A Day In The Life Of An AAE

A few months ago the good folks over at EntryLevelPR.com took the time to interview me for their e-newsletter – The Buzz. They basically asked me a bunch of questions about life in PR and how I typically spend my days, working as an Assistant Account Executive. I wanted to share the interview with you as I believe that it offers a good look into the profession from the ground floor and can serve as a resource for those looking to begin a career in PR (if you can bare through a bunch of paragraphs about myself). Enjoy.

Special thanks to Janna Ball for finalizing the content in this interview. In case you haven’t already subscribed to The Buzz e-newsletter, be sure to do so by clicking here.

A Day In The Life Of… Blake Barbera
Janna Ball

Blake Barbera is an assistant account executive with Horn Group, Inc. in San Francisco, CA. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Arriving at the office no later than 9 a.m., Barbera first scans through new e-mails. He then attends to “pressing” tasks and works on the “action” items on his “to-do” list. Midmorning is spent scanning the news for mentions of the client, competitors and trends within the industry. Barbera emphasized, “As a young PR person, you will most likely be in charge of similar tasks. One large aspect of PR is staying in touch with who is talking about you, who is talking about your competitors and who is talking about the industry that you work within.”

Barbera spends his lunch hour with co-workers outside. He tries to always go to lunch with someone or meet someone new, rather than spending it alone. Networking with peers is essential to having a successful career in any field; lunch is a great opportunity to connect with someone on a more personal level.

Upon returning to the office after lunch, Barbera spends about an hour in meetings. This is typically a slower part of the day, so check-ins and meetings are scheduled accordingly. If Barbera does not have a meeting scheduled, he uses this part of the day to meet with his boss or team members to discuss action items and deliverables for client accounts.

Afternoons are spent working on action items assigned by Barbera’s boss or team members. Assignments include activities such as searching for new awards and speaking opportunities for clients, qualifying editorial calendar opportunities or pitching journalists with new story ideas. Barbera says, “Afternoons are where you have the chance to get the most work done; the morning rush has slowed down and the atmosphere is similar to a library.”

Before leaving the office, Barbera has two things he “must” ensure are done. First, he writes his “to do” list for the next day. Second, he fills in his time card for hours worked that day. He generally departs the office between 5:30 and 6 p.m. Barbera puts in 50-60 hours each week, but notes that the number is higher because he is a blogger; the average intern or entry-level person at his firm works 40 hours.

The majority of Barbera’s time is spent on the computer. Only a small percentage of his interaction with co-workers and clients is on the telephone; otherwise, people assume you are at your computer. He spends the most time e-mailing and researching, finding less time spent in meetings and on the phone.

Barbera emphasizes that entry-level positions are a great way to learn about public relations and the firm. He said, “I like to call the interns and fellow assistant account executive the “glue” to every account. We are the ones in charge of making sure all the little things are in place and together, but while we may think our role is small, it is not. Being at the bottom of the totem pole gives us the opportunity to ask as many questions as we like and gives us the chance to express our thoughts at any time. In fact, it’s expected of us.”