Valley PR Blog

Cynde Cerf Says:
June 5th, 2009 at 9:12 am

There are businesses out there that are educated enough on the PR profession that they do look for your APR. So, I wouldn’t discount it altogether.

And, not sure when you took your APR, but the Phoenix chapter has a wonderful training program that has a lot of success with professionals passing. Perhaps, it is time to reconsider?

Dana Arnold Says:
June 5th, 2009 at 9:20 am

You have to know that I’ll have an opinion on this matter, Linda! The merits of being accredited are continuously debated. And, with the classes that I take through each year (with a success rate of 90% passing now!) – I tell candidates the same thing… your accreditation is what you make of it. For many people, just going through the process helps add structure, theory, and a better background to what they do on a day-to-day basis. For some, it’s simply an accomplishment. For others, it means a higher salary and an edge over the competition in a hiring situation. But, every accredited person needs to sell those letters after their name for them to be meaningful. I’d bet the same is probably true of IABC’s accreditation. I do think that the exam is challenging and even those with lots of experience may struggle with it. But, the online study course has vastly improved over the past couple of years. I understand that achieving an APR may not be for everyone, but I really believe in the process and what I believe it stands for… advancing the PR profession and the professional!

Linda VandeVrede Says:
June 5th, 2009 at 10:02 am

Dana, I was hoping you’d weigh in. I must admit I did learn some things about the PR profession, esp. its history, from the reading material. I met some very cool people in my study group, too. I know, however, that as long as the exam is in story problem/multiple choice/proposed scenarios format, I will fail miserably. My brain just doesn’t work well in that structure, for reasons that escape me. I would rather be grilled face to face by a panel of 10 APRs than encounter that format again.

R Pearson Says:
June 5th, 2009 at 11:41 am

I have to agree that accreditation isn’t for everyone; however, I do believe their is merit, even if it’s only for yourself. I’m currently going through the process for my ABC and am learning a lot about my own strengths and weaknesses and becoming a better communicator simply by going through it. Perhaps you should look into the ABC process as the written test is all short answer/essay based upon real-life examples as well as a face-to-face panel as you mention (although not 10 people – thank goodness!).

Ella Bee Says:
June 5th, 2009 at 1:14 pm

Thank you so much for this article. I am young in the public relations industry. The company I work for is a very small business and I know I want to move on to a larger company soon, but I always thought I would obtain my APR once I found a company that I want to be more stable.

Caitie Quick Says:
June 5th, 2009 at 1:33 pm

I would think having a good grasp of their profession would be something to look for rather than APR. It seems like almost a waste of time. Instead, why not focus on the Dunkin Donuts part. If anything you both will give in and grab an Ice Coffee.

Pat Elliott Says:
June 5th, 2009 at 3:50 pm

Between professional and pro bono work I’ve seen hundreds of job descriptions for PR positions. A very small number include accreditation as a requirement or plus. Those that do are generally from an accredited hiring manager or an organization where accreditation is highly valued or required – MDs, RNs,CPAs.
The real trend in hiring today is to require candidate testing, including writing tests for PR professionals regardless of prior experience or proven skill sets. Increasingly employers are taking defensive actions after finding that younger candidates who purchased class papers online during high school and college are falsifying resume data, portfolios and more. PR pros who’ve never taken a “test” throughout long careers are being subjected to these, and many of the “tests” would be laughable to VPRB readers.

Gayle Falkenthal Says:
June 6th, 2009 at 6:10 pm

I am the Accreditation co-chair in San Diego. I’ve been an APR six years now. As a sole practitioner, it is a decided plus in competing for clients. It demonstrates that I am serious about my profession, have proven through objective testing that I possess a certain level of knowledge, and hold myself to a code of ethics. In a tight job market, who wouldn’t hire the APR if all other things are equal between two candidates?

Thanks for the compliments on the San Diego program. We offer our candidates a great deal of advice and plenty of structure. We encourage study groups and we hold information sessions. This is why we have a high pass rate and why we run so many candidate through the process.

The Accreditation process might not be perfect, but it’s the best system we have right now and I for one choose to embrace it and contribute what I can to making it work for our candidates and improving it along the way.

We will be hosting Readiness Reviews at the 2009 International Conference. I’ll be teaching a session on prepping your portfolio. Come join me in San Diego!

We just ran six people through Readiness Review today. All six advanced to the exam. Our candidates know what to expect and are well-prepared. It’s a shock when they don’t advance.

