Articles

APR: Becoming a “one-percenter”

Robert E. Sheldon, APR, Fellow PRSA
Accreditation Chair
[email protected]

Achieving your APR credentials is a sign that you’ve joined the ranks of the uber professional in the field of public relations. Not only can you feel the pride that comes with the personal accomplishment, according to one study, you may even see a bump in your income of about 20 percent over your career compared to your non-accredited colleagues. Besides, with an APR under your belt, you’re going to know a lot more about the profession, have more confidence and creativity, and simply just do a better job of serving your clients or employers.

Being an APR also puts you in a rather rarified professional category in the public relations field. Let me work the numbers for you.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 240,000 people in the country who have the words “public relations” in their job title. If we include everyone in the “communications” field, that number would be much higher.  But, back to my example.

There are currently about 25,000 PRSA members in the country. That means that only about 10 percent of people who work in the public relations field belong to PRSA – the field’s leading professional association.  Of those 25,000 PRSA members, only 19 percent – or around 4,500 -- are accredited. 

So, when you do the math, the number of people who have their APR credentials is less than 1.9 percent of all the people in the country who have a public relations job title.  That makes being an APR rare – and you should take pride in being among few, the proud and persistent.

As a side note, APRs are, in fact, too rare. PRSA and the professional would be better off if APRs were a lot less rare, but achieving the designation is not easy – by design.  There’s good news on that front, however: the number of successful APR candidates has been increasing as of late, presumably due to better study materials, better mentoring and more focused preparation workshops by chapters.

In the meantime, if you are looking to achieve your APR and becoming a “one-percenter” in this profession, drop me a line and we’ll help you get started on your journey.