"Is PR Right For Me?" Part 5

This is the final installment in a five part question and answer series aiming to help students decide if PR might be a good career fit. Thank you to all the PR professionals who took the time to make this series a success.

Also, be sure to check out #PRStudChat, a Twitter chat inspired by this blog series that takes place tomorrow, August 19 at noon EST. For more information, check out the LinkedIn Group.

David Teicher is a Social Media and Digital Strategist. You can connect with him on Twitter at @Aerocles or at his blog, Legends of Aerocles.

1. How did you end up in PR?

That is a very interesting question. I started college as a premed student and over the course of my first 3 years, I bounced around from, medicine to psychology, to law, to philosophy. All the while I had been taking writing classes, expository, creative, professional…etc. because I enjoyed writing. It wasn’t until my senior year that I considered applying my penchant for composition, vocationally. At that point, it was a matter of identifying a discipline in which I would be free to write and express my creativity, while becoming active in the ‘business world’ – as opposed to struggling through journalism in a flailing media industry. I landed an 8-month internship at an NYC PR Firm and the rest is history.

2. What are some of your past job titles? (Feel free to include any non-PR-related titles as well, if they helped you get where you are today).

I worked as an EMT for a few years, volunteering on my local ambulance corp. I worked in a cardiologist’s office too, as a medical assistant, concluding my medical career. I’ve been a camp counselor (like the rest of the world), and in college I worked as a research assistant and student teacher.

3. What do you consider to be the top three absolutely essential abilities a PR pro must have?

Confidence is number one for me. Regardless of who you’re talking to, reporter, client, boss, or anyone else, you must exude confidence, feigned, authentic, or otherwise. We are traffickers of information, and that information is only as credible as you can convey. If you don’t speak with confidence in a clear and articulate manner, no one will buy what you’re peddling.

Passion. In this regard, I mean passion for advancement and furthering your own career through an ongoing reeducation and continuous efforts to improve your understanding of our discipline. As the media landscape is in the throes of upheaval and new paradigms are constantly being tested and replaced, the PR industry is very much affected. Only those who are passionate about what they do will take to time to read up on the latest and greatest tools, norms, accepted practices, and case studies. This is a daily requirement. The nebulous industry we’re in is evolving at an astounding pace; if you don’t keep up and make adaptation a priority, you’ll find yourself on the fast track to obsolescence.

Writing. As obvious as this may sound to some, I’ve seen some pretty terrible pitches and press releases floating around out there. And writing isn’t limited to these two common forms. Writing copy for client websites or blogs has become an increasingly significant requirement in Public Relations. In fact, I’d go so far as to suggest that every Publicist and Media Relations Practitioner should have a blog, or at the very least, write for leisure on a semi-regular basis. The only way to develop your writing abilities is consistent practice, just like everything else. It doesn’t matter if no one reads your blog; the authorship is the essential element. We are counterparts to journalists and reporters and as such, our writing skills must be on par with theirs.

4. What are some "unexpected" skills you've used in your job?

Social media savvy, first and foremost. This was an arena I found myself in completely by default – most likely due to my age and familiarity with the territory, even if it was only through personal use, and not professional utilization. I, like so many others, became the de facto social media expert and realizing the opportunity this presented, I was quick to embrace this role. I pushed it on clients and coworkers, alike. I’ve found this realm to fantastically interesting and an essential element to any modern PR campaign.

Diplomacy. Whether you’re mediating between coworkers, trying to explain a situation to your higher-ups, or handling a delicate client situation, patience and politics are key traits I didn’t know I’d need in this field and practicing restraint and diplomacy may very well save your job or help you land a big client one day.

5. How big of a role does personality play in PR job success? Are there any personality traits that are important to have (creativity, extroversion)?

Arguably, personality plays as big of a role in PR job success as any individual skill set or talent, if not bigger. Creativity, extroversion, confidence, maintaining composure under pressure, balancing aggressive tactics with an understanding and non-confrontational disposition – these are all personality aspects that come in handy every single day, dealing with coworkers, bosses, clients, bloggers, and reporters.

