To say my three years at university ended abruptly is an understatement!
From being in a crowded library with other stressed students worrying about their final deadlines, to a matter of days later, being the last of six to leave my university house, as I hurriedly returned home to be with my family - as this deadly virus engulfed the nation. As sad as it was to leave my friends, without even a chance to say goodbye in some instances, this was overshadowed by the constant fear and uncertainty of what might happen next - both in terms of the health of my family and friends, as well as the job opportunities which may or may not present themselves for a university graduate as I took the next step into the ‘real world’, as it is often put to me.
Nevertheless, I took this opportunity to generate an understanding of what career path I could venture into. One which had always captured my interest was a career in public relations. The energetic, fast-paced environment, which I had imagined it to be, had certainly caught my eye and I decided to look into pursuing a career in this industry.
However, along with many of my fellow graduates from the 2020 class, job offers in almost every sector are limited. Companies are terrified of where they will find themselves in the coming months. With large scale redundancies and job losses throughout the country during this difficult period, large companies and businesses have struggled to maintain their trusted reputation with the general public. I believe PR will now more than ever play a vital role in reversing any reputational damage and gaining back the trust, loyalty, and respect which may well have been lost during Covid-19.
All these factors coincided, along with my skills and ambitious mindset, allowed me to seriously look to follow this career path. As a history student I have established a keen analytical eye, along with more developed written and communicational skills both formal and informal. Reputational management seeks such skills and will certainly allow me to develop them all further.
The younger generation will play a huge role in the progress of reputational management. I speak for many others of my graduating class when I say we are more determined to find the right career path following the difficulties faced as a result of the pandemic. Those graduating are certainly at a huge advantage with the advancements in the usage of social media both in terms of our social lives and work lives. Social media is certainly the future for a huge number of sectors, including PR. The knowledge and experience that my generation can bring to the sector will be instrumental for the future of PR.
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