As public relations is such a vital function for an organisation, you will find that PR practitioners work across a wide range of industries. In addition, there is a distinction between working in-house for a company or as part of a consultancy.

An in-house public relations department works exclusively for one organisation, originating and implementing a PR programme geared to its management's requirements. If you work in-house you will need to acquire an in-depth knowledge of your company and the market it operates in.

A consultancy provides an independent service to several clients. If you work for a consultancy, you will need to be able to juggle different accounts and learn quickly about a variety of companies and their markets.

Some organisations have both an in-house PR department/person and an external consultancy, a partnership which can provide a very effective combination of communications skills and industry knowledge.

When you are first starting out, you may not have a preference for which sector to work in. This often comes later on in your career as your knowledge and experience builds. Having said that, if you have a passion for a particular area, focusing your enthusiasm can be a good starting point in your job hunt. Bear in mind that certain sectors can be particularly competitive so it is worth keeping an open mind when you are looking for work experience or your first job.

Take a look at the list below for an idea of some of the different sectors PR practitioners work in:

* Business to business * Consumer * Charity / Not-for-profit * CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) * Events Industry * Fashion * Financial * Food * Healthcare * Music and entertainment * Motor industry * Pharmacutical * Politcs * Property * Public affairs * Public sector * Sport * Technology * Travel

Services offered by PR consultants

Although most consultancies in Ireland offer a range of services, often with internal teams specialising in one of the following areas, there are some specialist companies.

Internal communications	Communicating with employees
Corporate PR	Communicating on behalf of whole organisations i.e. not products or services
Consumer PR	Communicating on behalf of brands, products or services
Media relations	Communicating with journalists/researchers in broadcast, print and web-based media
Business-to-business	Communicating directly with other organisations
Public affairs	Communicating with opinion formers, local and national political representatives,  monitoring the political environment
Community relations	Communicating with local community bodies and activists
Corporate social responsibility	Helping companies to be responsive to social and community needs
Investor relations	Communicating with financial organisations e.g. shareholders, the stock-market and analysts
Strategic communication	Analysis of a situation/problem and solutions to further an organisation's goals
Issues management	Monitoring and responding to developments in the political, social, economic and technological environment
Crisis management	Communicating clear messages in a fast changing situation, emergency or accident
Events management	Organisation of complex events e.g. an AGM, conference or sales exhibition
Sponsorship	Reaching audiences by association with an event e.g. festivals, sporting/art/cultural event
Healthcare	Communicating health-related matters/research to the public, health professionals and health-related NGOs
Digital PR	Use of the web to monitor, communicate and interact with target audiences on-line