In this, the third of a series of posts on aspects of working in public relations, Stephen Sinclair, a very experienced PR professional, currently in-house Investor Communications Manager at Perpetual, shares his views on what it takes to carve out a successful career in public relations.

Working in a PR agency often grabs the headlines, but my guess is there are far more public relations positions working in the in-house environment – and, also, there are plenty of those who believe it is a far more satisfying milieu in which to work.

Perhaps the agency PR pros are best at getting the marketing media headlines for themselves because they work harder at it. It’s amazing how many PR-related stories in Australian marketing media relate to new business wins (I mean, someone cares, I guess – but it ain’t me!). My hunch is there are a lot more of these sorts of stories in our media than those that talk about best practice communication.

After attending a recent Frocomm social media PR conference, it was even striking to me that there were far more agency, rather than in-house, presenters. Now, I know for a fact Frocomm mogul Glen Frost always seeks a balance, but at the end of the day it comes across looking like the sharpest PR minds and the majority of high quality PR work is undertaken by agency professionals.

I don’t subscribe to this view at all. Agencies have a stronger vested interest in promoting their work as they need the in-house crew to seek them out. Otherwise they are out of a job! But this is a topic for another day.

In this post, Steve Sinclair, one of the most respected PR professionals in Australia (he is one of a select group of Public Relations Institute of Australia Fellows, for instance), points out some of the positives and negatives of working in-house. He also delves into the murky waters of social media and its relevance to building a career in PR.

What characteristics does it take to work in PR?

“A good nose for issues and people’s expectations (whether that is the broad public or particular interest groups), excellent business writing skills and good general business knowledge.”

What are employers looking for when hiring public relations professionals? What are the key technical skills (e.g. media relations) that experience is most highly valued in and what strategic mind-sets are coveted?

“In corporate, there is a very fair expectation that you have a really good understanding of the business and industry in which you are working, or can very quickly get up to speed. You also have to be able to understand and quickly respond to a brief or breaking issue, no matter how complex.”

What skills, attributes, knowledge, attitude are needed for working in-house, compared to the PR agency environment, and vice versa?

“Being on the inside you are part of the business and expected to really understand it. However, there are dangers that you can become absorbed into internal group-think. Some people find it difficult in this environment to stand up and challenge the prevailing view and the senior management who work down the corridor, whereas an agency at arms-length can be expected to provide impartial advice.

“However, if you develop credibility for sound advice and judgement within a business, you can have a strong strategic input when initiatives are being developed and issues first start to break. It is never worth just telling people what they want to hear if you don’t really believe it, because you’ll have to face the consequences the morning after and will lose credibility.”

What role does a PR professional’s presence in social media have in getting them a job? For instance, how important is it to have a good profile on LinkedIn? What value to a PR career is there in being engaged on Twitter? Does it give those who are more engaged an advantage?

“It’s probably becoming more important, in the same way as much recruitment is now done on-line. I think it’s just a matter of visibility and networks to become aware of, or be considered for, job opportunities. However, serious corporate employers should be more interested in your track record, your proven capability and real life referees. After all, they are looking for your ability to promote them, not yourself.”

Once a person has posted information on the internet, is it ethically fine for employers or recruitment agencies to check it out?

“Yes. If it’s on-line, it’s on-line. Personally, I don’t think employers have any business poking their noses into people’s private lives. But if you really want something private, keep it private.”

Since the emergence of social media, have expectations of public relations employers changed? How? Is it expected of every PR practitioner to have had some experience in social media, even if only on a personal level?

“I think it depends on the company, the agency and the role; but given it is becoming such a powerful force in human communication and how public issues play out I think anyone working in PR needs to understand how it is developing. However, there is a danger that young PR people focus too much attention on the medium rather than the message.

“It’s still what you say, not just how you say it, that’s important.”

What did you think of what Stephen had to say? Have you been pressured to comply with internal group-think? How did you respond? Have you worked both in-house and in an agency – what can you tell us about the differences between the two?

Stephen Sinclair has spent over two decades managing media and corporate communications in investment, superannuation and insurance. After managing ING Australia’s corporate and media communications from 1992 to 2007, he has spent the last three years managing investor communications for investment and trustee group, Perpetual.

In previous posts in this series, Graham White gave an PR agency perspective, whilst Richard Whitington and Di Treble gave a PR recruiters’ perspective, on working in PR and the impact of social media on developing a career in PR.

PS. I’d welcome you joining networks with me through my LinkedIn profile. Send me an invite!

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