Junior Communications Consultant
Tell us a bit about yourself
II’ve been working in PR for nearly 4 years, having joined a fully remote B2B tech PR agency after graduating from the University of Leeds. I joined Hard Numbers after taking a sabbatical to travel. I was lucky enough to visit loads of incredible places across Europe and Asia, but Japan was by far my favourite.
In my spare time, I love playing football and badminton, rock climbing, and playing video and board games. I also try to see as much live music as I can, whether it’s a band in London or a festival during the summer.
What attracted you to work at Hard Numbers?
What initially attracted me to Hard Numbers was all the awards the agency has won - having won best B2B agency of the year was clear proof of how successful Hard Numbers is in such a competitive industry. Ultimately, the main thing I was looking for in a new role and a new agency was to work with a team of interesting, fun, and friendly people who are passionate about what they do. My interviews with the Hard Numbers team assured me this was the case, and I wasn’t wrong!
What’s a normal working day for you like?
The first thing I do every single day is outline my priorities for the day by checking whether I have any deadlines that day, what calls I have coming up, and what I need to do to prepare for those calls. Once I’ve done that, I catch up on any emails or Slack messages and then I like to spend about 20 minutes reading through a selection of news websites to make sure I’m aware of any news relevant to my clients or any of the projects I’m working on.
I generally prefer to do any pitching in the morning, with my afternoons often being used to write content, do any necessary research and plan what I am doing for the rest of the week. When I work from home, I like to start slightly early each morning to give myself time to go to the gym and cook or do any other housework that needs doing.
Where’s your go to lunch spot when in the office?
I actually don’t have a go to spot - so far I’ve managed to get lunch somewhere different almost every day that I’ve been in the office. One of the great things about having an office in Shoreditch is the abundance of places to get lunch within a five-minute walk. If I had to pick one, it would be the stand in Leonard Square that sells salt & pepper chicken with fried rice.
If you were to give your younger self a piece of advice before they started in PR what would it be?
I’d tell my younger self to be more confident and not too afraid of making mistakes. Starting my career at a fully remote agency, it was sometimes hard to accurately gauge how well I was doing and how pleased my colleagues were with my work and my progress. It can be challenging to be confident when this is the case, but I still listened to all the advice I got and learnt so much.
I would also say that, in many cases, the unsuccessful projects and announcements are the ones you will learn the most from. I sometimes let campaigns that didn't land affect my confidence, but they turned out to be fantastic learning opportunities. Every difficult client, challenging project, or grumpy email from a journalist is shaping you into a sharper, more effective communicator.
If you were a superhero, who would you be and why?
I would say Spiderman, just because I like him a lot. But I’m also good at juggling lots of tasks at once, so I get things done quickly and always try to bring a positive energy and vibe to any meeting or call.
What’s your favourite part of working at HN?
My favourite thing about working at Hard Numbers is the team. Everyone brings something unique to the table, and I’ve learned so much from colleagues at every level, whether they’ve been in PR for years or are just starting. There’s a real culture of collaboration and professionalism here that I think is the perfect place for me to continue my own personal growth as a PR professional. Coming into the office twice a week to be with the team in person is a huge change from my previous, fully-remote role, but it’s had a huge positive impact on how much I enjoy working.
Want to join Oscar on our fast-growing team? You can view our currency vacancies here and, if you’d like to apply, please contact paul@hardnumbers.co.uk
