Start with a Professional Resume
Give yourself a good image when applying for the job. It is always a good start making a name for yourself in the company. Let it happen by making your resume look professional and catchy. Put credible information and express your expertise as a press officer. Stress that you are a motivated person and a self-starter. You can win the job if you show them that you are good in the position and can be a great asset to the company.
Assess Your Educational Background and Previous Experience
When you took a look at the PR jobs list when you applied for the job, you might have noticed that most companies require a bachelor's degree in areas such as journalism, media, or mass communication. If you have a master's degree education, most likely it will help you even more in shaping your career as a press officer. Your past experience can also help a lot in the success of your present job. If you have been working in the same field for at least three years, then you have already built a strong wall in your career.
Also, if you have previously worked as an advertising media planner, market research executive, advertising media planner, marketing officer, journalist on a local newspaper, or a reporter, then being a press officer will just flow smoothly for you.
Use Your Talents and Skills in Shaping Your Career
Your talents and skills can help a lot in the success of your profession. You need to have a good grasp of the English language—both verbal and written. You also need to have the style of picking up and making stories that can interest the local media. Sometimes it becomes difficult if you do not have any background or experience with some kind of journalism in the past.
One great asset that you should have as a press officer is creativity, because the job will often require you to work on promotions. Press officer professionals will always need unique ideas on how to deliver their messages to the public.
Be Familiar with Your Major Responsibilities
Acknowledging your general responsibilities can help you jumpstart your career and get through it smoothly and easily. As a press officer, you act as a senior adviser and provide advice on how to effectively deal with the news media using special news management strategies and techniques. One of your most important missions is to build and maintain a positive image to the public and avoid the negative ones, especially when it comes to media coverage. A secondary responsibility of a press officer is acting as the senior spokesperson of the organization.
Get Acquainted with Your Typical Work Activities
In PR, there is no such thing as a typical day; myriad responsibilities are given to press officers. These added responsibilities are doing research and analysis, which are consistently followed by an evaluation of a campaign or organization. These are achieved by conducting focus groups, reviewing in related literatures, articles, and reports, commissioning market research, or coordinating surveys.
Oftentimes press officers are responsible for answering inquiries from journalists, individuals, and organizations. During press conferences, meetings, and TV and radio interviews and presentations, their duty is to speak to and appear before the public to represent their company. On special events such as exhibitions, opening days, competitions, tours, sponsorships, and press conferences, press officer professional organize the necessary things. They are also responsible for developing community relations through special events such as the open days and through community initiatives involvement. Additionally, they maintain and develop quality working-relationships with the media, which includes local and national radio, magazines, television, and newspapers.
When it comes to planning and performing PR campaigns, a press officer's job is to define the goals; to analyze opportunities and problems; and to liaise with clients and management. Writing and editing speeches, annual reports, articles, in-house newsletters, and press releases are a few of the things press officers should be skilled at doing. Other added responsibilities could include updating and maintaining the information on the organization's Web site; supervising and preparing the production of handouts, promotional videos, multimedia programs, photographs, publicity brochures, and direct mail leaflets; and utilizing corporate advertising for the purpose of maintaining the organization's name, reputation, and identity.
Knowing these things will surely land you a great job with PR that you have been dreaming of. They will help you cope with the ever-growing and challenging career in the press officer industry.
