Public Relations

To many journalists, becoming a press officer is like selling your soul and it often referred to as "going to the dark side".

But generally, being a press officer is not nearly as sinister as some people imagine. When things do go wrong, the press office's role is often to argue for the organisation to be more open, rather than suppressing information.

And with the current problems affecting the newspaper industry, it can seem like an attractive offer. The Guardian recently quoted an unnamed ex-regional editor as saying: "The best jobs in the regions are now in council PR. They pay well, are professional and no one's shouting at you."

Benefits of Being a Press Officer

Many people move to public relations because they want more money and the pay certainly tends to be better. A survey by PR Week in 2007 found that the average salary for a press officer is about £25,000, but it can be considerably more than this.

My own personal view is that the calibre of people in public relations is lower than that of journalists, though obviously you get very talented and incompetent people in both professions. Because of this, I believe career progression is easier in PR than in local journalism and once you start to climb the career ladder you can start making some good money. For example, a head of communications for a council could be earning over £65,000.

There are also other benefits in that there is often more of a focus on work-life balance and the pressures of deadlines are likely to be less than in journalism.

It can also be interesting to be on the inside of an organisation rather than on the outside looking in. And by offering advice on the likely media consequences of decisions, you can play a role in deciding how your organisation behaves.

Pitfalls of Being a Press Officer

Before you decide to move to PR, think about it carefully. While crossing over from journalism to PR is relatively easy, it is not so straightforward to go back again if you decide communications is not for you.

I once worked for a talented news editor who had left journalism for PR and then decided he wanted to be a journalist again. He found his time in PR meant prospective editors were suspicious about his commitment to journalism.

Like any career, there are downsides to being a press officer and you need to think about whether or not you can put up with them.

For example, you have to be prepared for the fact that your professional advice will not always be accepted by colleagues, as many people think they know how to deal with the media because they read newspapers. And if one of these people is more senior than you then often you just have to put up with it.

Also, the sign-off process for press releases and statements can be complicated and this can lead to frustration. Some statements need signing off by up to eight different people, and as well as taking a long time this can lead to headaches when people make different changes to the same piece of text.

Particularly in big organisations, you may have colleagues who do not see the value of media relations and will not want to engage with you. While working as a press officer I have been told by colleagues that I should tell a journalist we are too busy to answer their question. Building an understanding of the way you work requires tact and diplomacy and can be a frustratingly large part of your job.

The Advantage of Journalism Experience

Every journalist has a story to tell about an incompetent press officer who has been lacking even the most basic understanding of how the media works.

Many press officers have not been journalists and this is the reason why many of them do not understand the media. So as a journalist, you have an advantage over them because you can use your experience to help make sure your work fits in with what the media wants.

The insight you have as a former journalist will also mean you are in a position to give useful advice to the senior management of your organisation about media handling. As well as being able to give advice by thinking about how you would have handled the story, sometimes senior colleagues can be more likely to listen to you because of your experience.

Applying for Press Officer Jobs

Most applications from journalists to become press officers - and particularly in the public sector - are not very good. A former manager once told me how he was baffled that while having been a journalist is such an obviously transferable skill, most applications they make are useless.

This is because journalists tend to write job applications the same way they write news stories: focusing on grabbing the attention and then making it a good read.

But with the public sector at least, it is better to be systematic in your writing, even if this means the application does not flow as well. This is because in the public sector employers have grids full of the different competencies that the job needs and they will go through your application and look at which competencies are demonstrated. Then the people with the most ticks get invited to interview.

Talking about all your exclusives might make you sound impressive. But if you are not also addressing the other competencies such as “commitment to diversity”, your “commitment to health and safety”, then your application is not going to get as many ticks as others. You might be cynical about this sort of application process , but if you do not play the game then you are unlikely to get the job.