Unit 10: Professional Development
The public relations office can be a lonely spot, hovering between the realms of internal and external interests. Fortunately, there are many professional organizations and support systems in place for PR practitioners, including social networking that provides a means to share tips, job leads, case studies, and mutual support for colleagues facing common problems. Successful professionals will make use of these resources, as well as make their own contribution to the expanding field of knowledge and best practices.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 4 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- locate suitable resources for career development and support; and
- identify networking skills to better interact with other PR professionals.
10.1: Research: Professional Resources for Career Development
Visit the sites of the organizations in this subunit. These organizations support public relations professionals. You may want to associate with one of these organizations as you rise in a public relations career. They offer many free resources, even for non-members.
On the Council of Public Relations' page, you can find examples of best practices, case studies, and white papers on PR topics.
Here, you can take a look at job and internship opportunities, post your resume, and set up job alerts.
The Public Relations Society of America offers professional development resources for entry-level through senior-level PR practitioners.
10.2: Forming Professional Social Networks
Read these articles by public relations professionals. These articles discuss tips, tactics, and the benefits of networking for career advancement in public relations. The very same skills you use to promote your company and causes can also be used to effectively market yourself.
Unit 10 Discussion
After you review the unit, post and respond to these topics on the discussion forum. Feel free to start your own related posts, and respond to other students' posts as well.
- What social networks do you currently participate in?
- As you researched the offerings of the professional associations linked in this unit, what resources did you find especially useful?
- How do you feel networking may help improve your own career goals?