By Audree Hernandez

I recently celebrated a personal milestone: my one-year anniversary as a PR Account Executive. It was a struggle to figure out what to do for my first big girl job, where to go now that I was an adult out of college, and how I fit into this new world of professionalism. I had so many questions and a lot of anxiety then, but now I can proudly say that I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to become an experienced PR badass. 

Here are four things I’ve learned that have helped me navigate the waters of all things professionalism.

1. Emails are more serious than text messages

I think for many post-grads who’ve had to adjust from fully in-person classrooms to fully remote meetings, it’s easy to have blurred expectations when it comes to email. To the younger generation, emails can feel like sending another text, but emails can’t be unsent, and it can be incredibly easy to send an embarrassing email.

The previous generation treats emails like graded essays: there’s gravity to your text and a tone that can be heard. You are not only representing your company; you are representing yourself. Emails need proper proofing for grammar and spelling. Dates and names should always be correct. The voice should always be active and friendly. And yes, all caps means you’re yelling, as do too many exclamation points. Those are common email rules that will never change.

2. Don’t be a PR robot. Be human.

I’ve attended webinars where it’s encouraged to shorten the language in pitches and, depending on your relationship with a journalist, to be more casual. It’s okay to get to know journalists and clients; actually, it’s encouraged. But you have to read the room and learn to identify the right time and place, keeping in mind everyone’s time and workload.

When it comes to account management with clients, emails can be one of the main points of contact. All points of contact with a client should be professional, whether in-person or online. Email tone and mannerisms are taken seriously. For example, sending a vague email with four follow-ups is not the same thing as sending a thread of texts.

3. Transparent communication creates efficient teamwork

Constant communication on tasks, projects, and deadlines can feel like micromanagement. It can come from your bosses, other team members, or even clients. It’s not well-liked and, for a number of reasons, it’s not efficient. Nobody wants to track you down to see where you are with tasks; managers and team members always prefer when you share your status on your own time. And instead of waiting until the very last minute to ask a question, admitting you don’t know what to do earlier is a better way to avoid big mistakes. 

I’ve realized that PR people need to hear constant feedback; they thrive on communication. Today some of my everyday phrases include; “On my radar,” “Noted, thanks for the heads up” and “Will get to that after this task.” Our to-do lists are never-ending, so you learn to grow with adaptability and a sense of urgency. Silence signals that you aren’t working. No movement is never a good sign from a client’s perspective. The team noticed and appreciated the minute I became more transparent about what was on my plate and what I had the bandwidth for.

4. Connect the dots and use communication to be confident in your role

For many just starting their careers, communication seems like the easiest thing to do, but it’s probably the most problematic area. For me, it took a while to get in the habit of speaking up, let alone replying to email threads with the status of my assignments. Showing I read an email by sending a quick response was a big step for me. I was afraid of CCing the wrong person or saying the wrong thing. 

I was under the impression that all I needed to do to keep my job was deliver. Then it dawned on me that people get let go all the time for just not fitting in with their team. In professional PR, people need to know that you can do more than just deliver materials. The moment I started authentically speaking up, I realized that PR people are confident communication professionals. There are thousands of agencies in the world that the client could’ve hired, but I like to think it’s the way we communicate the confidence in our work that got us the client.

I don’t know everything—no one does. But that’s why it’s so important to embrace change. Life is for learning and growing. If you’ve got that itching feeling that you can do more, then regularly explore ways to improve your strengths and weaknesses. 

My approach to PR professionalism is to simply absorb the good habits of my superiors, pick up on the lingo, and ask them for advice. I take the time to understand how to work with the different communication styles on my team. And I’m lucky to be in an environment where I can implement new suggestions from PR articles and webinars. I know that some people might not have the same opportunity, but if it could benefit your entire team, it might not hurt to push for a useful idea. 

As a bonus, here are some awesome webinars and articles to check out because, overall, communication is the most important thing for PR professionals, internally and externally.

resources for PR Professionals

• Grammarly: 19 Email Etiquette Rules to Know
• Forbes: 17 Comms Pros Share Lessons Learned From Media Outreach Mistakes
• Ted Talk: ​​The secret to giving great feedback
• Ted Talk: How to write less but say more
• LinkedIn: From Transactional to Transformational: Rethinking Client Service in PR

This article was originally published in PR & Lattes.