How to land a job at top PR agencies like Ketchum, ICR, and Prosek, according to PR hiring managers, executives, and top recruiters

• The PR industry is full of entry-level job opportunities including internships, but the application process can be hard to navigate.
• Hiring managers at Ketchum, ICR, and Prosek and PR recruiters told Business Insider how PR candidates can stand out on paper and in interviews.
• Writing skills are a must, but the interview process is key to showing how candidates will perform in front of clients.
• Click here for more BI Prime articles.

The public relations industry is hot with job opportunities, with some firms like Prosek Partners hiring on a rolling basis regardless of demand. But landing a job at a top agency requires experience, even if you're a college student or recent graduate.

To get an internship or entry-level job, candidates often need to show off their accomplishments and writing chops in a resume and cover letter. Candidates might also be asked for a portfolio of work or to take a writing test before getting an interview.

But high-ranking managers, heads of hiring, and external recruiters agree that the interview is the most important part of the hiring process in PR.

Internship programs are the best way for young professionals to get a foot in the door at an agency, although agencies also recruit people from outside of the communications industry.

Here's how recruiters and hiring executives at PR firms Ketchum, ICR, and Prosek said junior people can improve their chances of getting hired.

Sharp writing skills are a must

PR agencies are looking to hire talented writers. Candidates can show their skills using work from previous PR internships, college newspaper articles, and even personal blogs, but resumes and cover letters can do the job, too.

Still, cover letters in particular are at risk of being thrown out, said Jim Delulio, the president of recruiting firm PR Talent, so applicants should make sure to highlight relevant experiences in their resumes.

"It's all in the resume," Delulio said. "Your story has to be in there."

About half of PR agencies require applicants to take writing tests, Brian Phifer, the CEO of recruitment firm Phifer Company, said. Prosek asks applicants to its post-grad apprentice program to take one before they move on to interviewing, and completing the test on time and without typos is vital, said Karen Niovitch Davis, a partner and chief human resources officer at the company.

But there are exceptions. To level the playing field and widen its pool of entry-level applicants, Ketchum doesn't ask for a resume or cover letter, said Michele Lanza, Ketchum's SVP of global acquisition and retention strategies.

Ketchum hires about 35 fellows each summer, and applicants get 130 characters to introduce themselves through a process on the website called "Launchpad," then compete with other applicants in fictitious PR challenges before voting on leaderboard rankings to determine who moves on in the hiring process.

"It's really the feeder for all of our entry-level hiring," Lanza said. "For the first time, it really evened the playing field."

Interviews can 'make or break the opportunity'

While resumes and cover letters might be losing sway at some top agencies, interviewing is still of the utmost importance in the PR industry.

Michael Fox, a managing partner and chief client officer at ICR, said hiring managers often use interviews to see how potential hires might perform in front of clients, so interviewees should show they're confident and comfortable in a meeting.

Dress code also indicates how potential hires might present themselves to clients, said Phifer, so it's best to dress more formally than casually.

"The resume is important to get you in the door, so you need to look at it in that way and that way only, because once you're in the door, it's out the window," Fox said. "It's really all about the interview. That's going to make or break the opportunity."

Internships can fast-track a career at a PR agency

Most firms offer internship, fellowship, or apprentice programs that often lead to full-time offers for participants who perform well. Davis said more than half of the current staff at Prosek got their start this way.

PR executives and headhunters agreed that candidates with two to three internships through college are most attractive. However, they understand that not everyone has equal access to internship opportunities, so the most important thing a candidate can do is show they have drive, Phifer said.

Agencies are looking beyond traditional experience

As the PR industry grows, agencies like Ketchum are looking to hire a wider range of people, Lanza said. In addition to traditional entry-level account roles, agencies are looking for data experts, creative directors, influencer marketing pros, and ideally, people well-versed in all of the above.

"The unicorn everyone wants is the digital nerd who's a great storyteller," said Delulio, the PR Talent recruiter. "It's someone who has the ability to look at analytics and interpret them, and find the story in them, or set up the research and analytics so a story will naturally come out of that."

People with passions or expertise outside of PR are also in high demand, especially at agencies with many clients in specific industries.

Davis said she often looks to hire candidates with nontraditional PR experience, such as banking or venture capital internships, as Prosek has a lot of finance clients.

"We are going further away from just communications," Davis said. "Even if we don't need you, if you have value, we're going to hire you."