In today’s highly competitive economy, a strong Public Relations department is imperative for a business to stand out and differentiate itself.
As the historian Daniel J Boorstin once quipped “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.”
Public relations helps in building the image of an organisation, whether it is a multinational organisation or an NGO. Even individuals in the public eye benefit from a good PR organisation backing them.
A PR professional is the one who helps build the client's positive image, usually through various media channels.
Required skills
While fresh graduates from any field of study can pursue a career in the Public Relations sector, professionals in the field usually agree that possessing a degree in either Public Relations, Sociology, Journalism or Media communications, would be beneficial.
However, success in the field requires skills that are acquired over a period time, like good knowledge of the media, an outgoing personality and strong writing and language skills.
As digital PR gains momentum, knowledge of social media is considered increasingly indispensable.
Key responsibilities
Working in PR is not like the usual 9 to 6 job, as PR professionals must 'always be available' for clients and media partners. It can be a demanding profession and one must be able to adapt to flexible work hours, including having to work on the weekends.
A PR person’s responsibility is threefold: handling customer relations, media interactions and corporate demands. Public feedback is crucial to all businesses and it is the PR professional who connects with local markets, identifies and establishes relationships with influencers and is in-charge of organising events for the client.
Some additional tasks include carrying creative ideations to media partners, researching and updating data on niche market requirements, liaising with clients and collaborating with other departments within an organisation.
A PR professional also has to engineer their client’s consent by getting them to agree with an idea or strategy which will benefit everyone.
Challenges and rewards
The first challenge for new entrants to the field would be to understand and use PR jargon effectively; time management and ensuring a life-work balance is something that one learns to learn.
PR is stressful work, where there is constant juggling with ideas, problems and people, but it is exciting and rewarding too.
Neha, a professional who made the switch from journalism to PR, says her previous work experience helped her, as there are times when you have to think like a journalist to make a campaign work.
“You have the satisfaction and joy of brand building and image building if you have been involved from the very beginning,” she says.
PR is an extremely social field; those with an affinity for socialising should definitely consider a career as a PR professional, as communicating with clients is an invaluable skill.
The work also needs you to make new connections and build an extensive network. Those in the profession must be able to cultivate numerous sources or contacts.
Divita, another PR professional, stressed upon the importance of constantly “upgrading one’s job skills and working on self-improvement” to grow from strength to strength in the field.