How many public relations (PR) practitioners does it take to change a lightbulb? It takes four: one to change the bulb and three to write the holding statement, fact sheet, and news release. If this joke totally confuses you, chances are good that you aren't a PR major or that you have no idea what PR is. Regardless, check out these signs that you are, in fact, a PR major for a little clarification.
1. You constantly have to explain what your major is.
Yes, it's different from marketing and advertising. Yes, it's important. Public Relations Society of America defines PR as the "strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics."
2. The Oxford comma is not your friend.
Take that Oxford comma and throw it far away.
3. You have an unhealthy relationship with coffee.
PR people are constantly on the go. It's imperative that we get our daily dose of happiness in a cup and it's probably best to avoid conversation until we do so.
4. You can’t help but critique everyone’s grammar.
Usually, we don't intend to, but it's second nature to us. Finding a grammar or spelling error in a book or article is similar to Christmas morning.
5. You aspire to be the next Olivia Pope.
She's the total package. You'd be hard-pressed to find a PR major who isn't obsessed with this gorgeous, white-hat wearing, and lipstick-loving PR hero.
6. Your friends are always asking you to edit their papers.
We don't mind. If finding a grammar error is Christmas morning, editing is Thanksgiving Day.
7. You’re always up-to-date on what’s happening in the news.
At any given time, a PR major knows the day's top news stories and more. You can almost guarantee that we follow multiple news outlets on social media and that we are constantly checking Google News.
8. LinkedIn is your BFF.
Networking is everything.
9. You love a good corporate crisis.
We aren't necessarily happy when a company is experiencing a crisis, but we love to see PR in action.
10. You spend 80 percent of your time working in a group.
If you're a PR major, then you'd better learn to love group work.
11. You’re always thinking of things that companies should be doing differently.
We can't help it. We've always got PR on the brain and when we see something that could be improved, we have to point it out.
