PR and me: together forever? Let’s hope so!

I know it seems that I complain a lot on this blog, but I truly love public relations. I love networking, building relationships, writing, creating, generating ideas…everything. I realize that with many things in my life, I suffer from this gene where I act like something’s a burden when it’s really something I can’t live without. I have been fortunate enough to find a career I truly enjoy and I am sure that my love for PR will take me down a path that will yield highs and lows, but, ultimately, professional satisfaction. I look forward to seeing where PR goes into the future as new media is introduced and target audiences continue to morph and change. It seems that now, more than ever, PR is seen as an integral part of companies. Many small businesses wish they could afford the support that PR practitioners provide a company. PR is important and will continue to expand. I can only hope that I will be able to learn, improve and grow along with it.

PR v. Advertising: Who’s more important?

When I first declared my major as public relations, a lot of my friends and family kept asking me, "What exactly is public relations?" They constantly were confusing PR with advertising. Two years and countless explanations and glances at my assignments later, they finally can recognize the difference between PR and advertising.

Their confusion and an article in PR Tactics and The Strategist Online identify a real problem between advertising and public relations. Because each discipline knows they are important, they are, in a sense in conflict with each other because the outside world views them as one and the same. While collaborations between advertising and public relations can often yield the client the best results in reaching target audiences, each discipline wants to remain distinct and be seen as an integral part of a company.

Employee communicators should be able to do it all

A new study discussed in an article in PR Tactics and The Strategist Online identified 12 model competencies every employee communicator needs. The article describes these competencies as “core skills, knowledge and experience that communicators say they need to do their jobs well.

The 12 competencies include:

1. Building effective relationships
2. Business focus
3. Consulting and coaching
4. Cross-functional awareness
5. Craft (writing and design)
6. Developing other communicators
7. Innovation and creativity
8. Listening
9. Making it happen
10. Planning
11. Specialist
12. Vision and standards

All of these qualities are important for employee communicators to have. I also think that PR practitioners in general should possess these qualities. Some of the things that stick out most to me are the abilities to build effective relationships, consult and coach, listen, plan and make it happen!

I am Rory and she is me. (Okay, that's just a joke!)

Unfortunately, I am a Gilmore Girls fan. I have drawn many parallels between myself and Rory. Okay, no, I didn’t attend Yale, major in journalism or was the editor of the student newspaper. But I did start school when she did, and without getting too personal, I am also close to my mom. In Tuesday’s episode, Rory received several rejection letters from various newspapers and a journalism fellowship. During her breakdown she said that she had been trying to be modest, but she knew she had the fellowship. She also questioned what made her different and why she wasn't considered qualified enough for the fellowship or jobs.

Although my hardships are completely real and hers are imaginary, I understand exactly what she meant. For the past four years, I just knew that when I graduated I would have my choice of PR jobs. It never occurred to me that after years of being in one of the best public relations programs in the country I would be jobless.

Where's the money?

Interestingly enough, a pivotal job in any business, company and/or corporation experienced a salary decline in 2006. A story in PR Tactics and The Strategist Online, discussed the findings of Spring Associates, Inc.’s “The Official PR Salary & Bonus Report—2007 Edition.” The firm found that corporate communications base salary only increased 3.3 percent in 2006, compared to 2005’s 7.6 percent. PR agency’s base salary experienced a 3.2 percent salary declined, a stark contrast to 2005’s 8.9 percent increase.

This concerns me because in the article, results also showed that people spoke of “working excessive hours and feeling overworked and underpaid” and that some clients’ “best employees are not happy with their wage and working situation.” It has been proven true in many studies that people who are happy with their jobs, feel valued and when paid accordingly, work harder. I worry that if employees feel unappreciated and are unhappy, overall work quality could decline and ultimately undermine the purpose of public relations.

Personal blog equals steady income?

In a story in PR Tactics and The Strategist Online, Greg Beaubien talks about how bloggers can attract “unsolicited job offers.” He said that by reading the personal blog of a potential hire, a recruiter can “assess the person’s qualifications and character.” He also quoted a blogger, Greg Sterling, who said that a person should never write on his or her blog that he or she is looking for a job.

Well, in the beginning my hopes were up. I was sure someone would read my blog and end my misery and offer me the much discussed dream PR job. But by the end of the article, I felt like I had committed a cardinal sin—begging for a job on my blog. Oh, well, maybe next time!

Although I’ve ruined my chances, I find the idea of being offered jobs because of one’s personal blog fascinating.

