What is PR?

Public Relations as a Career

Working in Public Relations

Interested in a career that involves using communications to solve problems and to create opportunities so that organizations can be successful?

If so, you should consider a career in public relations.

More than 400,000 people are employed in public relations in the United States.

These professionals work for:

• corporations and for-profit businesses,
• consulting firms and agencies, and
• not-for-profit organizations (including government, trade and professional associations, membership organizations, political organizations, health and human services agnecies, and educational and cultural institutions).

Public relations professionals utilize their knowledge of communications and public opinion to counsel organization managements and to create communications programs designed to forge positive relationships with important constituencies of all kinds, including

• customers
• employees
• investors and donors
• government and regulatory officials
• and the community at large.

Public relations people play an active role in addressing many important contemporary issues, which makes their work interesting, relevant and rewarding in today's society.

Public relations people hold titles such as

• Publicist, media relations specialist
• Publications editor, writer
• Multimedia and video producer
• Webmaster (for World Wide Web sites)
• Fundraiser, development officer
• Speechwriter
• Community relations specialist, contributions manager, outreach coordinator
• Human resources, benefits or training specialist
• Lobbyist, political action coordinator
• Special events and meeting planner
• Marketing, promotions specialist
• Researcher
• Executive director (for not-for-profit organizations)

All public relations work involves the ability to communicate effectively using the spoken and written word; many practitioners are also involved in the production of visual images. These are delivered through an expanding array of traditional and new communications technologies, including oral communications, print, audio-visuals, broadcast and computer-mediated communications.

What does it take to be successful in public relations?

• Proficiency in writing and editing--skills that can be learned through practice
• Ability to make often complex ideas simple and easy to understand
• Critical thinking skills and creative problem-solving abilities, based on a broad liberal arts education
• Inquisitiveness about a broad range of topics, including an on-going interest in current events and trends
• Respect for and the ability to work with people representing a diversity of background, interests and viewpoints.
• A solid liberal arts education, and specific knowledge of a particular field or industry. (See Cominbining PR With Other Interests)

Employment Outlook and Compensation

2004 National Graduate Survey

About one out of eight graduates from schools of journalism and mass communication major in public relations. A study of 2004 graduates from these schools showed a reinvigorated job market for communications workers of all types.

Among all journalism and mass communications graduates in 2000, public relations majors ranked third in terms of reported salary, earning an average annual salary of $28,500.

The following are the median annual salaries for 2004 Bachelor's degree recipients with full-time jobs, as reported in the survey:

$32,000 Webmastering, online publishing
30,000 Cable Television
$28,500 Public Relations
$28,000 Newsletters, Trade Publications
$28,000 Advertising
$27,800 All respondents
$27,000 Consumer Magazines
$26,000 Daily newspapers
$24,000 Weekly newspapers
$23,492 Television
$23,000 Radio

Among 2004 graduates, 68% were employed in communication work and 8% were employed in part-time work in their first year after school. About 10% continued their school and 13.4% not employed. The percent unemployed was consistent with the pattern in 1990-1995 and 2001-2003. Graduates who completed studies in 1996-2000 fared better in terms of first-year employment, in large measure, because of the strong economy during that period.

In constant 1985 dollars, public relations salaries increased by about 4.8% while all communications careers reported in the study increased by about 11.7%. This suggests that other fields have caught up to close the gap in the higher salaries traditionally associated with public relatiobns versus other communications careers.

Source: Annual Survey of Journalism and Mass Communication Graduates, 2004. Published in Summer 2005. University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

2000 PRSA/IABC Salary Survey

In a now-outdated nationwide survey conducted for the Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators, Burke Marketing Research reported on some key characteristics of entry-level practitioners who participated in the survey:

• Average salary of already-employed entry-level practitioners: $29,000. Note: This is not the salary offered at hiring, and might include a first-year salary increase.
• Among practitioners classified as entry-level in the survey, two-thirds made between $20,000 and $29,000, one-third made between $30,000 and $39,000. No entry-level practitioners earned more $40,000 or more.
• Among practitioners with 1-4 years of experience, the median salary was $34,050.
• The median salaries for higher job levels were: low-level management, $43,000; mid-level management, $60,000, senior level management, $85,000.

• Source: PRSA Salary Survey, 2000

For information on current employment opportunities, see Employment.

Combining PR With Other Interests

PR careers are appealing because they allow prospective professionals to combine personal interests with communication. Successful PR professionals often double-major or minor in professional fields such as agriculture, art, business, computing, economics, education, engineering, health, humanities, language, natural resource management, performing arts, political science/public administration, science and technology.

Students pursuing a public relations degree are encouraged to develop an outside area of interest while in college that will prepare them for an entry-level communications position in a field or industry that they find interesting, challenging or otherwise rewarding.