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The differences between communications officers and communications specialists 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 officer and a communications specialist. Additionally, a communications specialist has an average salary of $51,023, which is higher than the $40,161 average annual salary of a communications officer.
The top three skills for a communications officer include affordable housing, non-emergency telephone calls and customer service. The most important skills for a communications specialist are customer service, powerpoint, and patients.
| Communications Officer | Communications Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $40,161 | $51,023 |
| Hourly rate | $19.31 | $24.53 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 73,260 | 42,819 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A communications officer is responsible for maintaining the brand image of an organization through monitoring marketing campaigns and public relations techniques. Communications officers handle press releases, social media management, media outreach, reviewing digital contents, and disseminating public communications within the company's premises and appropriate audience. They often coordinate with the senior management to develop strategic procedures to improve brand awareness, attracting potential partnerships that would generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability. A communications officer must have excellent leadership skills to monitor the performance of the communications staff and ensure maximum productivity.
A communications specialist takes charge of addressing the public by coming up with various strategic campaigns, newsletters, public correspondence, press releases, and advertisements. Their primary role focuses on promoting, shaping, and enhancing a brand's image through public relations. Furthermore, a communications specialist is responsible for handling any complaints or issues, devising and conducting damage control to resolve bad publicity should there be any. It is also essential for a communications specialist to adhere to the company's policies and regulations at all times.
Communications officers and communications specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Officer | Communications Specialist | |
| Average salary | $40,161 | $51,023 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $62,000 | Between $36,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Technology |
There are a few differences between a communications officer and a communications specialist in terms of educational background:
| Communications Officer | Communications Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Communication |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between communications officers' and communications specialists' demographics:
| Communications Officer | Communications Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7% | Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 12% |