1. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
The primary duty of a communications officer is to support both internal and external communications strategies. He/She writes and distributes content to promote an organization's brand, activities, services, or products. He/She serves as a liaison between the organization, the public, and the media to maintain the organization's image. Generally, he/she creates content, including publications, press releases, website content, annual reports, and other marketing materials. Furthermore, he/she responds to media inquiries and arranges interviews. Also, he/she keeps records of media coverage and compiles analytics and metrics.
Most communications officers hold a bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, or a related field. However, most employers prefer two to five years of experience in a similar role. Candidates must possess interpersonal, time management, analytical, communication, computer, and organization skills. You must be familiar with content management systems and social media platforms. The annual salary ranges between $32,000 and $106,000, with an average of $58,184
There are certain skills that many communications officers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed leadership skills, speaking skills and writing skills.
If you're interested in becoming a communications officer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 60.2% of communications officers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 10.9% of communications officers have master's degrees. Even though most communications officers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of manager you might progress to a role such as office manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title communications manager.
What Am I Worth?
The role of a communications officer includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general communications officer responsibilities:
There are several types of communications officer, including:
Role:
Role:
Role:
Mouse over a state to see the number of active communications officer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where communications officers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
---|---|---|---|
1 | California | 5,753 | $50,895 |
2 | Texas | 2,585 | $29,453 |
3 | New York | 2,427 | $62,200 |
4 | Illinois | 1,752 | $40,203 |
5 | Pennsylvania | 1,713 | $51,734 |
6 | Massachusetts | 1,602 | $56,756 |
7 | Georgia | 1,478 | $30,635 |
8 | North Carolina | 1,437 | $35,121 |
9 | New Jersey | 1,348 | $54,108 |
10 | Ohio | 1,196 | $44,985 |
11 | Minnesota | 1,191 | $43,081 |
12 | Maryland | 1,107 | $55,631 |
13 | Washington | 1,099 | $47,066 |
14 | Michigan | 1,008 | $55,367 |
15 | Arizona | 975 | $37,298 |
16 | Colorado | 932 | $42,840 |
17 | Indiana | 844 | $38,741 |
18 | Tennessee | 826 | $39,168 |
19 | Missouri | 754 | $41,654 |
20 | Wisconsin | 741 | $44,422 |
21 | Alabama | 590 | $30,520 |
22 | South Carolina | 571 | $28,692 |
23 | Oregon | 540 | $49,173 |
24 | Virginia | 537 | $41,530 |
25 | Iowa | 509 | $48,884 |
26 | Connecticut | 441 | $49,703 |
27 | Oklahoma | 436 | $30,303 |
28 | Florida | 429 | $29,353 |
29 | Kentucky | 422 | $36,388 |
30 | Louisiana | 421 | $28,493 |
31 | Nevada | 417 | $49,396 |
32 | Idaho | 397 | $50,253 |
33 | Mississippi | 364 | $28,756 |
34 | Kansas | 349 | $44,005 |
35 | Arkansas | 340 | $40,043 |
36 | Nebraska | 334 | $46,721 |
37 | New Mexico | 303 | $42,115 |
38 | New Hampshire | 259 | $51,636 |
39 | Rhode Island | 234 | $48,831 |
40 | Maine | 219 | $36,964 |
41 | West Virginia | 207 | $39,329 |
42 | North Dakota | 185 | $50,383 |
43 | South Dakota | 179 | $49,237 |
44 | Utah | 152 | $38,584 |
45 | Vermont | 142 | $48,746 |
46 | Delaware | 112 | $61,766 |
47 | Montana | 61 | $39,933 |
48 | Hawaii | 59 | $34,714 |
49 | Alaska | 54 | $44,741 |
50 | Wyoming | 52 | $37,541 |
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,309
Enrollment
9,142
Vestal, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
San Diego, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
Boston, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
Washington, DC • Private
In-State Tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
Albany, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
Cullowhee, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$3,926
Enrollment
9,835
Plattsburgh, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,369
Enrollment
5,229
Oswego, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$8,440
Enrollment
7,039
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 15.1% of communications officers listed affordable housing on their resume, but soft skills such as leadership skills and speaking skills are important as well.
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Communications Officer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Communications Officer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
1. Communicating During Global Emergencies
In collaboration with the Rollins School of Public Health and the CDC's Division of Global Health Protection, Emergency Response, and Recovery Branch, this course introduces basic concepts and principles of communicating during a global crisis or emergency. It explores why communication during an emergency is different and the importance of adapting emergency messages to the needs of affected populations. Through sample scenarios, you will get the opportunity to identify information needs and...
See More on Coursera2. Disaster, Crisis, and Emergency Preparedness Communication
This course will introduce you to basic concepts of emergency management, planning, and crisis risk communication. You will understand the definitions of and operational challenges associated with disasters and public health emergencies. You will identify important components of risk communication, and you will identify and evaluate the ways social characteristics shape vulnerabilities to crises and health outcomes. In completing this course, you will begin to learn about the nature of...
See More on Coursera3. Wireless Communications for Everybody
This course will provide an introduction and history of cellular communication systems that have changed our lives during the recent four decades and will become an essential and inseparable part of human life. The principles of wireless communication theory are covered with emphasis on the essential concept delivery to non-major learners in the easiest way. Then, it will be covered how such principles are realized and how multimedia services can be delivered in practical LTE cellular systems...
See More on CourseraSome places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a communications officer. The best states for people in this position are New York, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Maryland. Communications officers make the most in New York with an average salary of $62,200. Whereas in Delaware and Massachusetts, they would average $61,766 and $56,756, respectively. While communications officers would only make an average of $55,631 in Maryland, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. New York
$62,200
Avg. Salary
2. Massachusetts
$56,756
Avg. Salary
3. North Dakota
$50,383
Avg. Salary
Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bank of America | $60,882 | $29.27 | 15 |
2 | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | $58,923 | $28.33 | 12 |
3 | City of Jacksonville | $50,275 | $24.17 | 12 |
4 | World Bank | $45,025 | $21.65 | 15 |
5 | City | $44,442 | $21.37 | 12 |
6 | Fulton County Government Center | $41,044 | $19.73 | 12 |
7 | Court Services | $39,956 | $19.21 | 20 |
8 | USAF Police Alumni Association | $38,608 | $18.56 | 53 |
9 | United States Marine Corps | $38,460 | $18.49 | 141 |
10 | US Air Conditioning Distributors | $37,856 | $18.20 | 66 |