everyone, and this is, this will apply to all three categories, but I'm going to save that until after our episode recap.

[00:20:40] Mel: So if you tuned out a little there, come on back and join us for our episode recap. For our newbies, if you're looking to get a new job this year in the comms sector, whether you've just graduated, about to graduate, or you're looking to change careers, my three top tips for you are get as much experience as you can now.

[00:20:59] Mel: So [00:21:00] volunteer, get work experience, get on graduate programs. Second tip, seek out references, referrals, and recommendations. So when you're doing the work experience, don't be afraid to ask for a written reference. Ask people to give you a reference on LinkedIn. Or even approach the network that you've got and see who they can introduce you to.

[00:21:19] Mel: And the third tip for our newbies is learn. Learn the skills that you're going to need to hit the ground running and show that you want to keep learning. Show that you are a lifelong lover of learning. For our new job seekers, so these are the people who are already in comms and you're looking for a new job this year.

[00:21:37] Mel: My top tips are number one, take your time and do your research. Don't just jump the ship and fall into a tornado strewn river of another basically shit show of a job. Take your time, figure out what it is you want, what you don't want, and what are some of the companies you might want to work for. Do your research, find out about [00:22:00] their culture, all that sort of stuff.

[00:22:02] Mel: Tip number two is look carefully at the job description. Read between the lines. What is it actually telling you? And don't be afraid to ask a whole lot of questions before you decide to put that application in. And number three, demonstrate your value. Don't just list tasks. So when it comes to creating your resume, your cover letter, preparing for the interview or even updating your LinkedIn profile, make sure that you're talking about the value you've added to the workplaces you've been at, not just list of tasks that you've done.

[00:22:33] Mel: And our third category was for those of you who are freelance curious, I call it. So tip one, get clear on your USP, your unique selling position. What is your niche? What will set you apart from others? Tip number two is build your personal brand. So figure out exactly what you want your reputation to be.

[00:22:52] Mel: Obviously it needs to be genuine and authentic, but what you want that to look like, what's a legacy you'd like to leave as a communicator. [00:23:00] And again, you can use that free mini workbook that I'll put the links in the notes to, to get started on that. And tip number three for our freelance curious is start now, get on the radar of people's so that you'll have an audience to launch to when you are ready to launch.

[00:23:16] Mel: Okay, here's that big tip for all of you who are thinking about changing jobs or careers in some way this year. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date. People do stalk you. They will do that before even reading your resume most of the time. So make sure you have a great profile pic, a really clear headline that explains what you do and who you help, and that all your bits and pieces around your experience, et cetera, are up to date.

[00:23:42] Mel: Your LinkedIn profile is your new resume. So if you're not on LinkedIn already, get on it. If you are, update it, please. Now, I mentioned at the top of the episode that I have a course some of you might be interested in. It's the communication career fundamentals, and it's designed to teach you all the practical skills you need to hit the ground [00:24:00] running when you start your comms career and set you apart from all the other applicants.

[00:24:04] Mel: Now there is a 50 percent discount for students because trust me, I know what it's like to be the poor student. So if you are interested in the course, check the link in the show notes for more info. And if you are a student who is keen to do the course, contact me with proof of your student enrollment and I'll share that discount code with you.

[00:24:21] Mel: We've already had about 10 people complete that course and the feedback has been awesome. So I'm really excited to see more of you get involved. And of course, Fresh 2 Freelancing our next cohort kicks off on Wednesday, the 7th of February. You don't have to start freelancing as soon as you do this course, but you will have the tools and the skills and the confidence to start when you are ready.

[00:24:42] Mel: We finished the pilot of this course back in late December, and it was honestly, it was such a delight, like the group of people were just awesome. I've spent well over 300 hours at least creating and refining this course, and it's honestly the course I wish I had done when I first started out. [00:25:00] There's also a $500 saving if you enroll by the 1st of February, so getting quick smart to get that.

[00:25:04] Mel: We are limiting each cohort to just 10 people, so you have this optimum experience. And finally, I also mentioned the personal brand mini workbook. That's a freebie. It's been available on the website for a while. You can go to the show notes or head to heymelcomms.com.au forward slash freebies. Okay folks, that's all for today's episode.

[00:25:24] Mel: I would love your feedback and questions as always, no question is too silly. So please send them in. Let me know what you think or any topic ideas that you have for the podcast this year. In the meantime, keep doing amazing things and bye for now.