Being able to adapt is essential if you want to develop professionally and grow your career in PR. Here are 6 reasons WHY:
1: People, places and things – change.
Rules change – remember when AP Style was KING? Strategy changes- oops, that video went VIRAL! Clients change their minds, employees change their goals and so on…YOU must adapt to meet them where they are, welcoming appropriate and wise change, while knowing how to hold steady too.
2. Technology evolves.
Apps come and go, coding evolves, software programs get better and stronger and databases improve efficiency. Staying on top of the change calls for ultra flexibility, but it builds your skill set too.
3. The working press has been totally made over.
The public can now learn in ‘real time’ what is happening in the world, so there is no need to wait for the nightly newscast. Newspapers are increasingly read online. Bloggers are the new-era reporters and citizens with phone cameras have taken on a new-media life of its own. This independent, user-uploaded data has blurred the lines of what is credible news – so consumers beware…and PR professionals need to be on top of all that!
4. Clients expect real time results.
Technology has given the impression that most everything can be done instantly. So that content that took a whole day to produce last year – now needs to be researched, written, edited, approved and posted or published and cross posted and published at a much faster pace. Multi-tasking is the new normal.
5. Culture shifts.
The personal connections and human part of a career can change rapidly. You love your boss, but if a better offer comes along, you may find yourself with a new personality to adapt to. Just remember that everyone has something to teach, so learn what you can…before things change again!
6. News is a 24 hour gig now.
The 8AM – 5PM model no longer works. Learning to manage and balance a news oriented career takes discipline and flexibility – not to mention an ebb and flow that can’t possibly be taught in University. Know going in – adaptation is the one constant of a PR career.