Why do companies need PR professionals?
With this question, the interviewer is testing your knowledge of public relations and why it's important to companies. Start by explaining what the field of public relations is and then discuss why companies need it. If possible, talk about a time when public relations helped a company.
"The way I view it, the purpose of public relations is to improve the public's perception of a brand or a company's image. This is applicable and important within many different industries. An organization's public relations team develops and implements campaigns and programs that aim to increase brand awareness. They also create press releases, organize corporate events, manage internal communications, and sometimes oversee the company's social media accounts as well. All of this is important to the organization because it improves its brand credibility with prospective and existing customers which leads to increased profits, sales, and leads for the company. Public relations also aims to shape how people see the company, which, especially in this day and age of the internet, needs to be continually monitored."