A peek into the life of a PR practitioner

We always hear people describing Public Relations (PR) as a dog’s life, and it being a very tough job. In Ms Mabel Phoon’s words, “One year of working in PR is like two years of your life.” Having worked for 18 years now, Ms Phoon, newly returned to Singapore after a three-year stint in Weber Shandwick, the PR giant of New York, is a well-known veteran in the field of PR.

Torn between the choice of studying journalism and PR in school, Ms Phoon chose journalism, only to realize later on that PR was more suited for her. “PR is a more diverse course of study.” Ms Phoon then goes on to explain how she thinks of PR people as “transformers”.

“The only constant in my day is going to work and coming home.” Everyday poses a new challenge for Ms Phoon, and she emphasized on how PR people have to access every part of their brain, and become different characters.

One day she might be asked to research on a product, and that’s when she has to access the researcher part of her. To understand clients, she has to access the psychologist part of her. As PR is multi-sector, she has to “keep abreast of many issues”, and constantly be up-to-date on what’s going on. “It’s the best way to know when is the right time to do something.”

PR is definitely not an easy job, and it’s one that requires you to be always on your toes. But if you’re as passionate about your job as Ms Phoon evidently is, then even the toughest challenge won’t feel as much of a chore to you.