Piaras Kelly PR - Public Relations in Ireland

If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulder of giants - Isaac Newton

One of the main benefits of a career in PR is your exposure to people in management and innovators in their field. Being in contact with these individuals and their organisations gives you an insight into how successful companies operate and can provide you with the building blocks to form managerial skills.

It’s one thing to work within your own specific environment and delegate tasks amongst your own workforce. In Public Relations you have to be able to do that along with integrating yourself into another organisation, learn their modus operandum and dealing with senior management.

One of regular impressions people have of entry level positions is that they get fleeting glances of senior management. The classic scene is of a junior thinking of something to say for when they actually manage to bump into a manager. One of the best things about where I work, Drury Communications, is that the management structure is flat. Not only am I in regular contact with the MD and client directors, but I interact with them rather than carry out orders.

It’s this type of exposure that encourages you and gives you faith in your abilities. The end result is that a career in PR is a great first step in your professional and personal development.

The contrast in my own personal confidence between my first pitch and our first review with that client almost a year later is frightening. At the pitch I was just concentrating on making sure all our equipment was working and the presentation went well. Next time round I was actively engaged in the presentation and ensuing discussion.

Of course not all our clients are blue chip companies. We work with corporations and SMEs, organisations from various sectors and varying goals. Each client throws up completely different requirements and personalities. Adapting to these situations and being able to balance them is an invaluable skill in my opinion for whatever direction your career takes later in life.

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