Posted in Financial PR, General News

What do you do to relax after a busy day meeting deadlines, liaising with journalists or putting the finishing touches on a corporate pitch? A couple of drinks after work, maybe, or, if you’re feeling particularly energetic and virtuous, down to the local gym or football pitch to work up a sweat.

No so former Brunswick and now College Hill Partner, James Hogan who, having just released his book, The Art Upstart’ (an autobiographical look at his life in PR and how his hobby, art, has become his passion) is now receiving critical acclaim for his creative talents outside the office.

With plaudits from the likes of Sir David Frost, Greg Dyke and Adam Boulton, it’s clear that James is not only an accomplished PR, but a talented artist, too. So much so that the first 28 pictures from what will be an eventual portfolio of 225 works is set to go on show in a one-man-artistic-exhibition on 7^th June at Cork Street, with a proportion of the sales being donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

It’s also clear that in overcoming the reputedly snobbish art establishment, James is using his PR skills to great effect courtesy of a viral marketing campaign. The Art Upstart, a beautiful book in itself, also has its own website (www.theartupstart.com), Facebook and Twitter pages and is generating deserved media interest.

Anyway, can’t tell you any more because we really must get cracking on that novel, but feel free peruse this at your leisure: http://bit.ly/bxfu6e

Posted in Jobseeker Advice

If you were searching the net this week then the chances are you will have been typing in the following phrase: ‘How do I delete my Facebook account?’. On Friday, it was the ninth – top ranked search term: a barometer that the campaign to return to workable privacy settings circa December is gaining momentum but also an indicator of just how important Facebook’s almost 500 million users deem ‘privacy’ as an issue.

As recruiters, we know just how crucial getting those privacy settings in place are. Facebook is by its very nature  a very effective, easy and instant way of keeping in touch with family and friends. Used correctly, it can also be a way of giving future employers a more ‘rounded view’ of a candidate.

Used incorrectly, ie not having the right privacy settings to manage what messages we’re sending out and to whom, well, you can insert your own drunken/ bikini-clad/ swearing post/ inappropriate nightmare scenario here. Believe us, we’ve seen more than our fair share…

The fact is that savvy recruiters and employers do and are conducting their own searches as to the suitability of candidates ia social media outlets such as Facebook. Until the privacy issues are addressed, we suggest candidates address their own online privacy issues, and fast. To help you do this, a couple of useful links – http://bit.ly/facebookadvice and http://bit.ly/checkprivacy