Staying Positive in a Fast-Paced Workplace
Determining What You Need to Do
Public relations is a diverse field with professionals pursuing various industries and gaining valuable experience. Something that stays relevant to public relations employees is the type of work environment they end up in, which can be highly overwhelming if it is something they have yet to be exposed to. Everyone’s brain is wired differently, so some professionals may thrive off of a fast-paced environment while others struggle to catch their breath and keep up with the company. One of the most challenging aspects of a PR job is adjusting to whatever this work environment is and seeing how they as a worker fit within it. If you are the type of person that may need a helping hand in adapting to a sped-up workplace, staying positive and avoiding stress may be hard. However, a fast-paced environment does not have to be your worst nightmare; you can fully take the reins and set yourself up to be a successful PR professional amongst the constant changes in the PR world.
How-to: Avoid Stress
When you are applying for jobs, look at the position descriptions and see if being able to work in a fast-paced environment is listed as a requirement. If it is, do not let that discourage you or intimidate you. Just like anything else, it takes preparation, patience, and practice to develop any new skills. In this case, that new skill is navigating through the quick speed of your workplace. The best foundation to help you keep up is to maintain organization, perhaps in a planner. This planner should include topics such as what you are working on, what you should be doing day-to-day, when projects need to be completed, meeting dates, break times, etc. Knowing what you have on your plate will help alleviate stress and stay on task. Another beneficial skill to acquire is being able to multitask, which can include breaking up your day by recognizing which tasks are long and which are shorter. Then, finish up those smaller tasks anytime you want to shift from the lengthier projects; this way you are working consistently pace and still getting everything done. Additionally, it is essential to step away at overwhelming times so you avoid burnout; come back to your task once you have a reset then you can better approach your project.
Don’t Give Up
Public relations requires professionals to be ambitious, flexible, and optimistic. Whether you believe you have those characteristics or not, does not determine how capable you are to still thrive in a fast-paced work environment. As I have mentioned, being able to stay positive within that hurried setting requires practice and skills that you have to work to develop. Going into the workforce can be scary; however, it is not impossible to adjust to change, but it will be essential to put in the effort. If you want to love what you do, you must secure your sanity even when the work feels like it’s moving quicker than you are. Several skills can elevate your capability of maintaining positivity and I only named a few.
Elise Rapeyko is a soon-to-be senior this winter and is majoring in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Psychology. She joined GrandPR and GVPRSSA this fall semester and is currently finishing up an internship for OneCampaign.