Studying social communications is just like opening a can of worms. Despite what many people think, graduating in Journalism, for example, doesn’t mean you have a guaranteed job in a national newspaper – or that you’ll be seen by millions of people on the TV. In fact, communication courses are beyond that. You can work on online platforms, have your own blog, produce videos or podcasts, create content for social media or be responsible for the communication and image of an enterprise. This last function, often credited to Public Relations, can also be performed by journalists and social medias.
There are two basis for business communication: external and internal works. If you haven’t figured out which path to follow, read out tips and learn with the girls who already work in this area.
Internal: the communication in-house
This area focuses on communicating the news – and gossips – of a company, spreading information that is relevant for its workers. The content, usually shared in internal newsletters, can be very diverse: presenting the mission and the values of the company, sharing information exclusively to a group of workers and making content about the people in the company. These information are shared in a strategic way, so everyone knows the company goals and they can be more integrated.
In short, internal has the same purposes as your best friends group chat: everyone knows what’s going on with the team and the relations go stronger with this communication.
A university student explains…
Isabelle Caldeira, journalism student at Cásper Líbero, has always thought she would work in a newsroom. When she began studying Journalism, she would never think of working with business communication. Her career in internal was initiated with the internship at Rede Cultura, where she learned both internal and external communications. “My first contact with internal was with the production of a newspaper whose content was all about the workers. Then, I learned the basics in the area: writing bulletins, producing reports and institutional texts”, says Isabelle.
5 signs you would be perfect for this job:
1. You love working with a team – because you’re all in this together
2. Writing and listening to people are your biggest passions
3. You see the importance of the relationships with others
4. You want to hear all about it
5. Failure doesn’t scare you
External: building the outside image
Along with internal communication, the external involves an attractive storytelling about the company. However, in this case, we are establishing a communication with the public, not the workers. This conversation can be with journalists, local communities near the company, government, other clients and consumers. Each public is specific and requires a different communication strategy.
Anyway, the external work is to create dialogs with people to show the values and all the benefits of the company and its products, building an image for this brand. We see a brand as cool, modern and funny because of the Public Relations work. The external job covers many different activities: production of press releases and press kits, contact with journalists and digital influencers, planning, creation and execution of an event, clipping and making reports.
A look from the insider…
Since the beginning of 2017, Mariana Marvão is working on the external communication of Nike at the Ideal agency. According to her, the coolest job she had was to help with the Air Max House event in São Paulo. “The whole team worked very hard, including during the weekends. At the end, it was very rewarding and one of my best experiences in the external area”. Mariana studies Journalism, but Ideal was where she has learned everything about working in PR for the fashion sportswear brand.
5 reasons why you’ll love this job:
1. The telephone becomes your best friend
2. You always know everything that’s going on in the news
3. You can be stressed, but also well dressed and successful
4. You have told the same story in so many different ways that you should receive an award
5. You can always see the bright side – and highlight your work in the monthly reports