Public Relations Officer Career Profile
- Career Name - Public Relations Officer
- Category - Art & Design / Business / Health / Education / Law & Enforcement / Marine Conservation / Wildlife Conservation / Zoos, Aquariums, Museums & The Parks
- Skills Required - Life skills 40% - Career skills 60%
- Basic Subjects - Language, Business Studies, Biology
- Required Education - College Diploma
- Species Worked With - Pets, Critters, Farm Animals, Wildlife
- Short Courses - 340 - Rewards = Points +Badges
Do you want to work as a public relations officer?
READ: This page helps you read about the career and the information you need to decide whether this is indeed the career you want to follow.
RESEARCH: Learn about the skills required and minimum subjects to enter this career, as well as the places where you can study further after school.
PREPARE: If you want to plan and prepare for your career, then join the OZT community! Members have access to tools while chatting with other students and experts from around the world. Prepare to be amazed!
CAREER MENTOR
UPDATED:
29 April 2024
Adverts:
What is a public relations officer?
A public relations office is responsible for the overall image of the business, and communicating this image and all other related messages to the public.
Disney cartoons?
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was the first animated cartoon by Disney
Moving cartoons?
Cartoonists that draw moving cartoons (for movies and TV) are called animators
2. What do they do?
Category:
Art & Design / Business / Health / Education / Law & Enforcement / Marine Conservation / Wildlife Conservation / Zoos, Aquariums, Museums & The Parks
Focus:
The primary focus of Public Relations Officers is to develop strategies and campaigns through press releases, keynote speeches and promotional material in order to build and maintain a positive relationship with stakeholders, media and the public.
Daily Tasks:
- planning PR campaigns and strategies
- monitoring the public and media’s opinion of your client or employer
- writing and editing leaflets, brochures, press releases, speeches, newsletters, websites and social media
- representing the company at events such as press launches, news conferences, exhibitions, open days and sponsorship
- developing good working relationships with the media
- arranging for advertising or promotional films to be produced
- public speaking at presentations, conferences, or radio and TV interviews
- Administration and filing
Where they work:
Environment –
Public relations officers work primarily indoors, within an office or studio setup. They may also meet or talk to the public within a specific setting, which could be outdoors.
Places of Employment –
Public Relations officers are permanently employed by large businesses, sanctuaries, zoos, aquariums, museums, theme parks and government.
Average Salary:
On average the income per year is around $55,000. This will differ from country to country.
Difficulties:
Future growth and Possibilities:
The projected yearly growth of new job opportunities is around 14%.
3. Which Skills are required?
The skills required for a career as a public relations officer can be divided into two very important groups. The first is the group containing life skills, which are the core skills that are necessary or desirable for full participation in everyday life. The second group is career skills, or the specific skills required to allow a person to enter and operate effectively within a specific career. Some or maybe even all of the life skills can assist in strengthening the career skills, and they might even be the same for specific careers.
Life Skills:
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Critical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Decision making
- Problem Solving
- Effective communication
- Interpersonal relationship
Career Skills:
- Good business knowledge
- Basic customer service skills
- Good health and physical fitness
- Excellent computer literacy
4. Which Subjects must I have at School?
Language (which ever your primary language might be) is extremely important for future studies and developemt. Most colleges and universities will require Language as a school subject for admission.
Business Studies will help you understand the basics of running and managing a business.
Although not compulsory, if you are going to work with animals, then it will be a good idea to learn more about them while still in school.
The subjects you choose at school are important as they lay the foundation for further studies at college or university. While still at school, it’s also important to learn more about the animals you will work with, as well as gain some experience.
OZT has a list of various tertiary institutions where you can study further, after school. Each of these institutions also have their own Group page on OZT where you will find the exact subjects they require of you to have passed in school. Keep these requirements in mind, and discuss it with your school, guidance counselor and parents to ensure that you are prepared!
5. What will I need to Study?
Minimum Requirements:
To become a public relations officer requires a minimum of a College Diploma, although a Bachelor’s Degree is preferred by most employers.
Focus:
Major –
Subjects related to public relations, journalism, communications, English, or business.
Short Courses –
Courses in writing, marketing and communications will help.
Duration:
The duration of College and Bachelor’s Degrees can be up to 3 or 4 years. Short Courses are usually between a few weeks and a year.
Possible Career Preparation Paths:
If this is your dream career that you want to pursue, then it’s important to plan the way forward.
Why is planning important?
To ensure that you understand the requirements for your career, and that you are always prepared for the next step on the road towards your dream. A Preparation Path is like your road map to where you want to be.
Possible Paths:
Possible Combined Career Paths:
It is possible to sometimes combine two or more related careers. This normally happens when you study and practice a specific main career, but the knowledge and experience gained also help you to have a paying hobby or secondary income career.
Possible Alternatives (there are a lot more):
Stepping Stone Career:
Being a Public Relations Officer can also be used as a stepping stone career. A stepping stone career is one which is used to help you get to another career, normally because the other career is too difficult to reach (sometimes due to things like high fees etc).
You can begin as an intern after basic short courses and expert guidance (maybe working under a mentor). The money made can then be used to pay for studies towards a promotion or another career, and the experience helps in gaining knowledge. One paying to help get to the other.
Some of the possible paths:
Training and apprenticeship:
Even though it is important to study to get into some of the animal careers, most of the skills you will need as a cartoonist will be acquired through practice. This means that you will learn how to perform some of the daily tasks by actually doing it a few times and learning the steps.
In some cases entry level positions require training sessions even before you are allowed to actually perform your job duties. These sessions are offered by the place of employment, after you have successfully applied.
Apprenticeship is also possible where you need to learn skills from a more senior expert.
Join the Public Relations Officers Group in STEP 8 to learn more and even interact with the educational institutions that will help you secure your dream career!
Average level of education of all the people who enter the career:
6. Licenses, Certificate, Registration and Professional Associations
Certain animal careers require some form of legal certification to prove that you can indeed do the work, and work with the necessary equipment.
Although not required by law, certifications may help workers establish their credentials and enhance their skills.
Learn more about requirements by joining OZT in STEP 8.
Professional Associations:
7. Where can I study further?
All of the above information will help you understand more about the Career, including the fact that there are different paths to take to reach it. But if you are almost done with High School (Grades 11 or 12), you also need to start thinking about further studies, and WHERE you will study.
See the List of Universities, Colleges and Online Training Academies who offer courses towards public relations and communications.
8. Join the OZT community
Join us as a special member and learn more about becoming a public relations officer.
Members of the Platform have special access to:
- Info on the best places where you can study (colleges, universities and online)
- Expertly designed advice to prepare you for the career, and links to places where you can gain valuable experience. For some career experience is necessary, otherwise you wont get the job!
- Top notch info on each of the different species you will work with
- Make friends around the world and share knowledge
- Compete and win points, badges, games, prizes and certificates. Be the best of the best, while you learn and prepare!
If you have decided on being a Public Relations Officer, please click on the JOIN GROUP button. If this career is NOT the career for you, then you may return to the MAIN CAREER menu, and search for something different.
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