PR Talk with Kim Chew

As early as 8 in the morning, Ms Kim Chew came to HELP to give a career talk to students of PR Methods (MCH305) and PR Audit (MCH 306). Ms Kim Chew is the principal consultant of Kim Chew Communications, a boutique PR consultancy firm in Petaling Jaya.

During the 1 hour talk, she shared how it is like to be in the PR industry, what it takes to be in the industry and other industries that PR people have to deal with. Here are 10 key elements to become successful, according to Ms Kim Chew:

Read: A PR person has to love to read all kinds of literature, not only limited to one.

Write: A PR person must have the ability to write well.

Think: Analytical thinking is when a person takes in a piece of information, but does not accept it 100%. A PR person must be able to have his/her own viewpoint on certain issues.

Boss: Study your boss. Get to know his/her personality and try to work according to the personality.

Be eager: Be eager to learn more. Research is a crucial thing, if you want to know your clients and their industries more.

Helicopter viewpoint: Look at something in the bigger picture. Get to know your client’s industry and figure out things that can make or break the industry.

Project management: As a PR person, you must be able to handle the project that is assigned to you well. You must know how to handle the different parties, which are involved in the project.

Multitask: The ability to multitask is important for a PR person, especially if he/she is in the consultancy department.

Team player: PR involves working with different types of people of different areas, therefore you need to be able to work well with others.

Deadline: It is important to meet the deadline. Missing the deadline means you will be fined. Therefore, make sure you manage your time properly.

Kim Chew Communications does accept interns at least once a year, depending on the needs. If you’re interested to intern there, you can e-mail Ms Kim Chew at kim@kimchew.com or call 03-77263430. If you couldn’t get to her, you can ask for Jacqueline Arnold or email her at jacq@kimchew.com.

- Aimi Wan -