Introduction to Public Relations

Career Plan Project

Goal: Develop a better understanding of PR careers and find your own path in this field.

Objectives: Conduct an investigation of various types of public relations practice areas. Research 3 practice areas to familiarize yourself with career expectations, options, and opportunities. Personally evaluate which types of PR practice areas most interest you and why.

Formatting: All parts of the assignment must be typed in 12-point font, use 1" margins, double-spaced. Cite sources using APA style. The assignment will be submitted as a printed hard copy in class only. Due dates are broken up into 3 parts so pay careful attention to when each section is due in class.

Grading: The specific requirements and point values are described below. These instructions are similar to your rubric. An "A" grade will only be given to projects that are thorough, completed on-time, include very few spelling/grammar/formatting mistakes, are well written, and provide detailed information with sources. Use APA bibliography page to list your sources.

Part 1: Understanding the Options

Part 1 : Research and describe, in your own words, three public relations practice areas.

In the section you will begin exploring different options for your future career. Use online and personal resources. PRSA website, networking events, Klein and Temple career centers, the textbook, friends and family members in the career field, and employees at your internships.

NOTE: If you are comparing and contrasting PR with other careers you may expand this to be 3 different career fields instead of 3 areas within PR and corporate communications.

This part of the assignment should be three - five pages, with at least one page for each practice area. You can use the textbook as a source for descriptions of practice areas such as community relations, employee relations, public affairs, etc., or you can use it as a guide while searching other sources. You may also informally interview professionals in the field to get insights and descriptions of their work lives.

Put all the information you learn into a single page for each practice area that describes the nature of the work, job activities, opportunities for career growth, point. Make sure you clearly label each page with the practice area (e.g., publicity, media relations, etc.).benefits and drawbacks of each practice area, and the area you feel most interests you at this

NOTE: You are NOT comparing economic sectors (e.g., non-profit, public, private, agency). You are comparing and contrasting different specializations within all the sectors (e.g., crisis communication, publicity, event planning, media relations, etc.).

Be sure to discuss interesting findings about specific jobs or tasks within the different practice areas your research, as well as your overall perceptions of jobs opportunities and options.You may also include which industries you would like to work within (if you know).

Part 2: Which Path is Right for Me?

Part 2 : Evaluate the three specific jobs you find interesting from the practice areas you identified in Part 1.

NOTE: Here you are finding 3 jobs that look interesting to you. Then you are assessing what is needed for those jobs and whether you have those skills or education.

In this section you will now begin to focus on specific jobs within the three specializations (practice areas) you compared and contrasted. To do this, you should only be looking at the practice area you found most appealing.

For instance, imagine you examined media relations, crisis communication, and event planning in section 1 and decided that crisis communications is the most appealing to you. Now you will find 3 different types of jobs in crisis communication and analyze them in detail following the directions below.

If you are still undecided, then it is okay to look at one job from each of the practice areas you used in section 1. If you have narrowed it down to a favorite (e.g., you really like employee relations) then you should look for 3 jobs within that area. If you are unsure - ask me.

You must find job announcements online to help assist you with this task. The best place to look is the PRSA job bank. The jobs can be from any industry and at any level, but they should fall into at the practice area you focused on for Part 1that was MOST appealing to you for a potential career. The following parts must be included:

1. A list of positives and negatives you found for each job. The page of positives and negatives should include a total of ten or more with at least three positives and/or negatives per practice area. These are specific to the job ad you found.

2. A list of key skills and minimum qualifications you need to be successful in each practice areas. Use the job description to identify the needed skills and requirements. Check off the skills you already have for each job. Place an "x" next to the skills you still need to acquire. This can be done in an Table or organized list.

3. A list of similarities and differences between the three jobs. The page of similarities and differences between jobs should be based on your perception of the jobs. It can include differences in work-life balance, income, opportunity, job requirements, or any other dimension that helps you personally identify which job you feel you might prefer or be most qualified to hold.

Finally, you will write a one-page summary of what your overall impressions are of the job ads you found. This is personal to you. What surprised you in your research, what worried you? Did anything get you thinking about your potential fit for these jobs? Tell me what you think about this career-finding journey you are now taking.