Public relations can offer me a challenging and rewarding career in which I will have the opportunity to work on tasks and projects that will have a diverse range of jobs to undertake. I am highly interested in current affairs such as politics and what’s going on in the business world. I find it fascinating to know what businesses, entrepreneurs and politicians/parties are doing well and what ones are on a downfall. Keeping up to date with political parties’ proposals and the likes of Brexit is an area which I am keen to be working with in my day to day jobs and tasks. To be a PR practitioner I would need to be aware of current trends and issues as it will be essential if I want to offer advice to clients or an organisation. No two days would ever be the same if I was working in PR. This spikes my interest as the same boring routine everyday would make me lose my motivation to work harder and would result in a negative impact on my productivity.
Studying PR and communication for the past 2 years has allowed me to grow in confidence. Group projects that include us sharing presentations with our class has enabled me to be a better public speaker and to learn skills to help me when it comes to talking to a wide range of people. These skills are essential if I want to start a career in PR as it will involve speaking with clients or journalists and groups of people who may be important to an organisation or client. A job in PR would let me gain insight into the impact of communication and how it effects our day to day lives from our buying habits to who we vote for. It will allow me to have the opportunity to work in many different fields from politics, to airlines or even universities.
When I was in upper 6th in school I studied English Literature as one of A-levels. I realised I had a passion for writing and creativity but quickly learned that I had a preference towards the work I had to complete for my Business Studies class. In Business Studies we competed in a national competition which involved us creating and promoting a new cereal bar. During the task I completed a press release and a blog on the health benefits of cereal bars. It allowed me to be creative without the restraints of only analysing a book, poem or play. As a result of this I was attracted to PR as I knew it would include creative communication. In school we also went on a trip to the Coca Cola factory where their PR practitioner met us, gave us a tour and answered all of our questions. I remember thinking it seemed like a really enjoyable job and she informed us off different tasks she would complete. She told us how she dealt with the press or the general public that had questions about Coca Cola which raised my interest. When I started to research what a job in public relations would entail communicating with colleagues, the media and the public interested me. I am extremely interested in organising events such as exhibitions, open days and press tours as it allows you to get out of the office and engage with key stakeholders. In school I was part of a debating team which allowed me to practise and sharpen my verbal communication skills and taught me how to clearly present my ideas and thinking’s. The creative aspects of PR are off interest to me as I enjoy making brochures, handouts, promotional videos and so on. Similar to most student’s social media interests me as it’s something I would feel comfortable working with. PR would include tasks such as managing and updating and engaging with an organisation or client’s social media site. Working in public relations can teach me how to create content on these platforms that will be useful and engaging to its audiences.
Writing assignments, speeches, blogs, press releases and so on interested me. I knew I had already developed writing skills in school that were essential for working in PR and I enjoyed sitting down to create a piece of work. I’m a very talkative person so the fact that PR is mainly focused on communication is a massive positive for me. I am really comfortable talking with new people, doing interviews and answering the phone. I would love to have a career that involved fostering community relations such as open days and tours that would include communicating with stakeholders. People who work in PR are expected to network and socialise which I find appealing. Dealing with clients, the media and colleagues and building and maintaining relationships with them significantly interests me as social and work life may become a little intertwined.
One of the main benefits of working in PR I could find during my research was that PR can involve a lot of travelling depending on the organisation. This interests me as it can be exciting and motivating to be working in a new environment. It gives the opportunity to meet and learn from new people which in turn can increase your skill set and make you more employable for future jobs. Travelling with work would also allow you to visit and see places that you may not have seen before and would give the opportunity to experience new cultures, even if it is only for a short period.
I like that it mainly has a professional dress code and you will hold a lot of responsibility. Having a lot of responsibility in work helps motivate me to complete projects and be more creative with my thinking. A career in PR would open many doors for me and allow me to gain brilliant work experience which could lead to a massive variety of jobs.
Anna Grant is a final year BSc in Communication Management and Public Relations student at Ulster University. She can be found on Instagram – annagrantx