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“There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” – Anonymous
 

PR Claims Spot On U.S. News & World Report Best Careers 2011 List

Considering the increasingly important role of public relations in our society, it is no surprise that PR specialist made the list of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Careers of 2011 list.  The venerable —  now online — news magazine rates the PR industry highly in a technological world in motion that communicates, tweets, facebooks and links-in at a dizzying pace, ever watchful for the next big news story.  It’s enough to make WordSmith’s mic short circuit.  So here’s the scoop according to U.S. News & World Report:
 

The rundown

Every day, President Barack Obama’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, stands in front of a firing squad—a roomful of the nation’s top journalists, armed with questions that are, by their nature, adversarial. For these daily press briefings, Gibbs spends hours reading, studying, and querying other White House officials and administration advisers so he can answer questions accurately, both in the facts relayed and in message. As a PR specialist, much of your job will be a similar juggle of facts and message. You might spend your day drafting a press release, responding to a reporter’s question, helping craft a PR strategy for an upcoming round of company layoffs, or running interference at a conference. This is one job that demands confidence for success, and an extroverted personality doesn’t hurt.
 
See a list of The 50 Best Careers of 2011.
 

The outlook

Employment of public-relations specialists is expected to increase by more than 66,000 jobs, or 24 percent, through 2018, according to the Labor Department.
 

Pay

There’s a lot of upside to this job, given that it requires only a bachelor’s degree. Median annual earnings for PR specialists last year were about $51,960, while the lowest-paid 10 percent made less than $30,520 and the highest-paid 10 percent made upwards of $96,000.
 

Upward mobility

It’s a fairly traditional path: You can climb the ranks of a company, move to a larger company, or start your own company. Public relations specialists who excel may work their way up to vice president spots. “The interesting thing about public relations is that every public relations professional is almost a brand unto themselves,” says Gary McCormick, 2010 chair and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America. “You really determine your own career and your own path because you become a subject matter expert in an area, you become a consultant, and the better you are, you individually can move, even if you go into an agency.”
 

Activity level

Variable. Some days are all desk job, while others can have you on your feet from early morning until late at night. Much depends on your job and your employer. Controversy and crisis make for particularly busy days.
 
(See a list of the best business careers.)
 

Stress level

Often high. It’s tough to spot the next curveball, if you’re, say, a company spokesperson. Even if you’re writing press releases, you can face tight deadlines. Your schedule can be up in the air quite a bit, which is stressful for many people.
 

Golden Mic

Each week, Wordsmith will bestow a Golden Mic Award to the person, group or company in the court of public opinion that best exemplifies the tenets of solid PR, marketing and advertising – and those who don’t.  Stay tuned … and step-up to the mic!
 
The WordSmith News Bureau is based at Deane Smith Media Innovations, a full-service PR, marketing and advertising agency.  Got PR?  Need marketing strategy? Ad consulting?  Message Wordsmithing?  Creative & online initiatives? Reach the WordSmith at wordsmith@deanesmithmedia.com.