Time management. To most PR professionals, multi-tasking is second nature. To someone just starting their career in public relations however, it can be a challenging proposition.
I always considered myself great with time management. In college and high school I worked, interned, took classes and participated in many clubs and activities. Yet making the jump to a fairly structured (yet also incredibly fast-paced and diverse!) work week is very different than juggling the more relaxed schedule I had in college. Now managing my time between multiple accounts is not only challenging, but also instills the importance of prioritizing – something I’m glad to learn so early in my career.
Here at CooperKatz, we pride ourselves on being a generalist agency with very different types of clients. I have an exciting job where I can work within the social media space daily (a personal passion), as well as write, pitch, monitor media coverage and so much more. Overall, I’m learning to constantly ‘change my hat’ while making sure I stay focused on what will best meet each client’s specific needs. On the average day I walk in the office, I may tweet for a major national brand, compile a coverage report, write a press release, edit a media alert, participate in a brainstorm or pitch reporters. Prioritizing these tasks is gradually becoming more natural to me, as PR practitioners later in their careers will certainly appreciate.
Whether it’s thinking like a journalist, a publicist, the client or a specific member of that client’s audience, daily life in a PR agency is all about learning to multitask and to think outside of the box. It’s challenging, exciting and makes me want to wake up in the morning and come to work each day – no matter which hat I’ll be wearing that day.
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