Communications / Public Relations Specialist
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Communications or Public Relations Specialist coordinates internal and external communications for a company or organization. Provides information to employees on company activities, such as the launch of a new product or a community service initiative. Writes and edits public communications; develops media contacts and prepares material for press and media distribution; monitors media coverage. May assist with events planning.
Job Outlook
There were 1630 Communications / Public Relations Specialist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 56196 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Communications / Public Relations Specialist industry, which includes the Communications / Public Relations Specialist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Communications / Public Relations Specialist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $67,249.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $67,565.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Communications / Public Relations Specialist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $49,984.
Education and Experience
Posted Communications / Public Relations Specialist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 7.22% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 52.74% |
| Master's Degree | 9.99% |
| Doctoral Degree | 1.84% |
| Other | 16.56% |
Posted Communications / Public Relations Specialist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 44.78% |
| 3 to 5 years | 43.99% |
| 6 to 8 years | 7.5% |
| 9+ years | 3.73% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Communications / Public Relations Specialist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Communication (76.33%)
- Writing (36.42%)
- Management (26.53%)
- Detail Oriented (24.32%)
- Research (22.7%)
- Customer Service (22.22%)
- Leadership (21.3%)
- Planning (21.27%)
- Presentations (20.91%)
- Coordinating (18.38%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Marketing (58.27%)
- Press Releases (17.91%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Project Management (28.02%)
- Fundraising (7.38%)
- Newsletters (23.07%)
- Internal Communications (13.87%)
- Journalism (22.82%)
- Communication Strategies (8.52%)
- Marketing Communications (13.74%)
- Social Media (26.58%)
- Content Creation (14.86%)
- Public Relations (32.76%)
- Graphic Design (13.5%)
- Adobe Photoshop (9.3%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Digital Communications (6.09%)
- Strategic Communication (11.45%)
- Media Relations (10.9%)
- Public Affairs (7.01%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Media Relations (45.2%)
- Strategic Communication (47.5%)
- Public Affairs (29.08%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Communications / Public Relations Specialist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Communications Specialist
- Marketing Communications Specialist
- Communications Coordinator
- Public Relations Specialist
- Telecommunications Specialist
- Communications Associate
- Marketing and Communications Specialist
- Internal Communications Specialist
- Move-in Coordinator
- Student Ambassador
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Communications / Public Relations Specialist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Capital One (649)
- The Nature Conservancy (387)
- ICF International (288)
- Pearson Education (267)
- Nordstrom (254)
- University of California (222)
- Dick's Sporting Goods (201)
- Publicis Groupe (196)
- United States Government (158)
- Black & Veatch (155)
North Carolina
- Duke University (64)
- University of North Carolina (60)
- North Carolina State University (29)
- PruittHealth (25)
- Novant Health (22)
- Wells Fargo (19)
- State of North Carolina (18)
- UNC Health (17)
- Black & Veatch (15)
- East Carolina University (15)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.