Breaking into the industry of Public Relations

Let’s be honest, there is no right or wrong answer. But what I can say is that there are challenges. During my college career, I started looking into positions as a public relations professional. I started within the first few weeks because I felt that would be enough time. And here I am, 8 months post-graduation, and still not working with an agency. It had me thinking whether degrees matter. I had a guy that I reached out to see if I could shadow or intern with him. And his response was, “I don’t have that type of time. But reach out to me if you have any questions.” I saw him looking up things in the reflection of his glasses from our Zoom meeting. He declined my request to work with him, which I stated in my email, but signed me up for his newsletter.

I was disappointed. However, I realized this would be something I would face and had to figure out how to keep going. I struggled with applying to agencies or freelancing to build on my own. Here is where the challenge comes in: as a new public relations professional, did I have enough experience for clients to feel confident in my work? Were my target audience’s views the same as established agencies, wanting the experience over a degree? How can I successfully build when no one is willing to give me a chance? They say you have to get out and make a name for yourself, as if that is not what I have been doing.

I went to support one of my favorite actors and comedians at a networking event. I spoke to one of the organizers, and she quickly deflected my approach. I’m like, isn’t this what the purpose of your event is? And honestly, I just wanted to see if I could help. After the event, we were waiting in the Valet to get our cars. I was waiting with no intentions of speaking to her after I caught her vibe, just respecting her space, but she walked off as if she was so focused on getting her car. But really, she didn’t want me speaking to her again. I wasn’t even willing once I picked up on her energy.

One thing I know is that you may enhance skills, but you can’t teach passion. I would rather work hard to build genuine connections than use people and ego to gain exposure. It left me wondering, are there any genuine people left? But even more important, if I trust God...everything will work out for my good!