Climbing the Corporate Ladder

Presented by Stephanie Dupre, Manager of Public Relations and Events, Avon Products, Inc. By David Shoffner

In the fast-paced world of 21st century public relations, there exists two distinct realms in which a young PR professional may find employment - the agency and the corporation. In an agency, entry-level practitioners will find themselves working closely with a small group of public relations peers, often on many different projects for many different clients. In corporate PR, you have just one client (the corporation for which you work) and you may discover that not only do you work with public relations professionals in the PR department, but you will also be required to interact with other employees outside of your department.

Despite the differences in the working environment, agency and corporate public relations professionals (or future professionals) share a few common and critical skills. The most important of these shared skills is the ability to communicate effectively. This includes the ability to communicate orally and in writing. If this seems like the 450th,time you've hear this bit of sage advice, it's probably because it is, and it's also because it really is that important. There are several ways to strengthen your communications skills while you are still in college. To increase your skills of vocal interaction and persuasion you might consider joining the debate team or taking a few classes in the speech communication department. Becoming a spokesperson for a campus club or organization or simply running for an officer position within a club or organization also will give you the opportunity to speak to larger groups of people and gain the confidence necessary to become a competent public speaker.

Writing skills (perhaps the most important of all communication skills) can also be sharpened in a variety of ways. While it is true that you develop your writing skills simply by completing assignments in your classes, these tasks will only develop your skills - it is up to you to sharpen them. Writing for a college newspaper is one of the best ways PR students can fine tune the power of their pen. This experience will not only improve your news writing skills (something you may not get a chance to do in most classes), but it will also give you something to put on a resume that tells employers that you care about your professional future and have the skills necessary to get the job done.
It's a well-known fact that many senior public relations practitioners have only marginal writing skills. Therefore, one of the primary ways that businesses can improve the quality of the writing they produce is by hiring young, eager professionals like yourself. If your writing sword is dull and unpolished, you just might lose the fight when it comes to finding a job after graduation.

If you are truly interested in working within the corporate business world it pays to learn as much you can about how business works. Take some business classes at your college to get a feel for the basic structures and inner workings of the modem corporate atmosphere. You will also want to read the "Money" section or newspapers like the Wall Street Journal to stay up-to-date on what's happening in the ever-changing realm of capitalist America (Hopefully you are already reading the newspaper on a regular basis, corporation or agency - this is one daily task that no public relations professional can afford to skip!)

If you're not already sold on a career in corporate PR, here are just a few advantages that employment in the business sector has over agency work:

You have more control and freedom to make changes to company methods. Agencies are often forced to comply with what the client has done in the past and cannot make broad sweeping changes as easily.

You have more job security. While it is true that the public relations department can be among the first to experience layoffs, it is important to remember that layoffs will happen in other departments too. In agencies, when money is tight and the time comes to let a few employees go, there's only one department that gets the pink slips - yours.

You have exposure to other people in other jobs and career paths. As previously mentioned, you will be interacting with people from all sorts of professional backgrounds on a daily basis. You never know, you may discover your true calling is something other than public relations.

In corporate PR, there's no pressure to bring in new clients and business. Your employer is the only client you've got and the only client you need to impress. (NOTE: this "advantage" can suddenly become a disadvantage if the only client you've got suddenly becomes dissatisfied with the performance of its public relations counsel.) The pay is higher than most agency employees.

Corporate challenges

Before you devote yourself to preparing for a career in the corporate world, you may want to learn more about some of the challenges of working in a high-rise setting.

You work in a small PR department, with fewer peers than an agency. In the corporate setting, there are fewer people to mentor you and care for you while you learn the ropes. Your success (or failure) is entirely up to you.

The opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients does not exist (because you only have one client). In agency PR, you may have a diverse clientele roster (from health care or education, to nonprofit).

A few keys to corporate success:

Your success is all up to you. The following list of tips represents just a few of the ways that you can make sure you'll have a job tomorrow and a promotion next week.
Be enthusiastic, no matter how mundane the task. Your supervisors will remember you when advancement time comes around.
Be yourself Don't put on a fake smile and phony "everything is peachy" attitude. Also, don't be afraid to speak your mind (nobody likes a "yes man" or "yes woman" - not even the boss).
In business it's all about relationships. Remember the old saying: "It's not what you know, it's who you know." Cultivate these relationships and don't burn your bridges - you never know when you may need that person later.
As a PR professional, you are an educator. You will be required to educate your supervisors (company executives) about what is and isn't "newsworthy." Don't be afraid to say, "No, this isn't newsworthy." Too many non-newsworthy press releases can damage your media credibility.
Do not hesitate to ask for help and advice. People love to feel important and feel like a mentor.
You are only as fresh and successful as your ideas. Part of the reason you were hired was for your youthful exuberance and the new, innovative ideas that you bring to the table. Don't change your entire way of thinking based on how "everybody else" does business. Of course, that is not to say that you should ne ve r change or adopt "old ideals." Knowing when to bow to tradition and when to enact change is something that will come only with experience.
Be able to talk to people high and low. From the big-time executive to the secretary that greets you each day, knowing how to communicate effectively with these people can greatly increase your opportunities within the organization and your chances of success.