The Ups And Downs of Being a Public Relations Assistant

While there are a lot of advantages to being a public relations assistant, there are some downsides as well. Most pr jobs involve having to deal with a lot of pressure from different directions, and none more so when starting out as an assistant. Being able to deal with these challenges, and taking the time to appreciate the good things about public relations jobs (and there a lot), is important to workplace and personal health. From having the chance to participate in great campaigns and exercise creativity, to dealing with tough deadlines and egos, it’s worth reviewing the ups and downs of being a public relations assistant, and some solutions to making the job easier.

The Best Parts of the Job

Perhaps the best part of being a PR assistant is the potential to contribute to a leading brand or company’s success. This can mean working as part of a talented team that might spend months or even years developing a strong PR and branding campaign. Participating in these teams means being able to work in a creative atmosphere, with the chance to take on a number of different roles. The creative demands of this kind of work, from drafting press releases to designing an online media presence, can mean that no one day is the same as any other. Work variety similarly extends to having to develop skills quickly, and provides the chance to specialise in one particular area over time.

Once established, a PR assistant job can be the launchpad for building up a strong professional and personal network of colleagues and friends. Again, working as part of a team, and within a professional community, can be inspiring. The personal satisfaction that this produces is also an important part of a job, and is key to creating motivation for future work. Yes, there is a lot of hard work, but talent does get recognised with persistence. Building these skills by being immersed in the world of PR can translate into self starting a new company, or becoming a successful freelance PR assistant.

Challenges

For all of the excitement of being in PR, the flipside is the personal and professional demands. Long, unsociable hours, and constant deadlines can put a strain on anyone, and the stress of starting out as an assistant can be trying. Moreover, you need to be able to deal with criticism, and to prove yourself in a world where anyone without experience has to put in the time to get up to a professional standard. At the same time, the unpredictability that can make PR work exciting can spill over into a lack of job security, and a difficulty in focusing.

Professional relationships can similarly become strained through having to deal with difficult people and their egos. This is a particular problem for the entry level side of a job, and many new PR assistants will struggle to find their place in an agency or company where they have to act as a subordinate in a large team. This job insecurity, and the fear of being out of your depth, can make being a PR assistant very hard.

Solutions

Anyone working as a PR assistant consequently needs to know how to rely on mentors within an agency or company to direct them towards the right kind of work. HR departments can also provide this support. Moreover, it’s important to accept that mistakes will always happen at the start of a career, and that it’s necessary to focus on the positives and learning, rather than putting too much pressure on yourself at the start of a role. Completing an internship can be a useful way of exposing yourself to the daily pressures of working as a PR assistant, setting yourself up for future work.

Patrick Hegarty is an ardent writer who is currently working on spreading his knowledge about how to find and apply for public relation jobs.