Public Relations

Role:

Public Relations, or PR, is the act of managing the spread of information regarding a client organisation and portraying it in a certain light to an audience. Through public relations a company aims to persuade the public, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders to maintain a certain point of view about it, its leadership, products or political decisions.

Reputation can be a company's biggest asset, helping it to stand out from the crowd. Effective PR can help manage reputation by communicating and building good relationships with all organisation stakeholders. Public relations takes many forms in different organisations and comes under many titles, including public information, investor relations, public affairs, corporate communication, marketing or customer relations.

PR officers use all forms of media and communication to build, maintain and manage the standing of their clients.

Source Prospects

^{Skills Required:}

Analyse management needs
Identify causes of problems, analyse future trends and predict their consequences
Research into public opinion, attitudes and expectations and advise on necessary action
Plan, organise and co-ordinate tasks
Set goals and objectives
Write and edit press releases and reports
Establish financial control
Communication skills, including the ability to give presentations

^Source:Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)

Things to Consider:

To be able to enjoy a fruitful career in Public Relations it is important to have an interest in current affairs and what is going on around you.

Self-employment and freelance work are possible, although this is more common for experienced PR professionals. The PR industry has a wide geographical spread throughout the main commercial centres in the UK, with openings often occurring in all regions.

Working hours may include some unsocial hours. By the nature of the role PR officers may be required to work out of hours to deal with a crisis or an important issue regarding a client. Travel, both nationally and internationally maybe required as well as overnight absences.