With many majors, graduates are given a range of options to choose from when they’re deciding on a career. One of the majors with a large spectrum is public relations. Students in this program end up in a variety of positions, from navigating the corporate world to giving journalism a spin. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular jobs for public relations managers.
Public Relations Manager
As you may have guessed, this is the most popular career for public relations majors. But what do they actually do? Their tasks all step back to one unifying goal: understanding the consumer. Public image is almost more important to a company that their product is.
Just think of Coca Cola. At this point, they’re selling an idea more than they’re selling a soda. Public relations managers are the ones who make this happen. Their job is to present companies in the best light possible, mainly through their interactions with the media. Seasoned public relations managers make upwards of $130,000 a year.
Event Coordinator
This job can take many shapes. Event planners can work within larger organizations, or they can also be a business of their own. Basically, they’re the ones who put all of the effort into planning and overseeing programs. This can be anything from fundraisers to company gathers, with many other options thrown into the mix as well.
There’s a lot that goes into making sure that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes and event coordinators take care of them: creating and managing budgets, finding and booking a location, booking the entertainment, hiring the caterers, etc. With an average salary range of $34,000 - $60,000 event coordinators will live comfortably, and their job can be very rewarding.
Media Buyer
These are the people who determine the best vehicle for advertising a company’s product or service, and then buy the needed ad space. Many of these advertisements have moved into online platforms, even with corporations sponsoring articles written primarily to support them. Media buyers are the ones who set this into motion. They have to figure out where to advertise to get the most bang for their buck, and they tend to take home a hefty wage for their efforts.
The average annual salary for media buyers falls between $80,000 and $150,000. The rest of us may be in the wrong line of work.
Account Executive
Account executives are the people who have to explain to their friends and family several times what they actually do. Basically, they look for ways to appeal to new customers and ensure that the customers they already have are happy with the service they’re being provided.
In order to do so, they have their hands full, usually spending their time in and out of the office dealing with customers directly to address their complaints. So, if you are a self-proclaimed people person and a problem solver, this may be a good place for you.
Public Relations Specialist
True to the heart of public relations, these people try to build a good image for a company. To be more specific, this means that public relations specialists work with reviewers, consumers, and media representatives to ensure that they say positive things about the product being advertised. It’s their job to get good publicity for the company they work for.
They often find themselves being the messengers between executives and the media. Public relations specialists also monitor websites to makes sure that they aren’t at the receiving end of any bad press.
