Public Relations Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities designed to create or maintain a favorable public image or raise issue awareness for their organization or client.

Most important skills

Speaking
Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Writing
Social Perceptiveness
Critical Thinking
Persuasion
Complex Problem Solving

Key knowledge

Communications and Media
English Language
Administration and Management
Sales and Marketing
Customer and Personal Service
Administrative
Law and Government
Sociology and Anthropology

What the work involves

Assign, supervise, and review the activities of public relations staff.
Confer with labor relations managers to develop internal communications that keep employees informed of company activities.
Design and edit promotional publications, such as brochures.
Develop and maintain the company's corporate image and identity, which includes the use of logos and signage.
Develop, implement, or maintain crisis communication plans.
Direct activities of external agencies, establishments, or departments that develop and implement communication strategies and information programs.
Draft speeches for company executives and arrange interviews and other forms of contact for them.
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, government officials, and media representatives and use these relationships to develop new business opportunities.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Enterprising, Conventional, Social.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Bachelor's Degree (83.3% of expert ratings)
Related experience: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (44.4%)
On-the-job training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month (22.2%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Public Relations Managers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Moderate	Higher on contact with others than 57% of occupations compared	58% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	High	Higher on dealing with the public than 64% of occupations compared	36% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Teamwork	Very high	Higher on teamwork than 86% of occupations compared	80% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Moderate	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 53% of occupations compared	53% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Very high	Higher on time pressure than 91% of occupations compared	53% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day”
Conflict situations	High	Higher on conflict situations than 71% of occupations compared	47% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	High	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 66% of occupations compared	39% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Consequence of error	Moderate	Lower on consequence of error than 59% of occupations compared	25% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: very high
Conflict situations: high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: high
Consequence of error: moderate

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions