As an PR intern, one has to do the "menial" jobs that the other PR pros don't really have time to deal with. Not that they don't want to, but they've got "bigger" jobs to do, such as planning an event for a client or coming up with a strategic way for a client to communicate with their target audience. More often than not, the Pros come up with the ideas and the methods behind the madness, and someone lower on the food chain is responsible to implement those ideas.
Well, luckily, I've had a lot of experience implementing the ideas and decisions of some truly brilliant people at Hiebing. Implementing has an actual code for billing time: 508. Some of the tasks I might bill under 508 are responding to Tweets, writing letters to contest winners, packaging up Wellness Kits for bloggers, and writing out thank you's to those who participated in a recent Twitter Party. I've really enjoyed performing these tasks, and there's something that I have picked up on about PR that a lot of people would miss unless they have done the jobs that I have. And that is: PR upholds the idea of "common courtesy" for an organization.
PR has the delightful task of managing and maintaining relationships. This includes the good and the bad, because we all know relationships aren't always perfect. But with a little common courtesy and doing the right thing, many problems can be fixed. And that can be a very fun, and rewarding job. Even being from a small town, common courtesy is definitely something that is lacking from the day-to-day life. If there's something that goes wrong and the target audience is upset, it's PR's job to make it right. This can usually be done by showing respect for the upset party and just showing some plain, old kindness. What a wonderful, fulfilling way to make a living, if you ask me.
So while it might be just code 508, or just taking care of business for others, PR pros really need to sit back and realize exactly what they are doing: just leading by example with a little care and concern for others. Who knows, maybe some of that kindness will rub off on others.
