Why I chose a career in PR!- Tips on finding the right career path in Public Relations

Hey there,

Welcome to the maiden edition of the PR chic blog, I am truly excited that you stumbled upon my journey into the field of public relations. I have always been passionate about building relationships with individuals and my curiosity spurn to why & how people interact and communicate, hence my reason for studying Communications in school. You don’t actually have to study communications to be in the field of Public relations, a.k.a. PR, but you must understand how it works to become an expert PR person. I know about doctors, lawyers and even engineers who switched to the PR field and are doing great at it, so don’t be scared to find a career path in the PR space regardless of what you studied or what you are studying in school.

I chose PR out of all the marketing communications fields because it was more relatable to me; in the sense that it had to do with perceptions, managing expectations, relationship building, human relations, crisis management and more. Before I started out, I had no clue as to what it was about, but while on the journey, I have come to love it because I know I am on the right track.

What is PR? For those here who just hear the term in passing, my favorite definition of PR is the Mexican statement which says that “Public Relations is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its publics.” 

For me, it explains explicitly that Public Relations is deliberate, you have to be intentional about your campaigns and activities, it is planned, meaning that there is a lot of research involved in it and it is sustained, for longevity to help an organization build and maintain a long lasting relationship and understanding with its publics.

So what are my top tips on finding the right PR career path?

• Know how to communicate well, both formally and informally! This is quite important for the success of your plans and in dealing with humans, it can either make or mar a relationship.

• Know how to write to an extent. PR requires a lot of writing, and writing is usually an expression of an idea or activity, so don’t be scared that you are not much of a writer now. It is a skill that is built over time.

• Always seek knowledge and be willing to learn: The more you are hungry for learning, the higher your chances of getting into the door. It is not about how much you know, there may be times when you feel like “you know nothing” (Jon Snow) but, as long as you are willing to learn, you can definitely succeed in the career path, just be consistent in your learning.

• Always show up and be consistent! No matter how hard it is at the beginning, especially with a new field, your ability to be consistent will help. I think I have mentioned consistency more than once because it is the juice that keeps you running! Your ability to show up even when it is tough counts, so why don’t you push on anyway?

• Look for a mentor or a PR agency to start with: There are 1001 PR agencies that are willing to take interns as long as they are hungry for knowledge, and people are always willing to train the right candidate. Show your willingness to learn and be passionate about learning. There are platforms such as LinkedIn and business websites where you can connect with the right person to build a mentorship relationship. 

• Finally, dare to be different! You have to create something valuable in you that makes you stand out from the crowd. You may have the talent of seeing patterns and aligning things properly, you may have organizational skills or writing skills or even people skills. When you look inwards and find that strength that you have, use it to your advantage by honing it and showcasing that great quality that you have. It helps to distinguish you from the crowd, and so when you tell a recruiter or a potential mentor, you don’t just say it but show it, it helps to make you different from the crowd! 

These are my few tips to land a good career path in PR. In future blog posts, I will tell you about how I stumbled my way into the industry and was invited for an interview on the spot, just because I dared to be different and I was hungry for knowledge. 

I hope you enjoyed reading up to this point, thank you! Join me weekly in my journey into the PR world where I discuss challenges, tips, pointers and wins in the PR career space.

Warm regards,

The PR Chic