Reading a comment on this blog about a student requesting for guidance… i thought i could share, what could be the ideal scenario that you people can create for yourself.

Know thy client

Once you join in a public relations consultancy, your first job will be to understand what your clients are doing? What is the client’s main business? One tip: read about them on their own website, sometimes even the client forget that information is available online, on their own website. But God help you, if you get a dotcom company to work for, since they keep updating the website on daily basis. You should not forget you role is in client servicing and that will be your major time being spent on.

Also understand the person from the client side; they are no monsters, out there. They have their own reporting structures, inhibitions, ambitions. Try to meet them and match with them, complement his / her work, rather than being nuisance. Before their bosses ask them “what is happening with PR?”; “What are the results?”; What are the initiatives being planned for the forthcoming quarter?” You have already equipped him or her with all these answers.

Know thy client’s industry

You are a novice that is the biggest advantage! Since what ever information is offered to you, you will be able to absorb it like a sponge. Your PR skills will come handy, as to how and when you can use this information. Please keep reading about the industry, best place to start is the newspapers, if you are in entertainment you should be able to recognise the names of all the television, bollywood stars – your guide to this new found knowledge can start with Bombay Times Page 3, HT Café, DNA After Hours; if you are in technology practice, then read Times Trends, DNA Evolutions, HT – Life, Universe and Everything Else – latest tech trends are being spoken here. These are just starters…

Know thy company

At first, need not understand the systems, processes; this will become a way of life, eventually. What you need to understand is the culture of the organization that you are joining. Am I being vague? What you need to understand is what is the ultimate goal of your organization that you have joined? Is it to achieve X number of clients, is to earn X amount money in terms of retainer, is it to do X number of projects? Is it to change the face of the PR industry? One you have clear understanding as to what you organization goals are for the long term. You will understand how you will be able to contribute to their growth and eventually to your own growth and learning.

 Know thy media

As a PR professional, what tends to happen is that you will be asked do you know anybody in this media house. Another tip: do keep in touch with your batchmates specially who have graduated with you and specialized in journalism. They will surely be able to guide you to the right person in the media house.

Don’t forget about public relations

Once you get into the rut of doing work, you end up following your TTDs (Things To Do List) forgetting whole lot of things that you had studied, there a lot of books being written by PR professionals, yes in India too. You should try to read them, there are some really good books at the British Council Library and if you have ever go back to your alma mater, you will be surprised to find some more books, under the Dewey Decimal Classification 659 - which is the designated number for Advertising and Public Relations.

Some qualities are in-born, some you acquire while studying the subject of public relations. The other set of qualities that you should have and keeping building on   

Passion if you can keep the passion for public relations living on within inside you, the you will never feel bogged down or the thought work is killing you… the passion will be so strong that it drive you to work even on early Monday morning. 

Learning – you should try and learn new things. You should be so self-motivated that “I will learn this new thing today”. And if you do it, you will yourself discover the potential that you have it in you.

Modesty – It’s ok if say ‘I don’t know’s, rather giving bullshit and some vague answers and trying convince the person  that you are right. You can always say that, you will get back with answers, they will respect you more. A last fighting scene before Neo goes and saves Morpheus from Matrix – Part I

Neo: Trinity, do you know how to fly the chopper?

Trinity: give me minute

Trinity: (calls) Operator, please upload the soft ware of flying a Helicopter XYZ

Trinity: (turns to Neo)  I know

You guys, don’t need some sci-fi flick to convince on how to fly a chopper, you have Google, Wikipedia. You have all the experts within your own organization who would love to guide and monitor you, if you have the right questions.