From College to Career: Transitioning into Being A PR Professional

Transitioning from a student majoring in Advertising and Public Relations (Ad/PR) to a full-fledged PR professional can be both exciting and daunting. While college provides the foundation of knowledge for your career, the real-world application of classroom concepts can feel like a whole new challenge, especially if you do not have prior experience through internship opportunities. I’ll be sharing a few strategies that will help you bridge that gap between college education and its application to real-world processes. 

Have A Strong Portfolio 

Your portfolio is one of the most important assets you’ll have as a young professional. It showcases skills including campaign planning, media relations, content creation and strategic thinking. To create a stellar portfolio, utilize projects from your coursework and internships; I specifically plan on using my final capstone project from Grand Valley as a building block for my portfolio. It’s also important to remember that employers are looking for diversity in your capabilities. Including case studies, press releases, social media campaigns and digital ads you created can help demonstrate your versatility.

Keep your portfolio updated and digitized. Having a personal website or a well-organized PDF version makes sharing your work with potential employers easier!

Networking Best Practices

Developing relationships with industry professionals can lead to job offers, collaborations and mentorship opportunities. To increase the amount of relationships you have, it is crucial to attend industry events like conferences, seminars and workshops. While at these events, put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to ask other attendees and speakers questions. Joining professional organizations like the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) or the American Advertising Federation (AAF) also help prepare you for post-grad. These groups often have student chapters (PRSSA) that provide direct access to professionals, job boards and networking events.

Stay Adaptable

The Ad/PR landscape is a constantly evolving workforce with new technologies, trends, and platforms emerging rapidly. To stay competitive, you need to be adaptable and committed to continuously learning how these platforms work. Understanding how trends like influencer marketing, data analytics and artificial intelligence are reshaping a brand's communication styles with audiences is a key aspect in providing clients with the most up-to-date strategies that will benefit them. Taking advantage of online certifications is another tool that will make you more marketable. Being adaptable and taking time to learn new skills shows employers that you’re committed to professional development.

Transitioning from an Ad/PR student to a professional can feel overwhelming, but by building a strong portfolio, networking effectively, and staying adaptable, you’ll be well-equipped to succeed. Your college-to-career journey is the perfect opportunity to feel both rewarded and empowered. The most important thing to remember is that everything that you have done up until this point has all been to your overall benefit and that none of it will go to waste!

About

Lauren is a senior majoring in advertising and public relations with an emphasis in public relations. This is Lauren's second year in GrandPR as she continues her journey as an account associate. She spent her summer as a Social media and communications intern for StudioC!. After graduation, she hopes to find a position that allows her to continue her passion for modern media communications!