From staying curious to developing trust, last year’s Headland trainees offer advice to the class of 2025 as they begin their careers in communications.
The first week in September is always a highlight in the Headland calendar as we welcome our new trainees. We are delighted to have Hayley Chow, Grace Holden, Oscar Horne, James Porter and Lauren Welsby-Riley joining us to start their careers in communications.
To help them hit the ground running, we asked last year’s trainees – our Class of 2024 – to write about what they have learnt in their first year working at Headland and to give their new colleagues a Top Tip. With thanks to Eliza Adeyemo, George Davies, Katie Fitzsimmons, Joe Hill, Lavanya Pachala and Charlie Saville for their words of wisdom.
Eliza Adeyemo
Over the past year, I’ve learned how important it is to stay close to the media agenda and to act quickly when trying to land a briefing or piece of commentary. I’ve come to understand the importance of being ready to spot the right moment and respond quicky, with something genuinely useful. It’s made me much more aware of how quickly stories move and how vital it is to offer something timely and relevant before the window closes. So, I have made sure I have got better at scanning the news and spotting where clients can add something relevant – whether that’s expert insight, a strong opinion, or useful context. I’ve also learned that keeping commentary short, clear and free of fluff makes it much more likely to land. I’ve come to understand that with journalists, success lies in being helpful, clear and reactive – and not overcomplicating the ask.
Top tip: Make sure you stay curious and keep reading the media; you cannot pitch well if you don’t know what’s in the news.
George Davies
I think what I have really learnt is that “comms” evades neat definition. Ask me about my job and you’re in for a long explanation. Yes, communications is about saying something, but just as often it’s about knowing when to say nothing at all. It’s a profession built on timing, tone, and nuance. A well-placed story can raise the right questions; a well-written press release can shift a narrative. I’ve come to learn that communications is not, in fact, about words. Or not only. It’s about making sense of flurries of information and understanding when and where a message can really cut through. It’s rarely about being the loudest, it’s about being the clearest. As for distilling what we do into a sentence? Perhaps something like: “We help make sense in the noise.” Although I am already asking myself if that needs a second draft.
Top tip: Really pay attention to how language works. Read press releases, opinion columns, even letters from the bank and ask yourself why the author chose those words. Also, make folders in your inbox. Trust me on that.
Katie Fitzsimmons
A year ago, I was finishing my dissertation on the role of the media in fuelling post-truth politics, examining how disinformation, digital echo chambers and weakened scrutiny have eroded public trust in both journalism and political institutions. It gave me a critical lens on how narratives are constructed, how facts can be bent, and how easily audiences can be misled. Fast forward a year, and I’m now on the other side, working in communications and helping shape those narratives. There’s definitely irony in that somewhere. But what I’ve learnt is that good communications doesn’t land properly without trust. Internally your teams need to trust you’ll deliver; clients need to trust your judgment; journalists need to trust your facts. Truth isn’t abstract in comms, it’s operational. Every word you draft or line you brief either builds credibility or weakens it.
Top tip: Make developing trust a priority; it is really earned in the details – so do the basics well, consistently.
Joe Hill
Before joining Headland, I thought I had a vague idea how stories made it into the news – but I really didn’t. My year working here has been a fascinating chance to see how news gets made across the media – from the biggest international papers to the most niche trade titles. I’ve loved getting to grips with the basics of the job and throwing myself into new opportunities wherever possible, be that selling in stories, facilitating interviews, or pitching for new business. Headland feels like a great place to learn, with so many colleagues who’ve done extraordinary things across media, business and politics, and who are always willing to share their expertise.
Top Tip: Keep an open mind! Although you might have an idea of what you want to do within comms, you never know until you try, so get stuck into whatever comes your way.
Lavanya Pachala
Confidence is a theme that runs through every new skill I’ve picked up along the way over the last year. Whether that’s confidence in writing, monitoring or presenting, there’s been no shortage of moments to put aside any uncertainties and jump on new opportunities. I’ve only been able to gain this confidence due to Headland’s culture of encouraging and fostering learning. Surrounded by people who are generous with their time and expertise and are consistently pushing you to try new things, it’s no wonder that Headland is the perfect environment to grow. A year in, there’s still so many new experiences ahead and I feel very lucky that Headland has equipped me with the confidence to take them all on.
Top tip: Communications is a wide discipline … so try absolutely everything!
Charlie Saville
The graduate jobs market is so intensely competitive, there feels like a constant need to be on top of every trend, story, policy and statistic in order to stand out. But trusting yourself that you don’t need to know everything, and that by having an open mind you will absorb the experience of the people around you is key. That way you are ready to meet the needs of your clients. And when you’re at a place like Headland, the people you’re learning from are not only experts at the frontier of their field but are also genuine champions of your success and growth. Slowly but surely, I’ve found myself naturally speaking with confidence about topics that were completely alien to me a year ago.
Top Tip: Understanding that helping journalists tell a good story is a key part of the job; not seeing them as the enemy means I feel more confident with media handling.
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