Posts
Interested in a career in public relations (PR)? Whether you’re a student
wondering what it would take to start your career upon graduation, or you’re
considering a career move from your current job to PR practice, you could learn
a few important tips from my personal experience.
But before I go on to describe my journey let’s try to
define what it is exactly that PR professionals
do? Simply put, PR pros use all forms of media and communication to build,
maintain and manage the reputation of their companies (if they are employed
in-house) or clients (if they work in a consultancy). A career in PR involves
gaining understanding and support for an organization or product, as well as
trying to influence public opinion and behavior. Ultimately, the work of PR
pros helps create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
So, how did a trained
medical scientist like me transition to the creative field of PR? This is one question I’ve had to answer quite often in my over 10-year
career, and I’m happy to share my story with you:
Following graduation from medical school, and my compulsory one
year internship at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, I joined the
AVSI Foundation – an international NGO – where I worked as an Haematologist at
the AVSI-run St. Kizito Clinics, and also as coordinator for AVSI’s youth
projects in Nigeria. During my first two years at AVSI, I realized that I
enjoyed working more on projects than laboratory work. Though I was a brilliant
haematologist who cared very much for, and was well loved by, his patients, I
knew deep down within me that I would find greater fulfillment doing something
which, like the AVSI projects, allowed for a lot more creativity and flair.
I enjoyed the research, the brainstorm (strategy) sessions, the
proposal writing and presentation, the meticulous planning and execution of the
AVSI educational and health awareness projects…and I knew that with my
effective “people” and “communication” skills, I could fancy a career in PR,
marketing or advertising. Problem was I had limited knowledge of these
professional fields and I lacked the requisite academic or professional
qualifications (or so I thought).
With my AVSI work demanding so much from me mentally and
physically (you couldn’t escape that if you took the job as seriously as I
did), I was always drained at the end of the day, and I had little or no time
to research what it would take to make the career move. And so, after another
uneventful year tethered to the same routine, I made the tough decision of
resigning from my “paying” job to find out what it would take to venture into
the exciting field of PR and marketing communications.
So, what does it take to start
a career in PR in Nigeria? Well, this isn’t too
different from other professional fields and countries worldwide: most
employers prefer to hire candidates who have a minimum of an HND or BSc
qualification. Many who enter this field have majored in public relations,
marketing, journalism, communications and advertising but employers aren’t
really strict on the field of study. Work experience (for example, internships)
in a related field is helpful, and membership of the Nigerian Institute of
Public Relations (NIPR) is imperative. Much more than the educational
qualification, professional certification and technical ability (great
analytical and organisational skills, brilliant writing skills, excellent
presentation skills etc.), passion is the singular most important requirement.
Armed with this knowledge I registered as a student member of the
NIPR and commenced the process of certification as a practitioner. While
preparing for my exams I also began to research organisations I would like to
work with and dispatched about 40 “unsolicited” mails, comprising my resume and
a passionately-worded cover letter, to marketing and communication heads of large
companies and CEOs of PR/Marketing Communication firms. Within 10 days of
sending the mails, I received invitation to 3 interviews and got a job offer
with Sesema Public Relations as an Account Executive; all these even when I
hadn’t majored in any of the “related” courses or completed my NIPR certificate
exams. Of course, there might have been an element of “luck” in the way things
turned out, but without the preparations I made, the initiatives I took and the
passion I demonstrated I wouldn’t have been that “lucky”.
And even if luck got me my first PR gig, it’s definitely taken
much more than that to make my career the success it has been; only hard work
and professionalism could have earned me the award for “Best Team Member” while
at Sesema PR, as well as The Future Awards’ nomination for “Young Professional
of the Year” and the Institute of Brand Management of Nigeria (IBMN) Award for “Africa’s
Young Brand Manager of the Year” both of which I received for my work with Dana
Group. Not to mention that, today, I am a one of the most sought after speakers
and facilitators at local and international seminars and conferences on all
things PR, brand management and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
How can young practitioners
and students develop a career like mine? Here are
some useful tips:
Prep Yourself. If you are a student you can start preparing for
entry into the PR field by doing any of the following:
·
Develop and promote a blog
on a topic of interest
·
Develop and document your
writing/communication credentials by working for a campus magazine or radio
station
·
Join a student club/association
of your interest where you can act as the PR officer and organize events
(outreach programmes, departmental seminars, hall weeks, concerts etc.) on
behalf of the club
·
Explore the possibility of
getting a part-time job at the school’s media relations department, or an
internship at large media outlets or marketing firms during long breaks
·
Join the NIPR and any other
related professional bodies like IBMN (Institute of Brand Management of
Nigeria), APCON (Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria) and (CIM)
Chartered Institute of Marketing, and obtain relevant certifications
By preparing in these ways you'll distinguish yourself from competition
and lay the foundation for a rewarding career in public relations and marketing
communications.
Step up to the plate. Whether you’re a student working on a voluntary/part-time basis,
or a fully employed young practitioner, you’ve got to demonstrate a genuine
interest in the business, freely offering to help a team or participate in an
internal project. This may mean extra hours above and beyond existing account
work, but it can be very rewarding and give you extra experience. In my first
month at Sesema PR I did a SWOT Analysis of the company and got valuable feedback
from my bosses, deepening my understanding of the subject. Also, when asked, I
was never shy to offer my opinion on issues, increasing my knowledge and
strengthening my confidence in the process.
Be a student for life. One major quality of a student is the undying thirst for
knowledge. To be successful in PR practice, you must have an open disposition
and always seek to learn new things whenever and wherever you can. Even before
I kicked off my career I had subscribed to PR Week - an online educational
resource for practitioners and, only recently, I joined Toastmasters
International - a club that helps members improve their communication, public
speaking and leadership skills. It is also helpful to attend development
courses/seminars to keep abreast of trends in the industry (Some years back
there was very little talk about Digital PR, now you’ll be damned not to
embrace it) and the company or client’s line of business (there can be policy
somersaults and introduction of new ones, so it is important to keep track of
them and manage the impact on the business). NIPR, IBMN, APCON and CIM offer
periodic training programmes.
Imbibing these tips won’t just enable you to start your career right;
they are critical to sustaining and maintaining your career’s path in a
changing world.
Tony Usidamen, a Communications Expert and Social Advocate, writes
from Lagos.
Twitter: @tonyusidamen
No comments:
Post a Comment