In Decmber 2014, the Financial Post wrote an article about how PR professionals are stepping out of the shadows that have been cast by advertising and marketing departments and have taken their proper place at the front of business success. And that is where our host Kristine D'Arbelles and Julia Kent begin their conversation.

The author of the Financial Post article says:

The rise of social media coupled with the growing importance of social responsibility are moving public relations professionals from the backroom, crafting press releases and organizing events, to the forefront of brand development and consumer engagement.

This is good news for young PR professionals. Our profession is finally showing its worth. Businesses are realizing the importance of the two-way communications of PR more than the message blasting of advertising.

So what should young professionals do with this news? Kristine and Julia make a few suggestions:

Relationships - and we are not talking about networking. When starting a new job think about how you are helping your organization build strong relationships with their clients, customers, stakeholders, etc.Listen - it is great to know how to Tweet and how to post an engaging post on Facebook, but none of that is worth anything if you don't listen to your followers and respond to their needs/comments/questions.Speed - listening means nothing if you can't respond in a timely manner. Of course, we don't expect organizations to respond within 30 seconds, but it shouldn't take more than 24 hours.

Stay tuned to our next episode where we talk about social media tools - such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc - and how they are best used.

And of course, don't forget we want to hear from you. Share your opinions by writing a comment below, or on our Facebook Page, or on our Google+ page, or send us an email at youngprpros@gmail.com, or send us a message on Twitter @youngprpros, @kristinedarbell, or @kentjulia.