Communication Specialist: How to Bag a Job in 2022

Did you know that there are people dedicated to maintaining the reputation of brands?

That’s what communications specialists are for!

By drafting press releases and handling media stories, communications specialists ensure that their brand has a positive reputation among consumers. They make sure that their employees and customers are satisfied and happy!

If this sounds like something you would excel at, we have just the source to gather all the information you need!

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about communications specialists:

• What is a communication specialist?
• What are the duties of a communication specialist?
• What skills does a communication specialist need?
• Are PR specialists and communication specialists the same?
• What are the steps to become a communication specialist?
• Is communication specialist a good career?

What Does a Communication Specialist Do

Communications specialists are vital to companies because satisfying customers is a huge part of maintaining businesses. Now, this duty is not just about generating a few marketing campaigns.

Here are some reasons why communications specialist jobs are revered:

• Manage budget for marketing campaigns and branding material
• Handle CRM database of clients and meetings
• Develop internal communication strategies to ensure team members and employees remain updated with brand changes
• Manage website and regularly update content and monitor activity
• Oversee engagement on social media platforms and develop strategies to engage them
• Gather security clearances for confidential spheres and ensure smooth operations

Communication Specialist Job Description

Job descriptions will vary according to experience level, size of the company, and skills of the candidate. However, here is a Communication Specialist Job Description from Snapchat:

• Coordinate with the corporate communication team to manage Snapchat's brand reputation online and devise marketing strategies
• Act as the first point of contact between cross-functional teams and manage different projects
• Optimize the collaboration between teams by creating light-weight workflows
• Perform administrative tasks and create communication materials like media assets, press releases, and tracking analytics
• Manage internal documents such as minute-of-meetings, customer strategy, project documents, etc.
• Track news and identify trends to devise strategies to identify media opportunities for communication and marketing teams
• Maintain confidentiality around business updates and projects
• Monitor outreach activities

It can be quite a hefty package since it entails a great degree of responsibility and awareness of the social climate at all times. Fear not, for we have just the guide to prepare you for a communications specialist job description like this!

Communication Specialist Skills to Perfect Today

With the extent of responsibilities, there are some communications specialist skills that you would need to master. Of course, assuming that you would want to be at the best of your game.

Communication

As a communication specialist, the biggest skill you could boast would be good communication dexterities. Aside from what the job title entails, as communications specialists, you would have to ensure that you convey your ideas and vision from your expertise in great clarity to stakeholders.

If your communication specialist jobs require you to be the public face of a brand, you must equip yourself with solid communication skills to deliver the brand ideology to the public.

Also read: How to ace your communication skills in a workplace

Internal Communication

To ensure the smooth functioning of a workplace, it is essential to make sure that employees are on the same page. To effectively do that, you as a communication specialist need to initiate team-wide or company-wide communication.

The term refers to all sorts of conversations regarding certain projects or campaigns that happen within a team or a company.

External Communication

As a communication specialist, one of your key responsibilities is maintaining amicable relationships with other brands.

You need to keep an open line of communication with reputable companies for various functions such as publishing news articles, press releases, photography, performing damage control, etc.

To carry this out effectively, you also need exceptional communication and strategizing skills. Knowing how to reach out to companies, when to reach out, and the correct material to deliver is one of the more desirable skills in communications specialist jobs.

Press Releases

Communication specialist jobs require you to not take risks as they can make or break your company. In cases where you need to author or strategize press releases, you need to focus on how you deliver the message.

You need to update yourself with the social climate and issue statements that will not get the company in hot waters. What you release will determine how people view the company, and so it is also crucial to maintain internal and external communication.

Social Media Management

With the entire world shifting its energy to social media, it is crucial to keep your clients entertained and actively seek new customers through innovative campaigns.

There is a lot that goes into maintaining a positive brand image on social media. Not only should you put out engaging content that falls in line with the brand ideology, but you must also ensure that your customers are satisfied with the way you treat them.

Hence, you need to make sure that you solve their queries and focus on promoting your brand to bigger audiences.

Clearance

Communication specialist jobs require you to have the dexterity to hold security clearances as part of accessing high-profile areas or information. Having such information is a huge advantage when it comes to bolstering your brand image.

