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What is an external relations director and how to become one
The job of an external relations director is to create the corporate identity of a company through new media and traditional channels. To do this, you are to oversee the editing and writing of events, speeches, scripts and shareholder documents, interviews, and other external communication. Building and generating communications to maintain a positive image of the company, especially in case of unforeseen situations or problematic situations, is your responsibility. You are to work with the manager in marketing, legal documents, advertising, financial advisory, and top executive. You are also to review public communications to ensure consistent brand message and identity.
The responsibility of the director is to make sure the communication budget is managed and monitored well. You are to develop relationships and connections with your business contacts, public officials, government regulators, and investors to maintain the reputation of the company. Ability to lead, organization skills, ability to settle media conflict and communication skills must be possessed before becoming an external relations director. The average salary of an external relations director annually is $110,000, with a bachelor's degree in Public relations or other related fields.
What general advice would you give to an external relations director?
Jeyoung (Jenny) Oh Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Communication, University of Michigan-Flint
Avg. Salary $130,849
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 8%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%
Asian 5.15%
Black or African American 6.08%
Hispanic or Latino 9.22%
Unknown 4.67%
White 74.47%
Genderfemale 55.91%
male 44.09%
Age - 41American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 41Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
External relations director career paths
Key steps to become an external relations director
Explore external relations director education requirements
Start to develop specific external relations director skills
Skills Percentages Project Management 12.68% External Relations 10.72% Oversight 9.60% Press Releases 9.02% GAAP 8.41% Complete relevant external relations director training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New external relations directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an external relations director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real external relations director resumes.Research external relations director duties and responsibilities
- Program development includes managing and building strong relationships with corporate and affinity partners to secure sponsorship and career enhancement for alumni
- Ensure target ROI with feasibility studies on potential acquisitions, identifying optimum projects requiring rezoning and entitlement approvals for development.
- Develop and implement company-wide QA and delivery procedures.
Get external relations director experience
Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become an external relations director. The most common roles before becoming an external relations director include internship, development director team lead and executive director.Prepare your external relations director resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your external relations director resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an external relations director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable external relations director resume templates
Build a professional external relations director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your external relations director resume.
Apply for external relations director jobs
Now it's time to start searching for an external relations director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first external relations director job
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Average external relations director salary
The average external relations director salary in the United States is $130,849 per year or $63 per hour. External relations director salaries range between $82,000 and $208,000 per year.
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Updated January 8, 2025