There are two things here I’d mention. One, effectively employing whatever your natural passion and interests may be. Two, ‘creativity as a necessity’ is an understatement. Forget thinking outside the box, in PR – and especially within social media – THERE IS NO BOX. There are no set rules. Learn from the successes and failures of others. Devise strategies, tactics, and innovative approaches to campaigns that reflect your personal flavor. This doesn’t come quick and easy, but consistent reinvention and applying your unique perspective on things can really set you apart.

6. Fill in the blank: PR probably isn't the right field for you if you hate _____.

Talking.

7. What academic course did you despise taking? What was your favorite?

Philosophy of Paradoxes was by far and wide my favorite. My least favorite – any and every math class – precalc, calc, stats…etc.

8. What percentage of your job takes place in a traditional office setting?

75%. But that’s changing rapidly and is very dependant on personal style. Can you efficiently work from home? Can you effectively converse with clients via email and phone or are you better face-to-face. In this field, individual preferences play a bigger role than in other industries, so figure out what works best for you. For me, I’m finding that I’m on a steady course of moving things to casual, non-office settings, but that’s what works for me and may not be true for everyone.

9. How much of your job involves teamwork/working with others?

1000%. The best ideas go nowhere if you can’t work well with others. To this day, I’m so grateful that I got to work with such amazing people. From my first day on the job, they took me under their collective wing and showed me the ropes, offered constructive feedback (whether I asked for it or not), and really helped shape me and guide me to where I am today. If it weren’t for this bond and teamwork, so many good ideas would have failed on execution, so much would slip through the cracks, and it would have made it very difficult to get up and go into work every day.

10. What is the best part about your job?

The boxlessness I described earlier. If you can make something work; if you can prove to a client or your boss that a certain strategy has a good chance of success or delivering results, it doesn’t matter how crazy it is or if it’s never been done before. I love that challenge to constantly innovate and think big.

11. Any other comments?

I think that about does it! Go Twitter!

"Is PR Right For Me?" Part 4

This is the fourth installment in a five part question and answer series aiming to help students decide if PR might be a good career fit.

Alicia Wells is a Senior Account Executive at Peppercom Strategic Communications in New York, and also manages the company’s internship program. Prior to starting her career at Peppercom, she held a variety of PR internships, including a hospital, a boutique PR agency, and the FDR Presidential Library and Museum. Alicia has a passion for helping other entry-level PR professionals find their way, and recently started the blog PRiscope for this purpose. You can find her on Twitter @Alicia_Wells.

1. How did you end up in PR?

I originally went to college for journalism, but after working on the school newspaper I decided it wasn’t for me. So, I went to my advisor and he told me about PR, which at the time I had no clue about. It sounded like it could be a fit for me, so I took a couple of courses and ended up loving it.

2. What are some of your past job titles? (Feel free to include any non-PR-related titles as well, if they helped you get where you are today).

Intern, Junior Account Executive, Account Executive.

3. What do you consider to be the top three absolutely essential abilities a PR pro must have?

Organization/time management- you have to be able to work on several projects at once and constantly shift gears from one assignment to another. Because of the nature of the business you can’t plan your day out exactly, but you still need to stay on top of all of your responsibilities.

Attention to detail- Your communications with clients, the media, superiors and the public need to be flawless. Anything you write, any excel grids you format, any coverage reports you pull together, etc. all need to be perfect.

Writing skills- I think the others summed this up nicely.

4. What are some "unexpected" skills you've used in your job?

I didn’t realize how much art was incorporated into PR- I’ve used interior design, graphic design, Web design, drawing and painting over the course of my career.

5. How big of a role does personality play in PR job success? Are there any personality traits that are important to have (creativity, extroversion)?

You generally need to be a person who’s fairly upbeat and willing to talk to people at any time. Having a positive attitude goes a long way, particularly when you’re just starting out. You won’t always get the most thrilling assignments, but if you do them with a smile on your face people will always appreciate it.

6. Fill in the blank: PR probably isn't the right field for you if you hate ___________________.

Talking to people, researching, writing, sitting in a cubicle for long stretches of time.

