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The differences between communications department heads and public relations assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a communications department head and a public relations assistant. Additionally, a communications department head has an average salary of $95,503, which is higher than the $46,197 average annual salary of a public relations assistant.
The top three skills for a communications department head include communications strategy, external communications and external stakeholders. The most important skills for a public relations assistant are press releases, facebook, and twitter.
| Communications Department Head | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $95,503 | $46,197 |
| Hourly rate | $45.91 | $22.21 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 51,594 | 26,021 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A communications department head is in charge of overseeing the internal and external communication operations of a company. They manage the communications department staff, set goals and guidelines, establish budgets and timelines, liaise with key partners, coordinate with different teams to conceptualize and execute plans, and resolve issues promptly. They must also spearhead the development of media and marketing materials, monitoring the workflow and the workforce to ensure efficiency. Moreover, as the communications department head, they must lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing and promoting the company's policies and regulations.
A public relations assistant is responsible for assisting the development of promotional campaigns based on clients' specifications to boost brand awareness and generate sales for the company. Public relations assistants support the organization's public relations department, such as handling press releases, monitoring social media platforms, scheduling media advertisements, and perform market research to identify close competitors and adjust campaign strategies as needed. They also perform administrative duties, responding to the client's inquiries and concerns, conducting customer surveys, and requesting supplies for marketing campaigns, requiring them to have excellent communication and customer service skills.
Communications department heads and public relations assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Department Head | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Average salary | $95,503 | $46,197 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $168,000 | Between $34,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Credit Agricole CIB | California Institute of Technology |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a communications department head and a public relations assistant in terms of educational background:
| Communications Department Head | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between communications department heads' and public relations assistants' demographics:
| Communications Department Head | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.9% Female, 48.1% | Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |