Comments on: Do they ask you too?

By: Linnea Maxwell

Linnea Maxwell — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:15:17 +0000

It always happens during a recession – people get laid off and there’s an increase in independents and consultants at the luncheon tables. Everybody’s chasing the same clients. I don’t know why the journalists think coporate work is the “dark side.” That kind of thinking makes me want to suggest massage school, HVAC repair or dog grooming. Supposedly there’s a good demand in those fields.

By: Pat Elliott

Pat Elliott — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:31:41 +0000

I’ve counseled journalists, and others, who want to move into PR for six plus years through volunteer roles with local job support groups. I typically encounter a person who’s only seeing a small slice of what a PR pro does and may not have a realistic understanding of job requirements and salary levels. Those of us in the trenches every day who stay current on changes in PR are the best resource for anyone considering working in our field. Career changers also need to talk to several people. Just as journalists have varying standards of excellence and work for varied forms of media, public relations work also comes in many forms and flavors and it may take a while to figure out what suits one’s palate and talents.

By: Linda Capcara

Linda Capcara — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:16:37 +0000

During my time at Motorola SPS, we had a print journalist join the corporate PR team. After about three months, he went fleeing back to the paper. At the time, print media wasn’t in such dire straits so he was lucky to get his old job back quickly. His news writing style was ingrained and he found it very difficult to write in press release format. He also couldn’t shake the feeling that he was on the “dark side”. He prefered being a part of the Fourth Estate. I think the transition is often more difficult that some journalists imagine.

By: Barb Harris

Barb Harris — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:16:00 +0000

i just had this happen last week…after a live shot with a local TV station. The reporter stated that someday when she is “done with TV” she wants to “get into” PR. She asked a few questions about my “typical” day (don’t have one). I had to explain that as newsrooms shrink, media relations becomes a smaller part of my job. For my clients, I’m expected to know marketing, social media, promotions, event planning and strategy. She realized that what she was good at was putting together a story, so maybe PR wasn’t for her.

By: Linda VandeVrede

Linda VandeVrede — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:06:00 +0000

One of the differences I’m guessing would be the management structure of a corporation, if they chose to pursue PR for a company, vs. whatever the stucture is like in a newspaper or TV station. Depending on how they would fare reporting to a marketing VP would shed light on how happy or unhappy they might be in PR.

By: Becky Armendariz

Becky Armendariz — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:22:05 +0000

I’ve had several of these coffees recently. My advice to all of them has been that they need to have an understanding of all the components of PR before jumping on the horse. PR (at least in the hospital-setting I work in) is so much more than media. Yes, pitching media is a big chunk of my day, but our department is responsible for the internal communication, physician relations, strategic comm planning, marketing, social media, Web site…and much much more! Not saying they cannot do all that, but they should be prepared to walk into an interview with stock in more than just their media contacts.