Public Relations Resume Examples
Years of Experience
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
Jason Jenkins
(123) 444-4444 | [email protected] | 444 Fourth Avenue, Reno, NV 44444
Profile
Entry-level PR professional with strong recent academic and internship experience. Demonstrated success helping plan, publicize, and coordinate popular events for a large-scale organization. Experienced and confident public speaker.
Key Skills
- Event Scheduling & Organizing
- Fundraising
- Media Research
- Public Speaking & Presentations
- Social Media Marketing
- Speechwriting
- Team Collaboration
Professional Experience
Public Relations Intern, Michigan Aerotech, Lansing, MI | January 2022 to June 2022
- Wrote weekly reports on company’s public image for PR staff and executives
- Proofread executives’ presentations and edited speeches, offering input when appropriate
- Quickly responded to 15+ media and public inquiries per week
- Revamped company’s social media accounts, increasing positive engagement by 80%
Summer Events Intern, Reno Zoo, Reno, NV | June 2020 to August 2020
- Assisted with summer fundraising events that generated more than $250K
- Helped secure venues, book speakers, and email potential donors
- Wrote and distributed press releases before and after events to generate interest and report on successes
- Scheduled 30+ interviews between zookeepers and reporters
- Followed up with donors after events to thank them for their contributions
Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Public Relations, Michigan State College, Lansing, MI | 2022
Served as press secretary of the school’s Young Business Leaders Association
Select Coursework:
- Campaign Management
- Public Relations Laws & Ethics
- Public Relations Research & Analysis
- Speechwriting & Public Speaking
Rebekah Little
(561) 000-1111 | [email protected] | 123 Some Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Profile
Public Relations Representative with 3 years of experience in digital and social media marketing. Passionate about helping build and maintain distinctive brand identities. Draw on strong knowledge of CRO, SEO, social networking, and major marketing channels. Committed to gaining and sharing new marketing insights.
Key Skills
- Digital & Social Media Marketing
- Public Speaking & Presentations
- Social Analytics Tools
- Task Prioritization
- Team Collaboration
- Writing, Editing & Proofreading
Professional Experience
Public Relations Assistant, Bakers Press, West Palm Beach, FL | June 2020 to Present
- Coordinate all aspects of social media strategy including competitor research, platform selection, benchmarking, and targeted content publishing
- Continually capture and analyze social metrics, insights, and best practices to optimize company pages
- Create syndication schedules and editorial calendars
Digital Marketing Intern, Ace Communications Resources, West Palm Beach, FL | October 2019 to May 2020
- Wrote company blog posts based on research of industry news and trends
- Revamped and uploaded existing content for better SEO
- Collaborated with various teams to develop dynamic marketing content
- Helped create company’s editorial calendar and marketing collateral
Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Public Relations, Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, FL | 2020
Jennifer Jensen
(222) 222-2222 | [email protected] | 222 Second Street, Charleston, SC 22222
Profile
Forward-looking Public Relations Specialist with nearly a decade of experience. Skilled at maintaining positive media relations and public communications. Provide honest yet respectful input on corporate image considerations. Develop campaigns that publicize organizations’ efforts in a positive, tactful manner.
Professional Experience
Public Relations Specialist, Charleston Squirrels Baseball Team, Charleston, SC | October 2017 to Present
- Arrange pre- and post-game media for players and coaches, scheduling ~300 sessions per 6-month season
- Coordinate one-on-one interviews and accompany players and coaches when appropriate
- Respond to 100+ media and fan inquiries per week
Highlight:
- Oversaw philanthropic fundraising events that generated $3M for team’s chosen charitable causes to date
Public Relations Assistant, RKR Global Solutions, Raleigh, NC | July 2014 to September 2017
- Drafted quarterly update speeches for CFO
- Researched organization’s media coverage and delivered weekly updates to public relations manager
- Reviewed press releases for spelling, grammar, and factual accuracy
- Conducted polling and provided input on organization’s logos and slogans during a 2015 rebranding effort
- Managed executive calendar covering 300+ event and interview commitments per year
Education
Bachelor of Science (BS) in Public Relations, Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA | 2014
Key Skills
- Media Relations & Communications
- Press Release Creation & Distribution
- Schedule Management
- Writing, Editing & Proofreading
Tips for Writing a Better Public Relations Resume
Make a positive impression on the PR hiring manager
Your resume shouldn’t just be a static record of your work history. It should actively connect your work history to your current goals and shape a positive impression of you as qualified for the role you’re after.
To achieve this effect, you don’t have to embellish your experience or mislead the hiring manager. You can make a good impression by simply omitting almost every detail about you that doesn’t speak to the hiring manager’s needs.
