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Public relations officers (also known as public relations account executives) plan and develop PR strategies for brands, individuals and organisations. As part of this, they will identify target audiences, then develop and share information that’s tailored to audience preferences. Some PR officers handle crisis communications, dealing with negative information about a client and aiming to protect their reputation.
Some PR officers work in house and focus on projects and campaigns for their own employer, while others are employed by agencies (or are freelance) and work with a number of clients.
PR is considered part of the ‘marketing mix’ – all of the activities a brand needs to do to promote their services or products. PR officers, whether in house or based with an agency, are likely to work with other communications professionals, such as marketing teams, designers and copywriters.
PR departments and consultancies do not always adhere to traditional patterns of career progression but, if you demonstrate outstanding ability, promotion can be rapid.
As a new graduate, you can expect to work as a PR assistant or junior account executive for one or two years before gaining promotion to PR officer or account executive.
Further progression to management-level posts, such as senior account executive or account manager, is likely to take a further two to three years and depends heavily on your personal aptitude, performance and motivation. A willingness to move between employers or geographical areas may be necessary in order to broaden your experience or move into a more specialist role.
After a further two to three years at this level, you may have enough experience to seek promotion to account director, where you'll have responsibility for higher-profile clients and all the staff working on the account teams. From here you could progress to PR director and eventually perhaps be asked to sit at board level, or you may choose to set up your own agency.
Consultancy can offer broad experience before specialising. It's possible to move between in-house and consultancy roles.
Self-employment is an option later in your career if you've built up a good network of contacts and wish to operate as a freelance consultant or set up your own firm.
Salaries in PR vary depending on the setting and the region. For example, pay is typically higher in the private sector. Apart from the public sector, there are generally no set salary scales, and initial starting salaries can be modest.
Salaries are usually higher in London and the South East.
Some organisations operate bonus schemes, while others may offer other incentives such as private health insurance or a company car. You may also be provided with a laptop and/or mobile phone.
Income figures are intended as a guide only.
Pro: You get to work with social media.
With so much of advertising and public relations moving to online formats, you will need to be familiar with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other popular platforms for transferring information. This means you get to do a lot of what you probably do in your spare time anyway.
Pro: You build a large network.
In a public relations job, so much of your time and energy is spent creating connections with other people. Particularly at the college level, you’re meeting lots of people who can be valuable when you’re searching for a career or need advice about the field.
Pro: You are your authentic self.
While you’re figuring yourself out, you’ll also need to figure out what skills you can contribute to the world of public relations - so much of your job will be convincing people they can trust you, so you’ll need to learn how to use your own vulnerability to your advantage.
Pro: You won’t be bored.
Public relations is a vastly changing field, one that is fast-paced. You will need to produce work with very little notice. So, you’ll learn how to work well under pressure and stay organized while doing so.
Pro: You have options.
There’s a lot of variety to this field. Pretty much every industry utilizes the services of public relations representatives in one respect or another, so you’ll be able to combine it will some of your other passions.
:Con: It can be a very competitive career.
Companies want to hire the best person for the job, and public relations is a field that is full of ambitious and impressive individuals. You’re going to need to find some way to make yourself stand out.
Con: This field can come with a lot of stress.
This is a busy, complicated job, and it’s not one that you can leave at the office. Even when you’re still in school, you’ll need to balance a lot of things at once.
Con: Every project will need to be good enough for your portfolio.
As a public relations major, you’re constantly building a portfolio to use in job interviews. This means your work will need to be at its best, rather than what you might create at four in the morning because you procrastinated.
Con: There are negative stereotypes attached to the major.
Public relations majors often get a bad wrap. People will say that you’re using tricks to manipulate people. Even when you try to defend yourself, those negative stereotypes might already be set in the minds of others.
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