Inspired by the opportunity to work with Jean, I decided it was time for me to pursue my accreditation as a PR practitioner. I looked across my last three years of work and saw the perfect case study: the customer relationship management program I built for PWGWC, where I designed a suite of comms products and a strategy to reach out to PWGSC’s client departments, industry representatives, and to keep our Minister’s office up to date on how clients were receiving our messages.
Accreditation is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for the recent graduate. It is, however, a wonderful opportunity for reflection on past accomplishments, and an excellent exercise for validating what you know. The three-step process includes a written work sample (which is essentially your case study, laid out following the classic RACE formula), a three-and-a-half-hour open book written exam, and an oral board. The Canadian Public Relations Society’s local chapters offer support through examples and workshops, and local accreditation candidates usually form study groups to help each other prepare for exam day.
My philosophy going into exam day was this: I’ve been in the business over two decades, and if I don’t know my stuff by now, I never will. I brought along a few of my favourite sources so I could throw in some key quotes, but my main reference for the exam was my own body of work. In the final result, that seemed to be enough: I received the top written exam score, and the top national overall mark for that year. I received my APR at the national conference in Halifax, and was very proud to do so.
For even the most modest among you, I encourage your to give yourself this gift. It is credibility, recognition, and a little leg up over the “competition”. And it feels surprisingly nice to slip that pin into your lapel now and then.
I will be blogging a lot more about accreditation. There is much to discuss regarding its value in the marketplace, and its utility as a credential when competing for jobs in the federal public service. But I will have to come back to that at another time – my gala awaits…
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