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Marketing and Public Relations | Communications / Public Relations Specialist

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 1491 Communications / Public Relations Specialist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 50585 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 $90,060.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $94,424.

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 $68,798.

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 LevelPercentage
Associate's Degree0%
Bachelor's Degree52.59%
Master's Degree9.71%
Doctoral Degree1.79%
Other17.06%

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 ExperiencePercentage
0 to 2 years46.31%
3 to 5 years42.71%
6 to 8 years7.23%
9+ years3.74%

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 (76.99%)
  • Writing (36.76%)
  • Management (26.04%)
  • Detail Oriented (25.11%)
  • Research (22.84%)
  • Customer Service (22.53%)
  • Leadership (21.88%)
  • Planning (21.65%)
  • Presentations (20.7%)
  • Microsoft Office (19.28%)

Defining Skills

A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.

  • Media Relations (11.23%)
  • Public Relations (33.07%)
  • Marketing (57.36%)
  • Press Releases (17.73%)
  • Strategic Communication (11.41%)
  • Corporate Communications (8.09%)

Necessary Skills

A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.

  • Canva (Software) (7.94%)
  • Proofreading (10.93%)
  • Newsletters (23.95%)
  • Adobe Photoshop (9.23%)
  • Adobe Creative Suite (8.86%)
  • Content Creation (16.63%)
  • Internal Communications (14.75%)
  • Journalism (22.76%)
  • Communication Strategies (9.78%)
  • Microsoft SharePoint (7.05%)
  • WordPress (5.42%)
  • Social Media (27.46%)
  • Graphic Design (14.79%)
  • Marketing Communications (13.03%)
  • Project Management (27.34%)

Distinguishing Skills

A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.

  • Digital Communications (6.74%)
  • AP Stylebook (4.75%)
  • Crisis Communications (3.3%)
  • Public Affairs (5.21%)

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.

  • Digital Communications (100%)

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
  • Telecommunications Specialist
  • Communications Intern
  • Public Relations Specialist
  • Communications Associate
  • Internal Communications Specialist
  • Marketing and Communications Specialist
  • 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 (646)
  • The Nature Conservancy (401)
  • Lululemon (400)
  • Nordstrom (232)
  • Flagstar Bank (232)
  • Publicis Groupe (212)
  • Lush Handmade Cosmetics (194)
  • Guidant Financial Group (189)
  • Public Consulting Group (187)
  • University of California (166)

North Carolina

  • University of North Carolina (65)
  • Duke University (52)
  • North Carolina State University (28)
  • PruittHealth (28)
  • Novant Health (24)
  • State of North Carolina (22)
  • Wells Fargo (20)
  • HKA Enterprises (17)
  • Lowe's (15)
  • Guidant Financial Group (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!