Careers | Business Public Relations Database

Where to Find the Best Public Relations Companies

Public relations is the management of the relationship between an organization and its consumers through effective communication. If you own a company or if you are looking to launch a business or product, hiring a third-party PR firm can be the best way to connect with your customers and expand your reach. Before hiring a company, carefully consider each of your options; you can use online resources to find the best firm for you.

Search for the highest-ranking PR firms with O’Dwyer’s, a publication that shares the inside news of the marketing and public relations field. The company lists the top 150 worldwide PR firms, providing a detailed listing and contact information for each firm. You can also search by specialty on the site; for instance, if your business is in the food and beverage industry, you can search for the top firms in that field. O’Dwyer’s also has invaluable information on picking the right PR firm for you.

Also, use sites like Canada 411. Sites like this work like a phone book, and you can search for a particular PR firm or for PR firms in general. Some businesses also have consumer reviews, so you can read what other consumers thought of their experience with the business.

Take note of PR strategies you’ve seen that you thought were particularly strong, and do a little digging to see what PR firm was behind the strategy. Most PR firms list their clients on their websites, so it’s fairly simple to connect the company with the firm.

Filed Under: Business, Careers Tagged With: Business, Canada, Public relations

Hiring Decisions are Especially Important in Maintaining a Culture

Cover of "Office Space (Special Edition w...

Cover via Amazon

Hiring decisions are one of the most important in any business setting. Each company strives to create its own corporate culture, whether that is the embodiment of laid back, or the antithesis of this, the embodiment of precision and rigor. But no matter the ideal strived for, it is the employees who make a culture. Their daily actions create the environment in which all new and old hires will exist. That’s why it’s so important to make the right hiring choices each time a new employee is brought on board.

Current modes of thinking in any office are contagious. If even a single employee is dissatisfied with their workload, management, responsibilities, or other business related activities, it will be reflected in their performance. It will also affect their psyche, which in turn affects those around them. Grumbling and the muttering of unhappy phrases typically ensues. And that sort of internal discordance creates a rift in the company’s goal of employee cohesion in aim and objective.

One viewing of the film, Office Space, tells the story. Too many people can relate to this movie for it to not be a decent depiction of the truth behind an average office: employees can make or break the place, or themselves. In the process, their actions affect virtually the entire company. This simple truth explains why it is so important to hire team members who are focused on achieving and executing the company’s vision. Anything else can lead to disaster, as the movie aptly demonstrated. Unhappy employees riddled the place, and led to the destruction of the office.

Filed Under: Careers, Financing Tagged With: Company, Employment, Office Space

Elements of a PR Plan

The best way to get the most out of your public relations campaign is to develop a successful and effective public relations plan. Without a properly planned out public relations plan a company will ineffectively target the wrong audience and not get the results that they want from their PR campaign. There are a lot of different elements that go into developing a PR plan that will actually work for your company or business. Here is a look at some of the elements to research and plan in your PR plan.

Do Your Research. It is important that you look back at your previous PR plans and campaigns. You need to know what you told audiences, how you were perceived and if they were successful or not. You can also research other similar companies and see what they are doing in terms of public relations.

Create Objectives and Goals. It is important to make sure that your company has goals and objectives that you want to meet. This will help you work harder to achieve the goals but it will also give you something to base your results off of. Some goals of PR plans include developing their company as an expert in a certain field, showing or developing a new product to the audience or even just creating a good feeling amongst their audience.

Find Your Audience. There are millions of people in the world and millions of niche markets out there. You need to know who you are targeting with your campaign so that you can tailor your campaign to these people.

Plan of Attack. You need to create a plan of attack. This will include when a product will be released, when you will send out articles to newspapers, when you will invite the media to your company and when you will release press releases.

Once you have developed all of the items and created a PR plan it is time to carry it out and hopefully have a successful PR campaign.

Filed Under: Careers, Public Relations Tagged With: Company, Goal, Public relations

When the Pressure is High in an Interview—How to Stay—Glued

You feel like you’re coming unglued and hope your face doesn’t show it; but the questions from the interviewer are endless, negative and searching, so searching you wonder what the next question is going to be.

How do you portray a calm demeanor? How to you jump through the hoops the journalist is offering without tripping and falling on your face?

These ideas may help:

Before meeting with the interviewer, prepare your notes with possible questions they may ask and your response to them.
Take a deep breath. Do a few minutes of yoga or meditation; quiet your heart with positive motivation techniques.
If an interviewer asks a question that you have been instructed not to answer, don’t avoid the question, answer in a positive direction. A good follow up is, “I understand your concerns, however…” and lay out the positives. You should never share anything that the company has instructed you not to.
If you know beforehand that you are to give a statement regarding something that has happened within the company, (remember the Tylenol scare?) come prepared with the truth, while still remaining hopeful. It’s a good idea to apologize, and to assure folks that you are doing all you can to solve the problem. Lying is never an option. Not only will you eventually be found out, but once found out, the public will have that much less respect for you. Barring these two facts, it’s unethical to lie about something, even if you feel that the lying will protect the company your work for.
Keep the interview as short as possible. For questions you don’t know the immediate answer to, alert the interviewer that you will send them the answer via email or phone call.

