Are you curious about careers in PR & Comms? Wondering what skills are beneficial in the field? Thinking about ways to research your plans further? You’re in luck!
King’s Careers & Employability are collaborating with Liberty Communications, an international technology communications consultancy, to write a series of blogs all about industry insights from the world of public relations (PR). We’ll be talking about what it’s like to work (and get work) in the field and support you to discover careers in Pr & Comms!
What is it?
You might have heard of PR in tandem with Marketing, but how do the two go together? Both involve many disciplines, from branding to messaging and idea management, all working together to support the client organisation’s success. Each also involves bringing a company to the public, using media and communications to refine what kind of image the company will have. However, PR also brings a more specific way to support a company’s reputation – this might involve crisis management, event management and other areas.
Here is an industry recognised definition of PR from the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA):
Public Relations, or ‘PR’, is all about the way organisations communicate with the public, promote themselves, and build a positive reputation and public image. The way an organisation is represented in the media has a huge impact on how people perceive it. PR professionals try to influence the media to represent their organisation positively and communicate key messages.
When you’re in the Discover stage of your career journey, it’s good to do some research not just about sectors you are interested in, but what your attributes, values and passions are. Check out our Keats courses, “Who am I”, “What Can I Do” and “What do I offer”, which are here to help you reflect on your values, interests, passions and skills when it comes to careers.
Does it matter what degree I study?
While many degrees have an element (or maybe even a full focus) on PR, communications, marketing and media, which certainly helps when looking into a career in the field, the thing about PR & communications is that it exists in every sector. Companies across the board, such as finance, publishing, biotech, environmental, law, all have PR and communications roles. This means that for many science, healthcare or humanities graduates, that knowledge and appreciation of a specific degree subject can be applied into a communications-based role too.
What skills will you need when considering a career in PR & communications?
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Confidence
As careers in this field are all about managing reputations, building relationships and strong communication, you will want to grow your confidence in speaking. There’s plenty of times when you need to present new ideas and pitch your client’s news to journalists – and they will often get challenged or knocked back!
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Understanding of the media
When it comes to PR, a good basic understanding of the current media landscape in terms of the topics and news stories that are being widely written about, both on a national level as well as industry-specific, is extremely valuable.
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Digital Skills
Digital skills are a good skill to have, ranging from the knowledge to use social media to websites, e-mails and newsletters.
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Creativity and innovation
In any comms and PR role, you’re bound to need creative thinking skills. A big part of the sector is pitching and presenting ideas to solve problems, and for that, it’s good to hone down on those innovation skills!
Where can I do more research?
King’s Careers & Employability have a great Careers Sector Guide (pdf) on the industry, which includes a detailed list of many kinds of marketing, communications and PR related associations, info pages and sources for further career advice. Resources on our sector guide are divided to Discover, Focus and Action: this means that wherever you are on your career journey, you can find relevant links to help your research about Marketing & PR careers.
Our King’s Alumni Career Case Studies have a great case study from Yiota, a King’s International Relations graduate who entered the field of Marketing & Communications after her studies. Click here to read her story on our Keats pages!
For more reading around careers in PR & Marketing, keep an eye out for more career blogs with Liberty Comms arriving to King’s Careers Blog in the next weeks!