Last week, a team of Octopedes arrived in the city of dreaming spires for the Oxford Advertising, PR and Marketing Fair. The quest was to chat to hundreds of students about communications, what Octopus does - and with any luck, meet some future employees.

For me, having only graduated from University in June, the situation was all too familiar; students wandering round with a look of eager anticipation on their faces, not knowing who to approach first, whilst gradually becoming weighed down with free USB pens, notepads and bags full of printed leaflets.

To buck the trend, we arrived armed with cupcakes, bean bags and even the prospect of a day's work experience with the Octopus Group. Our colourful stand soon attracted over one hundred students, who had studied a range of subjects from PPE to Chemistry, English Literature to Physics.  We were showered with questions including "what is PR?", "how much can you earn?" and promisingly "how can I apply to Octopus?".

Whilst we were chatting to students on the exhibition stand, the event also saw members of several different agencies taking to the stage to give talks on advertising, brand insight and PR. Inspired by the nuggets of wisdom imparted in these lectures, here is a summary of the key points which may help prospective PRs or marketeers land their first break after University…

1. Gain experience - gone are the days when your academic qualifications are enough. Whether you've written for the student newspaper, organised a University ball, or if you've completed a day, a week or a month's work experience (in house or in an agency), make sure you include it on your CV. It shows commitment, drive and focus.

2. Be social media savvy - although a lot of PR and marketing is still firmly grounded in traditional methods, the internet has transformed PR into a two way conversation, where social media sites play an important role in a brand's reputation. Use those hours spent on Facebook and Twitter (rather than starting that dreaded essay…) to your advantage, enhancing your knowledge of the social media space.

3. Find a voice - in communications, you may be asked to write an opinion article, confidently communicating a client's viewpoint. By reading the papers and blogging or writing (in a creative or journalistic capacity) you can hone your argumentative and written skills, equipping yourself for the workplace.

4. Be hungry, astute, true and brave - If you're passionate about the industry and possess these core Octopus values you should have no trouble persuading a potential employer that you can do the job.

From an Octopus perspective, the day was a great success, giving us the chance to meet students with a wide range of interests and a varied skill set. If you're passionate about PR, marketing or brand insight and you're hungry, astute, true and brave we look forward to seeing your CVs and applications rolling in!

Ellie

Deciding on what to do with your future can be a difficult and daunting process, particularly when it comes to leaving secondary school and choosing whether to climb the ladder towards higher education or dive deep straight into the world of work.

Luckily for me, I felt the choice was easy; school, sixth form, university, work. This had always been my plan, not due to parental pressure but because it seemed logical.  However, if I were sixteen again I very much doubt I would be considering the same path.

The Daily Telegraph reported yesterday that under a new scheme being considered by Government officials, graduates may have to give some of their salary back to universities!

Why? Are tuition fees and loans not enough of a financial burden for grads?

No, apparently they're not! The Government isn't content with plunging students into a frightening state of debt in one way alone, they want to bleed graduates dry by taking a percentage of their salaries 'for life' and giving it back to their university.

Again, why? Unless universities are providing personal chefs and thrones to sit on during lectures for every student, this new initiative is highly unfair and unnecessary.

Whoever dreamt this idea up, I would like to ask what they were thinking? Not only is it impractical with thousands of students coming from overseas and thousands more leaving the UK to work abroad after they've graduated, making it near impossible to arrange individual payments unless a complex and expensive (and no-doubt unreliable) IT infrastructure is put in place to support the process, but there is also absolutely no positive outcome - for students, that is.

In my mind, an initiative like this could only ever achieve one of two things; young people will give up on going to uni altogether leaving the UK full of 16 - 21 year olds not knowing what to do (cue the war against youths), or those that do choose uni, despite the financial burden of loans, will be forced into a lifetime of debt, forever paying for the privilege of being a student.

According to these Government idio...I mean, officials, the new arrangements 'look and feel like grad tax without actually constituting one'. Yes, that's right, it's not tax, it's punishment! Punishment for getting off your back side and working hard, putting in the hours at university and pressuring yourself to get a decent degree in the hope of being able to embark on a good, well-paid career.

The new proposal would mean that those who leave uni with a well-paid job will have to pay more back to their university. Great! What a perfect deterrent to being ambitious and wanting to do the best you can do in your degree!

Given the irritation it used to cause me when people would nonchalantly comment, 'degrees are worthless', I never thought I'd say this but, in my opinion, young people may as well give up on the idea of going to university. Getting a job straight after school might also throw up hurdles - given that no one can seem to decide whether or not we are still in a recession - so my advice is to start a family at an early age (and get given a house), don't get a job (but still get paid) and then at least you won't owe anyone money for trying to do more with your life!

Katie