Effective Work Sample Exercises for Hiring Top Public Relations Managers

In today's media-saturated environment, hiring the right Public Relations Manager can significantly impact your organization's public image and stakeholder relationships. The role demands a unique blend of strategic thinking, creative storytelling, relationship management, and crisis handling capabilities that can be difficult to assess through traditional interviews alone.

Work samples and role plays provide invaluable insights into how candidates actually perform the core functions of a PR role. While resumes showcase past achievements and interviews reveal communication style, practical exercises demonstrate a candidate's ability to think on their feet, craft compelling narratives, and navigate complex media landscapes in real-time.

For PR professionals specifically, these exercises reveal crucial capabilities like message development, media relationship management, crisis communication skills, and strategic planning abilities. By observing candidates in action, hiring teams can evaluate not just what they say they can do, but what they actually deliver when faced with realistic PR scenarios.

The following four exercises are designed to evaluate the essential competencies of a successful Public Relations Manager: strategic thinking, communication excellence, adaptability, and creative problem-solving. Each exercise simulates real-world PR challenges that your new hire will likely encounter, providing a window into their potential performance on the job.

Activity #1: Crisis Communication Simulation

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to respond effectively under pressure—a critical skill for any PR professional. Crisis management requires quick thinking, clear communication, and the ability to balance multiple stakeholders' needs while protecting the organization's reputation. This simulation reveals how candidates prioritize information, craft messaging, and develop action plans when time is limited.

Directions for the Company:

• Prepare a fictional but realistic crisis scenario relevant to your industry (e.g., product recall, executive misconduct allegation, data breach, social media backlash).
• Create a brief document (1-2 pages) with the crisis details, including timeline, stakeholders involved, and any media coverage that has already occurred.
• Provide the candidate with company background information, including mission, values, and any existing crisis communication protocols.
• Allow 30-45 minutes for the candidate to develop a response plan.
• Have 2-3 team members role-play as executives or journalists for a 15-minute press briefing/Q&A session.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the crisis scenario and company information provided.
• Develop a comprehensive crisis communication plan that includes:
• Initial statement for media/public release
• Key messaging points for different stakeholders (customers, employees, investors)
• Recommended actions for the next 24-48 hours
• Social media response strategy
• Present your plan to the "executive team" and handle a brief press conference simulation where you'll field questions from "journalists."

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the presentation and Q&A, provide specific feedback on one aspect the candidate handled particularly well (e.g., message clarity, stakeholder prioritization).
• Offer one constructive suggestion for improvement (e.g., addressing a specific stakeholder concern more effectively).
• Give the candidate 5-10 minutes to revise one element of their plan based on the feedback, demonstrating their ability to incorporate feedback quickly—a crucial skill in crisis situations.

Activity #2: Media Pitch Development

This exercise assesses a candidate's ability to identify newsworthy angles and craft compelling pitches that capture media attention. It demonstrates their understanding of what makes a story appealing to journalists and their skill in translating company initiatives into media-friendly narratives.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide information about a real or fictional company initiative, product launch, or milestone that needs media coverage.
• Include background on the company, the specific announcement, target audience, and any supporting materials typically available.
• Specify 2-3 types of media outlets you'd like to target (e.g., industry trade publication, national business media, local news).
• Allow candidates 45-60 minutes to prepare their pitches.
• Have someone familiar with media relations evaluate the pitches and conduct a follow-up discussion.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the company initiative and supporting information provided.
• Develop tailored media pitches for each of the specified media types, including:
• Attention-grabbing email subject lines
• Personalized pitch emails (250-300 words maximum)
• 3-5 key talking points that highlight the news value
• Suggestions for visual elements or data points to include
• Be prepared to explain your strategic approach, including why you chose specific angles for different media outlets.
• During the follow-up discussion, be ready to respond to potential journalist objections or questions.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the strength of the news angle and the persuasiveness of the pitch.
• Highlight one area where the pitch could be more compelling or targeted.
• Ask the candidate to revise one of the pitches based on feedback, focusing on making it more newsworthy or relevant to the specific media outlet.

