Public Relations: Have you got what it takes?

I frequently get asked about the PR field. Last time, the conversation took place with a 20-something-year-old who’s hesitant about what to do next in this life.

– I was thinking to go for PR, if I can’t find anything that I like to do. How do I know if I’ve got what it takes? What’s the job? What do you actually do? How did you start?, they usually ask.

My reply is – ‘I didn’t choose PR, PR chose me.’ Basically, because it’s true. It all started as an extra thing to do besides university, in order to earn my own money. And I got really lucky this way, I admit it.

It was my second year at university and I got this question – ‘We saw you were passionate about Facebook, how would you like managing our business page as a job?’. Now, passionate is a special way of describing my Facebook skills. I was basically obsessed… All day, every morning till night, I was online on Facebook. I posted about everything, sharing things that I liked or found interesting. My day would be defined by the time between the new and the old posts in my news feed. But I said – hey, I’ll give it a try. And so I started learning about the professional way of using Facebook. Yes, it all started with Social Media for me, and then my duties got bigger and bigger. I would manage all the online accounts and then even got to the offline part – events, meetings, gatherings, projects. Anything that had to do with representing the company I worked for, a dental clinic in Bucharest.

Job Description

PR is easily defined by its name, yes – it is about managing the connections between the company you represent and the public. As a PR, you are responsible for the image and reputation perceived by the community. Your tasks consist of establishing, implementing and maintaining multiple ways of communication, as well as strong relationships with the media reps.

A PR officer can find his/hers place whether in an agency/PR consultancy firm or as an in-house specialist. The PR agencies enjoy the benefit of offering a wide range of services in many areas of expertise, but they can also concentrate on a particular field, such as consumer or B2C (business-to-consumer) PR, corporate or B2B (business-to-business) PR or just general public affairs.

In-house specialists can be found both in public or private sectors, but also in non-profit organizations. They are in charge for both internal and external communications and will face a challenge bigger than a PR consultant, given the fact that for this role, an in-depth knowledge of the field and business environment is needed.

I was an in-house PR officer in the dental field and even though my knowledge of actual medicine was limited, I found it amazing! My motivation came from learning new things, on a level that it makes sense for the future. I took part in dental interventions that showed pure anatomy. And with it, along came the struggle. As an outsider, I was highly impressed. As the employee of the clinic, I was taught basic dental activity. But as a PR specialist, I had to find the right way of putting into words an intervention that seems scary to the public. Challenging enough? This is a level apprehension not possible for an external PR.

Qualifications & Background

As any other field, some study is required. The most relevant fields would be:

  • Public Relations
  • Marketing
  • Journalism, Communication and/or Media
  • Creative Writing
  • Social Sciences.

I come with a background of Psychology and a passion about Communication and people – what drives them, what motivates them, etc.

Passion is much more important than whatever degree you’ve got. Passion is the first thing people read when they see you, and trust me when I say that you won’t have your degree subject written on your forehead.

One way for an employer of any kind to be sure of your passion is providing a history of volunteer work or internships. The no-pay or low-pay activity gives them an idea of how up you are for gaining experience. Subsequently, there are trainings, workshops and courses you can attend in order to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the field.

Skills

This is it – you either have it or you don’t:

  • Amazing verbal and written skills
  • Self-confidence, excellent presentation and networking skills
  • Creativity
  • Attention to detail
  • Patience and great interpersonal skills
  • Ability to handle pressure and juggle with different priorities and deadlines
  • Drive, flexibility, pro-active attitude, open-mindedness and willingness to learn new things
  • Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills
  • Excellent organizational and planning skills
  • Business orientation.

Activity & Responsibilities

If you’ve made it to this point, now it gets real. PR is never just PR. PR has a way of asking for some Marketing skills, Event Planning, Budget Planning, Social Media or even Project Management talent.

Still here? Good, let’s see what this is all about.

Your work tasks may include, but wouldn’t be limited to:

  • Plan, develop, implement PR strategies
  • Set up the PR budget and needs
  • Create and maintain a favorable image and reputation of the company/brand/organization
  • Build relevant relationships with the media reps
  • Write press releases and promotional materials
  • Market research
  • Develop a Social Media strategy
  • Create new business opportunities
  • Attend and/or plan events, press conferences, open-days and/or exhibitions
  • Create a PR crisis strategy
  • Update information on any online platform
  • Constantly search to grow the contact list
  • Manage projects and/or product launches
  • Coordinate photo opportunities
  • Manage sponsorship and/or partnership opportunities
  • Write and edit all written communications – articles, speeches, case studies, reports
  • Manage the logistics of brochures, leaflets and/or videos.

FYI – For Your Info

These are just a few of the PR needs of any company, brand or organization. They may vary when working in a team, but just be prepared.

  • PR specialists are usually office-based, but the duty might also involve travel when meeting clients or potential clients, suppliers or partners
  • The dress-code is usually smart, unless a certain event says otherwise
  • Working hours may vary and involve unsocial hours
  • The career ladder can go from PR Assistant to Manager and then to Senior
  • Salaries do vary, depending on the career level, location and employer.

 

With that being said, it is important to know that PR presents a fierce competition when it comes to jobs in the field, for women and men equally. With the glamorous picture aside, a great significance should be given to both the pressure and the reward of choosing a career in this field.