Abbie S. Fink Says:
June 7th, 2009 at 5:51 am

Linda — I am in NYC this weekend, attending PRSA’s leadership Rally on behalf of the Phoenix chapter. As you can imagine, I am surrounded by APRs. Interstingly enough, there was also a chat on Twitter this weekend regarding accreditation. Those that led the chat were APR or ABC (IABC’s program)but the comments from participants were mixed.

I haven’t sat for the test. Instead, I have a master’s in mass communication from the Cronkite School at ASU. HMA’s president, Scott Hanson is an APR and is also a member of PRSA’s College of Fellows.

Only once in my 16 years with the firm were we asked if we had an APR on staff. We were bidding on some corporate work and the contact was an APR — he was using that designation as a point of differentiation between the bidding firms.

I applaud my colleagues that have sat for the test. Pass or fail, it is a demonstration of your commitment to the industry. The industry itself needs to lead the charge in creating value in this designation — other industries that require certifications/accreditations place an emphasis on those letters after the name. You know what it means when you see CPA, MD, ESQ. The same thing needs to happen with APR.

Linda VandeVrede Says:
June 7th, 2009 at 8:19 am

Abbie – you raise a good point. PRSA does a good job promoting the value of APR to its members, but not as well to the “outside world.” I’d like to see a stronger PR campaign for the value of the accreditation. In addition, it might be helpful to have them take yet another look at the current criteria, pursue additional study on how IABC structures its ABC, and redesign the test.

Katie Paine Says:
June 8th, 2009 at 4:03 am

I’m with you Linda, I’ve never gotten mine because I’ve always been too busy keeping up with what’s changing in the profession. I always got the sense that it did a good job on testing what I needed to know 5 years ago.
I am, however, aware when someone puts the APR designation and am more likely to look to that person for leadership and professionalism. So call me a hypocrite

Bill Sledzik Says:
June 8th, 2009 at 4:33 am

I passed the APR exam 23 years ago, so I recall little about the test. But I do recall the preparation and the hours of study that pushed me into the literature on communication theory, PR process, etc. I came out of it a more thoughtful professional, though I can’t say a more effective one.

Is the APR a credential employers value? Not really, unless the employer happens to be a PRSA insider. Practitioners outside the PRSA circle (and that’s most of them), don’t tend to perceive value in accreditation. If PRSA has tried to market the credential, it’s had little impact.

So, Linda, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over this unless you want to rise in PRSA leadership. Membership in PRSA’s National Assembly requires the APR, and it’s a rule that keeps many a qualified PR pro from getting involved at the national level.

David Kamerer Says:
June 8th, 2009 at 4:54 am

I earned the APR almost two years ago. I did it as a mid-career tune-up, to show my then-boss that I was advancing my skills, to complement my experience as a corporate director of communications. PR is a broad field, and most practitioners only touch part of it in their daily work. Preparing for the exam helped me better understand the pieces that I don’t touch every day. I tell people that “APR” is like “CPA;” that you can hire an accountant, but wouldn’t you rather hire a CPA? However, PRSA really needs to do the work to create equity in the APR brand; outside the field very few people recognize it.

Cason Lane Says:
June 8th, 2009 at 10:19 am

I recently received the ABC accreditation from IABC — after a long, arduous process of demonstrating candidacy, preparing portfolios and taking the test. I admit that I got into it quite begrudgingly. I didn’t need an accreditation to tell me that I’m a great communicator. And since few people outside of IABC even know what the accreditation is, how would it even serve me?

However, as I was preparing for the exam by reading books, blogs and case studies, I found myself appreciating the opportunity to brush up on best practices and revisit the blocking and tackling that I hadn’t looked at in many years. Indeed, my study process actually helped me in my work, reminding me of some strategies that I could use in my current client engagements.

So, today, I still have the same questions about whether the accreditation really adds any credibility in the marketplace. But I’m glad I did it because I strengthened my knowledge, and now I’m more effective in my business. Plus, studying for the exam was a great way to spend some slow weeks in the first quarter.

LKinoshita Says:
June 8th, 2009 at 5:20 pm

I agree with Gayle Falkenthal and Bill Sledzik. As an independent professional, this could be the thing that tips you over the edge in a competitive proposal. I’ve also found that no one outside of PRSA knows what it’s about. I hope to return to agency life someday, and that’s why I am planning to get my APR (though I’m having difficulty connecting with the right person in Hawaii). I have a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and 15 years experience, FYI.

Laura Kinoshita
Growing Business with Strategic Communications
http://www.linkedin.com/in/laurakinoshita

Valley PR Blog » Blog Archive » Should an APR be required to hold national PRSA positions? Says:
May 11th, 2010 at 1:53 pm

[...] don’t have my APR and don’t plan to study again to earn mine.   So I can never hold a national PRSA office, no matter how stellar my other [...]