What Women in PR Really Want You to Know About Professional Success
I was once given an award for perseverance as a child and the sentiment has stayed with me.
The ability to keep trying my best even when it’s challenging is deeply ingrained. It’s been a quality that’s served me well so I hold no hesitation in sharing that advice with others.
So, in honour of Women’s History Month, I wondered what other women in PR would offer as career advice. Here’s what my wonderful colleagues had to say:
Building Relationships and Collaboration
“I would say building strong relationships and prioritising collaboration with everyone you work with ensures a successful PR career, not only internally, but also from an external perspective when working with your clients. Being empathetic should also underpin everything you do. In PR, having empathy is essential for creating messages that resonate with different audiences, but more broadly, those that work empathetically often build greater levels of trust with their clients and employees, which is key to a purposeful career in PR and beyond.” - Olivia Nieberg
Finding Your Voice and Creating Impact
“Asking for help or advice can be daunting, but it can also be the best way to develop. Since starting my
career in PR, I’ve found that by simply asking questions, I’m always learning more from the people around me.
“Similarly, trusting your own initiative can be tough at first, but by going for it you’ll always learn something.
“My best lesson has been using my voice, both to enable myself to learn from the people around me and to make my own points in conversations that I wouldn’t have spoken in before.” - Georgina Tierney
The Power of Intuition and Self-Trust
“Listen to your gut. If it feels right do it if, it doesn't don't. As women in business, I truly believe we have great intuition, and we should hone that ability rather than try and ignore it.
“Start trusting that gut feeling and try not to be swayed by other factors. Of course, seek advice from trusted colleagues and mentors when it feels right, but you’ll feel when something is right and you’ll feel when something is off.” - Kate Mowbray
“Sometimes your career doesn’t take you exactly where you expected to go, and that’s often a good thing.
Contrary to what you were told when you were younger, there doesn’t need to be a specific path you follow. Careers are long and you’re constantly changing and evolving – so why shouldn’t your career path? I believe it’s important to always be improving yourself and progressing. If you can get that all in one company, that’s fantastic, but if you need to move roles, industry or change your career path altogether that’s OK. The best moves I’ve made in my career so far have been completely unexpected. As long as you’re following your interests, meeting interesting people and building on your skills, you can be sure that you’re in the right place.” - Chloë Lane
Speaking Up and Creating Boundaries
“Learning it’s okay to push back – in fact it can be a strength. There can be a tendency as a woman in a professional role (or any role I suppose) to overreach in order to seem capable, or to agree to plans for projects despite having an alternative – and possibly more effective – approach in mind in order not to rock the boat. But by doing this the only outcome is that you’ll be overworked, tied into tasks that you know won’t generate the best results for your clients and, as a result, be performing below your best. Not the best way to prove your capability. Feeling comfortable in voicing your ideas and pushing back – whether it’s on the little things like the timing for a meeting or bigger challenges such as how to approach a particular piece of work for a client can all help to reinforce your expertise and allow you the space and time to use them to best effect. It also helps to be part of a team that supports each other in doing this!" - Kerry Ruffle 
“One of the best lessons is to always believe in yourself and surround yourself with ambitious, driven, and kind women. As someone who has previously suffered with imposter syndrome, I would often question everything I did but learning to trust your gut and realising the importance of resilience has been key for me.” - Katie Hurley
Key Takeaways
- Develop strong relationships by understanding and connecting with colleagues and clients on a deeper level.
- Ask questions, seek advice, and remain curious about your professional journey.
- Your gut feeling is a powerful tool—learn to recognise and respect it.
- Success isn't linear. Be open to unexpected opportunities and personal growth.
- Constructively sharing your ideas and perspectives is a strength, not a weakness.
- Surround yourself with ambitious, kind, and driven professionals who uplift and inspire you.
- Believe in your capabilities and recognise your own worth and potential.
Author: Stephanie Mullins-Wiles
Stephanie has extensive experience in managing communications outreach for business schools and universities around the world, working with recognised names such as; HEC Paris, Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, & ESMT Berlin. Stephanie is a formally-trained journalist, judge for the Association of MBAs (AMBA) Excellence Awards, a popular blogger for the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), and also writes on business education for the Economist.
