Who can work in PR? Do I need a degree to work in PR?

My name is Serina. I am currently going to be a 4th-year student at UofT. I am pursuing a BA with a specialization in political science with a focus on economic development and international affairs, and I have completed a certificate in international affairs as well. I aim to transfer my skills as a political science student to further a career in an industry I am interested in. “The World of Public Relations” work-integrated learning experience and leadership journey consists of 5 chapters, including an introduction to public relations, different roles in corporate public relations, a skilled topic in public relations, and strategic PR planning.

By reviewing my learning journey with this Illuminate Universe experience, I have gained a well-rounded basic knowledge of the industry. This journey also gave me, the learner, a brief overview of the type of work I might be doing if I chose to pursue a career in public relations. This experience also educates and highlights common things we often overlook in our daily lives. For example, Instagram advertisements, sponsored YouTube videos, and the rationale behind a company’s choice to pursue certain types of public relations. 

I think for many people looking to learn more about certain industries, one of the first things they look at is their qualifications. Do employers want someone who has a specific educational background in that area? Do I need a degree in PR to get a competitive position? This learning experience successfully gives the learners a good understanding of the general requirements for competitive positions in public relations. Specifically, I learned the most about the requirements for public relations roles through the activity where I explored different public relations roles and wrote about them. Nonetheless, Illuminate Universe provides relevant resources such as the LinkedIn Learning and Canadian Public Relations Society website for learners who are looking to expand their skill set.

One of the key messages I believe Illuminate Universe is trying to highlight is that research is a great component of this industry. Through the variety of activities I engaged in, research is the most crucial component in each one. Another would be that public relations is an industry that will never go out of business. It is an industry I think can never be replaced by AI. It is also a role where it is embedded in different settings, corporate, political, and more. 

The activity I enjoyed the most was crafting the PR strategy. It was a very stimulating activity that required a lot of research. I chose to focus on the recent Bud Light crisis. Although it took longer than expected to complete this activity, I came out learning much more than what the learning experience entailed. Besides engaging with second-hand resources such as newspaper articles about the background information and reports on Bud Light and AB InBev’s actions, I also engaged with first-hand resources published by the company itself. These range from annual reports and revenue reports. This learning experience motivated me further to identify my transferable skills in research and analysis and to apply them in this work-integrated learning experience. Through crafting the public relations strategy activity, I’ve gained many new insights. For instance, Bud Light’s official strategy in managing the PR crisis they’re facing was to revert to reinforcing their traditional marketing audience by partnering with the NFL and the UFC. A gap I identified in their strategy was that they neglected to show support to the trans community they originally chose to support in efforts to expand their consumer base. Therefore, I focused my recommendation on minimizing the gap in Bud Light’s attention to both ends of the crisis.

This learning experience allowed me to think deeply about my daily life and how public relations is everywhere. I learned that there are three types of public relations strategy, including owned media, paid media, and earned media. Each type of public relations strategy has its purpose and meets different objectives. I focused my case study on this online second-hand website called ThredUp. Owned media is a type of public relations where content is generated and managed by a company, such as the official social media platforms or newsletters. Paid media is content a company pays for, for example, sponsored YouTube videos or pay-per-click campaigns. Lastly, earned media is non-paid for content with promotional purposes. By learning about the different types of public relations, I’ve realized how public relations is scattered in my daily life. Further, by examining ThredUp in a case study format, I’ve learned more about the management side of a company. For instance, for ThredUp, it is clear that they spend more budget on paid media than owned media given their target audience is GenZs and fashion lovers. 

When completing one of the activities for this learning experience, I realized a problem I always encounter as a job seeker. As usual, I was looking through Linked In’s job postings. In the search engine, I entered entry-level, or internships, and public relations as the desired field of employment. However, it was quite disappointing when many of the jobs where I either qualified for but lacked the years of experience or lack I lack the specific educational background but had the relevant previous job experience. In other instances, when I am looking for jobs related to public policy and political science, the same issue arises. Therefore, I wish there was a search engine on job search websites where one can input their interests and educational background, and it would provide you with a list of jobs that you can apply to. The most common job search engines require job seekers to go through job postings one by one and assess whether or not they qualify to apply for the job. This innovative search engine would not only make job search more efficient for job seekers, but it would also make the screening process for recruiters more efficient. 

While I write this reflection on my work-integrated learning experience, I first identified what tone I want to write this in. Casual? Formal? And what format do I think is most engaging for a reader who is drawn to the title of my reflection? I also try to apply content creation strategies I have learned through my personal experience of content creation on Instagram. The current trend of content creation is heavily reliant on audience engagement. This can be achieved through interactive captions and polls with short questions. I continue to work on integrating these strategies into my content creation journey.

To conclude, here are three advice I have to start your career in public relations:

1. Research the most common qualifications and qualities PR roles ask for, and work on developing these skills in preparation.

2. Make use of free resources such as the Illuminate Universe’s virtual experiences or paid resources such as LinkedIn learning to further your skillset.

3. Brainstorm how your educational background can make you stand out as a candidate for the PR position of your choice. 

That’s the end of this post, thank you very much for reading till the end!

Serina Woo.