Qualifications and Skills Required to be Successful in the Field.

Imagination, for dealing with present problems and expecting future ones;

Communication skills, with demonstrable competence in writing;

Personal confidence, for successful face-to-face contacts with individuals and groups;

Sensitivity to other people (simply to " like people" will not help a candidate get a job); both diplomacy and a more-than-ordinary ability to place oneself in the shoes of another are important in public relations work;

Organizing and planning ability, applied to oneself and others; as with many other occupations, managerial skills are invaluable for successfully climbing the public relations ladder.

Exercises: Translate the following words and phrases into Russian/Ukrainian: to create positive relations; to present in the most favourable light; to create an advantageous image; methods are employed; public relations differs from propaganda; international in scope; the press release; the spread of ideas; the established a firm; is often considered to be; many job opportunities are available; a profit or non-profit organization; employe, employee, focuses on one employer; ability, applied to oneself and others;

Text 2. Public Relations Includes Media, Investor and Client Relations By Mark Kolakowski

Public Relations Overview: Public relations specialists get important information about their company to the media, investors, clients and the general public. They also respond to outside questions to get information from these parties. Public relations specialists may concentrate on a certain area, such as: Media Relations. Investor Relations. Client Relations

Education: A bachelor’s degree is expected. Coursework in public relations, journalism and/or communications may be helpful. Experience as a working journalist can be even more valuable. Additionally, education and/or work experience in the financial field, especially in one or more of the firm’s lines of business, adds necessary background knowledge.

Certification: There is no formal certification required for public relations careers. However, excellent communications skills and people skills are important to being effective on the job. Public relations specialists must write and speak effectively, have excellent powers of persuasion, and demonstrate personal credibility.

Duties and Responsibilities: Public relations specialists write press releases and contact people in the media with the goal of getting the company’s story told. They also are involved in developing programs and events to promote the company and the subjects to be discussed, including community events and speeches by executives. Public relations people may be responsible for writing these speeches.

Typical Schedule: Public relations specialists must deal with tight deadlines, and heavy pressure. Work schedules are often long and unpredictable, dictated by breaking news and unexpected circumstances. In crisis situations, public relations specialists can be constantly on call, sometimes for extended periods. Depending on the job and the employer, travel may be required, as well as appearances at events outside regularly business hours.

What’s to Like: Public relations is often an exciting field. It also gives its practitioners a good ability to see both inside and outside the firm. In particular, public relations specialists often have close interactions with senior executives on an ongoing basis.

What’s Not to Like: The pressures of a job in public relations can be very confusing for some, especially the need to be constantly on call, and not just in crisis situations.

Text 3. Public Relations Specialist: Career Information By Dawn Rosenberg McKay, About.com Guide

Job Description: Public relations specialists communicate with the public on behalf of companies, organizations or governments. They are also called communications or media specialists. A public relations specialist spreads his or her employer's or client's message to the public, often using the media as connection.

Employment Facts: In 2008, public relations specialists held about 275, 000 jobs. Most of these jobs were in service-providing industries like advertising, health care, educational services and government. Some public relations specialists worked for communications firms, financial institutions and government agencies. Job opportunities have traditionally been concentrated in larger cities, i.e., New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C., but in recent years there have been jobs scattered throughout the country.

Educational Requirements: Although there are no standard educational requirements for working as a public relations specialist, employers prefer to hire job candidates who have college degrees and some experience. Many who enter this field have majored in public relations, journalism, communications, and advertising. Their experience generally comes from internships. Work in a field related to the employer's industry is also helpful.

Other Requirements: Those who want to work as public relations specialists should have these attributes: the ability to communicate clearly; creativity; initiative; good judgement; an outgoing personality; self confidence

Writing, problem solving, decision making and research skills are also a must for future public relations specialists. The ability to work on a team is also important.

Advancement Opportunities: Entry-level public relations specialists look after files about company or organization activities, field inquiries from the press and public, and help organize press conferences and other events. More experienced public relations specialists write press releases and speeches and coordinate public relations programs. Work in a small firm will provide a greater variety of experience than work in a large firm. As a public relations specialist gains more experience, he or she may be promoted to a supervisory position, including, account executive, senior account executive, account manager, and vice president.

Job Outlook: Employment of public relations specialists is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through 2018. However, this is a competitive field where there are more candidates than there are jobs for entry-level positions. Those with bachelor's degrees in public relations, communications, journalism, and advertising will be more successful.

A Day in a Public Relations Specialist's Life: On a typical day a public relations specialist might perform some of the following duties:

- prepare press releases and contact people in the media who might print or broadcast their material;

-arrange and conduct programs to keep up contact between organization representatives and the public;

-represent employers at community projects;

-make film, slide, or other visual presentations at meetings and school assemblies;

-plan conventions;

-prepare annual reports and write proposals for various projects;

-keep the public informed about the activities of government agencies and officials;