Column: Tips for a career in communications

BY CAROLINE GIBSON

When Forbes this year ranked Fairfield County 12th in a list of America”™s best cities for young professionals, we were thrilled to see the area recognized as both a great place to live and a great place to work.

Fairfield County is an investment haven and is home to some of the biggest hedge funds and private equity firms, as well as massive corporations like GE, offering excellent career opportunities for young professionals.

In tandem with Fairfield County growth, the public relations industry is growing 12 percent a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Much of this growth is driven by the profession”™s evolution to include digital and social media components. Contrary to popular belief, great opportunities are not only found in financial hubs such as New York City or Los Angeles, but here on our doorstep in Fairfield.

As we look ahead to 2015, we wanted to share some top tips and trends for people considering a career in PR in Fairfield County and beyond:

Ӣ Think like a CEO. Academics and professionals alike acknowledge that the responsibilities and expectations of the PR profession are changing; new skills and capabilities are required. Practical skills such as the role of social media in communications, the blurring of lines between traditional advertising and PR and the growth of analytics in driving communications decisions are vital. However, by far the greatest buzz in our industry is the need for communicators at all levels to develop better business acumen to enable them to serve as counselors rather than technicians.

Ӣ Develop gravitas. Gravitas is something that takes professionals many years to develop, yet in PR, from the very beginning of your career, you are dealing with senior executives and in many cases the CEOs of large organizations. You have to quickly learn how to get your point across and offer sound and well-thought-out advice in a confident and concise manner.

Ӣ Understand the business of the business. To be a true counselor to a CEO, you have to understand the business of the business. A recent study by DePaul University found that corporations want their communicators (in all industries) to be able to speak the language of business and that some of the most important skills they require are an understanding of financial markets and the ability to read a balance sheet and SEC disclosure requirements.

Ӣ Keep evolving. In the last 10 years, PR has evolved beyond belief. If you ask any senior communicator about the power of the press release 10 years ago versus today, the answer would be very different. Social media has, in a matter of years, turned the industry upside down. Can you imagine the ALS challenge, one of the most successful campaigns this year, before social media? Being able to recognize and embrace the new trends is one of the most important characteristics of a good PR professional.

Ӣ Find a mentor or become a mentor. In Connecticut, we have some of the best schools for PR in the country, such as Fairfield University and Quinnipiac University, as well as some of the top communicators in the world. In order to make a difference in this industry and foster good talent locally, finding a mentor or becoming a mentor can make a real difference in helping develop the skills PR pros need to excel.

Fairfield County resident Caroline Gibson is a managing director at Prosek Partners, a financial communications firm with offices in Fairfield, New York and London. She represents several Fairfield County businesses as well as many global corporations in the financial services sector. Email her at charris@prosek.com.