Students reap benefits from professional memberships

There is an important point to remember though. By being a member of a professional body, such as PRISA that provides a platform to engage with industry experts and offers various resources, it is up to the members to reach out and make the most of their membership. Being actively involved will allow you to reap the various benefits and gain much needed insight.

Advantages

1. A professional body provides credibility
   As a student, you do not have a history yet showing your knowledge or experience as a public relations professional. How can you show the industry that you are serious about what you do and that you work according to certain standards and values?

   You can do this by associating yourself with a professional body. PRISA's code of ethics and professional standards distinguish how they expect members to conduct themselves and the professional norms and values they should operate by. By choosing to associate yourself with such a body sets you apart from the rest of the industry and shows potential employers the value you hold for yourself and your profession.

2. Get exposure and build a network for possible future jobs
   PRISA is represented in all of South Africa's regions, as well as in Namibia and Botswana. Each region organises regular training and networking events, enabling members to gain new industry insights and to build a network of industry professionals. As one's career progresses, it becomes more and more important to have a good network of people related to your industry. This includes media, digital and creative experts, suppliers of products and services, business consultants and past or future employers and colleagues. People recommend people when it comes to business.

   By starting to network from a young age, you will get the opportunity to talk to industry leaders and potential employers about yourself in a more relaxed environment and could potentially find out about possible positions they are looking to fill. By getting to know other people and allowing them to get to know you, a relational link has been established that could lead to future work or employment opportunities.

3. Learn from the experts on what it is really like in the industry
   Most students only start to get a real feel for the public relations industry in their third year of study. By then you have learnt much theoretical information, but you do not really know what the job will be like for you and what will be expected from you. A professional body offers a bridge between the academic and working world.

   For example, insight into the industry will assist a student in having real life examples to refer to when completing assignments. You will be able to think outside the box, without yet being part of a box (i.e. company)! Listening to industry experts talk about what they do for clients, accomplishments and pitfalls experienced or how they apply and experience public relations/communication in their companies, is information that will always be relevant and will prepare you for what is to come. Networking will also allow a student to explore specialist areas they might be interested in to pursue, and determine whether it will be a good fit.

   A student that is part of a professional body will have a competitive advantage by having access to a pool of knowledge, experience and people that act as mentors and coaches for your own career growth. If you are serious about your own career growth, then you can only gain by belonging to a professional body such as PRISA.

   For more information, go to www.prisa.co.za.