For most any non-federal job in the US, the only information you’re “required” to give on your resume is:
- Your name
- Your contact information
- Basic details of each recent job, i.e., your title, company, location, and work dates
- Anything specifically requested in the job posting
Obviously, you’ll want your finished resume to have more information than that. But know that apart from the above, every other detail about your past work and education is optional. Only include it if it speaks to your target public relations job. Don’t be shy about leaving out work details that are recent, extensive, or even objectively impressive. If they don’t speak to your target job, they don’t need a place on your resume.
With this targeted approach, you can be sure your resume is highly focused and relevant to your job search.
Trade out “creative” and “innovative”
It’s great to be creative and innovative in your field, of course. But these two adjectives are so overused on resumes today, they make no real impact on hiring managers. Ironically, calling yourself “creative” now just makes you seem uncreative.
As a better alternative, consider using any of these terms to describe yourself:
- forward-looking
- imaginative
- inventive
- resourceful
Also, consider using any of these terms to describe the products or services you help promote:
- engaging
- first-of-its-kind
- groundbreaking
- industry-first
- new
- novel
- original
- state-of-the-art
Divide PR duties and achievements
Whenever your job description includes one or more points with quantified results, consider setting those points off from the other information. You can do so by formatting the points differently, or by using a subheading such as “Highlights” or “Key Achievements.” This structure helps the hiring manager see how you’ve made a tangible positive impact on your past employers.
Example:
Public Relations Specialist, Charleston Squirrels Baseball Team, Charleston, SC | October 2017 to Present
- Arrange pre- and post-game media for players and coaches, scheduling ~300 sessions per 6-month season
- Coordinate one-on-one interviews and accompany players and coaches when appropriate
- Respond to 100+ media and fan inquiries per week
Highlight:
- Oversaw philanthropic fundraising events that generated $3M for team’s chosen charitable causes to date
Common Key Skills for Public Relations Resumes
One of the best ways to improve your resume is to add keywords.
That’s because most employers now use an applicant tracking system (ATS), which scans each submitted resume for keywords relevant to the job opening at hand. When the ATS finds a resume with many relevant keywords, it flags the document for the hiring manager.
To make your resume ATS-friendly, add a keyword-rich “Skills” or “Expertise” section (as in the examples above). Here are some common keywords for public relations professionals:
| Key Skills & Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Budget Management | Campaign Development |
| Complex Problem-Solving | Digital & Social Media Marketing |
| Event Planning & Organizing | Market Research |
| Media Analysis | Press Release Writing & Distribution |
| Public Speaking & Presentations | Relationship Management |
| Scheduling & Timescale Management | Strategic Planning |
| Task Prioritization | Team Collaboration |
Common Action Verbs for Public Relations Resumes
One of the most frequent resume mistakes is using too few verbs. You may repeat the same generic verb (say, “Manage”) many times or rely on passive phrases like “Responsible for” or “Accountable for.” These tendencies can distract your reader and fail to show the dynamic nature of your work. The following list will help you mix up the verbs on your public relations resume:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Advise | Analyze |
| Campaign | Collaborate |
| Create | Develop |
| Evaluate | Explain |
| Form | Identify |
| Liaise | Mitigate |
| Monitor | Present |
| Recommend | Represent |
| Research | Resolve |
| Schedule | Write |
How to Align Your Resume with the Job Description
One thing that’s unique to each job posting is the description of the hiring company. You can enhance your resume by tailoring it based on any details about the company that resonate with you. Follow these four steps:
Step 1: Jot down a few notes on the type of work environment you like best. For instance, you may prefer an environment that’s:
- Client-focused
- Collaborative
- Fast-paced
- Forward-looking
- Process-oriented
- Quality-focused
Step 2: When you find a job posting that intrigues you, look for any details about the hiring company or its work culture.
Step 3: Compare those details against your preferred work environment and highlight any overlap.
Step 4: Add a line or two to your Profile emphasizing that similarity. For example, say you prefer a work environment that’s client-focused. You find a posting that says “We are an organization that places customer satisfaction at the center of every decision.” You can then add a Profile line such as:
- “Thrive in client-focused work environments.”
- “Committed to helping build lucrative, long-term relationships with customers.”
This simple exercise can make your resume more accurately show why you’re a great fit for the role as well as why the hiring manager should call you for an interview.
More Resume and Cover Letter Resources
The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that jobs for public relations specialists will increase by about eight percent between 2021 and 2031.
For more on finding opportunities in this field and related fields, check out the links below:
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Cover letter examples
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