Q. In reading the Plank Center’s Legends book, I noticed that credentials appear behind some the names. For example: John Q. Public, APR. What does that stand for and is this something I should be concerned about trying to add to my resume after graduation? -TD
A. APR stands for Accredited in Public Relations. It’s popular with leaders within PRSA, who promote the accrediting process that entails post-graduate training and an exam. In addition to PRSA’s APR program, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) has its own post-graduate continuing education certification called ABC, which is the acronym for Accredited Business Communicator.
Don’t fret if your resume doesn’t carry one of these designations. I have never heard an employer ask if anyone carries either of these designations. APR and ABC are worthwhile continuing education programs, but they aren’t essential to your job search or career.
The IABC process looks pretty straightforward, but I see that volunteers do the judging of portfolios. It sounds very subjective. Do you know if there are specific guidelines for judging? Do you know what the “first pass” success rate is?
Thank you so very much for this post, very informative!