PR is important in an organization’s arsenal for generating product and company awareness and managing crisis. While not every PR Manager would be as glamorous as Samantha Jones in Sex and the City, they are certainly charismatic and highly creative. PR Managers tend to be extroverted in nature, with the innate ability to identify and resonate with others. The main focus of a PR manager is to ensure messaging and publicities are both creative and appropriate for the target audience while achieving an organization’s marketing objectives.

Typical Responsibilities

• Identify, develop, and execute new and existing ways of gaining media and consumer exposure for all brands through public relations initiatives and value-added programs for consumer advertising and product placement.
• Manage the overall production of PR team including PR plans and deadlines. Define and execute PR plans, coordinate, manage, and assign PR projects to staff.
• Coordinate media relations with technical and business press, using Online Communication as a channel for media relations: Blogs & Wikis.
• Maintain PR budget. Manage all editor requests coming through media relations consultant for product samples, and photography in order to gain media exposure for brands and products.

Typical Requirements

• Must possess a Bachelor’s Degree in marketing, advertising, communications, or a related field; MBA strongly preferred.
• Must have strong writing skills; be a strategic thinker and ability to execute on multiple tasks, within teams or autonomous.
• Minimum of 5 years of Public Relations and marketing experience in a marketing/sales environment.
• Must have two or more years managing direct report employees.
• Must possess strong analytical and budget management skills, strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interface with editors, clients, employees and vendors.

Employment Outlook

Overall, job growth in Minnesota is expected to be highly competitive in the Midwest although it remains below the number of national job growth in the same category (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Employment Statistics and Projections

Employment Data US IL IA MN ND SD WI 2006 49,570 2,110 590 990 170 60 640 2016 Projections 57,970 2,440 670 1,140 190 60 730 % Changed 16.95% 15.64% 13.56% 15.15% 11.76% 0.00% 14.06% Annual Job Openings 1,990 80 20 40 n/a n/a 20

Source: State Occupational Projections (http://www.projectionscentral.com)

Figure 2: 2007 Wage Comparisons

Source: http://www.www.careeronestop.com

Figure 3: 2008 Salary for Public Relations Manager in Minneapolis, MN
Public Relations Manager
Benefit Median Amount % of Total Base Salary $86,949 69.30% Bonuses $3,588 2.90% Social Security $6,926 5.50% 401k / 403b $5,613 4.50% Disability $1,449 1.20% Healthcare $5,328 4.20% Pension $3,803 3.00% Time Off $11,839 9.40% Total $125,494 100.00%
Source: Salary.com – HR Reported data as of December 2008

If you think this position is right for you, here are some other things to consider. First, reflect on your demeanor. Could you actually do this job with your personality? Is it a good fit? If you like to take charge, have a lot of energy, and are rather independent, then you may have a chance. Additionally, having the ability to influence others is very important – this is “Marketing” after all.

Second, your career interests are important. You should want to manage, lead, and inspire people if you are going to be a manager because you will be accountable for their performance. Having a natural affinity for coaching and mentoring others will also work in your favor; it is important for a leader to develop his or her people in addition to developing brand awareness.

Finally, below are some experiences you may want to highlight in your resume and cover letter:

• Successful leadership in designing and executing innovative PR campaigns with quantifiable results
• Ability to leverage PR and other marketing vehicles to rapidly respond to business challenges
• Demonstrate success in project management, budget management, negotiations, and staffing related responsibilities