...What it Takes to Make It in PR...

Aside from experience, future employers are also looking for those who exude a specific set of skills and/or traits that fit the job in which they are applying. This is especially true in the field of public relations. In a business where one has the capability to achieve an endless amount of success (if they play their cards right), it is safe to say that if you are willing to take on the tasks and lifestyle of a public relations practitioner you should also possess a rather eclectic skill set.

Over time, 5 skills in particular, over time have proven to be essential to a successful career in public affairs.

1. DIG FOR KNOWLEDGE
Research! Research! Research! Thorough research is key to learning about a client, product, target media, consumer, or industry…something you need to be an expert on. Using all of the media outlets available (newspapers, Internet, magazines, TV, radio, etc) to your advantage, and knowing what is going on in the world around you is also a task you, as a public relations professional, need to become accustomed with. By conducting research of any kind, you are setting yourself up to be more versatile, accurate, and most important—especially when pitching to the media—relevant.

2. BE COMMUNICATIVE
If you are shy, you are in the wrong business. Strong verbal and writing skills are essential to a job whose daily tasks surround require them. From press releases to maintaining blogs, you will be expected to be able to produce and deliver high impact messages to a variety of audiences, either publically or in print form. You will also be expected to know how to negotiate; an art that is frequently practiced in the field, and one that requires bluffing, calling a bluff, as well as both properly and effectively breaking down arguments into premises and conclusions.

3. PLAN, ORGANIZE, and MANAGE TIME
In such a fast paced environment, not only will planning and organizing help you keep track of your schedule, it will help keep you up to speed with both the media and as well as the media’s schedules. This is a tactic that is sure to please them and could benefit you in the long-run. Time management (something that can also be made easier by planning and organizing), will serve as an aid when working with multiple accounts at once, being that it will allow you to find a balance of your time and attention so that no account may be neglected.

4. PERSISTANCE & THICK SKIN
Rejection comes with the territory…don’t take it personally. In this field you have to have thick skin. Not everyone is going to like your ideas, but a great deal of your client’s success relies on your ability sell your story to the media. If your pitch happens to get vetoed, don’t give up. Keep pitching new and more creative stories/ideas until you get the attention you are seeking. If it helps, don’t think of it as rejection, but as the chance to hone your problem-solving skills!

5. CREATE YOUR OWN CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
As important as it is for someone in public relations to research, it is equally important to network! As a new professional in this field, you will quickly come to find that it is not always about what you know…but WHO you know. Even more important is the ability to both establish and maintain relationships with contacts. In this industry, the media is your friend so to speak…so treat it that way. Be appreciative of people that cover your stories and show them that they have your support by doing little things like sending “thank you” cards or going to their seminars. Who you develop relationships with in the industry could make or break your career, so it is important to be able to do make contacts and keep them!

For more great tips from Public Relations experts on how to have a successful PR career, check out this video!