Why Working in PR Is So Stressful…
PR professionals know the meaning of stress! Some places rank careers in public relations within the top ten of most stressful jobs. So what is it exactly that makes PR professionals want to tear their hair out? Why is working in PR so stressful?
The answer has to do with what exactly it means to be a public relations professional and what people in this field do every day.
First of all, public relations professionals have to deal with clients. Clients are essential to any business, but anyone working with clients will tell you that dealing with them can be the most stressful part of a job. Some clients have unreasonable expectations and are rude when they discover that what they want is not possible. Some are confused about budget or can’t communicate what they want or need clearly. Clients can be very difficult to work with, and this causes people who work in PR a lot of stress.
To be a successful public relations professional, you have to be flexible and go with the flow. This is because the media is constantly changing. Technology always has something new that you can use to help a PR campaign, and this is one of the reasons working in public relations is so stressful. You are trying to create something that is constantly changing as you try to build it. In a sense, the job is never done because there is always some new to add.
Everyone can agree that relationships are stressful. Whether it is a relationship with sibling, friend, or spouse, relationships take work and can very easily blow up in your face. Well, public relations is all about relationships. A PR professional has to create a maintain relationships with the public on behalf of a business or company. This means that the stress of a managing a relationship is a fundamental part of a public relations job.
PR is poorly understood, and this leaves a lot of room for confusion and miscommunication. Many people assume that public relations will generate something tangible just like advertising or that the results will be exact. This is not the case, and it creates a lot of stress.
Every job out there has its share of difficulties that lead to stress. Public relations, however, stands above many careers as one of the most stressful. This is due to the very nature of the job. PR professionals have to create relationships with the public. They also handle clients who often have unrealistic expectations and work in a field that is not understood by most people. All of this leads to high levels of stress. But as we all know, oftentimes struggling through stress leads to the best rewards, and this is true for working in PR.
