Skills Required To Become A Public Relations Officer
The role of a public relations officer is to maintain a positive image of a company and promote the brand image. If you are also interested in public relations, read this article further to know about the desired skills.
Public Relation is a management function that involves monitoring and evaluating public attitudes and maintaining mutual relations and understanding between an organisation and its public. Public could include shareholders, government, consumers, employees and the media. It is the act of getting along with people we constantly come in touch with. PROs ensures internal cohesion in the company by maintaining a clear communications network between the management and employees. Its first objective is to improve channels of communication and to establish new ways of setting up a two-way flow of information and understanding.
Public relations as a separate career option has came into existence when lots of private or government companies and institution felt the need to market their product, service and facilities. Public image is important to all organisations and prominent personalities. The role of public relation specialist becomes pertinent in crisis situations when the correct and timely transmission of information can help save the face of the organisation. In terms of career opportunities, Public relations is broadly practiced for product publicity, corporate publicity, to have better relations with the government, to publish corporate publications like newsletter, bulletins, magazines for employees etc. Candidates aspiring to make a career in Public Relations can know about the required skills in the article below.
Career Prospects In Public Relations
Public Relations is a deliberate, planned and sustained effort to develop, establish and maintain two-way communication between an organisation and the public. It could be also described as a management communication resource, which uses communication techniques and tools to create the right environment for a product, business or service. Public relation officers can find employment in the corporate sector, public sector, government agencies, tourist agencies, hotels, banks and other financial institutions, private consultancy firms etc. Nowadays they can find work even with individuals like political figures, models and film stars who want their pictures, profiles and interviews published in magazines and need agents who can do the work for them so as to have a image in front of general public.
Public image is important to all organisations and prominent personalities. PR workers put together information that keeps the public aware of the organisation's accomplishments and keeps management aware of public attitudes. The job of a PR person is to work primarily towards establishing and improving mutual relationship, understanding and goodwill between his company or organisation and the clients and the customers, various other groups and the public at large. It is a planned and sustained programme conducted by an organisations management. It monitors awareness, opinions, attitudes and behaviour inside and outside the organisation. It establishes and maintains two-way communication between the organisation and its publics.
Job Responsibilities Of Public Relations Officer
The PR function is carried out by independent PR agencies and corporate communication/PR division of business firms, corporate sector, governmental and non-governmental organisations. The roles and responsibilities of a Public Relations Officer is tabulated below:
| In-House PR Personnel | PR Agencies |
|---|---|
| Problem analysis for clients or management, setting goals and planning PR activities | Client servicing involves handling clients' accounts for all PR services. |
| Compiling reports, issuing press statements, preparing speeches/articles, publishing newsletters/ brochures/ annual reports/ leaflets and getting audio tape/ film and video production | Agencies provide public relation counsel. |
| Controlling and liasoning with media, being updated on all the quickest forms of global communication in use | Researching and conducting surveys is an ongoing activity in all agencies. |
| Organising and attending interviews, meetings, presentations and conferences, events, press launches, news conferences, exhibitions, trade fairs, etc | Crisis management as a PR function is also gaining significance |
| Coordinating market research through surveys, interviews and opinion polls. | Create public identity or an image for public figures like political parties, models and film stars. |
Skills Required For Public Relations Officer
To become a Public Relations Officer, it is necessary to have certain personality traits like art of assimilation of information, creativity, reliability and talent. Apart from this some other essential skills for Public Relations Officer are mentioned below:
Organisational skills: Organizational skills are those skills, which help you to use your resources efficiently and effectively. A person who is organised usually manages his/her time, energy and workspace to complete the assigned tasks successfully. Organizational skills can take different forms depending on a particular workplace and job title. These include meeting deadlines and communicating well with the team as well.
Multi-tasking: Multitasking is the ability to perform multiple tasks and complete them simultaneously. Actually it is related to planning. With the necessary practice, you can handle many tasks with ease, which makes work easier and less stressful.
Analytical Skills: Analytical skills are problem-solving skills that help understand data and information in order to develop creative, reasoned solutions. An analytical person focuses on understanding facts and figures in his/her workplace and use logical thinking to find solutions.
Communication skills: Communication skills are the abilitiy rused for providing and receiving different types of information, such as sharing new ideas or an update on a project. This skill also includes listening, speaking, observing and empathizing. It is also helpful in understanding the difference between in-person conversation, phone conversation and the way communication is done through digital communication such as email and social media.
Ability to work under pressure & deadlines: Ability to work under pressure involves dealing with obstacles that are often beyond your control. This can include last-minute changes, upcoming deadlines, and a lack of knowledge needed to complete tasks. Working under pressure also means that you have to perform well under such circumstances and the stress should not affect the quality of work.
How To Become A Public Relations Officer
To become a Public Relations Officer, candidates can study Public Relations at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. However, the basic eligibility criteria are different for both the levels. While it is mandatory to have passed class 12th from any stream (Science, Commerce, Humanities) with minimum 45-50 per cent marks to take admission in UG level programmes, for PG level programmes a graduation degree with minimum of 50 per cent marks in any subject from a recognized college/university is required. Some of the popular UG and PG level courses in Public Relations are given below:
| Undergraduate Courses |
|
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Postgraduate Courses |
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| MA in Journalism and Mass Communication |
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| PG Diploma in Public Relations |
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| PG Diploma in Corporate Communication |
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| MBA in Communication Management |
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