How to hire a communications consultant

How to hire a communications consultant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step communications consultant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a communications consultant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new communications consultant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a communications consultant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a communications consultant, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a communications consultant to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a communications consultant that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of communications consultants and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Communications Consultant	Description	Hourly rate
   Communications Consultant	Public relations specialists create and maintain a favorable public image for the organization they represent. They design media releases to shape public perception of their organization and to increase awareness of its work and goals.	$30-62
   Public Relations	Public relations is a strategic way of developing and maintaining a client's or company's public image through media coverage, appearances, and press releases by designing and developing events to raise funds or to spread awareness to the public regarding products, brands, or individuals. It involves research and evaluation of programs including financial, marketing, employee, or government relations using topics of public interest and news items... Show more	$15-34
   Consultant	Consultants are individuals who were tapped by a company or an organization to work on a specific activity, depending on their field of expertise. They act as guides for the organization in undertaking projects that are related to their field... Show more	$27-51

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PowerPoint
   • Web Content
   • Project Management
   • Press Releases
   • Strategic Communications Plan
   • External Communications
   • External Audiences
   • Corporate Communications
   • Communications Materials
   • HR
   • Intranet
   • SharePoint
   • Subject Matter Experts
   • Twitter

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Plan and manage and produce online marketing activities and campaigns (B2B and B2C).
   • Manage content, database selection, HTML presentation and quality assurance of all outbound email campaigns.
   • Advise and/or manage on content, navigation architecture, SEO, social media, YouTube, email campaigns.
   • Manage editorial and content for Siemens quarterly executive level do magazine with worldwide distribution.
   • Gather requirements, provide justification and value-ad capabilities for SharePoint implementation, and lead the change management team.
   • Create PowerPoint decks, organization charts, Vision/Strategy/Execution slides, updates to intranet websites and collaboration sites.

   More communications consultant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your communications consultant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A communications consultant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, communications consultants' average salary in florida is 46% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level communications consultants earn 52% less than senior-level communications consultants.
   • Certifications. A communications consultant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a communications consultant's salary.

   Average communications consultant salary

   $91,455yearly

   $43.97 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level communications consultant salary

   $63,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 15, 2026

   Average communications consultant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$116,231	$56
   2	District of Columbia	$110,065	$53
   3	Massachusetts	$107,719	$52
   4	New Jersey	$105,574	$51
   5	New York	$102,725	$49
   6	Connecticut	$99,980	$48
   7	Illinois	$90,987	$44
   8	New Hampshire	$90,076	$43
   9	Virginia	$89,719	$43
   10	Washington	$89,165	$43
   11	Oregon	$88,975	$43
   12	Arizona	$83,900	$40
   13	Ohio	$83,592	$40
   14	North Carolina	$83,003	$40
   15	Minnesota	$79,736	$38
   16	Missouri	$76,975	$37
   17	Colorado	$74,857	$36
   18	Indiana	$70,252	$34
   19	Georgia	$68,310	$33
   20	Texas	$67,971	$33

   Average communications consultant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dell	$122,825	$59.05
   2	HSBC Bank	$120,301	$57.84
   3	Lazard	$110,641	$53.19
   4	Mayo Clinic	$109,740	$52.76
   5	Roche Holding AG	$106,311	$51.11
   6	CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield	$102,448	$49.25
   7	Evans Consulting	$101,785	$48.94
   8	Westinghouse Appliances Australia	$101,424	$48.76
   9	Fidelity Investments	$100,928	$48.52	21
   10	T. Rowe Price	$100,794	$48.46	1
   11	Charles Schwab	$99,156	$47.67	2
   12	Excellus BCBS	$98,273	$47.25
   13	VIVA USA	$97,086	$46.68
   14	FTI Consulting	$95,158	$45.75	5
   15	Deloitte	$92,865	$44.65	115
   16	AmeriHealth Caritas	$91,642	$44.06	2
   17	Prometheus	$91,001	$43.75	2
   18	The Kaizen Company	$89,856	$43.20
   19	The Evergreen State College	$89,378	$42.97	1
   20	CSI Companies	$88,973	$42.78

4. Writing a communications consultant job description

   A communications consultant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a communications consultant job description:

   Communications consultant job description example

   + This individual will be responsible for creating communications materials, including communication plans, strategic leadership messaging, employee communications, press releases and blog posts.
   
   + They will cultivate relationships with company leadership, project stakeholders, media outlets and manage the successful execution of various communications campaigns for internal and external audiences.
   
   + This individual must be highly organized with an ability to plan effectively and must be experienced at overseeing successful projects that required collaborating with multiple stakeholders both within and outside the organization.
   + Develop and execute communication strategies aligned with overall business goals and priorities.
   
   + Support the full a Telecommunications and Media company of global integrated communication initiatives including employee, customer, sales, executive thought leadership, digital and social.
   
   + Serve as advisor and partner to clients, at all levels of the business to develop communications strategies and adapt communications execution on an ongoing basis to engage target audiences.
   
   + Write and edit employee, sales and customer messaging, press releases, media advisories, briefings, statements, social posts, presentations and speeches and manage designated state and local media relations opportunities.
   
   + Have a strong understanding of how to engage target audiences with messaging across various communication channels.
   
   Requirements
   
   + Bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, journalism or a related field preferred.
   
   + At least five years of relevant progressive experience in a communications or related position.
   
   + Excellent written and oral communications skills with professional writing and editing experience and the ability to make complex information relatable to a variety of audiences.
   
   + Excellent editing and proofreading skills are a must.
   
   + Exceptional attention to detail and strong organizational skills with excellent project management experience.
   
   + Ability to think critically and independently.
   
   + Self-starter who can work independently or support others when necessary.
   
   + Excellent interpersonal skills and a strong sense of teamwork and collaboration.
   
   + The Senior Communications Consultant for Lumen (NYSE: Client) will be an employee communications, public relations and media relations professional with exceptional writing, editing skills, social and multimedia skills.
   
   As an equal opportunity employer, ICONMA prides itself on creating an employment environment that supports and encourages the abilities of all persons regardless of race, color, gender, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or disability.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find communications consultants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any communications consultants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level communications consultants with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your communications consultant job on Zippia to find and recruit communications consultant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as pr news job board, pr council, prsa job center, hoojobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with communications consultant candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new communications consultant

   Once you've selected the best communications consultant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new communications consultant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a communications consultant?