A career within public relations means you will be working with the media, community, and customers and that you will have relationships with all types of people in the business world. A good public relations person does more than tell the story about the company. He or she must completely understand the concerns and attitudes of the public, consumer, employee, and special interest groups in order to build and keep a good relationship with them as well as with members of the media.
It is the responsibility of the public relation specialist to write press releases and contact the media. Public relations employees are often credited with many of the special reports, newspaper stories, and articles online and in magazines that promote a business or an organization.
If you are interested in becoming a public relations specialist, there is really no set requirement, although it is looked favorably upon if you have a degree in communications, journalism, or advertising. Some companies want college grads with an educational background in electronic or print journalism, while others want people who are skilled in information technology, sales, or finance for example.
You can get a bachelor's degree from most colleges and universities in public relations, most usually in journalism or communications. Most colleges also assist students in gaining internships within public relations so that they can acquire valuable experience and training which will greatly increase their chances of getting a job upon completion of the program.
Having a portfolio of your articles, published works, slide shows, and other accomplishments is a big plus when it comes to finding a career in public relations. If you get a chance to do an internship, be sure that you save all the work you did while learning, as you can use this to help you get a good job.
Some of the best jobs within public relations are in large cities. The reason being is that this is where press services and other large communication facilities are located and many businesses have their headquarters in large cities.
There are a quarter of a million public relation specialists at work in the United States alone. Most are in service-providing type industries, healthcare, education, and government. The competition is quite heavy for entry-level public relation jobs, and it is expected that the number of applicants will exceed the number of job openings in the field. If you are a college graduate with a degree in public relations, journalism, or advertising, you have better chances of landing a great career than those non-degree holding candidates.