Staying glued is often difficult, but remembering how to remain calm, through preparation, honesty and a concern for time, will help you to end the interview on a much more positive note.

Filed Under: Careers Tagged With: Interview, Question

Real Contentment from Education

I’ve found that regardless of what I own, one of the most valuable things I possess isn’t actually a possession–it’s my education. An education opens doors that can take us places we never imagined. In addition to satisfying natural curiosity, an advanced education means higher pay and more career opportunities.

If you’re currently settled in a full-time job, have family responsibilities, or for whatever reason don’t think you can return to school, think again–online degrees allow you to get the degree you’ve wanted without having to quit your job. There are many advantages of returning to school for your degree.

Work at Your Own Pace

Online schooling allows you to complete your degree on your own schedule, whether it’s on your lunch break at work, while the kids are at school, or at night after work.

Work Wherever You Want

Most online programs require only Internet access. If you have a laptop computer, that means you can work wherever you have access to the Web. This could be a coffee shop, library, or office break room.

Complete Classes as Your Budget Allows

Online schooling, just like regular schooling, can be expensive even with student loans or grants. You can complete your education as your budget allows by doing one or two classes at a time.

Choose From Many Schools

As online degrees are becoming more and more accepted, there are plenty of accredited schools to choose from. A good way to find one that has your program and fits your needs is to visit elearners.com, a site that allows you to search for schools by various criteria, from program to degree level.

Education is priceless. Online schools allow you to get the education you’ve always wanted at your own pace without giving up work or family responsibilities.

Filed Under: Careers Tagged With: Education, online degree

You Don’t Need a Degree in Business Finance to Manage Your Personal Finances

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Smart financial planning doesn’t require a degree in business finance, though it does require some forethought and dedication to sticking to your financial goals.
One way to get ahead of the curve is to live below your means.
And no, that doesn’t mean eliminating the fun from your life and cutting out all unnecessary expenditures. It just means that you don’t necessarily need to have the $50,000 car, $100,000 boat and $500,000 house if you’re not already making enough money to afford it.
These days, so many people are relying on credit to help them buy big ticket items and even day-to-day expenditures, which is leading to an increased amount of debt among consumers.
That’s not to say that every purchase that’s picked up by a credit card is unwise, but statistics have shown that many people are likely to give less consideration to a purchase when they are using a credit card as opposed to cash. And while many people have credit cards for emergencies and only use them in emergency situations, there are still too many Americans who rely on credit cards for a majority of their purchases. Some even rely solely on credit cards in order to survive.
This type of spending behavior is where consumers get into trouble as high credit card balances compounded with variable and increasing interest rates can lead to a mountain of debt. Coping with debt and a tenuous financial situation is stressful, especially when unexpected events occur such as an illness or job loss, which strongly impact your ability to add to your household income and can lead to more debt. So how can you take control of your personal finances?
You have to take a serious look at your income and expenses and develop a realistic budget that allows you to pay all of your bills and save some money for emergencies. Putting back money for yourself is key to getting ahead, as building a savings account can reduce stress as you are creating a financial cushion that will lead you away from depending on credit cards.

Filed Under: Careers, Public Relations Tagged With: Business, Credit card, Finance, Home, Money, Money Management, Personal finance, Savings account

You Can Be a PR Pro

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Are you someone who is outgoing and also has a passion for writing?
If you are a good communicator who has strong written and verbal communication skills, then you might want to consider a career in public relations (PR).
Public relations is the practice of managing the reputation of a client, whether it’s an entertainer, an organization, an event or a government institution, it is the job of the PR professional to showcase the client in the best light possible by communicating largely positive information to the public and press.
So how does someone start a career path to become a PR professional?
Most learning institutions offer bachelorâ€™s degrees in public relations and those that do not typically offer a general degree in communications. Courses within this discipline include basic writing and design, media relations and generally courses that are related to advertising and marketing. Itâ€™s likely there are now courses that pertain to new media such as the Internet and social media outlets, both of which are now being incorporated into PR strategies.
Aside from obtaining a degree in public relations, there are several other avenues that you can pursue to learn more about the field. These include attending workshops that are focused on PR practices and professional networks that focus on PR. Another alternative to traditional coursework is offering to job shadow or mentor those who are already working in the field.
After you have a core understanding of public relations, you can determine the type of public relations that you want to practice, whether itâ€™s corporate communications, which involves representing the image of an organization and includes writing communications for publication, hosting events, attending trade shows and acting as a public spokesperson for the organization, among other things, or celebrity or event management. Whatever your choice, a career in PR is exciting and boasts plenty of opportunity for those in the field.

