Public relations officers are also referred to as public relations professionals or communications specialists. There are certain requirements for a PR professional. A PR officer acts as a bridge between organisations and the public. The work is distributed under various sectors for a PR officer.

Requirements for a PR professional:

• Any basic degree is accepted. Of Course any higher degree, for example an MBA will provide better opportunities.
• In the initial stage, one may start as an assistant. Over a period of time there will definitely be growth as a PR officer.
• There are certificate courses offered by the Public Relations Society of India . They help in building your profile and excel among others.
• You should be very outspoken. For example, in a room full of people you should be ready to grab the attention with the magic of your words.
• Confidence is something very essential in the field. By having this one can face any challenge or obstacle that is on their way.
• Exceptional communication skills is the biggest advantage in this field as dealing with people is very much necessary. There are various kinds of people whom they have to face, so knowing when and how to speak is very important.
• As public relations is diverse, one cannot do everything alone. A team is required in finishing a task. For this a person must know how to deal people with ease.
• One must be patient enough while dealing with clients and providing customer services.
• Since there is a lot of creativity involved for this profession, a PR person must be extremely creative and come up with new ideas and suggestions. This helps in dealing with any sort of difficulty. For example at the time of crisis, where one must be ready in recovering it.
• To be social media savvy is very important as most of the work is done through it these days.
• You cannot stick yourself to one work. Multi-tasking is essential as there will be various types of work all at a time. If one cannot manage to handle all of them together, chances of survival in this field are very less.
• Everyday is different so adapting to changes is also required.

As this industry is challenging, a PR person must possess all the above mentioned qualities.