College Students: Interested in Public Relations? Make Sure You're Prepared!

If you are currently enrolled in public relations courses at your school, you have already taken the first step in launching a successful career in PR— and getting to know the basics is key! This applies to business/marketing, journalism and communication majors since you can always take a public relations related course, even if it isn’t required by your current program.

Review which courses are available; many universities offer a communication or public relations writing course which will provide important knowledge of AP style, which is the industry standard for writing .  A writing class can also provide experience in crafting press releases and pitch letters which are the bread and butter to any public relations campaign.

Other common courses include the fundamentals of public relations, PR Management and PR Case Studies, which review public relations campaigns from start to finish, examine the research involved in setting up a successful campaign and evaluate the overall successes and failures.

Even if you haven’t taken a public relations course yet, it’s not too early to look into a public relations internship. Internships provide a critical learning experience, and are often necessary to fulfill your degree’s graduation requirements. Internships often provide interesting insight into how a PR department or agency functions. Internships are often the determining factor to deciding whether this career path is really for you.

Here are some tips and questions to consider when looking for an internship:

• Before sending out your resume, update your contact information to include a professional email like johnsmith@gmail.com rather than racerjohnny2000@gmail.com or your school email. You will be graduating soon and it is best to keep a consistent professional stream of communication open.

• What is the sector of PR that the company specializes in (financial services, healthcare, fashion, entertainment, etc.)? Are you interested in that field?

• What would your daily responsibilities be at the internship? Would you be writing, making calls, research etc.?

• Dedicate at least 2 full days a week to the internship, and treat it as though it were your real job—because it is!

• Take it seriously. Your supervisors can be your top references upon graduation.

You want to make sure that upon completion of an internship program you have furthered your knowledge of public relations basics. You should gain experience in drafting emails, pitches, communications plans, fact sheets, press releases, etc., and get feedback from your supervisor on how to improve. Print a copy of any writing samples and coverage you have generated at your internship and put them in a portfolio. You can now leverage your experience and demonstrate the skills you have learned when looking for a job after college.

Most importantly: Be open to new experiences and try to learn from every situation!

Are you already a college graduate but the economy is making your job search difficult? Look for open internship positions. It will provide more experience for your resume and can potentially serve as a trial for a full time position down the road!

Here's some additional tips to ensure your interning success: 10 Public Relations Career Tips: How to Get an Internship

Posted by: Dana Taormina

Tags: Public Relations, Media Relations, Internship