1. Perceptions of formal career achievements in public relations by students, professionals, and employers: Certificate, accreditation, and College of Fellows.
- Author
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Penning, Timothy, Forde, John, and Broussard, Sharee
- Subjects
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CAREER development , *PUBLIC relations , *PUBLIC relations personnel , *ACCREDITATION , *SOCIAL cognitive theory , *OCCUPATIONAL achievement , *SOCIETAL reaction , *LEARNING goals - Abstract
Various professional organizations in the public relations field have created opportunities for formal professional achievement. Among participating professional organizations, there is the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations for students near graduation time, and professionals may pursue Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) or Accreditation in Public Relations + Military Communication (APR+M). For advanced professionals, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) offers the College of Fellows to its members. However, perceptions of and participation in these achievement opportunities are varied. This study uses the lens of the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) to explore why people do or do not seek to attain these professional milestones. Mean responses on intrinsic social cognitive response variables (confidence, self-efficacy, goal-setting) did not show a significant relationship to motivation, but the extrinsic value expectation was significant. In addition, awareness and perception of these professional achievements among human resources and hiring managers were studied. Results show students and professionals who have earned career achievements have higher mean responses on social cognitive responses than those who do not. Hiring managers value professional development indicators as positive to have but not necessary if candidates have proven experience. Qualitative responses further indicated many respondents were not familiar with the Certificate in Principles of Public Relations, APR, or College of Fellows. Those who had earned these achievements were generally positive. Few students, professionals, or educators reported reaping no benefit once achieved. Those who chose not to pursue or who provided negative responses cited lack of necessity, lacks value, requires too much (e.g. time, money), or process as reasons why. • Awareness of the Certificate in Public Relations Principles is low among students, professionals and hiring managers. • The key theoretical variable driving pursuit of the Certificate and APR is value expectation, namely to be hired or promoted. • The primary value to seek membership in the College of Fellows is personal, to belong to a select group of professionals. • Hiring managers –in PR or HR—see some value in candidates having the Certificate or APR but also consider experience and degrees more. Membership in College of Fellows is less a factor when hiring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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