Effective Work Sample Exercises for Hiring Top Public Relations Specialists

Public Relations Specialists serve as the voice and image guardians of an organization, making their hiring process critically important to your company's reputation and stakeholder relationships. The right PR professional can elevate your brand presence, navigate complex media landscapes, and transform potential crises into opportunities. However, traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in these areas.

Work samples provide a window into how candidates actually perform under realistic conditions, revealing skills that might not emerge during standard interview questions. For PR specialists, whose work involves crafting compelling narratives, managing stakeholder relationships, and thinking strategically under pressure, practical exercises are particularly valuable in the hiring process.

The exercises outlined below are designed to evaluate the core competencies required for PR success: exceptional writing abilities, strategic thinking, crisis management skills, and media relations expertise. By incorporating these work samples into your interview process, you'll gain deeper insights into how candidates approach real PR challenges and execute essential responsibilities.

These activities simulate the day-to-day demands of PR work, allowing candidates to demonstrate their capabilities in action rather than simply discussing them. This approach not only helps you identify the most qualified candidates but also gives applicants a realistic preview of the role, leading to better job fit and reduced turnover.

Activity #1: Press Release Development

This exercise evaluates a candidate's writing skills, ability to craft compelling narratives, and understanding of media-friendly content. A well-crafted press release requires clear, concise writing, strategic messaging, and an understanding of what makes news newsworthy—all essential skills for a PR specialist.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide the candidate with a fictional (or anonymized real) product launch, company milestone, or announcement relevant to your industry.
• Include basic information about the announcement, key messaging points, and any brand guidelines that should be followed.
• Allow candidates 45-60 minutes to complete the exercise.
• Consider providing examples of previous company press releases to give context on style and tone.
• Evaluate both the technical writing skills and strategic approach to the announcement.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Draft a complete press release based on the provided information.
• Your press release should include a compelling headline, dateline, introduction, body with supporting quotes, and boilerplate company information.
• Consider the target audience and potential media outlets that would be interested in this news.
• Focus on creating a newsworthy angle that would capture journalists' attention.
• Ensure your writing is clear, concise, and free of grammatical errors.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After reviewing the press release, provide specific feedback on one element the candidate executed well (e.g., compelling headline, effective quote usage) and one area for improvement (e.g., more concise writing, stronger news angle).
• Give the candidate 15 minutes to revise the identified section based on your feedback.
• Observe how receptive they are to constructive criticism and their ability to quickly implement changes—both crucial skills in PR.

Activity #2: Crisis Communication Simulation

This exercise assesses a candidate's ability to think strategically under pressure, manage multiple stakeholders, and craft appropriate messaging during a crisis—skills that are invaluable in protecting an organization's reputation.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a realistic crisis scenario relevant to your industry (e.g., product recall, executive misconduct allegation, social media backlash).
• Provide background information on the company, the crisis situation, and any relevant stakeholders.
• Consider role-playing as journalists, executives, or other stakeholders to make the simulation more realistic.
• Allow 30 minutes for preparation and 20 minutes for the simulation itself.
• Evaluate the candidate's composure, strategic thinking, and communication clarity.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the crisis scenario and develop an initial response strategy.
• Prepare key messaging points for different stakeholders (media, employees, customers, etc.).
• During the simulation, respond to questions from "journalists" or "executives" as appropriate.
• Demonstrate how you would advise leadership on managing the situation.
• Balance transparency with protecting the organization's reputation.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on one strength in the candidate's crisis response (e.g., clear messaging, strategic prioritization) and one area for improvement (e.g., stakeholder consideration, message consistency).
• Ask the candidate to revise their approach to one aspect of the crisis based on your feedback.
• Have them explain how they would implement this revised approach and why it would be more effective.

Activity #3: Media Pitch Development

This exercise evaluates a candidate's ability to identify newsworthy angles, craft compelling pitches, and understand media relations—core responsibilities for PR specialists who need to secure coverage for their organizations.

