What a communications manager really does
You decide what your organization says, to whom and when, and you are the calm voice when the story turns bad.
FieldBusiness
Preparation (O*NET Job Zone)Considerable preparation needed
What the work involves
What fills a typical week for communications managers, built from O*NET occupation data.
- Talk with reporters, partners and internal leaders to keep relationships warm and find story opportunities
- Review and edit your team's press releases, posts and web copy before they go out
- Plan communications for upcoming news, choosing audiences, messages, channels and timing
- Keep crisis plans current and jump in when something goes wrong
- Draft talking points and speeches for executives and prepare them for interviews
- Track the budget for agencies, events and paid promotion
What the days are like
What people in the job know
- Deadlines are daily, and the news cycle sets many of them, not you. Time Pressure: 53% every day, 44% once a week or more (O*NET Work Context)
- The job usually runs past a standard week, especially around launches and incidents. Duration of Typical Work Week: 69% more than 40 hours (O*NET Work Context)
- Relationships are the job. The most important task is keeping contacts with media, clients and officials. Task rank 1, importance 96: build and maintain relationships with clients, government officials and media (O*NET Tasks)
- You will stand up and speak regularly, not only write. Public Speaking: 58% once a month or more (O*NET Work Context)
- Almost nothing repeats; each week brings a different problem. Importance of Repeating Same Tasks: 42% not important at all (O*NET Work Context)
How people get into it
Job Zone 4: considerable preparation. 83% of O*NET respondents say a bachelor's degree is required (often communications, journalism or marketing) and 14% a master's degree. Most people work several years as a PR specialist, journalist or agency account staff before managing.
The Firstday trial, easy to hard
Three simulated tasks at Fernwood Outdoor Co., a fictional company, with AI coworkers who message you, react to your work and coach with questions. Nobody scores you.
What the trial can't show: The trial cannot show building real media relationships over years, live television or press conference settings, managing staff careers, or running events in person. Reporters and executives are simulated characters.
Reading about it is one thing.
Find out how the work feels to you before you spend on a degree, course or job change. Your first trial is free.
Other careers you can try
Job details on this page are built from O*NET OnLine, 11-2032.00. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.