by
Amanda DiSilvestro
Business.com
One of the biggest decisions
a PR professional makes is whether or not to work for a
PR
agency or in-house for an organization.
Although both jobs fall
under the same PR umbrella, they each have their own unique
responsibilities for an employee. Most professionals begin
by working for an agency, but as time continues many decide
to make the switch.
If you’re contemplating where you want to work or are
considering jumping ships, consider some of the differences
between each:
Option #1: Working
for a PR Agency
Working for a PR agency simply means that you are working
with several different companies and clients. All of your
co-workers are PR professionals, and you often collaborate
on different PR projects. Consider some of the things that
make working for an agency different than working for a
company in-house:
Fast Pace
– There is always more action when working in a PR agency.
Because you are working with more than one client, you are
always on the move and your mind has to be ready for
anything.
Variety
– On that same note, working for a PR agency offers more
diversity. You will be working on several different
projects, so you’re sure to always be engaged and learning
new things.
Exposure
– Agency careers can usually offer more exposure for an
employee. Once again, working with several different clients
helps to get your name out there to the public. You will
easily be able to make connections and network.
Learning Opportunities
– You will be surrounded by other PR professionals if you
work in an agency, so you have many opportunities to learn
new things. You will have professionals in the field to help
give you a second opinion and help you through your
responsibilities if you ever feel stuck.
Option #2: Working
for a Company In-House Rules
If you work for a company in-house, it simply means that you
are going to handle the PR for that specific company. Your
co-workers will be others who work to grow the
company—finance, IT, marketing, and sales departments—and
your tasks will be specific to that company. Below are a few
things that are unique to employees who exercise PR
in-house:
Campaign Strategy
– You get a lot more freedom to create a PR campaign when
you work in-house. Most agencies have their strategies set
in place, but this is your turf when working for one
company. You get to make the decisions and create something
that you think will work.
Focus on Specific Tasks
– Working in-house means that you will really be able to dig
into a project. You will want to do background checks for
every aspect of the projects and make decisions accordingly.
Big-Picture Experience
– You really get a well-rounded experience when you work in
house as a PR agent. You will need to make PR decisions
based upon what marketing and sales are doing to help
promote a certain company. You will really get to see why PR
is important and the effect it has on an entire company.
Based upon the different tasks required by agency and
in-house professionals, it’s easy to see why most start
working for an agency and then make the switch. An agency is
a great place to really learn the craft of PR because you
get experience with many different clients. In-house work is
where you really dive deep into a project and start to see
how PR affects an entire company.
Nonetheless, many do go
for the opposite route and start in-house and move to an
agency. It completely depends upon which type of environment
and tasks best fit your personality.
Although it can be tough to get picky when you’re first
starting out, it’s still important to realize the
differences between the two options. This will allow you to
prepare correctly for an interview and a potential job.
|