Elizabeth Albrycht last month posted some tips for students looking for a career in Public Relations. Her post includes some excellent advice and is recommended reading for anyone thinking of PR as a potential life choice!
Richard Bailey who is working in PR academia linked to similar advice from a UK PR Pro Stuart Bruce, a PR guru no less.
Both provide some good insights for anyone considering a life in PR. I’d like to add three additional points:
1) Both Elizabeth and Stuart focus on the importance of PR qualifications. However, don’t worry if your primary degree isn’t PR-specific or if you don’t have a primary degree, there are loads of post-grad courses available (full-time and part-time) that can help you learn about PR. Intelligence, an ability to think quickly and communicate effectively are the primary requirements.
2) Don’t be afraid of hard work. PR is labor intensive. When you start out, you’ll be on the bottom rung of the PR ladder. However don’t despair, most PR pros have similarly been through this administration cycle and it will help prepare you for challenges ahead. You can’t purchase or wish for experience, you have to put in the hard yards, but your preparation will ensure that you are ready to tackle any challenges that come your way in the years ahead. As Elizabeth points out, there’s very little glamor in PR, but it’s challenging, interesting and forever changing work.
3) If one skill will stand to you throughout your PR career, it’s attention to detail. Effective PR is built upon a strong focus on the basics from grammar to logistics. The path to a successful career is based on what one of my previous bosses described as a “safe pair of hands”. Check your work, get a colleague to check it and then check it again.
Finally, don’t forget, PR is a fantastic career.
Murphy's Law 