Is it bad that...

Well in about a week I will be graduating with a bachelor's degree in public relations and I still haven't found a job in public relations. This is disheartening, because I am used to getting what I want professionally. I have found and accepted a position, but it is not at all related to public relations. One of my biggest concerns is that when applying for positions in PR, potential employers are looking for individuals with years of experience in public relations and communications. How will I ever accumulate years of experience if I can't find a job in public relations? I truly love PR and know that this is something I could be great at. So, is it bad that I don't have a job in public relations yet?

PR Campaigns: Friend or Foe?

I just finished my PR campaign for my class. While I know this class and project is instrumental and is, in a way, a test of everything we've learned while in school, the process was draining. Trying to coordiante your schedule with team members and learning how to let go and rely on one's team members was especially difficult. I know that team work is the way of the world and is unavoidable. I still have to learn at some point to just let go and trust others. While working on the campaign I was extremely stressed and frustrated, but there is a sense of reward in it's completion. One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that one can have big dreams, but sometimes must scale back and be more reasonable, accept limitations and do the best one can do!

Social-Networking Web sites a Great Campaigning Tool

In a story compiled for PR Tactics and The Strategist Online, Greg Beaubien talks about how 2008 presidential hopefuls are exploring social-networking Web sites such as MySpace to engage and communicate with young people. MySpace is launching a new political section on its Web site called the "Impact Channel." Visitors will be able to look at candidates’ MySpace pages and other information about the upcoming presidential race.

I understand and support the candidates’ move to social-networking Web sites. Today’s young people rely on such means for entertainment and even use it as a news source. Web sites such as MySpace can serve as a virtual form of grassroots campaigning. If I were looking for a cheap, easy and effective way to reach a mass of young people, I would turn to social-networking Web sites. Unfortunately, young people are not as motivated to vote and participate in elections and this is a way for candidates to reach young adults where they are—on Web sites like MySpace.

Blogs: form of paid advertising?

In a story posted on PR Tactics and The Strategist Online, bloggers have begun writing sponsored posts about products and other topics and are raising concern over online ethics. I am disturbed by this action because a lot of people look to blogs as unbiased opinion. I personally look at blogs about products and services to hear from an actual user or owner, not a paid voice of their providers. Sponsored blogs are paid advertisements and this misleads consumers and customers and blog readers. If this problem persists, consumers and customers won’t be willing to rely on blogs as a source of information when making decisions.

Instead of paying bloggers for their posts, companies should address the unbiased posts bloggers write. If companies want their voices to be heard, they should contact unbiased blogs requesting that the blogger mention a certain topic or provide more information to the blogger about their company, industry, competition, etc.

Calling all CEOs: You need PR

In a commentary published on Forbes.com Harold Burson stressed the importance of public relations in today’s global economy. As Burson pointed out, with overseas public attitudes of Americans being so low, it is important for CEOs of large corporations to utilize PR practitioners to help them communicate with their target audiences such as investors, employees and customers. To do this, Burson recommends that CEOs demonstrate commitment to public relations. He urges companies to protect their reputations and use PR practitioners to provide a single, unified voice anywhere in the world. Lastly, he emphasizes the importance of public relations for corporations and their CEOs in proactive and responsive dealings with various publics.

I agree with Burson. Unfortunately, many public figures, companies and corporations don’t realize the value of public relations until it is too late. CEOs generally only look to public relations when it is time to handle a crisis or when they want to “advertise” to their target publics. It is evident when a company or public figure is not utilizing public relations initiatives and, even worse, just conducting bad PR.

Media Relations: Relationship Building

In an interview mentioned in PR Tactics and The Strategist Online, Hope Heyman, a senior vice president in Edelman’s New York office talked about the relationship between public relations and business journalism. Heyman mentioned how journalists and PR practitioners have diminished interaction, how fewer young people rely on newspapers as a news source and how younger and entry-level PR practitioners handle media relations. I agree with Heyman. PR practitioners do communicate more and more via e-mail and the time isn’t taken to cultivate relationships with various media outlets.

Heyman also mentioned that media relations is not valued at many large PR agencies. While I have not had any experience in large PR agencies I have worked in the communications offices of a government and educational entity. A small amount of time is dedicated to media relations. In both settings, our contact with the media was limited to pitching news stories and fielding media inquiries. I expected more interaction between the media and communications office, but more emphasis was placed on other methods of disseminating information, such as the Web site and in-house publications.