 

When plans don’t go your way…

You create new ones.

We know life is good when we have control over it, but what happens when you don’t?

I used to teach people about how to let go of the need of control… I learned how to let go of it and enjoy life, I worked real hard with myself in order to do that. My need for control was so big that I had a fear of the dark until I was 18 years old. I am proud to say that I confronted it and defeated it, once I learned that it came from my fear of losing control. In the dark, I could not see things so I was scared. Now I enjoy, both the loss of control and the dark.

And since this is a lesson that many people could benefit from, I started teaching it… Until I encountered a less than happy situation.

I ended last year with a terrible cold – or at least, that’s what I thought it was. Immediately after Christmas, during New Year’s Eve and until February, I was constantly sick. I had many symptoms related to a cold, so I treated it as one. Later on, it turned into a sinusitis, which I instantly recognized since I have it very often. It didn’t get better so I went to my doctor’s office, who said it was bronchitis. I started treatment, only to get worse over weekend and to end up at a hospital, where I found it was a severe sinus infection, plus another severe nasal septum deviation, plus another thing. To tell the short version, my nose was causing me not being able to breathe, sleep, eat or stand. Basically, every little thing that helps one enjoy a life.

Back from the hospital and on new treatment, I went home only to feel really bad the next night. So, naturally, the next morning they put me in hospital, on perfusion. And here it goes like this: on my way to the hospital, I get a phone call from my cousin in the other part of the country, letting me know that my grandfather had died that morning…

I started crying, yelling, shouting, screaming that it wouldn’t be true… I hadn’t seen him in 3 years. The history goes that my parents split up when I was 8 years old, that would be 15 years ago. My father’s family is across the country, at a 8h drive and 12h ride by train… In addition to that, I didn’t keep in touch with my dad, so it wasn’t that easy for me to go visit that side of the family, but I would always think of them and remember my childhood and memories with them, before the age of 8. Still, I had a chance to visit them a few years ago.

My grandfather was the one who used to please every little thing me and my cousin wanted… And he hadn’t changed over the years. I felt like a child again… I promised to visit more often… But time passed by real quick and 3 years after I went there, he died and I wasn’t there at least one more time… The sad part? While I was sick and couldn’t breathe or sleep, I thought of him and I had planned to visit this summer, just a few months from then. I also wanted to tell my cousin to say to him that I was thinking of him… But I hadn’t had the chance, being sick I wasn’t in the mood to give phone calls… And then I receive the news from her…

I cried for 3 hours nonstop, and then I went blank. I wasn’t allowed to cry having a needle stuck in my vein, while at the hospital… So I tried to retain myself until I got home. After a few days, at home, I cried again, but I had no more tears. It just hurt so much and I blamed myself for not visiting or for at least not letting my cousin know that I think of him, so she can say to him and that he could hear it one more time before he went away… I just blamed myself for many things, I pushed away all my friends who tried to be by my side. As I told them, I felt that words couldn’t help me, I just needed some time alone. And so I took that time and it helped me. It helped me rationalize all this, so I wouldn’t blame myself anymore and so that I could take back my life, step by step. I was – and still am – devastated and it still hurts so much, I don’t yet feel the need to socialize with people.

The though part is that I work in PR, Communication and Networking. I am still on sick leave, I don’t feel functional… But I do have hope that I will be back there soon, because I love my job and I love what I do. I already am better than last week, I started reading and have interest in day-to-day life. I watched movies and took my time to get better. My friends have been there for me, even though I did not ask them to. The only I thing I did ask them was to leave me alone so that I can have my own time, to get better at my own pace. Because in their wish to make me feel better, they were always calling and sending me texts and visiting me, but the questions were always the same – how was I feeling, how was I holding up… I appreciated their concern and now I appreciate them even more because they gave me exactly what I needed, when I needed it. They were there for me until I told them not to be, and then they gave me space, they gave me time. Until I went back to them and started initiating conversations. That was the moment they knew I was ready for the next level, and then they were there again, by my side.

It’s not easy, losing someone dear… And it’s not your fault, it’s not anyone’s fault. It’s okay to take as much time as one can, to be functional both physically and emotionally – because a loss causes damage to both. I literally felt like my heart was tearing up and falling into pieces when I found out. I actually felt physical pain…

Some people are more used to the feeling, but to me, it was my first experience of this kind. I was lucky to be surrounded by people who care for me, and who understood and offered me what I needed. Because it hurts to realize that nobody can help you but you, and the sad part is that not even you can find a way to help yourself… It’s all about the time that passes, that’s the only thing that makes it better… Of course, your will to bounce back is an important key to all this.

It still hurts, but I found out that I was the only one who could help me… Especially since other people’s lives go on, regardless what you’re going through. Also, no matter how many people surround you and care about you, at the end of the day, at night, you’re still alone with your own thoughts and memories… Try to make peace with yourself, to be able to have a life. Because there is life after loss, no matter how hard it seems at the moment.

 

www.anamariapopa.com blog post death sadness loss grandfather when life doesnt go your way plans ruined losing control quote

 

I started this post by saying that I used to teach people about letting go the need of control. I also told you that I thought I was already living a life in which I was okay with the loss of control. Recently, I found out that loss of control comes in many ways, and the only thing that you really can control, is your reaction to it.

Even though it sounds like a cliche, trust me, things get better with time…