Q. I'm a police reporter who is looking to move his family to another state this summer and am thinking about changing my career to public relations. I am uncertain, however, as to how to present my 12 years as a journalist in a way that would be attractive to employers. Any thoughts?
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A. I asked a friend, Jason Brown at Hermanoff & Associates Public Relations in Farmington Hills, Mich., to help us out. He wrote this:
When reporters are looking to make the switch from journalism to public relations, I often tell them to focus on two areas in their cover letter or in the interviews:
Strong writing skills: Whether the position you seek is with a public relations firm or inside a corporate relations department, the employer will want to see your previous work. If your writing is strong, then that will be a key selling point to any company.
Understanding media: Explain that your experience as a reporter is a valuable asset for the position. Given this experience, you should have a clear understanding of:
- What a reporter would look for in a pitch from a public relations person.
- How to package the client's message in a way that seems appealing to the reporter where you are trying to place a story.
Coming Thursday: She moved overseas after completing college and some internships. Her experience since then has been light. How can she break back in to journalism?
This may be too obvious to even mention, but I...