Directions for the Company:

• Provide information about a company initiative, product, or story that needs media coverage.
• Include details about the company, the specific topic, and any supporting materials.
• Optionally, provide profiles of 3-5 relevant media outlets or journalists in your industry.
• Allow 45 minutes for completion.
• Assess the candidate's strategic thinking, writing skills, and media savvy.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Develop a targeted media pitch for the provided company initiative or story.
• Identify 2-3 specific media outlets or journalists who would be appropriate targets for this pitch, explaining your choices.
• Craft a compelling email pitch that would grab a journalist's attention.
• Outline follow-up steps you would take if you don't receive an initial response.
• Consider how you might tailor the story angle for different types of media outlets.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on one strength of the pitch (e.g., compelling hook, well-targeted outlets) and one area for improvement (e.g., more concise writing, stronger news value).
• Ask the candidate to revise the email pitch based on your feedback.
• Discuss how they would adapt their approach if the initial pitch was unsuccessful.

Activity #4: Social Media Response Strategy

This exercise assesses a candidate's ability to manage social media communications, respond to public feedback, and align messaging across platforms—increasingly important skills in the digital PR landscape.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario involving public feedback on social media (could be negative comments, questions about a controversial company decision, or a viral post mentioning your brand).
• Provide screenshots or examples of the social media posts/comments.
• Include any relevant company policies or previous messaging on the topic.
• Allow 30-40 minutes for completion.
• Evaluate the candidate's tone, strategic thinking, and alignment with brand voice.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the social media scenario and develop a response strategy.
• Draft specific responses to 3-4 different types of comments or posts.
• Outline a broader communication plan to address the issue across channels.
• Consider potential escalation scenarios and how you would handle them.
• Explain how you would measure the effectiveness of your response strategy.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on one strength of the candidate's response strategy (e.g., appropriate tone, strategic approach) and one area for improvement (e.g., message consistency, stakeholder consideration).
• Ask the candidate to revise one of their draft responses based on your feedback.
• Discuss how they would adapt their approach if the situation evolved or escalated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should we allocate for these work sample exercises?

Each exercise is designed to take 45-60 minutes, including time for feedback and revision. If incorporating multiple exercises, consider spreading them across different interview stages or selecting the 1-2 most relevant to your specific PR needs.

Should we use real company information in these exercises?

While using real scenarios provides authenticity, consider creating fictional but realistic scenarios to protect sensitive information. Alternatively, use anonymized versions of past situations with changed details.

How should we evaluate candidates who have different PR backgrounds (corporate, agency, non-profit)?

Focus on the fundamental skills being demonstrated rather than industry-specific knowledge. A strong PR professional should be able to adapt their approach to different contexts, even if the specific content is unfamiliar.

Can these exercises be conducted remotely?

Yes, all of these exercises can be adapted for remote interviews. For the crisis simulation, consider using video conferencing with breakout rooms for different stakeholder interactions. Written exercises can be completed using shared documents with time limits.

How much weight should we give to these work samples compared to traditional interviews?

Work samples often provide the most accurate picture of a candidate's capabilities, so they should be weighted heavily in your decision-making process. However, they should complement rather than replace competency-based interviews that assess cultural fit and career trajectory.

Should candidates receive the exercises in advance?

For the press release and media pitch exercises, providing the scenario 24 hours in advance can yield more polished results. However, the crisis simulation and social media response exercises are valuable as on-the-spot assessments of how candidates perform under pressure.

Finding the right Public Relations Specialist is crucial for maintaining and enhancing your organization's reputation. By incorporating these practical work samples into your hiring process, you'll gain valuable insights into candidates' actual capabilities beyond what traditional interviews reveal. These exercises evaluate the essential skills needed for PR success: strategic communication, crisis management, media relations, and content creation.

For more resources to optimize your hiring process, check out our AI Job Description Generator, AI Interview Question Generator, and AI Interview Guide Generator. You can also view the complete Public Relations Specialist job description that informed these work samples.

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