7. What academic course did you despise taking? What was your favorite?

I’ll follow the trend and say I hated anything math related. My favorite was a class I took senior year, which was taught by the head of PR for our school. It was the most real-world experience I got from a class.

8. What percentage of your job takes place in a traditional office setting?

Almost all of it, unless I’m working on a client event (but I don’t do this often).

9. How much of your job involves teamwork/working with others?

All of it. Even when I’m working on an assignment alone, that assignment contributes to a larger group effort.

10. What is the best part about your job?

Doing something different every day and constantly facing new challenges. Also, I love the people that I work with. The culture of my agency is very friendly and inviting, so it’s a pleasure to come to work everyday.

11. Any other comments?

At the beginning of your career, you’ll likely spend most of your time doing the “behind the scenes” work. Media lists, coverage reports, research, binding, etc. won’t always seem valuable, but know that the work you do really does contribute to the overall goals of the team. Once you master these tasks, I’d recommend trying to step up and ask to take on higher level work (as long as the culture of your organization allows for that). By showing that you’re proactive and can do great work, you’ll start to get the more “fun” assignments (pitching, writing, etc.).

"Is PR Right For Me?" Part 3

This is the third installment in a five part question and answer series aiming to help students decide if PR might be a good career fit.

Deirdre K. Breakenridge is President, Director of Communications at PFS Marketwyse. A veteran in the PR industry, Deirdre leads a creative team of PR and marketing executives strategizing to gain brand awareness for their clients through creative and strategic public relations campaigns. She counsels senior level executives at companies including RCN Metro Optical Networks, Quality Technology Services, JVC, Michael C. Fina and Kraft.

Deirdre is an adjunct professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey where she teaches Public Relations and Interactive Marketing for the Global Business Management program. She is the author of three Financial Times business books: "PR 2.0, New Media, New tools, New Audiences," "The New PR Toolkit" and "Cyberbranding: Brand Building in the Digital Economy."

You can connect with Deirdre on Twitter at @dbreakenridge. Also be sure to check out her blog, PR 2.0 Strategies, for a great follow-up post.

1. How did you end up in PR?
I knew in high school that I wanted to get a degree in communications. I loved to write, speak and I had an interest in the media. Public relations appeared to be a great fit for me. I remember being very excited that I could receive a Bachelor’s degree that taught me how to solve problems through cases, challenged me to work with different groups of people and also, at the time, had a strong focus in journalism and working with the media.

2. What are some of your past job titles? (Feel free to include any non-PR-related titles as well, if they helped you get where you are today).
In the past working all the way up to the present, I have held the following titles: Intern or Junior PR Assistant, Assistant Account Executive, Account Executive, PR Manager, Director of Business Research, Director of Public Relations, Executive Director of Public Relations, and President. The only title that was outside of the realm of public relations was Director of Business Research. I worked for a pharmaceutical consultant, and we did niche marketing for large brand pharmaceuticals companies. Most of my responsibilities included detailed business research and competitive intelligence. I learned a tremendous amount about business and the pharmaceutical market landscape. I truly believe that many of the skills that I learned during my days with this consultant led me to be an entrepreneur and business owner.

3. What do you consider to be the top three absolutely essential abilities a PR pro must have?
In the past, I would have said that excellent writing, good oral communications, and strong listening skills. However, today not only is it required that you have those skills, but also PR 2.0 and social media communications has a new skill set. PR pros need to be up to speed with technology and the web 2.0 collaborative communication, web analytics, CRM and web marketing.

4. What are some "unexpected" skills you've used in your job?
There are a few “unexpected” skills including web programming, backend content management of websites, and customer service (although this naturally comes with the PR territory). I believe that every “unexpected” skill makes you that much more valuable for your organization. If someone wants to teach you how to do something that may fall somewhat outside of your realm, take the opportunity to learn because the more you know about your company, the more quickly you can travel to the top!

5. How big of a role does personality play in PR job success? Are there any personality traits that are important to have (creativity, extroversion)?

