Public relations assistant skills for your resume and career

First and foremost, the ability to tell a story. Does your cover letter convey who you are and the major milestones of your life and career in logical, chronological order? Each and every bullet point in the experience section of the resume should tell specific stories of what you contributed to the business/cause, the results of your efforts (quantitative and qualitative results are key!), and the growth you enjoyed (were you promoted? given increasing responsibilities?). Every point should be considered a stand-alone story, conveying a message you intentionally want to convey about yourself.

Second, find ways to demonstrate you understand the value of networking. One way is to have a section on professional affiliations (like PRSA or PCC), pre-professional affiliations if just starting out your career (PRSSA or PRSA YPN), or reference networking events or conferences you've attended.

Third, since you are constantly swinging across various industries throughout your career, being interested in many topics, issues and industries are key. Can you show you are open to change and have a wide array of interests and passions? Also, if you have causes or issues you are passionate about, make sure you share them on the resume and/or in the interview. Take any chance to show who you are as a person and what makes you tick. Authenticity is key.

Lastly, as PR is a creative field and you need an open mind to solve your client's most pressing problems, you'll want to demonstrate that you value iteration as a core principle ("Yes, and..." in improv terms). You can show this either by the extracurricular section of your resume, through examples in your experience section, or even in the interview itself.

In terms of technical skills, I would say the ability to research and write well is key. Research enables our work to be more strategic and targeted, supports our ability to interact with different clients across multiple industries, and helps us in the relationship-building process. Strong writing skills set you up well for multiple aspects of public relations. In media relations, for example, writing well can translate to media results. If you're writing for social media, being concise and grabbing the attention of readers matters. If you're working in a larger group, strong writing skills help you to craft and maintain a consistent brand voice.

If people need to take gap years, I would recommend that they continue to work on their communication skills. Read and write/create content for a wide range of audiences. Continue to learn and use technology. Look for opportunities to demonstrate leadership. And work on self-confidence. Volunteering for nonprofits that could use their help would be excellent. Those are great on resumes, will build skills, and the students will feel amazing helping others with their skills.

The ability to gather information through multiple methods and distill it, verify it, write about it, and communicate about it through various media and means.

Digital, digital, digital. Arts and entertainment organizations have become digital media organizations during the pandemic and so technical skills in social media marketing, website development and maintenance, search engine optimization, video, audio, post-production, and live streaming are standouts. And I am not even certain that's an exhaustive list!