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The differences between communications specialists 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 specialist and a public relations assistant. Additionally, a communications specialist has an average salary of $51,023, which is higher than the $46,197 average annual salary of a public relations assistant.
The top three skills for a communications specialist include customer service, powerpoint and patients. The most important skills for a public relations assistant are press releases, facebook, and twitter.
| Communications Specialist | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $51,023 | $46,197 |
| Hourly rate | $24.53 | $22.21 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 42,819 | 26,021 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
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 specialists and public relations assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Communications Specialist | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Average salary | $51,023 | $46,197 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $71,000 | Between $34,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | California Institute of Technology | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a communications specialist and a public relations assistant in terms of educational background:
| Communications Specialist | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between communications specialists' and public relations assistants' demographics:
| Communications Specialist | Public Relations Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1% | Male, 24.5% Female, 75.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |