Public relations and managing reputation

I once was lost, but now am saved. So it seems, anyway. At a major juncture in my life and one year after starting this blog, I thought it an opportune time to explain how my discovery of the public relations profession pretty much saved my life. Maybe not in a fully literal sense, but close enough to it. Key out takes: do not rest until you fulfil your belief, or intuition, in yourself; you can begin a career later than in your 20s; hard work and talent create a career.

Working in a PR agency is one of the most exciting, valuable and positive experiences any PR professional can have. In the early years of your career, in particular, you are less hamstrung by process and get your hands on a range of projects. Agency employees are often perceived as experts; it presents a range of professional and life opportunities; and you are surrounded by peers who understand the discipline and provide excellent support.

After having worked in PR for 16 years, both in-house and ‘in-agency’, I believe working in-house is clearly where one can make a more significant difference to an organisation and its stakeholders, as well as being more rewarding environment in which to work: you write the strategy, pull the strings and don’t have the hideous ogre of new business to deal with.

This is the second part of a two-part series on social media’s impact on the practice of PR and the profession itself. This post talks about how, in the 21st century, PR should be leveraging its logical leadership of social media for all its worth and use it as an opportunity to position itself more favourably as a management discipline that delivers business-relevant results.

Working in a PR agency often grabs the headlines, but there are far more public relations positions working in the in-house environment, conceivably a far more satisfying milieu in which to work – read the views of a very experienced in-house PR leader, who shares his views on what it takes to carve out a successful career in public relations.

A joint-managing director of leading Australia’s technology and business PR consultancy shares his views on what it takes to carve out a successful career in public relations: experience and literacy in social media, passion and an ability to take it on the chin – they all help build the ‘personal brand’.

Two leading public relations recruiters talk in a rare and exclusive interview about the principles and approaches that underpin their methodologies, as well as what they believe makes for excellent practitioners and facilitates high-achieving careers in PR.

When answering the question, ‘why ex-journalists should not be ‘parachuted’ into the head of the organisational public relations function’, most responses were mainly defensive and could not tear themselves away from an obsession with media relations.

Reasons why public relations such a professionally and personally rewarding business discipline to work in: it demands leadership and change management skills; it is full of nice people; the wide range of people we interact with; its collaborative dimension and getting to work in teams; getting to use social media.

The culture of public relations is not only based on a gratifying and inspirational aesthetic, it contributes in a positive way to society and provides a working milieu that is inspiring to be part of. Here are five reasons why: it helps society; it is creative and fun; it is innovative and educational; there are plenty of tactical tools to play with; it pays well.