As a young, wide-eyed, naive individual ready to break out into the big world of public relations, I have the world at my feet. The options available to me are astounding. So which would be more beneficial? Should I begin my career in a Public Relations Firm or a Public Relations Department? Well lets examine the positive and negatives of each.
Jumping right into a PR Firm could be beneficial because of the unlimited access to various contacts. One is able to network on a greater scale while working at a firm, for they are handling multiple companies images. Resources would be made available to me and I would be able to build up a certain credibility. However, because I am dealing with multiple companies, I am unable to solely devote my time and energy to one, thus limiting the overall quality of my work.
If I were to start out in a Public Relations Department of one company, I would have the benefit of knowing the ins and outs of that one specific company. Everyone just has to learn everything about a single company and not have to dig up any new information about multiple companies which could prove detrimental to the image of the company. We would all have the same specific goal in mind and we could spend all the time needed investing in the image of that one company. My resources and networking opportunities would be severely limited while working in a Public Relations Department but I think that is something that could be overlooked.
Overall, I believe it would be more beneficial to start out working in the Public Relations Department of a company. It’s a good way to know the ropes and become familiar with various ways to handle situations while not being spread thin across multiple companies and making mistakes therein.
drewamelia 