If you’ve been reading Spin Sucks for some time, you know we are big on PR professional development.
From articles, books, online courses, and the best training and networking community for PR professionals, we cover everything.
We are big believers in investing in yourself, whether you’re just starting out or have several years under your belt.
There is always something new to learn, some area you have to add to your portfolio.
Artificial intelligence is already here. It’s true, right now it looks more like social media did in 2008, but it advances at a very fast pace.
VR is around the corner, maybe 10 or 20 years away or maybe not that long.
The bottom line is you have to be prepared; you have to keep learning,
YOU have to keep investing in yourself.
PR Professional Development in 2018
PR professional development was the theme of the November edition of #PRStudChat.
Guest of honor, Stephen Waddington, shared very useful tips for anyone heading into the reality of public relations.
When you decide which career path to choose, you don’t necessarily think there are steps you should take to make sure you’re going in the right direction.
How Do You Prepare for a Career in PR?
Of course, passion gets you started, but it’s not enough.
With social media at your fingertips, you have to build and grow your personal brand.
Personal branding is not just for VIPs or celebrities anymore.
You can and should become a personal brand.
Your resume is not enough to land your dream job in PR.
You have to show your potential employer your passion, your skills, the network you built around your personal brand online.
It’s not just what you can do for a company anymore.
It’s what assets you bring in that can help your potential employer grow and expand its brand.
The best way to differentiate yourself from the competition is to have a strong personal brand.
Somehow the roles have changed.
Now you have the opportunity to attract the companies you want to work with, by making them interested in you.
Writing Skills
Working in PR requires excellent writing skills.
How do you develop your writing skills if you’re a student?
Beyond the papers you have to write for your exams, blogging remains the fastest way for you to built and improve your writing skills.
The more you write (and publish), the better you become.
Getting out there and showing your writing to the world has a “strange” effect on people. It forces you to become better and smarter.
Start a blog. It’s very easy and very cheap. Some platforms are even free.
Start building your portfolio, share your opinions, and prove future employers you are the best for the job.
Networking is Key
Digital networking and offline networking is key in growing your career, as well as in your PR professional development.
Connecting with people all over the world opens a whole new world of opportunities for you.
It’s important to add that networking digital or in person, is not about you. It’s about the other person, getting to know them, learning about them and how can you help them.
Approach each relationship with the willingness to help, not with “what’s in it for me” mentality.
As you grow, share your experience with others that are where you were when you started out. Help them grow as well.
You grow as you help others grow in the process.
Develop a Personal Learning Network – Ai Zhang
Measurement is a Must
The days of AVEs and vanity metrics are long gone. They are not coming back.
As you’re embarking on this journey, learn how to measure PR results.
PR measurement is not a nice-to-have, but a must-have.
As soon as you learn to measure the results of your work and show ROI and how your work ties in with business results, you become invaluable to your employer, to your clients.
That’s how you demonstrate value.
Invest in Your PR Career
Make learning a priority in your life.
Be a lifelong student.
Put it on your weekly calendar and treat it as a priority, because it is.
You wouldn’t let down your client, would you?
Then don’t let down yourself, either.
Next Month’s #PRStudChat
The December edition of #PRStudChat it’s all about motivation and how to find the energy and the drive to reach your goals.
Special guest and co-host is Kevin Anselmo, founder of Experiential Communications, author of Maximize Your Impact, and host of the Learning & Development Stories podcast.
I have only one more thing to add: you don’t want to miss the December edition of #PRStudChat.
The 30-Day Communications Challenge begins on January 3. Are you subscribed?
If you want to catch up on November #PRStudChat, we put together this summary for you.