Lakeland public relations industry is a major industry and it is about to grow more in the coming years. Still, finding a good job in the industry after college can be pretty frustrating for fresh graduates. After all, some companies look down on fresh graduates and wouldn’t want to take a chance on them.

To make you valuable to the company you are applying to, you need to focus on developing your skills and honing your PR acumen.

Understand that PR is more than just press releases

One of the most common misconceptions we have about the PR industry is that all PR firms and agents do is to organize and attend parties, and write press releases. While these are part of being in the industry, these are not the only things that a PR agent does. It is not the entirety of the duties of a PR company. Working in PR is as it is listening than it is about talking and writing press releases. You must be able to communicate and listen to your audience.

Make the perfect pitch

If you are applying for a position and you have finally met with the hiring manager, you must interest the hiring manager enough to hire you. To do that, you would need a well-written resume or cover letter. You might also want to think about doing a video resume because this will highlight your skills.

Plan ahead

If you want the hiring manager to invest in you, build a relationship within the PR industry. That means attending PR events and joining PR societies and committees. This will bring you closer to the people in the PR industry. You can actually start planning your PR career as early as while you’re in college. You have to attend local PR events and interview people in the PR industry. Seasoned professionals love to share their experience and their expertise with you.

Research about the industry and the job

Learn as much as you can about the professionals in the field. If you want a career in the PR industry, you need to invest in reading, listening, and becoming a part of the culture of PR. You have to start reading publications, websites, and blogs about public relations. You could also follow related Twitter hashtags and accounts. You need to invest a lot of time reading the materials—consider this as an investment in your career.