A career out of people skills

Are you good at communication and want to enrol in a major that highlights your social skills? Rania Al Hussaini highlights public relations as a job option

Public relations (PR) is a favourite choice of major at Zayed University. Notes spoke to Kenneth Starck, dean of mass communications, Zayed University Dubai, who offered tips and information on how to break into a career in PR.

Define PR as a major and a career? What are its specialisations?
There are many definitions of public relations. Early in my career an expert practitioner told me: 'Public relations is human relations.' That's certainly true.

But it is also more. A colleague and I have sought to redefine public relations as an "active attempt to restore and maintain the sense of community that has been lost in contemporary society. (Kruckeberg and Starck, Public Relations and Community: A Reconstructed Theory, Praeger, 1988).

Is PR a top choice of major for students in the UAE?
The main career choice of Zayed University students and graduates is public relations and advertising. At the moment, about 80 per cent of our students have chosen public relations and advertising as their study concentration.

What are the practice areas most in demand from an employer's and an employee's viewpoint?
Tourism and special event management - these are two areas in which there is growing interest from students and business alike. Opportunities abound in these areas because of their importance in the continuing development of the UAE.

What are the courses to be taken?
They are around 16 courses for a total of more than 50 credit hours.

How can a PR degree be useful from a career viewpoint?
A public relations degree will assure - or, at least should assure - the employer that this graduate is prepared to step in and contribute immediately to the goals of the organisation.

This does not mean that the new employee is fully prepared for the real-world challenges, but he is qualified, committed and willing to keep learning on the job. If the degree reflects best international practices, so much the better for the employee and employer.

How do you determine international standards?
This is not always easy. But one way is to find out whether a programme is accredited. In our field there are several such accrediting agencies. One is the International Advertising Association (IAA), which accredits studies in "marketing communicating," which encompasses such areas as public relations, advertising and promotion.

Early this year the IAA accredited the programme at Zayed University.

Which other academic subjects can be useful for a PR position?
It is imperative that public relations professionals have a broad-based intellectual background. This will enable them to contribute even more to their organisation and to keep growing within the organisation.

Is experience a prerequisite?
Some type of experience is very useful. Often this can be achieved through internships, which our programmes require of all students. Students are also encouraged to seek summer employment.

What is the minimum experience that an employee should have?
An internship is the minimum. Employers set their own standard, and this varies. The supreme test always is: Can this person do the job?

What about extracurricular activities?
Activities outside the classroom are extremely important. They help create a well-rounded person. They should begin early in a student's academic career.

In this way, the person can move into increasingly responsible positions. This provides excellent experience that will later pay dividends in a person's career.

Is it important for students majoring in PR to know the media?
Effective communication requires knowledge of the environment. This means not only familiarity with the media and how they operate but also knowledge of the audience, its culture, traditions, history.

One way to know the media and the audience is, first, to be aware of how important this is, and, second, to pay close attention to both through studies and observation

There is a misconception with most people thinking that being a PR is all about attending parties and event management. So what do you tell them regarding this?
Parties are fine, but successful public relations is all about communication. It is its most fundamental component.

Are PR agencies satisfied with the writing skills of the employees they hire?
Our graduates are well qualified to meet the professional work challenges in the nation's marketplace. As UAE nationals, their lives have been and are an intrinsic part of the fabric of the culture. And competence in both English and Arabic helps too.