By Tamara Samuel
This month will mark four months since I embarked on my public relations journey and began my first professional job in the world of PR as an account executive at Jennie Holland PR.
I want to lend a little advice to those considering a career in PR by summarising a few things that I have learned during my first four months of working in the industry.
Believe in your abilities
Starting my first ‘big girl’ job has taught me how to have confidence in the skills I already possessed before starting. I began this role shortly after graduating from Nottingham Trent University and was excited but also a little nervous. I was eager to begin my career in the world of PR but slightly apprehensive about being new to everything public relations.
Little did I know that a lot of the skills I learned during university would be transferable into my PR role, even though I didn’t specifically have a public relations degree. I learned how to apply my skills to relevant scenarios in my current role.
Juggling essay deadlines, two part-time jobs and my extracurricular cheerleading activities unknowingly shaped me into a great multitasker, whilst fine-tuning my communication skills. These university experiences taught me how to prioritise my time which has been an incredibly useful skill for working in PR.
Every day is different
PR is a varied, exciting and fast-paced career choice. I love how each day is different from the last, my first four months have taught me how to be flexible and adaptable.
PR teams all have their own way of doing things and experiencing different agencies during my past internships strengthened my ability to adapt. From copywriting to researching to social media management, I gained the ability to juggle them all.
The smaller the agency the more varied the role. My agency is small which certainly has its perks, my work is never limited to one sector. I could be writing an architectural press release mid-morning then drafting social media posts for a legal client by lunch.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
I was a little nervous on my first day when I first stepped into the JHPR office, but I had no reason to be. The team were all so helpful and welcoming from the very start. The PR industry has taught me that you never stop learning. Never be afraid to ask questions because you can gain a wealth of knowledge from the people around you and their experiences.
I have only been working in PR world for four months and I have already attended award ceremonies, team away days and networking events and have seen the team secure amazing pieces of media coverage for our clients, reaching an audience of 1.5 billion people in 2019 alone. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for my career in PR.
Thinking about a career in public relations? Chat to us today at hello@jenniehollandpr.com
Follow Tamara on Twitter @tamarasamuelpr