So it’s 4pm and you’ve
still got one hour of mind-dulling media research to go before you switch of
your screen and head home. You’ve just settled your brain into stand-by mode
for the next 55 minutes, when out of the blue, your supervisor realizes that
no-one has been on the job of scripting speaking points for the Global GM and
National GM of an international company, who are in the middle of an
acquisition. Suddenly your up and you have two (yes TWO) high-profile speeches
due by next morning.
For the next 45
minutes you’re struggle to kick-start your creativity writing into gear, but it
seems to have run out of mileage an hour too early.
6pm is ticking closer
and now you have to make the critical decision: Stay late or smash it out in
the 2 hours you have before its due tomorrow morning.
You suddenly get the
feeling like your back in university, making the
all-important choice between watching one more episode of Orange is the New Black or breaking out that assignment you have
due in the next 24hrs. Now that you’re
actually working for a client and representing your company, the
pressure is higher than ever and you have to truly weigh up the quality of work
you can produce in limited time. Dusting your assignment with colour-coded graphs or intelligent articulations isn't going to impress your boss or your client, as it may have done your 2nd year professors.
When it comes down to
it you can’t rush an important task, even when your client only gives it to you
last-minute. Even as an unpaid intern you have a responsibility to produce
quality work, especially when you’re handed a job that would otherwise be
completed by an account manager. You need to show up and deliver, on time.
As much as you try, you can’t always
stick to your perfectly scripted timeline, because clients don’t really like to
be bossed around by someone they are employing (i.e. you, the PR consultancy).
For a career in PR, be prepared to arrive early, work late, and even put in hours on the weekends if you’re running
events.
Let’s be real, it’s
not going to 7am-10pm every day, but PR work usually comes in ebbs and flows so
there are definitely going to be days where you’ll have to put in the extra
effort, and you probably won’t be paid for it. It is a sacrifice we make to do
we work we love.
Don’t believe me? Have
a look at these facts from the Bureau of Labour Statistics, USA:
How has your experience with PR been so far? Is there the same expectation to work over-time doing in-house PR vs. Consultancy? Do you think this expectation fits into Australia's Gen. Y ideal of the work-life balance? Let's discuss in the comments.