Activity #3: PR Campaign Planning Exercise

This exercise evaluates a candidate's strategic thinking, creativity, and ability to develop comprehensive PR plans aligned with business objectives. It reveals how they approach campaign development, resource allocation, and measurement—essential skills for driving successful PR initiatives.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a brief outlining a business objective that requires PR support (e.g., increasing brand awareness in a new market, rebuilding trust after a setback, launching a new corporate social responsibility initiative).
• Include relevant background information, target audiences, timeline, and budget parameters.
• Provide any brand guidelines or examples of past successful campaigns.
• Allow candidates 60-90 minutes to develop their plan.
• Have marketing or communications leaders review the plan and discuss implementation considerations.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the brief and supporting materials provided.
• Develop a comprehensive PR campaign plan that includes:
• Campaign objectives and how they align with business goals
• Key messages and narrative strategy
• Recommended tactics and channels (media relations, social media, events, etc.)
• Timeline with key milestones
• Budget allocation across different activities
• Success metrics and measurement approach
• Create a one-page executive summary and a more detailed plan (3-5 pages).
• Be prepared to present your plan and explain the strategic rationale behind your recommendations.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the strategic alignment, creativity, and practicality of the plan.
• Identify one area where the approach could be strengthened or refined.
• Ask the candidate to revise their measurement strategy or one specific tactic based on the feedback, demonstrating their ability to adapt their thinking and strengthen their strategic approach.

Activity #4: Stakeholder Interview and Message Development

This exercise assesses a candidate's ability to extract key information from subject matter experts and translate complex information into clear, compelling messages—a fundamental PR skill. It demonstrates their interviewing technique, active listening, and message crafting abilities.

Directions for the Company:

• Select a complex topic relevant to your business that would typically require PR communication (e.g., a technical product feature, regulatory change, industry trend).
• Identify a subject matter expert (SME) from your team who can discuss this topic in detail.
• Prepare the SME with information to share, including some technical details and industry jargon.
• Allow 30 minutes for the interview and 45 minutes for message development.
• Have communications team members evaluate both the interview technique and the resulting messages.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Conduct a 30-minute interview with the subject matter expert to gather information about the complex topic.
• Take notes and ask clarifying questions to ensure you understand the technical details.
• After the interview, develop the following deliverables:
• A press release or media statement (400-500 words) explaining the topic
• 5-7 key messages in plain language for different audiences (general public, industry insiders, etc.)
• 3-4 anticipated questions from media or stakeholders with recommended responses
• Focus on translating complex information into clear, accessible language while maintaining accuracy.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on both the interview technique (questions asked, listening skills) and the quality of the resulting messages.
• Highlight one area where the messaging could be more clear or compelling.
• Ask the candidate to revise one section of their press release based on the feedback, focusing on making technical information more accessible without losing accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allocate for these exercises in our interview process?

Each exercise requires approximately 1.5-2 hours total, including preparation, execution, feedback, and revision. Consider spreading them across different interview stages or selecting the 1-2 most relevant exercises for your specific needs. For senior PR roles, a half-day assessment incorporating 2-3 exercises can provide comprehensive insights.

Should we use real company situations or create fictional scenarios?

Both approaches can be effective. Using disguised versions of real past situations allows you to compare candidate responses to what actually happened. However, ensure you're not sharing sensitive information. Fictional scenarios work well when they're realistic and relevant to your industry challenges.

How do we evaluate candidates consistently across these exercises?

Create a structured scorecard for each exercise that aligns with the key competencies in your job description. Have multiple evaluators use the same criteria, and conduct a calibration session before implementing the exercises to ensure everyone understands what "good" looks like.

What if a candidate has limited time to complete these exercises?

Consider offering a condensed version focusing on the most critical skills for your specific role. For example, the crisis communication exercise could be shortened to just developing the initial statement and key messages, without the full press conference simulation.

How do we ensure these exercises don't disadvantage candidates from different backgrounds?

Provide clear instructions and equal preparation materials to all candidates. Avoid scenarios that require specific cultural knowledge unrelated to the job. Focus evaluation on the process and approach rather than just specific outcomes, and ensure your evaluation panel represents diverse perspectives.

Should candidates complete these exercises during the interview or as take-home assignments?

For PR roles, we recommend conducting these exercises during the interview process when possible. This better simulates the time pressure PR professionals often face and ensures the work is the candidate's own. However, the PR Campaign Planning exercise could work well as a take-home assignment if time is limited.

In today's competitive talent market, implementing thoughtful work samples like these helps identify truly exceptional PR talent while also showcasing your company's commitment to excellence. These exercises not only reveal candidates' capabilities but also give them insight into the real challenges they'll face in the role—creating alignment from the start.

Ready to elevate your entire hiring process? Explore Yardstick's suite of tools designed to optimize every aspect of candidate selection, from crafting compelling job descriptions to generating insightful interview questions and comprehensive interview guides. Visit our Public Relations Manager job description for more insights into defining this critical role.

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