Ms. Gendron

Social Media & PR

5 Essential Qualities to Look For When Hiring an In-house Public Relations Director

By Mary Gendron, President, Middleton & Gendron, Inc.

An effective public relations director can be worth his or her weight in gold in safeguarding a hotel's brand and image. But how do you find the right person? The challenge can be vexing, particularly if those doing the interviewing are new to this job category.

On the surface it would seem that the public relations director's job is to "get press" - print and broadcast publicity that will shed positive light on the hotel. In fact, the job is much more than that. In most hotels, the public relations director is the "go-to" person for a wide range of needs, including writing and editing (press releases, media alerts, invitations, speeches, etc.), event planning, hosting of media and hotel VIPs, photography, video production, and all manner of trouble shooting.

The most effective and successful in-house public relations directors bring to their positions a complex set of skills. Ideally, your public relations director should possess:

1. Excellent writing skills.
You need a versatile, facile writer who is long on clarity and short on flowery adjectives in describing your hotel and its various news and feature angles. The best communicators write like journalists, using the time honored method of putting the most important facts first, followed by useful, but less important, background information. Ask your candidate to send writing samples in advance or bring them to the interview. If you have any question about this aspect of the candidate's qualifications, provide a writing assignment - real or hypothetical -- and have them complete it at the time of the interview.

2. Strong verbal communications and listening skills.
Perhaps more than anyone in the hotel (besides the general manager), the public relations director needs to employ clear, concise verbal communication in a way that enlists the cooperation and support of all employees. Oftentimes, news angles are developed through specific departments and employees of the hotel. It is vital that the public relations director have a good ongoing rapport with everyone on staff, regardless of position, personality and background. Your public relations director needs to have direct access to people and information, and you need the comfort level that that individual communicates well and, in turn, gains the trust and respect of all employees. You can get a feel for your candidate's ability in this regard through the interview process. Pay special attention to the manner in which the candidate communicates. Is the style concise or verbose? Engaging or off-putting? Is this person a good listener or just a good talker? Imagine how that individual will be received by your department heads and staff members. Is this candidate likely to remain calm during a crisis?

3. Detail Orientation.
The in-house public relations director's job is typically busy and complex - there's always a lot going on at once, and one is often in various stages of completion on many projects. Moreover, this position requires the ability to balance proactivity with responsiveness to many "bosses", including hotel management, the media, and hotel guests. Critical to success is the ability to juggle tasks and pay attention to detail. To assess this quality, look at the approach taken to the job application and interview process. Is the resume letter perfect? How about the application? Is interview follow-up timely and appropriate? These are clues to this important aspect of the candidate's qualifications.

4. Event Planning Expertise.
As a subset of #3 above, it is a big advantage to hire someone who has event planning expertise. This eliminates or at least minimizes the need to outsource event planning assistance for a variety of events, including press conferences, press luncheons, client receptions and happenings that may be related to promotions staged at the hotel. Check the candidate's resume for this type of experience, and ask questions during the interview to discern the level of knowledge and expertise.

5. Ability to Nurture Media Contacts.
Your candidate should be seasoned enough to have a stable of press contacts that will be useful to your hotel. He or she should also demonstrate the ability to nurture additional contacts in categories of media that may not be important now, but might be in the future. Question your candidate about the methods he or she uses to cultivate press contacts. Ask about specific members of the press you know to be important in reaching your audiences. Most importantly ask for samples of publicity - print, broadcast and online - that have been obtained in the past through the candidate's efforts.

The candidate's overall presentation, style, personality, and educational background will, of course, be carefully weighed as you come to your hiring decision. The goal is to find an individual who is a self-starter and independent worker, presents the right image for your hotel, and offers the specific skill set you need to strategize and execute an effective public relations program.

Mary Gendron is president of Middleton & Gendron, Inc. Brand Communications, a public relations and branding firm specializing in travel and hospitality for three decades. Prior to moving into public relations, Gendron was editor of Hotel & Motel Management magazine and engineered its redesign. Prior to that, she was part of Gralla Publications. Where she was instrumental in the launch of Meeting News magazine, and was the magazine's first managing editor. Her writing, as a journalist and on behalf of agency clients, has appeared in a wide range of media. Ms. Gendron can be contacted at 212-990-9065 or mgendron@mg-pr.com Extended Bio...

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