By Amy Fleishans
Kari Mather presented on Tuesday’s meeting, packing so much information into
the presentation that we’re breaking it up into two blog posts. This is part two, which compares the differences of working for a corporation, agency and the government as a PR practitioner. For her tips on getting a job, check out part one.
As mentioned in part one of the blog, Kari has had the unique opportunity to work in three areas of PR—for an agency, the federal government and a corporation. These are her takes on the good, bad and ugly of each PR field.
PR Agency
Good:
• Freedom to be creative.
Kari said agencies offer the biggest creative outlet for employees. “You can be your own person—the culture of an agency is unique by offering creative outlets that corporate and government jobs don’t.”
• Organization focused on PR
“It’s awesome to work in a company that lives and breathes public relations, all day, every day,” she said. When surrounded by colleges that get PR, it’s thrilling to have a team you can bounce ideas off of and get support from.
Bad:
• Money
Agencies are the lowest paying PR jobs. Kari shared her first agency job’s starting salary—it wasn’t much.
• Time
“Like a law firm, your hours at an agency are billable,” Kari explained. “You’re constantly on a tight timeline and have to keep track of projects every 15 minutes.”
Ugly:
• Sketchy healthcare
Since most agencies are small businesses, they can’t afford great health care plans for their employees. Often times the premiums are high or the coverage is low.
• Instability
Clients are constantly changing and practitioners must quickly adapt and learn new industries. Additionally, Kari explained that each time the economy suffers, so do agencies because clients decide they can no longer afford public relations.
Federal Government
Good:
• Benefits
“The federal government offers amazing benefit packages,” Kari said. Healthcare, sick days and other benefits are the best available.
• Low pressure
Unlike an agency job, working for the federal government is a low stress job. “Punch in at 9 am, take 30 minutes for lunch, clock out at 5pm and go home—it’s nothing like the go-go-go life of working at an agency,” Kari said. After coming from five years at an agency, she found herself bored working for the federal government.
Bad:
• Limited resources
Budgets allocated to projects are limited—in addition to a limited PR team implementing the campaign. Additionally, Kari felt like she never was given a chance to “push the envelope” since the federal government has to be cautious about the legality of each aspect of a campaign.
Ugly:
• Monotony
After coming from the fast-paced workload of an agency, Kari got bored working on the same campaign day after day. “It just wasn’t for me, it may be great for someone else, though.”
• Bureaucratic
“At the end of the day, you’re working for the man,” Kari laughed. “Everything has to go through the legal department—it takes forever to get anything approved.”
Corporate
Good:
• Money
Salary at a corporate PR job is higher than that paid at an agency or by the federal government. Kari said she received a large increase in pay when she started working at a corporation.
• Branding
“When you’re with a huge corporation, it’s awesome to see the branding on every street corner, in every city—think of Starbucks,” she said. “There’s just so much resource and time allocation available for you to utilize.”
Bad:
• 6 bosses is normal
The hierarchy at a corporation is never-ending. “Seriously—six bosses is completely normal,” Kari warned. The worst part of having so many bosses: It takes forever to get anything approved.
• Accountability
At corporations, individuals must hold themselves accountable for keeping work on track. “There isn’t anyone holding your hand or pushing you to meet a deadline—it’s all your responsibility to ensure your work is done on time.”
Ugly:
• Posturing
Large corporations are traditional and formal—Kari explained that “covering your bases” is a common formality that drags campaign projects out.
Thanks again, Kari, for presenting to ASU PRSSA this month!
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