A public relations career can be an exciting thing. Whether you want to take the most common route and work for an agency pitching services to clients, or work on the client side – in media relations for a company, or as a publicist – the industry is a growing one that presents endless opportunities for the creative individual. Nevertheless, with no standard route of entry, and no professional qualifications specifically required for this industry’s executives, it can often be a long and frustrating journey.
Your first best bet is to get some kind of college degree – preferably, something in marketing, journalism or communications – and then try to score an internship. In most industries these days, internships are fast becoming one of the most important factors in obtaining employment. Gain as much real-world experience as you can, whether it is volunteering for a college newspaper, or working sales at a call centre. It will all come back to help you in your long term career quest. Many firms have new employee training programs, but the caveat is that you must have already been hired by the company!
For those looking to gain a professional designation, the Universal Accreditation Board will accredit public relations specialists under certain conditions. However, you cannot apply for the readiness review or take the examination until you have had at least five years of full-time related work or teaching experience, in addition to a bachelor’s degree in a related field. If you complete the process successfully, you will be branded with the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation.
Competition for a successful public relations career is becoming increasingly tighter. Since the work is generally high profile, and located in large, populated cities where press services and communications are more readily centered, more and more people are becoming attracted to this line of work.
Nevertheless, while competition is growing stiffer, so too are the number of opportunities in the sector expected to grow faster than average over the next ten years. As the global business environment becomes more and more competitive, and with the public demanding greater corporate accountabilities, the need for public relations specialists will undoubtedly grow.
Entry level salaries in this field are typically lower than for many other types of marketing jobs. But, stay in the game long enough and your hard work and sacrifice will be rewarded. Especially as you move into an account executive or management position, you salary level will increase tenfold. Five years ago, the industry’s average salaries went up almost ten percent from the five years before, four times the U.S. average growth, and that trend continues today.
A public relations career is not for the faint of heart. It is difficult to break into and once you’re there, the demanding nature of the job leaves many questioning their desire. But, if you think you’ve got the stuff to do it, and you know you definitely have the dream, then there is nothing out there to stop you but yourself.
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