What does it mean to have a career in Public Relations?

By Shree Lahiri

Looking for a career in Public Relations (PR)? Know all about PR as a career below.

Just take a good look at yourself. Do you have excellent communication skills? Then if you wish to pursue a career that offers an opportunity to communicate and interact with a variety of people, then Public Relations is the career for you. In this profession, you need to understand the different stakeholder’s psyche and then shape it positively, in your favour!

The skill to handle and manage people is of prime importance in this profession. And, while utilising your power to influence people’s point of view, you can help mould a positive reputation or image of an individual or organization in the eyes of the general public. And how do you do that? With creative use of different media available today.

What is Public Relations?

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) observed that the formal practice of public relations can be traced back to early 20th century.

According to the Mexican Statement, which came up after the first World Assembly of Public Relations took place in 1978 in Mexico, a good definition of PR was – “PR is the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting the consequences, counseling organization leaders and implementing planned programs of action which will serve both the organization and public interest.” As early as the definition maybe, but this gives a good picture of PR.                                                                    

Is PR the right career for you?

Once you join a PR course, it is designed to equip you with skills like public speaking and understanding the psychology of the target audience – which can lead to useful transmission of brand messages.

Assess your communications skills, if you feel a career in PR is the right one for you. You must also be passionate about news, the play of media and the role of media channels. Is reading on your priority list? Do you track the news closely? If your answer is ‘yes’ then you can zero in on PR as your career choice. And, if you are worried about salary packages in the PR industry, it will be reassuring to know that current salaries of PR professionals may be compared to Marketing professionals or even IT professionals!

If you have good communication skills, then you are on the right track. So, choosing PR will be wise for you. As a matter of fact, the PR firms envisage a lack of talent and they are constantly searching for talented professionals.

Today, with digital media gaining in importance, handling digital PR is another potential role. You will be responsible for creating engaging content for your brand’s promotion on various social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and also measure its success.

Demand for PR professionals

The demand for candidates with good communication skills is high in all industries. Should you possess good communication skills, it will prove to be an added advantage for you.

The demand for PR professionals has increased, considering the fact that there are a number of new media options. And today, almost every organization needs PR professionals. This has raised the bar for the market demand for good people. In all industries – IT, Hotels, FMCGs, Retail, e-commerce and others, PR professionals are quite in demand.

Globally, the opportunities for PR-proficient Indians are varied. In countries like US, Canada, Australia, Middle-East and Europe, there are many PR professionals, who are enjoying promising careers, which have ensured very comfortable lifestyles.

Some top PR companies where you can join

Some PR companies you can join are – Genesis BCW, Adfactors PR, Weber Shandwick, Edelman, Oglivy PR, MSLGROUP, Ketchum Sampark, Perfect Relations, Value360, The PRactice, GolinOpinion and so on. Besides applying for a job with these agencies, you may also apply to top FMCG or IT companies and others as they may need corporate communications professionals with PR experience.

Some takeaways

• Good communication skills are noticed and can be an advantage. So, job opportunities as PR professionals are very promising.
• Pay packets today are attractive and comparable to other flourishing field
• In a Mass Communication course, Public Relations is one of the main subjects. Other similar subjects could include – corporate communications, internal and external communication, business communication, integrated marketing communication, crisis communication and so on.

About the Author:

Shree Lahiri is faculty at The Delhi School of Communication having vast experience in Image Management and Journalism.