Do You Have a "PR Personality"?
This is a guest post by Alison Kenney, a Boston-based independent PR practitioner with over 15 years of experience in the field.
In today′s tight labor market, employers want PR pros with the whole package: strong writing skills, a convincing presence and the ability to make things happen. That someone is typically a person with lots of confidence, energy, enthusiasm and ambition — someone who shows a lot of initiative and drive to meet and exceed goals.
The Meyers-Briggs Personality-Type Indicator
shows that people of the ENFJ (Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging), INTJ (Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging), and INFJ (Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging) types are very well-suited toward a public relations career.
"People of this type [ENFJ] "¦create goodwill and"¦ tend to be: friendly, outgoing, and enthusiastic; affectionate articulate, and tactful; highly empathetic but easily hurt; creative and original; decisive and passionately opinionated, productive, organized, and responsible. The most important thing to ENFJs is their relationships, and the opportunity to communicate and connect with others".
The US Department of Labor′s Bureau of Statistics states that, "Creativity, initiative, good judgment, and the ability to express thoughts clearly and simply are essential. Decision making, problem-solving, and research skills also are important. People who choose public relations as a career need an outgoing personality, self-confidence, an understanding of human psychology, and an enthusiasm for motivating people. They should be competitive, yet able to function as part of a team and open to new ideas."
But even if you don′t fall neatly into the Myers-Briggs Personality profiles mentioned above, think about which traits you do possess and which other "PR" characteristics you can develop and hone through practice.
There are multiple kinds of PR jobs, all with different functions and requirements. Consider:
- Some PR pros develop a specialty based on their job function. For instance, expert writers are highly sought out for their ability to craft speeches, turn technical language into an instructional document or develop web pages with dynamic phrases. PR folks with a strong writing bent may not need to rely on their "working their room" skills as much.
- Publicists, or people in celebrity PR, don′t want to overshadow their client. Among other traits, they are sought after for their fast reactions and around-the-clock availability, their ability to control situations and get through to specific reporters when needed.
- Agency PR staff must hone their client service skills, including empathy, organization skills, analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
- PR professionals who are creative thinkers and display curiosity, the ability to adapt and to think on their feet are valued for their content contributions to team members and others in their department.
Even if you think of yourself as introspective or shy, you may be successful in PR. It′s a matter of understanding yourself, your capabilities, the demands of the job and the role you want to play.
Alison Kenney is an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience. She is based on Boston′s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries. She can be reached at alisonkenney at comcast dot net.
Photo credit: Thomas Hawk
Date: October 13th, 2009 / Author: Lindsay
Posted in Public Relations / Tags: Advice, Alison Kenney, guest post, Meyers Briggs, personality
5 Comments - Add yours!
Ann Marie Ricard (October 13th, 2009)
This post hits home for me. Shortly after college, I was fortunate enough to land an interview with a very hot Bay Area agency. At the end of the afternoon, I was heartbroken when the managing partner pointed out that I must be in the wrong place. She kindly explained that my personality test clearly showed I should be an accountant. My mistake was that I didn’t have a response to tell her why these same skills (attention to detail, stable, practical) could translate very well to PR, thank you.
I didn’t get that job, but I didn’t give up, either. Just days later, I received an offer for an AC position at a leading firm. 15 years later, I still love what I do.
I agree with Alison. It takes all kinds of personalities to create a winning team. Know your strengths and be able to confidently showcase how this will help your potential employer/clients shine.
Brandon Croke (October 14th, 2009)
Hi Lindsay,
Great blog, keep it up. Quick question about the Myers Briggs.
Sean I have also heard those claims about the test. I was curious what your degree in psychology was in? You’re absolutely right though, it should never be used in hiring decisions and this is widely known to MBTI professionals. (should be at least)
You may already know this, but Carl Jung developed the original theory, he was pretty big in psychology. Isabel and Katharine did endless statistics based off of behavioral analysis. I don’t know what their deal was, but they made a pretty popular test.
Of course popular usually equals awful, so I’m glad you think for yourself. And yes, it is a self reported test, so it can be easily flawed by choice, environment, lack of self knowledge etc.
I would critique the authors representation of the MBTI, and not necessarily the instrument itself. If you eat your fork at a restaurant, don’t complain about the food.
Sean (October 14th, 2009)
Good thoughts, Brandon. Thanks for the input.
jrandom42 (October 15th, 2009)
Find it amazing that the INTJs would make good PR pros. As a strong INTJ, I find it difficult not to get totally drained dealing with people all day. That, along with my abilities in mathematics, science and engineering lean me as far away from public relations as possible
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This blog is to share my recruiting experiences and discuss thoughts on the job market, PR industry and technology.
Alison Kenney is an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience.
Sean (October 13th, 2009)
Interesting points in your article – thank you.
One thing: Myers-Briggs is about as accurate as reading tea leaves. It was developed by two people with no training in psychology or psychiatry. It is easily fooled and should never be used in making hiring or promotion decisions. In practice, it’s like going to see a storefront psychic. Any M-B exam should be stamped with the words “FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.”