Take Control of Your Career Well-Being

My first PR job lasted nearly 15 years. That’s the exception, not the norm, in today’s world.

Most PR professionals today are thinking of career chapters in months and years, not decades.

Along with the physical, mental, financial and social aspects of our well-being, we should also regularly analyze our careers.

Regardless of your career stage, it’s always a good time to ask yourself some essential questions about where you want to go in the coming years. 

In the hundreds of conversations I’ve had with college students, new professionals, middle managers and executives about their careers, the focus comes down to three key questions.

Do you want to work in-house, agency or independently?

From what I’ve witnessed firsthand, along with conversations I’ve had with leaders, typically, the path for most PR professionals is to start in an agency, then go in-house and then start your own consultancy a few years before retirement. With the advent of GenAI, this path might be rewritten in the months and years to come.

Before making a decision, I encourage individuals to conduct informational interviews with at least three to five people in each group. You’ll receive a diverse set of answers and some key themes. 

Did you know? PRSA offers several Professional Interest Sections to help find answers, including New Professionals, Independent Practitioners Alliance and Counselors Academy. 

What industries do you want to work in?

This question is the most critical in determining who to meet with from a networking standpoint. I’d look beyond “I want to work at this company or that company,” but rather an industry. One key lesson I learned during my career was to specialize in B2B and Consumer Tech. While the “Swiss Army Knife” approach helped in my account executive and manager roles, I had to learn to build thought leadership in tech to become an executive. 

Did you know? PRSA offers several Professional Interest Sections for industries, including Association/Nonprofits, Banking and Finance, Counselors to Higher Education, Educators Academy, Entertainment and Sports, Health Academy, Public Affairs and Government, Technology, and Travel and Tourism.

What kind of work do you want to do?

One of the great things about this industry is the diversity of work we do on a daily basis. The diversity of services will continue to evolve with the scopes of work we as public relations professionals offer. What was traditionally focused on earned media relations has grown exponentially to a plethora of services.

Did you know? PRSA offers Professional Interest Sections focused on responsibilities, including Corporate Communications and Employee Communications.

Answering these three questions, no matter what career stage, will help you build your brand and network.

How this looks in reality:

• I’m seeking an in-house role leading corporate communications for a B2B healthcare technology company.
• I’m seeking a global agency role helping build out GenAI prompting best practices for pure consumer brands.
• I want to start my consultancy focused on influencer marketing and earned media for independent video game companies.

Writing such sentences will help you write the rest of your story to help build your career. Once you have this nailed, now you can reach out to your first-degree connections to get their thoughts, find second-degree connections, ask for introductions and start to share your message.

Finally, please use the power of PRSA and the thousands of members to help connect the dots and create your journey. We are all here for you!