Additionally, you need to focus on applying your promotional strategies mindfully. By targeting information or groups of people that are more likely to contribute to the brand, you can save both time and money on a bunch of campaigns and projects.

To test these waters, you must hold security clearances and access to areas that will open a wider range of influence.

How Are Public Relations Specialists Different From Communications Specialists?

While public relations specialists are responsible for maintaining companies’ reputations, communication specialists do a smidge more.

Public relations specialists issue press releases and monitor social spheres for positive conversations around the company. On the other hand, in addition to all of those tasks, communication specialists also ensure optimal internal and external communication.

They issue company-wide newsletters, memos, and presentations to keep other members and employees in the loop. At the same time, communication specialist jobs also entail a degree of responsibility to generate exceptional marketing campaigns. In most cases, they are also the public face of brands!

Find out more: Create an impeccable public relations resume

How Do I Become a Communication Specialist?

If you are all about comms and maintaining brand integrity through collaboration and communication, this is a field you would thrive in! However, as much as we wish you could, you cannot move into this career one fine day and succeed.

It’s a long process, but this is what you should do to get there.

Review Your Options

You can choose which part of communication you want to engage in depending on your interests and expertise. As mentioned, there is internal and external communication.

If you are interested in building brand image and being the public face of a brand, external communication might be the perfect fit for you. Such a role entails effortless communication of ideas and plans from the brand to external stakeholders like customers, potential customers, suppliers, investors, shareholders, and so on.

On the other hand, if you are keener on building communication policies within companies to maintain steady growth and build strategies, internal communication is the way to go. You will be responsible for circulating information and ensuring collaboration between the team and company members.

Develop Your Skills

Developing strategies and being responsible for the public perception of brands are heavy responsibilities, which you need training for.

The easiest way to gain theoretical knowledge would be to take a degree in business, marketing, sociology, mass media, among others. If you are sure about working in comms, you can choose a dedicated degree for communication, or even a major or minor, as they are more common.

Remember that you do not have to stop at this and that there are several certifications, training, and workshops you can undertake to polish your skills.

Bag Entry-Level Roles

Be it an internship or an entry-level position, make sure that you gain practical knowledge to increase your expertise and chances of employability.

As an intern, all you would have to do is assist your seniors and learn about the key functions of a communications specialist. At a startup or a good job, you would be able to learn a lot more through experimenting and working on a smaller scale.

Also read: Industry standard tips for an entry-level resume

Grow Your Network

A healthy and diverse network is what a communication specialist needs to be successful. Not only would it help you gain the best jobs in the industry, but will also help you polish the skills fundamental to your job, i.e. communication.

By maintaining good relationships with journalists, customers, and other important stakeholders, you can leverage them to your advantage when it comes to getting a job well done.

Average Communication Specialist Salary

With a projected growth of 14% from 2020 to 2030, communication specialists are on the rise, especially with the boom of social media.

While different across different cities and positions, the average communications specialist salary is $52,816 according to Indeed.

On the other hand, Zippia argues that the average communication specialist salary is $45,000 per year. Whereas Glassdoor suggests that the average communication specialist salary is a whopping $55,975 from their database.

While senior communication specialist salary is around the range of $68,705 per year, entry-level communications specialist salary tends to be around $54,164.

Communication Specialist Salary in the U.S. States

Out of all states in the U.S., the highest paying state for communication specialists salary is Alaska with a yearly communications specialist salary of $81,831.

The salary for most states is an average of $43,213 for communication specialists. However, Ohio reports the lowest communication specialist salary of only $22,868 per year.

Key Takeaways

Communication specialists are essentials to a workplace, no matter which industry, be it finance or the government. With extensive responsibilities and skills, they are catalysts to the success of companies.

• Communication specialists make sure that companies are on the right track in the public eye by issuing press releases and handling media events
• Some of the major communication specialist skills are external and internal communication skills, generating press releases, customer service, and social media management
• While public relations specialists monitor the company’s social appearance and issue positive reinforcements, communication specialists cover a wider range of responsibilities to assure overall communication
• Communication specialist jobs have a projected growth of 14% from 2020 to 2030 and a yearly average salary of $52,816

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