When I graduated from Geneseo in 2007 with a BA in English, I must admit, I didn’t have much of a sense of direction. But when I met with a recruiter and underwent a skills assessment, I was sent to Rubenstein to interview. I had never really considered public relations as a career path before beginning to work for Rubenstein, but I immediately loved the work. I began as a floating administrative assistant, getting a little taste of every department within our firm – working on accounts in fields as far-ranging as Arts & Entertainment, Sports, Real Estate, Law, Finance, Consumer Interests, Educational & Cultural Institutions and Non-Profits. I worked in the President’s office for a few years from there, and as of the spring of this year, I have found a home coordinating accounts in the Consumer Interests group working with clients such as BMW and Madame Tussauds.
What I love about working in public and media relations is that every day is different – there are always new things to learn and new problems to work out. I also love the diversity of the people I work with and the clients we work for. It’s a great field to enter as a graduating English major because strong writing and communications skills are a must-have to be successful. It’s also necessary to be aware of current events, popular culture, advancements in technology and all forms of media and communications, and I remember this sort of social and global awareness being fostered and encouraged during my time at Geneseo. I know that PR professionals sometimes get a bad rep as being nothing but sleazy spin doctors, and crisis management is definitely part of what we do – but there’s so much more to it than that. Helping our clients spread awareness of their brands and tell their stories in a positive way is my favorite part of the job. Public Relations is definitely a field I would recommend pursuing.