In one of my many moments of weakness, I ranted that I'd send a gift in a form of a red palm stamp on anyone's cheek who claims Public Relations is all about glamor and fun. At that particular moment I was swamped with paperwork, research and a media story proposal to complete. To my surprise, I received more support than I anticipated. I guess the desire to slap just had to wait.
One of the responses by an ex-student, now a PR practitioner, "that's why candidates that come for interviews and say PR is about 'meeting people' get shown the door!" People still say that? If I was an interviewer, that interviewee would have been palm stamped!
Then again, a young girl once approached me and said she was looking for a career that would make her money 'quick! quick! quick! Then, in the same breath she said, "I heard PR people makes a lot of money!" I mentioned that PR practitioners make a lot of money after garnering years of experience, network and credibility; not immediately upon graduation. So, she asked me, "where can I meet a lot of people and make quick money, then?" I said, "GRO maybe a career of choice," and I meant that as a sharp tongue slap but instead she smiled as asked, "which school do I go to apply for that study?"
I blamed it on youth and ignorance, until my ex-student said, a fresh graduate was bored out of his wits 2 months into the job. He said, "I thought PR is like Sex and the City..." Hilarious as that may be, I almost felt sorry for the boy; he must've had the shock of his life...but I lied. I'm not sorry. His horrible shock in the face of reality was as good as delivering him a slap, because he wasn't young and he went to school to study PR, hence, not an ignoramus.
Apparently or not surprisingly (though annoying), many have a preconceived, miss-perceived, misguided and disillusionized idea of the PR field. Maybe it all boils down to perception and also, the people who fills the occupation. I know a pretty face, endless pair of legs and exposed skin (a lot of it), can get a potential interviewee a dream job in a PR department or even a firm, and actually keep it for many years. Surely, some will say that, that is an overgeneralization, but as a fresh graduate I experienced the poor misconception that PR is about party, booze and sex, first hand. When I first started, one of my management asked me to 'entertain' my CEO and make him happy. Use my PR skills, especially since I acquired it in the US...he hinted "boss tak bawa bini..." (The boss will not be bringing his wife along).
Some even gets confused between PR and event management, where only the latter runs around and organize parties and meet important people relevant to the events. The public genuinely believe that PR people get paid to rub shoulders with whos' who and party with celebrities. One of my journalist friend who moved to the 'darker side' and became a PR practitioner spent a couple of months into his job explaining to friends, family and acquaintances that he is not representing artistes and no, he does not know Datuk Siti Nurhaliza personally. Poor chap.
The reality of PR is far removed from glamor and power networking. Sure, when the opportunity presents itself, we party hard and we network hard - but that is not part and parcel of our daily routine. Basically, we start with a short meeting with colleagues/partners and breakdown the week's itinerary: client meetings, deadlines, proposals, business opportunities, etc are discussed. Then we disperse to check our emails, social network postings, tweets, google alerts, and try to fit in a few news articles relevant to our current projects. We try to read more while waiting for appointments, riding trains and taxis or while taking a dump (Don't judge me - TIME IS PRECIOUS!)
Unless we have dining appointments, we eat on the go, usually settling for quick sandwiches and coffee/tea in between reading our briefs and replying more emails. Then, night comes and we check our emails where a list of incomplete and new tasks awaits. Last night, I spent 4.5 hours transcribing a broadcast interview for a client so she could hear herself and read how she answered questions - to ease a personalized media training and avoid defensive confrontations. I slept at 3:00am.
Having said that...here's why PR people do what we do and would probably die still loving (ranting) the field. We don't think it's a nightmarish job! Why? We get to read, exchange ideas, be in the know, be at the edge of great discoveries, be part of a bigger picture, be behind a really great story and the list of excitement goes on...but most of all, always sharp witted with a sharp mind, sharpened only because we read, read, and read. Almost nothing escapes our observation. I'd like to think the wise chooses this career because it keeps our minds working around the clock. What else in the world pays you a handsome sum to become cleverer and wiser, by reading, studying and learning on the job?
Once at a conference, a mathematician approached me and said, "you are from the communications, right? There's no real theory that supports your work. You just organize parties and meet people. How nice!" My hands felt a sudden itch, but I managed to calm the urge to slap, successfully. After all, I am a PR professional and I am wise. I bowed my head and continued to read.
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