Posts Tagged ‘job elements’
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It seems that entry-level jobs in public relations are mostly designing brochures and writing news releases. Knowing how to provide counsel to clients or to the company you are a part of comes after a couple of years in the PR environment. But along with moving up through the ranks comes more responsibility. In the beginning you will be answering to other people, but if you make it to a job that entails handling accounts or providing counsel, you will be expected to handle things on your own.
Job 1 is an opening for a public relations specialist with Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. It requires 2 to 5 years of experience. One major duty is working with other departments to make sure that new ad campaigns or promotions run smoothly. You have to stay up-to-date with what marketing and advertising are doing to market the company (and from what I gather, this is expected in most PR jobs, not just this one). Good writing is a must, since the job requires writing news releases, memos, case histories, brochures, and other things.
Job 2 is a much more high-end position that requries several years’ experience in public relations. The open position is vice president of public relations with Taylor PR. Whoever fills the vice president position must keep track of all clients’ accounts and have an in-depth knowledge of each one, so that they can know how to counsel them and address their problems. Writing is critical, as the VP is expected to give speeches and presentations periodically. This position requires keeping up with client accounts, as well as doing PR for the company itself and increasing its visibility.
As far as skills go, my writing could always use work. I do think certain things about my writing are good, though. Mainly, I use a very clear and concise style, which I think is appreciated in the PR field. And there are never any grammatical errors! But with writing, I also lack creativity and eloquence. I guess the only way to develop these skills is to practice, practice, practice. I wrote one news release for my internship with the hospital, and it was pretty good, but none of the local media picked it up. Again, practice is the only way to develop this skill.
I’m a very organized person, as well, so this is something that would be a great help when it comes to keeping track of different clients’ accounts.
I think the main skill I should work on improving (besides writing) would be my confidence and ability to work independently. This is not so much of an issue in entry-level jobs, but it does become more important as you earn higher positions. I think gaining confidence is something that comes with more time in the field, starting with this class and getting more experience with other jobs.
Ch. 1 What is PR?
Posted on: August 26, 2008
Public Relations: Everywhere You Look
Some people think that PR is something that is designed to deceive people–that when an organization does not want you to know the bad stuff, they employ the PR pros to keep it hidden or tweak it to make it more positive. Most of the time, people just do not recognize that anything they hear about a company in the news is from the desk of a PR person. PR practitioners are often the ones who come up with ad campaigns. It is all about getting the word out there and connecting with the community, as well as fostering and maintaining good relationships. They must make sure they keep in mind their publics’ goals and values when making decisions.
Job Elements
- PR is a management function. They provide counsel to the organization’s leadership on how they should communicate with their publics.
- PR involves two-way communication. Listening to the publics is a major part of the job, as it shapes further interactions with the community.
- PR is a planned activity. Before an organization takes action of any sort, they must make sure it is compatible with their publics’ goals and values.
- PR is a research-based social science. Organizations must have a full understanding of the environment in which they operate.
- PR is socially responsible. PR practitioners are responsible for making their organization respectable in the community.
The Hunt-Grunig Models of PR
- Press agentry/publicity model–focus is to get favorable coverage from the media. Accuracy and truth are not number one essentials.
- Public information model–dissemination of objective and accurate information. They are essentially “journalists in residence.”
- Two-way asymmetrical model–research is used in an effort to bring the public around to the company’s way of thinking. Not so good for conflict resolution.
- Two-way symmetrical model–Conflict resolution. Promotes a mutual understanding between an organization and the community.
A Profile of Practitioners
- PR agencies–contract to provide or supplement PR services for others
- Corporations–PR units within companies
- Government–tax-payer supported; offer counsel on government policies
- Nonprofit organizations or trade associations–not-for-profit groups or special interest groups
- Independent PR consultants–self-employed
Traditional Four-Step Model
- Research–discovery phase. Use of formal and informal methods to learn about the organization and its publics, challenges, and opportunities
- Planning–strategy phase. Use the information gathered to develop effective and efficient strategies
- Communication–execution phase. Direct messages to the specific publics, but be flexible, because changes will sometimes be needed. This is a two-way process.
- Evaluation–measurement of how effective the plan was
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