While searching for jobs I have noticed that one of the main job responsibilities of entry-level PR practitioners and interns is media relations. Young and relatively inexperienced people are expected to pitch stories, create media lists and handle media relations. The media is an important public and a beneficial tool to reach other publics as well for any business. Reporters and journalists have enough pressure trying to meet deadlines and having to go through dozens of pitch letters to have to deal with a young and naïve PR practitioner. Sometimes, I have sensed a journalist’s frustration as an intern when he needed information immediately and I was unable to provide it. Cultivating and maintaining positive relationships with the media is necessary and more time and effort should be dedicated to increasing interaction between journalists and PR practitioners.

Why aren't we blogging?

In the Feb. 22 article “Study: 72 percent of PR pros don’t monitor blogosphere” in PR Tactics and The Strategist Online, a survey found that 72 percent of PR professionals do not have a formal system for monitoring the blogosphere. The study found that 18.5 percent of PR pros say they work for an organization that uses their own blogs to facilitate communication with key stakeholders. Those who use blogs use them to connect with customers and end users, reach news media and communicate with employees.

I think there are several reasons why organizations are not involved in the blogsphere.

Reason #1: Lack of control- I once asked one of my former employers why she did not have a blog for her organization. Her only explanation was because she couldn’t control it. She didn’t want people to post negative information about her organization and thought it would be unethical to remove negative information that she did not like.

Reason #2: Seemingly unnecessary- Because there are still viable ways to communicate with key stakeholders, employees and customers, some organizations don’t want to dedicate the time to createand monitor blogs. They would rather use something that they have more control over such as Web sites and e-mail.

Reason #3: Lack of participation- There is still this view that only a small number of people actually spend time blogging. I can’t speak for everyone, but if my organization had a blog, I would steer clear of it because I know it is being monitored. No one really feels comfortable on informal discussion boards at work and participation would be low, in effect, defeating its purpose.

Reason #4: Too many blogs- There are millions of blogs in the blogosphere. It is really difficult and time consuming to monitor the blogosphere for negative comments or miscommunication about one’s organization. And out of those millions, only a few have constructive criticisms. PR professionals in certain fields and areas are still pondering whether or not the blogosphere is influential enough to warrant dedicating time and resources to monitor and participate in blogging.

Strike One

During my most recent job interview, one of my interviewers asked me “Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What are your career aspirations?” I told her that I hoped to be the director of communications or public relations for a large corporation. I also told her that in 20 or 30 years from now I would love to own my own public relations firm. I could tell from her facial expression that she was not pleased with my response—strike one. She then asked me where else I had applied. I told her the truth. I have learned from experience that people appreciate honesty if it’s genuine. I listed a public relations agency and a few commercial corporations. From the speech she gave me about how I needed to “find myself,” I could tell that she, once again, was not pleased with my response—strike two.

I’m sorry, but when did being multifaceted become a bad thing? I think many of the people in positions of leadership have become complacent. Sometimes I worry the world is not ready for my generation and the younger generations. I look at my peers and we are young, eager, opinionated, aggressive and competitive. I want diverse professional experiences. In school I learn about so many aspects of public relations and, naturally, I want to do it all. Life does not always have to be about choosing one or the other. I told the interviewer about my dreams and aspirations, none of which is set in stone. Yes, I want to handle media relations, internal relations, community relations and investor relations. Yes, I want to develop and implement campaigns, plan events, write speeches and public statements. Being versatile does not mean that I am lost.

The Rejection

As graduation creeps closer and closer, my job hunting has intensified. Determined to find the perfect first job in public relations and communications, I have already sent my resume to several diverse companies. I’ve applied to public relations agencies, as well as several commercial companies. While my limited experience in the “real world” does not make me an expert on how to conduct business, I do have one large complaint—the rejection letter. I recently went on an interview with a top Fortune 500 company and I have yet to hear back from the company. During the interview process, they assured me I would hear from them soon. Almost a month later, I have yet to hear anything and know that it is now safe to assume that they will not be offering me the position. One of the things my public relations professors have stressed to me over the years is our role as communicators. It is our job to facilitate communication and inform key publics in a timely manner. While that company’s public relations department pride itself on being prompt, detailed and honest, they have yet to communicate with one of its publics— a prospective employee and one of tomorrow’s leaders. I know denying someone a career opportunity is unpleasant, but it is still important to send out the rejection letter in a timely fashion. You never know when you will have to interact with or need someone in the future.