I agree with Dr Johnson, that “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”. But I can understand getting tired of a PR job.
Don't get me wrong, I have no intention of finding another career - who would have me? And what would I do? But here are some warning signs that PR isn’t for you any more:
1. You say those immortal words: "this press release means nothing, there is nothing to say. This product is nothing." It's time to move on.
2. You don’t like working on updating the activity report on Excel. I used to find typing data into a spreadsheet strangely therapeutic. Now I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. "Where's the intern ...?"
3. You can no longer be bothered to listen to the Today programme on Radio 4. Let's face it, bad stuff is happening in the world right now, but my knowing about it isn't going to help. So hello Radio 2 and Chris Evans.
4. Twitter bores you. Well, it’s never gripping, but when it gets to the point that you can’t be arsed to Tweet anything anymore you're in trouble.
5. You've realised your Facebook friends are Facebook friends because you don't enjoy seeing them. "Dear girl from primary school - there is a reason we're no longer in contact!"
6. You don’t like to blow your own trumpet. A bit of modesty is always a good thing, but self promotion is a mainstay of PR. People like modesty, but they don't pay you for it.
7. You don’t like alcohol. You can hide this for a while, by drinking sodas and pretending they are laced with spirits, but you will be caught out in the end. Party poopers aren‘t cut out for PR. And awards dinners are tedious enough even if you DO drink.
8. You have always wanted to be a writer, and you still want to be a writer. Yep, you’re definitely in the wrong career.
PRmoment Leaders
PRmoment Leaders is our new subscription-based learning programme and community, built by PRmoment specifically for the next generation of PR and communications leaders to learn, network, and lead.
PRmoment LeadersIf you enjoyed this article, sign up for free to our twice weekly editorial alert.
We have six email alerts in total - covering ESG, internal comms, PR jobs and events. Enter your email address below to find out more: