Public Relations Jobs
Public relations is a very competitive career. More qualified people vie for PR jobs than there are jobs to fill.
A job in public relations usually starts at a public relations firm. Public relations firms can be found all over the country, with the highest concentrations in large metropolises. Clients will normally seek the services of a public relations specialist by approaching a PR firm. A student who has interned at a firm may have a better chance of obtaining a job there.

As a public relations specialist, you may work or provide services for:

- A company's communication department. If you work for a company in their communication department, you will most likely have an area within that department to concentrate on;
- The government. If you are able to secure a government PR position, your title may become "press secretary", "public affairs specialists", or "communication specialists". Your duties vary with your title and what part of the government you work for;
- The entertainment industry. Normally, a public relations specialist is hired for the entertainment industry through a firm who specializes in entertainment. Obtaining a job in such a firm requires aggression, experience, commitment, dedication, and long, late hours;
- Your own company. Many public relations specialists start their own firms, usually after working in the industry for many years and building contacts.

Your job as a public relations specialist may be specialized. You may have an area of PR expertise in one of the following areas:
- Programming;
- Cultivating relationships;
- Editing and writing;
- Information and/or research;
- Production;
- Special events;
- Speaking;
- Research and evaluation;
- Media relations;
- Employer or member relations;
- Community relations;
- Public affairs;
- Government affairs;
- Issues management;
- Financial relations;
- Industry relations;
- Fund raising;
- Multicultural affairs.

The Role of a Public Relations Specialist
Regardless of whom a PR specialist works for, the duties the job entails do not vary much. A public relations specialist's main role is to develop a relationship with the company, organization, or person they work for, and the media or public.

Your duties as a public relations specialist involve the following:
- Research;
- Writing press releases;
- Preparing and mailing press kits;
- Organizing events;
- Organizing press conferences;
- Maintaining media contacts;
- Preparing annual reports;
- Suggesting story ideas about the client to the media;

Additional duties will certainly exist, but vary depending on your firm, client, and position.

Essentially, a public relations specialist uses their skills as coordinator, manager, planner, and writer to accomplish their client's needs and work as a liaison for the media and public, and their client. Additionally, public relations specialists may also need to provide "damage control", in the event that their client receives bad publicity. A good PR specialist can take poor publicity and use it to their client's advantage.

Public relations specialists have the opportunity to advance in rank or title in their field, after much dedication and exhibited professionalism.

Income
Public relations work requires long hours and hard work with pay that may not always seem to match. The median income of a public relations specialist has been estimated at $53,000. Entry-level jobs usually pay in the $28 to $30,000 range. As a public relations specialist climbs on the PR success ladder, so does his or her compensation. An experienced public relations specialist with a high position can earn over $100,000 a year.

In the competitive role of public relations, it is important, if you plan to pursue such a profession, to obtain adequate training. If you obtain a degree in public relations, have the characteristics required of a public relations specialist, and have strong ambition and determination, you will be well on your way to securing a job in the fast paced and exciting world of public relations.