I do believe that PR people need a certain personality to succeed in this industry. As you stated, you must be creative and an extrovert. You should know how to work well with other people, especially on teams. PR people need to be avid readers! It’s important that you’re tapped into the news whether you’re finding information from mainstream media or on the Internet. A PR person is usually very driven and doesn’t give up easily (persistent) and is able to handle rejection well. You need to be on your feet at all times and prepared for crisis and damage control. Lastly, PR comes with heavy deadlines (similar to journalism), so be prepared for a fast paced environment!

6. Fill in the blank: PR probably isn't the right field for you if you hate to _________.
I would finish your sentence with: write, talk to people and be involved with the public.

7. What academic course did you despise taking? What was your favorite?
I didn’t appreciate philosophy when I was in my undergraduate program, although now I think I would love it. I enjoyed all of my writing courses (journalism and magazine writing) and probably was one of the few students who wanted more public speaking classes! To this day, the classes I enjoyed most are what I do the most on a daily basis, in my role as an author, speaker and President of an agency.

8. What percentage of your job takes place in a traditional office setting?
I usually spend about three to four days a week in the office, but this changes from week to week. I’ve been speaking a lot at conferences and seminars around the country and I’ll be in Australia, Germany and hopefully Holland later in the year and in early 2010. When I’m traveling, then I’m only in the office a couple of days a week, if that. However, most of my responsibilities are achieved outside of the office setting. Because of the Internet and Web 2.0, I have the ability to connect with people all over the world and I’m able to work from anywhere.

9. How much of your job involves teamwork/working with others?
I would say that 90% of what I do involves teamwork. From the strategy and planning on client campaigns to working with my agency’s financial team, I rely on a skilled group of people to tackle challenges and reach goals. I learned in my MBA program very quickly that in business, it’s better to work in teams for synergy and to achieve a more productive workflow process.

10. What is the best part about your job?
I love the people! From my own employees to the many professionals that I meet at conferences and in my social networks, they are all extremely knowledgeable and talented professionals. They teach me something each and every day. In the PR business, you always have to keep learning. When you surround yourself with incredibly smart people it will help you to discover, develop and grow faster in your own career.

11. Any other comments?
Now is in incredibly exciting time in public relations as we are reinventing our industry through PR 2.0 and social media communications. With all of the changes and challenges that we’re experiencing, the rewards are even greater. Today, PR professionals are learning how to connect directly with people in social networks and to become important resources of information. We, too, are becoming influencers, helping and enlightening others. As such, we’re also educating our brands on the best way to listen and engage in the social media landscape and how to reach their public(s) directly with customized stories, timely information and meaningful interactions.

"Is PR Right For Me?" Part 2

This is the second installment in a five part question and answer series aiming to help students decide if PR might be a good career fit.

Jason Mical is a senior account manager and Digital Strategist at Spook. An American Ex-Pat and award-winning blogger, Jason first dialled into a BBS in 1990, where he moderated his first forum.

He began working professionally online in 2000 for the filmmaker Michael Moore during an internship on The Awful Truth, and came to Edelman’s Seattle office in 2006 after working for three years for WizKids, a groundbreaking tabletop gaming company. He specializes in consumer, entertainment and tech PR, although his client list is diverse and ranges from Visa Europe to RBS to Krispy Kreme to Xbox to Starbucks. You can connect with Jason on Twitter at @BrotherMagneto.

1. How did you end up in PR?
I ended up here by accident really. I studied English Lit and Religion in college and was going to work in publishing or writing. I ended up working as a social worker in Oklahoma for a couple of years, while freelance writing and volunteering within a gaming community to run games. Turns out the games company who made the game was hiring, so I moved to Seattle to work for them in an official capacity. After 6 months the company had a round of layoffs and I ended up in the PR role at the company, and my career took off from there. It was a really interesting situation because the company was extremely cutting-edge (for its time) in terms of digital PR and social media – a lot of our efforts were done online. And this was 2003.

2. What are some of your past job titles? (Feel free to include any non-PR-related titles as well, if they helped you get where you are today).
PR Manager. Communications manager. Senior Account Executive, Account Supervisor. Freelance writer (is that a title?)

