Are you a creative and innovative individual looking for a fresh start in a new career?

Well, this article was written just for you! We spoke to Capacity Relations about what a career in PR actually entails.

Read on here as media update's Robyn du Preez chats with Raymond and Tomlinson on landing your career in public relations:

Define a public relations professional and what they do

Public relations professionals need to think of themselves as an extension of every core function of their clients' businesses.

Gone are the days of approaching a comms plan with what release you can write and how you can enhance a client's reputation — it has become so much more than this. An evolved and new-age public relations professional should be able to show a hybrid of skills such as:
  • strategy
  • creativity
  • digitally savviness
  • being a connector
  • communications
  • persuasiveness, and
  • having an understanding of interagency scopes to offer clients a multi-disciplined approach.

What drew you to the field of public relations?

The pace and challenge of it, as well as the results and impact it has on a client's business. We love to reposition, inject relevancy, relaunch brands and, of course, over-deliver on ROI.

PR practitioners are the fixers!

Describe what it is like to have a career in PR

It is exhilarating, challenging, petrifying at times — and fun at times too. It is very rewarding when it goes well but it's not for the faint-hearted.

What can you tell those who are currently entering the space that you didn't know when you started?

Please study, and please upskill. Work ethic is key due to the pressure of the industry, so do research and constantly challenge yourself to grow.

It is an ever-evolving industry. You need to keep up with the times and trends. It's also not as glamorous as it looks — there is a lot of sweat and hard work that happens behind the scenes.

In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of working in this industry?

Cons:
  • It can be difficult to measure true value to your audience as some of the measurement tools are not up to scratch.
  • It is a highly stressful industry, which is not suited to everyone's personality.
  • Media is a turbulent industry; you can never truly guarantee results.
Pros:
  • It works.
  • It's incredible in terms of the people you meet and the relationships that you build.
  • Working on brands and seeing the impact you make is very rewarding.

What kind of person will enjoy this profession?

It's a loaded question as there is the 'glitz and glamour', which people are attracted to and so everyone wants to do this.

But, there is the real work. In essence, it's for:

  • innovators
  • creators
  • enterprising, and
  • hard-working individuals.

The PR role demands a resourceful and exuberant personality with excellent interpersonal skills.

From your experience, what would one need to study or do to qualify for a position in this landscape?

In the landscape of South Africa, there is no barrier to entry and so anyone can, which is a blessing.

We like to hire people with degrees that are very specific to the skill set we look at. Communications degrees and digital are good bases.

Are there specific things that the industry looks for in PR candidates, and what would these factors be?

Work ethic, strategic insight and creatively expansive individuals are what we look out for. Skill can be taught — attitude and work ethic cannot.

Where can this career path lead in the future for aspiring PR professionals?

Due to the evolution of the sector of marketing, and the manner in which we run our business, we provide our team members with a holistic view of clients and their campaigns.

We are not task-specific and encourage our team members to upskill across all sectors of the communications sphere so understanding of the biggest objective is realised We achieve our objectives with insight and outstanding results.

Do you have any tips or advice for those wanting to enter this professional space?

  • Study.
  • Do internships.
  • Read.
  • Upskill yourself.
  • Continuously do courses.
  • Build a network and relationships wherever you go.

Got any questions that we did not cover here? Let us know in the comments and we will get back to you!

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So, if your new goal is to venture down the public relations path, check these Four tips for starting a career in PR to make this dream career a reality.
*Image courtesy of Canva