The public relations job description covers a wide range of activities right from maintaining good relations with the press to even the company peers and rivals. The PR job description expects a PR professional to build up interest and awareness and serve as a spokesperson between the company and various groups, for instance the public. He controls the amount of information that the public receive about the company, product or a person related to the company. He can communicate very effectively on the print, through the phone or in person.
A campaign will be successful if the client company is presented in the best light. Conventionally, it is achieved through press releases to reporters and placement of stories in the broadcast, print and virtual media. A press release is in the format of a news story and sends a message. It is usually sent through email.
Advertising and Public Relations
A lot of people confuse the public relations job description with advertising. PR is different from advertising. In case of an advertisement, an ad time or space is purchased while in case of PR, that space or time is got for free. That is the strategy employed in public relations jobs which is not found in advertisement.
Job Titles
The lowest position from which public relations job opportunities start is from the level of account coordinator. Through hard work, it is possible to become the account director in a period of five years. In seven years, you can also become the PR manager. In the corporate setting, the duties of PR jobs fall under a variety of titles. There is the title of a community relations director, media specialist, external and internal communication specialists and PR Officer.
Skills Required
So what does a public relations job description really entail? For starters, you must not be shy. Your verbal and written communication skills should be excellent. Good PR personnel are well versed in news and current affairs and popular culture. They are also adept at time management, public speaking, cold calling, budgeting, event planning and research.
Salary
The salary varies depending on degree, skills, experience, city and company size. However last seen according to PayScale.com in an April 2009 survey, a US based account coordinator gets a median salary of $31, 987 while a PR manager earns around $65,959.
Public Relations Writing Tools
A lot of written materials are used for PR jobs. These mostly include press kits (fact sheet, company history and personnel biographies), press releases, newsletters, speeches, website content, feature articles, event listings, proposals, website content and pitch letters which are persuasive in tone and sent to TV producers and journalists. These pitch letters are generally sent with the intention of convincing them to run stories on the PR Officer's client.
Degree
A degree helps but it is not mandatory. There are a lot of colleges that offer degrees in public relations. A minimum graduate level of education is mandatory. However the best way to start in the industry is to do an internship. It gives on the job experience and prepares you for building a career in this field.
Public relations job opportunities are increasing and have been stipulated to increase after the current financial year.