Filed Under: Careers, Public Relations Tagged With: Advertising and Marketing, Associations, Business, Business and Economy, Communication, Marketing, Media relations, Public relations

Collegebound Students Should Consider a Career in Public Relations

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Okay, high school students, college is just around the corner. And while the excitement of living on campus and away from your parents just fuels the excitement, there is actually work to get done. You may have heard your parents or teachers talk about the importance of being prepared for things in life, whether itâ€™s an upcoming school play or that math test youâ€™ve been reminded to study for. And the same holds true when it comes to planning your college career.
Thatâ€™s why itâ€™s wise to begin thinking about the professional path you want to take now so that you will be prepared to declare a major in college and work towards obtaining a degree in that discipline.
First, know that the road to a college degree is paved by several courses, including a mix of core classes (also known as general courses such as math, history and science that must be satisfied in order for each student to graduate), electives that each student gets to choose for themselves and courses that are focused on the studentâ€™s major. Once you have satisfied your core curriculum, which is usually done by the end of freshman year, students are able to focus on courses that lead them to a degree in their chosen field. For instance, if you have chosen a career in public relations, you will begin to take more classes in that field as you progress in school.
Conventionally, a bachelorâ€™s degree is obtained after four years of schooling, though students can take as long as they want to finish their degree. Most students are motivated to complete their degree within a four to five year time frame so that they can move on to practicing their career. And with careful planning, a clear idea of what your area of focus will be and good grades, students can certainly achieve this goal.
So, while you may have some time before you actually head off to college, itâ€™s certainly not too early to consider the type of career you want to pursue.

Filed Under: Careers, Cause and Effect, Public Relations Tagged With: Academic degree, Colleges and Universities, Connecticut, Curriculum, Education, High school, Student, United States

From Business Finance to PR, There’s A New Career Waiting for You

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Are you in a career rut? Have you been working hard at your profession for the last several years and you’re either fed up with the tasks that come with your job or you’re looking for something a little bit more challenging? Maybe you’re just looking for something different.
Perhaps you feel like you’ve reached the end of your potential with a certain career or you are just bored with what you’re currently doing. Maybe you always dreamed of having another career and you just didn’t feel that it was practical enough when you were making your decision about what you wanted to be when you grew up.
Well, the good news is that there’s always a second chance and now is the time to take that chance and find a career that you really love. Nowadays, more people are considering changing careers after devoting decades to their current profession.
So, after many years in one industry or job function, how do you make the transition into a new career?
First you have to assess your interests.
Take time to truly assess what you think would be an ideal profession for you at this stage of your life. Have you always dreamed about being your own boss? Then perhaps opening your own business is what you would like to do. Are you someone who enjoys developing relationships with people? Then perhaps being a sales person is right for you.
Whatever you choose, it’s just a matter of finding the right career for you and being brave enough to start the process of educating yourself on how to begin your new career and flourish.
The next step is to find the educational resources you need to excel at your new career.
There are so many options for training and certification programs for those who want to change their careers. Take a look at the course offerings at your local community college or university and you’ll see there are courses from everything from business finance to public relations. Additional resources, including workshops and simply speaking to those in the profession will help you along the way.

Filed Under: Business, Careers, Financing, Public Relations Tagged With: Business, Business and Economy, Career, Changing Careers, Corporate finance, Counseling and Management, Employment, Profession

Consider a Career In Public Relations

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Are you facing a decision on what career to choose? Perhaps you have just graduated high school or you need to declare a major in college and you’re unsure about what field you want to pursue. Perhaps you have been in the workforce for some time and you are considering changing careers.
Perhap you are considering something in communications or publishing.
If you are interested in the field of writing but are unsure about where you would like to test your talents, consider a career in public relations (PR). Public relations is the practice of managing the reputation of a person, organization, government institution, product or service. And while there are many facets of the industry, those who are interested in pursuing careers in writing are typically attracted to positions that involve creating external and internal communications that promote the client.
Copywriting and editing positions are generally available at large corporate and privately held organizations, though there are also small and medium size organizations that employ PR professionals to execute electronic and print media on behalf of their organization. Those working in this capacity generally enjoy writing and have a four-year degree from a college or university. Some of the day-to-day duties of a PR professional who is in charge of creating business communications include executing and distributing press releases to local and national media outlets (depending on the type, size and reach of the organization), writing and distributing client-facing newsletters, creating copy for catalogs, flyers, brochures and other direct mail pieces for the organization and providing content for the company website, among other duties. In small and medium size organizations, the PR professionals are often responsible for executing internal communications to the companyâ€™s employees including emails, newsletters and other updates as they pertain to the business.

Filed Under: Careers, Public Relations Tagged With: Advertising and Marketing, Business, Business and Economy, Career, Marketing, Organization, Press release, Public relations