Public Relations Specialists

Bookmark Print History Journal
x

Journal

    • Please sign in to view journal entries
x

Your Employment History in this Occupation

Please sign in to view Employment History
x
Rating
x

Please fill out the fields below to e-mail someone a link to this page

x
Please sign in to bookmark occupations

This occupation is part of the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media cluster

About the Job

Engage in promoting or creating an intended public image for individuals, groups, or organizations. May write or select material for release to various communications media.

It is also Called

  • Account Executive
  • Account Supervisor
  • Audience Coordinator
  • Campaign Manager
  • Communications Director
  • Communications Manager
  • Communications Specialist
  • Community Relations Coordinator
  • Community Relations Manager
  • Concert Promoter

What They Do

  • Respond to requests for information from the media or designate an appropriate spokesperson or information source.
  • Study the objectives, promotional policies, or needs of organizations to develop public relations strategies that will influence public opinion or promote ideas, products, or services.
  • Plan or direct development or communication of informational programs to maintain favorable public or stockholder perceptions of an organization's accomplishments or agenda.
  • Establish or maintain cooperative relationships with representatives of community, consumer, employee, or public interest groups.
  • Prepare or edit organizational publications for internal and external audiences, including employee newsletters and stockholders' reports.
  • Coach client representatives in effective communication with the public or with employees.
  • Confer with production or support personnel to produce or coordinate production of advertisements or promotions.
  • Confer with other managers to identify trends or key group interests or concerns or to provide advice on business decisions.
  • Arrange public appearances, lectures, contests, or exhibits for clients to increase product or service awareness or to promote goodwill.
  • Consult with advertising agencies or staff to arrange promotional campaigns in all types of media for products, organizations, or individuals.

Interests

People who work in this occupation generally have the interest code: EAS.

This means people who work in this occupation generally have Enterprising interests, but also prefer Artistic and Social environments.

Work Values

People who work in this occupation generally prize Achievement, but also value Independence and Working Conditions in their jobs.

Things They Need to Know

  • Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Things They Need to Be Able to Do

  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Education Required

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Wages

In 2012, the average annual wage in California was $73,790.00 with most people making between $35,900.00 and $129,790.00

Outlook

2.11%
avg. annual growth

During 2010, this occupation employed approximately 23,700 people in California. It is projected that there will be 28,700 employed in 2020.

This occupation will have about 500 openings due to growth and about 630 replacement openings for approximately 1,130 total annual openings.

Common College Majors

Industries that Employ this Occupation

Similar Occupations


People who viewed this occupation also viewed:


California Career Resource Network