Advice from a Young PR Professional
Written by Sierra Heilman, Krile Communications Intern
Are you a student wondering: What exactly is public relations?
Public relations is a rapidly growing industry that virtually every business needs. With so many clients across a wide range of industries, the public relations field is multifaceted and almost no two days on the job are the same. You get to be strategic, innovative, creative, and often, the mastermind behind the big project. When young professionals ask me about the PR field, I tell them that public relations is a wonderful, fulfilling career where you get to help people and businesses connect, while sharing their stories with the world.
My journey from undecided major, to finding the perfect fit!
If someone would have told me about public relations in high school, there is no way I would have been undecided all the way up to the beginning of my sophomore year. I had no idea of this glorious PR world, but I’m thankful that I found it after taking a few communications courses in college. The information I was soaking in just clicked with me, and I knew it was the perfect fit – that’s where it all began for me.
The amazing thing about PR is the diversity of tasks, businesses and industries within the field. Learning about communications, I discovered a whole realm of possibilities and avenues that I could explore because ‘public relations’ includes so much more - from communications, to marketing, to advertising, broadcasting and beyond! For someone who gets bored doing the same thing all the time, discovering this field was like finding the gold at the end of the rainbow.
In college, I decided to expand my knowledge on as many different avenues of communications I could to see what I liked and didn’t like. From a hard-news writing class, to photography, to strategic social media, I ticked off my mental checklist and started to really find my passions. Let’s just say I found more than I was anticipating - I truly enjoyed a little bit of everything in PR.
From classroom to real-world
The classes I took were insightful, but they only taught me concepts. My greatest adventures and discoveries happened during what I did outside of the classroom - putting knowledge to practice.
While attending Ohio University, I joined Scripps PRSSA (the queen of all student orgs) and after meeting the most vibrant, driven and encouraging group of people I’ve ever met on campus, I never looked back. PRSSA was a pivotal mark in my young professional development. Personal and professional development is truly what PRSSA embodies and I grew from each professional speaker, each workshop, each networking trip across the U.S. and from each friend who encouraged me to be better. I highly encourage anyone who is in or will be entering college to attend a PRSSA meeting – I promise they’ll accept you with open arms.
It’s all about the internship - but not in the ways you might think!
There are other ways you can get involved as a young PR professional and that is through internships. There is an abundance of internships to choose from and there is no limit to how many internships you can have. My advice is to start early – you don’t need to have a book filled with experience to be offered an internship. Employers know you’re still learning, and the goal is to make it known that you are eager and willing to try anything. It’s also important to note that you don’t need the fanciest, paid corporate internship to gain valuable experience. You can find opportunities anywhere, whether it’s a local nonprofit in your town that may need an extra pair of hands during the summer or volunteering to help promote a community event, you can always be doing something to build your resume.
My second piece of advice is to UTILIZE YOUR NETWORK. I can’t stress this enough. You can get so much further by asking a friend, family member, professional mentor, academic advisor, professors, etc., if they know of any internship openings and if they’d be willing to put you in touch with someone at the company. You may ask someone at the company you’re interested in for an informational interview to pick their brain and make a genuine connection with them. Putting in that little bit of effort goes a long way when they are sifting through applications, and you will be amazed how often people hire people they know rather than a piece of paper. I learned about Krile Communications through a personal connection and 16 months later I have found the best job a young PR professional could find with people who I now call my family. Utilize your network.
“Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone.” ― Shannon L. Alder
Looking back on when I had no idea how I was going to get my first internship or how any employer would look at my experience and want to hire me, I am where I am now because I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something new. Every new experience helped me grow, learn new skills and made me more confident going into my next new adventure.
As an intern at Krile Communications, there were many things I did for the first time. One of the most nerve wracking, but also the most rewarding experiences was attending the annual meeting of a large-scale client by myself to do live social media coverage for the entire event – talk about stepping outside my comfort zone! It was a wonderful experience that taught me so many things and it’s another skill under my PR belt that will help me in the future.
To recap my advice for a young PR professional…
The communications industry is full of possibilities. Try out all the facets that interest you and use those passions to find a career that you’ll love.
If you’re in or about to be in college, attend a PRSSA meeting. I truly wouldn’t be where I am today without that organization.
There’s no limit to how many internships you can have and you don’t need to have a fancy, paid internship to be gaining experience.
Utilize your network to help you find internships or jobs.
Try new things. Stepping out of your comfort zone helps you gain the skills that will carry over into your next experience.
With a lot of hard work, a little creativity, and a passion to succeed, you’ll be on your way in no time!