Best PR career advice: 'Ask for forgiveness, not permission'

Name: Carolyne Mitchell 
Job title and company: Principal stakeholder, engagement and communications manager at Jacobs [a technical international professional services firm]. 
Location: Glasgow but Jacobs has clients and offices all over the world. 
Time in PR: 20 years in PR with 14 years as a journalist beforehand. 

What does your current role involve? 
I lead on engagement, consultation and communications on big infrastructure projects externally. Internally I am the digital communications and accessibility lead for the wider team and I am the comms person and accessibility champion in Europe for one of our employee networks 

What do you love most about working in public relations?  
No two days, projects or clients are the same so the work is varied. I love the people, both in the team and the communities we work in. There’s nothing better than getting out and about and talking to the people our projects are for. Doing a community profile and online research is great but it’s fascinating walking around streets and landmarks that were only names on a map and talking to Jean and Bill down the road to bring the project alive. 

What's been the highlight of your career so far?  
I was in the right place at the right time in the early days of social media (2009) and saw its potential for public sector comms. I made a career of it, specialising in its use during emergencies and helped the Scottish government write its first social media guidance document to supplement its warning and informing strategy. Also being one of the first LGComms Future Leaders was amazing. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? 
“Ask for forgiveness, not permission.” If I hadn’t taken this piece of advice we’d have been behind the curve as an organisation with social media instead of out front. My boss at the time could see I was serious about it and told me to “keep it under the radar and if anyone asks it’s a pilot – just don’t tell IT!” I did just that and pretty soon social media became just another comms tool.

How long have you been a member and what made you join?  
I was a CIPR member when I worked for my local council and saw it as a way to show that I was committed to the ethos and practice laid down by the CIPR. Jacobs has corporate membership and this gave me the opportunity to go for my chartership. I was surrounded by engineers who were all chartered so it made sense to join them, given how much experience I have.  

How does the CIPR support your career?  
The commitment to continuous learning pushes me to keep up to date on the latest things in comms and PR such as behavioural science and AI, which is invaluable. I also know that if I am ever stuck for an answer about something, there’s a community of CIPR members out there who I can ask for advice. 

Find out more about joining the CIPR 

Take the next step in your PR career and become a member. The CIPR is a supportive and inclusive community where everyone has the opportunity to connect, thrive and grow. Join the CIPR today.