Getting Agency-Ready: Pandemic Edition
If you had asked me at the beginning of the year what my summer was going to look like, I would have shared my goals for an internship in New York City. When spring rolled around, and my inbox was flooded with canceled internship opportunities due to COVID-19, it’s safe to say I felt pretty defeated.
Eager to use my time this summer to gain experience in any way I could, I signed up for certifications, summer classes and anything I could get my hands on to enhance my personal skills and portfolio. So, when the PR Council announced it was offering a free Agency-Ready Certification Program, I signed up immediately.
The PR Council is the only trade association committed to public relations agencies. As an organization, the PR Council helps grow it’s 110+ member agencies and the overall industry through education, events, industry resources and thought leadership.
Over the course of eight weeks this summer, I took part in the certification alongside thousands of other public relations students across the globe. This program, which had more than 50 hours of content available from well-known agencies like BCW, Ketchum, M Booth, Golin and more, provided students and recent graduates with the ability to learn and network in the midst of chaos and confusion.
The webinars covered a wide variety of crucial topics, everything from writing and pitching fundamentals to crisis communications and diversity and inclusion. Some of my favorite presentations were “The Presentation on Winning Presentations,” “Building Brand Ecosystems with Influencers” and “Social & Media Listening: Our Secret Advantage.” I finished these presentations with a clear idea of what it takes to make a presentation clear, concise and compelling, a thorough understanding of how to treat influencers like the creative partners they are, and a firm grasp on all things social media listening.
In addition to hearing from some of the best in the industry, students like me were able to network with current and future leaders via a LinkedIn group with other participants and speakers. Many students from around the globe also connected via GroupMe and other social media platforms.
With more than 20 hours of webinars under my belt, it’s clear I gained a lot of industry insight and knowledge. But most importantly, this program showed me just what it means to be a part of the public relations industry.
Yes, it involves a lot of writing, presenting and communication skills. Yes, it is always changing and you need to be ready to work hard under pressure. But, more than that, the industry is filled with people who are constantly striving to do better work than they did the day before and are inspired by each other to do meaningful, purposeful work. And I am excited to be a part of it.
Written by Erin Lewis