How to Jumpstart a Career in PR: Advice From a New Account Coordinator

By Nick Singer, Account Coordinator/Office Manager at LCI 

I recently joined the LCI team as an account coordinator in my first full-time public relations role. Let’s face the reality of beginning a new job: you’re new, nervous and getting up to speed on clients, strategies, office operations and other important PR-related tasks – all at the same time.
As a new employee joining an established team, it’s normal to want to perform particularly well during your first week of the job, but you may feel uncertain or anxious when managing all of your new responsibilities. Here are my three tips for making those important first few weeks easier and more successful:

1. Ask a lot of questions. While the pace of your work environment may vary from day to day, find time to ask important questions to your supervisors and co-workers. They want to help you settle in because the sooner you’re up to speed, the sooner you’ll be able to take work off of their plates. Ask for clarification before starting projects so you can save time in the long run. However, don’t forget to employ your critical thinking skills by searching for solutions before presenting the issue to your colleagues. They’ll be impressed with your initiative and problem-solving skills, and you’ll continue to hone your skills, as well.

2. Organize your emails. I cannot stress this enough! Create folders in your inbox for different clients and then sub-folders within those files for different topics (e.g.  press coverage, events, media relations, etc.) Another tip to facilitate organization is to flag important emails and mark important dates on your calendar so you don’t miss deadlines. Emails can easily stack up, but luckily my supervisor gave me helpful organizational advice early on and saved me from a disorganized future in the office.

3. PR is not just about working quickly – it’s also about working accurately. As a new PR professional, you’ll likely be creating press clips, monitoring multiple media outlets and completing other projects that require timely responses. Balancing everything at once with correct and strategic thinking is ultimately at the heart of what we do in public relations. Think of who you’re sending your work to and remember that there is a client on the receiving end of your work. Lastly, be sure to double check for spelling, grammar and formatting errors before sending anything to your supervisor or client.

What are your tips for starting a new PR role? Share your thoughts below in a comment or send an email to [email protected].