3. What do you consider to be the top three absolutely essential abilities a PR pro must have?
First – writing skills. If you can’t write to express yourself – and are able to adapt your writing to any audience, from an executive to a 14-year-old on the Internet – you will struggle. Imagine sending a memo to Bill Gates and then turning around and replying to a question from a Halo fan in the same hour. If you can do that, you’ll be alright. As a corollary, I would add the ability to talk to other people. I don’t mean a naturally extroverted ‘talk about nothing’ which passes for good PR a lot of the time. I’m an introvert by nature but I can make myself understood - again based on audiences, from executives to people at trade shows.

Second – creativity. Don’t be afraid to push the envelope with ideas. Who cares if it sounds dumb? Who cares if it’s completely unfeasible within the budget? If it sounds cool, suggest it, and then see where it takes you.

Third – the ability to synthesize and analyse information. This is what separates a good PR person – someone who can get coverage, is buddy-buddy with a reporter or an analyst, or can give a powerpoint presentation – with a great PR person. The great PR person will look at past campaigns and current efforts, take the measure of an entire landscape and say ‘OK, this is what this all means, and this is what we should do about it.’ It’s remarkable how many people in this field can’t do this.

4. What are some "unexpected" skills you've used in your job?
Poker playing. The ability to make a mocktail look like a cocktail (can’t drink too much at client functions!) The ability to speak coherently about a topic while you’re organizing your thoughts about what you REALLY want to say.

5. How big of a role does personality play in PR job success? Are there any personality traits that are important to have (creativity, extroversion)?
Definitely creativity – especially if you want to start doing the really cool PR stuff. As I mentioned before, introverts can do this job too (I do it!) but I think it appeals more to extroverts – I absolutely hate cold-calling journalists, even though I can do it.

There’s also a certain personality that will be more successful at this job than others – the hours are sometimes very long and tempers can be short. The ability to work well with others cannot be stressed enough, and a lot of people approach PR from a ‘live to work’ mentality – to the point where they literally ‘show value’ by the amount of time they spend at the office, rather than the quality of their work. That’s a great way to burn yourself out very quickly. You need to take a ‘work to live’ mentality to it, and not take the job too seriously – obviously take it seriously, but remember that you’re not a surgeon. You’re not saving lives on a daily basis, you’re selling things for companies. Approach it with that mentality and you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble.

6. Fill in the blank: PR probably isn't the right field for you if you hate ___________________.
Sometimes having to work on weekends or off-hours.

7. What academic course did you despise taking? What was your favorite?
Math, because i’m terrible at it. My favourite was any of the history courses I took – but I’m a liberal arts major, not a PR/comms major. :)

8. What percentage of your job takes place in a traditional office setting?
About 90-95% of it, although that varies based on what we’re doing at any given time.

9. How much of your job involves teamwork/working with others?
All of it. This isn’t a solo job, unless you set up your own practice.

10. What is the best part about your job?
On a personal level I am a believer in and a fan of the democratization of conversation that the Internet allows us to have. Companies have just as much (or just as little, depending on your point of view) right to their view as anyone else, and in the end it will only be beneficial for businesses to participate in online dialogue. This is a drastic change from the control-and-spin methods of traditional public relations, and helping companies understand this – and participate online – is extremely rewarding to me. Someone will say that, say, a massive oil company will not benefit from online engagement. On the contrary, being forced to face the massive amounts of criticism for their unethical actions might actually lead them to change how they operate, as the window for ignoring what’s happening online is becoming smaller and smaller and will eventually disappear completely. So there is most certainly a value in all companies participating in online conversation in one way or another, and helping them see this and take these steps is personally rewarding for me.

11. Any other comments?
PR is becoming more and more about building relationships with the wider communities than simply talking to journalists. The entire industry is on the verge of a major change, which is very exciting because those who understand what’s going on and more importantly what’s coming next will be well suited to forge excellent careers for themselves in PR. PR is essentially merging with customer service, because the customer is the ‘influencer’ now – and we need to talk directly to customers once again. It’s also much more about helping our clients become influencers themselves – the great dichotomy of PR at the moment is traditionally, PR was about speaking to influencers and hoping their ‘influence’ would carry your messages through. It’s now about becoming an influencer yourself, and helping your clients do the same. Those who understand that principle will go far in this field.