Public Relations Specialists
Public Relations Specialists
Career Overview
Public relations specialists create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent.
Education
Public relations specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree in public relations, journalism, communications, English, or business. Through such programs, students produce a portfolio of work that demonstrates their ability to prospective employers.
Future Outlook
Employment of public relations specialists is projected to grow 7 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. Organizations will continue to emphasize community outreach and customer relations as a way to maintain and enhance their reputation and visibility.
Work Environment
Public relations specialists usually work in offices. Some attend community activities or events. Long workdays are common, as is overtime.
Recommended High School Courses
- Journalism
- Psychology
- Public Speaking
- Communication
- Public Relations
- Principles of Advertising
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- 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.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
- 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.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- 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.
- 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.
- Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Provide educational information to the public.
- Write advertising or promotional material.
- Develop promotional strategies or plans.
- Coach others.
- Collaborate with others in marketing activities.
- Write informational material.
- Edit written materials.
- Coordinate logistics for productions or events.
- Conduct market research.
- Inform viewers, listeners, or audiences.
- Promote products, activities, or organizations.
Schools
Schools
Abilene Christian Univers...
Adams State University
Adelphi University
Albion College
Albright College
Allegheny College
Alvernia University
American International Co...
American University
Angelo State University
Appalachian State Univers...
Arcadia University
Arizona State University
Arkansas Tech University
Asbury University
Auburn University
Augustana University
Austin College
Azusa Pacific University
Ball State University
Barry University
Baruch College (cuny)
Baylor University
Bellevue University
Belmont University
Berea College
Berkeley College Online
Berkeley College- Nyc Mid...
Bethel University (indian...
Biola University
Bluefield College
Boise State University
Boston College
Boston University
Bowling Green State Unive...
Bradley University
Brenau University
Brescia University
Brigham Young University
Bryan College
Bryant University
Cal Poly Pomona
California Lutheran Unive...
California State Universi...
Central Methodist Univers...
Coastal Carolina Universi...
College Of Saint Elizabet...
Emerson College
Indiana Institute Of Tech...
Lake Forest College
Lock Haven University
Manchester Community Coll...
North Central University
North Greenville Universi...
Northern Virginia Communi...
Suffolk County Community...
Suny Plattsburgh
University Of California-...
Ursinus College
Burman University
Canadore College- Stan...
Canadore College- Stan...
Capilano University- L...
Huntington University
Lakehead University- O...
Lasalle College
Northlands College- Cr...
Okanagan College- Kelo...
St. Claire College- Me...
Trinity Western Univer...
York University- Glendon...
Approx Salary Expectation
Currency:
Low End:
$34,590.00 /yr
Avg/Med:
$61,150.00 /yr
High End:
$115,430.00 /yr
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.