Affiliation:
1. London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
2. Leeds University Business School, UK
Abstract
In this article we explore the ways in which specialist recruitment practices for the PR industry influence the pursuit of diversity in the profession. Drawing on interviews from an exploratory study of specialist PR recruitment in the UK, we combine Abbott’s theory of boundary-making between professional fields with existing research on the exclusionary dynamics of recruitment in professions, to explain how PR recruitment consolidates the focus on client and candidate ‘fit,’ and is likely to work in favour of preserving the dominance of middle-class, white and gendered identities in the profession. In this context, diversity is perceived as a risk rather than an opportunity and becomes a casualty of professional logic.
Funder
University of Leeds Professional Services Hub
Subject
Marketing,Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management,Strategy and Management,Linguistics and Language,Communication