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The differences between communications managers and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a communications manager, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a communications manager has an average salary of $81,304, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for a communications manager include customer service, property management and yardi. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Communications Manager | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $81,304 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $39.09 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 26,350 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A communications manager is responsible for overseeing a company or organization's public relations by devising various strategies and finding new opportunities. They must craft and produce marketing materials such as campaigns, advertisements, newsletters, social media engagements, and press releases to shape and improve a brand or company. Furthermore, a communications manager must accomplish administrative tasks such as preparing reports and necessary documentation, reaching out to advertisers, leading communication letters, and coordinating with marketing personnel from other departments.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Communications managers and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Manager | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $81,304 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $122,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a communications manager and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Communications Manager | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between communications managers' and specialists' demographics:
| Communications Manager | Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 11% |