Responsibilities
As a PR officer, you would have to make use of all the medium and also communication for the maintenance, management and building of an organization's reputation, whether it is a public body or a business. You would have to communicate the vital messages, making use of even endorsements, so as to get flagged audience. This is done for the maintenance and establishment of comprehension and goodwill between the public and the concerned organization.
Publicity and monitoring of the same is done by a PR officer, along with conducting researches to seek out the stakeholders of the organization and their expectations out of the organization. After the completion of the above, the report is then presented by the PR officer to the management.
As a PR officer you can be employed in both the private sector and the public sector. He or she has to do the development, planning and also the implementation of all the strategies, with the liaising, providing answers to all the media, people, management etc, write, research and also do the distribution of press releases amongst all the media. Apart from these, a PR officer has to analyze and collate the coverage by the media, providing supervision, prepare the production of various publicity handouts, brochures, mail leaflets, videos, multimedia, films etc for promotion.
To succeed and get a job as a PR officer, candidates must possess certain skills and qualities. These are good communications, writing and interpersonal skills, presence of competence, drive and a strong will power towards the entitled job, with the ability to work under pressure. One must also possess creative imagination and an analytical mindset, so as to be able to take up the management function, do multi-tasking, solve problems etc. Awareness of the business and also the current affairs is a must for succeeding as a good PR officer. And the most important requirement to be a PR officer is to possess the quality to work as a team and cooperate within a team.
Educational Requirements
Though specific qualifications are not mandatory for landing a job as a PR officer but having HND or even a degree would be really beneficial. One can take up certain courses related to PR and these are for all the graduates. But having a degree in media, communication, English, business, management, and marketing would be advantageous too. A post graduation degree would also increase one's chance as a PR officer, apart from the education, experience in Public Relation, marketing and communication would also be valuable for all candidates.
The average annual salary of a PR officer is usually on the dependence of his or her qualifications, experience and the industry. It is usually around $30,000 to $50,000 per year. This field is expected to expand in the future, paving a way for many career opportunities.
