Spokesperson to public relations manager
A spokesperson already meets 44% of what the public relations manager role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.3/ 100
1 How much of what a public relations manager is expected to do is already part of a spokesperson’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the public relations manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A public relations manager role treats 21 of its required skills as things a spokesperson already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on public image
- advise on public relations
- analyse external factors of companies
- build community relations
- communication principles
- conduct public presentations
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 32 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A public relations manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a spokesperson background worth leading with.
- already held forming of public opinion business, administration and law
- already held give interviews to media communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held organise press conferences management skills
- already held establish relationship with the media communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held reputation management business, administration and law
- already held work closely with news teams communication, collaboration and creativity
All 32 carried skills, including the 21 the public relations manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 81 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn develop media strategy required
- still to learn develop public relations strategies required
- still to learn integrate strategic foundation in daily performance required
- optional, not held manage online communications optional
- optional, not held apply strategic thinking optional
- optional, not held coordinate advertising campaigns optional
- optional, not held coordinate marketing plan actions optional
- optional, not held evaluate employees optional
- optional, not held manage account department optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage creative department optional
- optional, not held manage media services department optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held manage the handling of promotional materials optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn public relations required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held marketing department processes optional
- optional, not held search engine optimisation optional
- optional, not held advertising techniques optional
- optional, not held business strategy concepts optional
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held pricing strategies optional
- optional, not held social media management optional
- still to learn liaise with local authorities required
- optional, not held advocate a cause optional
- optional, not held advise on communication strategies optional
- optional, not held apply grammar and spelling rules optional
- optional, not held apply social media marketing optional
- optional, not held approve advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held carry out forum moderation optional
- optional, not held collaborate in the development of marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held develop creative ideas optional
- optional, not held disseminate internal communications optional
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
- optional, not held establish communication with foreign cultures optional
- optional, not held identify clients' needs optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held manage development of promotional material optional
- optional, not held manage visual communications optional
- optional, not held perform fundraising activities optional
- optional, not held proofread text optional
- optional, not held represent the organisation optional
- optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
- optional, not held make price recommendations optional
- optional, not held monitor political campaigns optional
- optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
- optional, not held compile content optional
- optional, not held document project progress optional
- optional, not held draw conclusions from market research results optional
- optional, not held ensure information transparency optional
- optional, not held evaluate advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held examine advertisement layout optional
- optional, not held forecast organisational risks optional
- optional, not held manage project metrics optional
- optional, not held monitor political conflicts optional
- optional, not held perform business analysis optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- optional, not held use analytics for commercial purposes optional
- optional, not held government policy implementation optional
- optional, not held government representation optional
- optional, not held humanitarian aid actors optional
- optional, not held political campaigning optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held psychological concepts optional
- optional, not held ethics of sharing work through social media optional
- optional, not held grammar optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held writing style guides optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a public relations manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop media strategy practise this
- 02 develop public relations strategies practise this
- 03 integrate strategic foundation in daily performance practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 32 skills that carry over
- already held advise on public image skill
- already held advise on public relations skill
- already held analyse external factors of companies skill
- already held build community relations skill
- already held communication principles knowledge
- already held conduct public presentations skill
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held develop communications strategies skill
- already held diplomatic principles knowledge
- already held draft press releases skill
- already held establish relationship with the media skill
- already held forming of public opinion knowledge
- already held give interviews to media skill
- already held market research knowledge
- already held organise press conferences skill
- already held perform public relations skill
- already held prepare presentation material skill
- already held protect client interests skill
- already held reputation management knowledge
- already held rhetoric knowledge
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held apply diplomatic principles skill
- already held build business relationships skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held develop promotional tools skill
- already held give live presentation skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held implement marketing strategies skill
- already held liaise with politicians skill
- already held speak different languages skill
- already held types of media knowledge
- already held work closely with news teams skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held business communication optional
- optional, not held survey techniques optional
75 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
- optional, not held advocate a cause optional
- optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held ethics of sharing work through social media optional
- optional, not held make price recommendations optional
- optional, not held manage online communications optional
- optional, not held marketing department processes optional
- optional, not held monitor political campaigns optional
- optional, not held search engine optimisation optional
- optional, not held advertising techniques optional
- optional, not held advise on communication strategies optional
- optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
- optional, not held apply grammar and spelling rules optional
- optional, not held apply social media marketing optional
- optional, not held apply strategic thinking optional
- optional, not held approve advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held build international relations optional
- optional, not held business communication optional
- optional, not held business strategy concepts optional
- optional, not held carry out forum moderation optional
- optional, not held collaborate in the development of marketing strategies optional
- optional, not held compile content optional
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held coordinate advertising campaigns optional
- optional, not held coordinate marketing plan actions optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held develop creative ideas optional
- optional, not held disseminate internal communications optional
- optional, not held document project progress optional
- optional, not held draw conclusions from market research results optional
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
- optional, not held ensure information transparency optional
- optional, not held establish communication with foreign cultures optional
- optional, not held evaluate advertising campaign optional
- optional, not held evaluate employees optional
- optional, not held examine advertisement layout optional
- optional, not held forecast organisational risks optional
35 further entries not listed here
3 held skills the public relations manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse the comments of selected audiences skill
- not needed by the target role digital communication and collaboration skill
- not needed by the target role follow the news skill
28 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn public relations required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held European Structural and Investment Funds regulations optional
- optional, not held company policies optional
- optional, not held ethics of sharing work through social media optional
- optional, not held marketing department processes optional
- optional, not held search engine optimisation optional
- optional, not held advertising techniques optional
- optional, not held business communication optional
- optional, not held business strategy concepts optional
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held copyright legislation optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held government policy implementation optional
- optional, not held government representation optional
- optional, not held grammar optional
- optional, not held graphic design optional
- optional, not held humanitarian aid actors optional
- optional, not held marketing principles optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held political campaigning optional
- optional, not held political parties optional
- optional, not held political science optional
- optional, not held pricing strategies optional
- optional, not held psychological concepts optional
- optional, not held social media management optional
- optional, not held survey techniques optional
- optional, not held writing style guides optional
Common questions about this move
Can a spokesperson become a public relations manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A spokesperson already covers 44% of what a public relations manager is expected to do: 32 skills carry over, 21 of which the public relations manager role treats as required.
What skills does a spokesperson need to become a public relations manager?
6 required skills are missing, plus 75 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is develop media strategy.
How hard is the move from spokesperson to public relations manager?
Its learning distance is 68.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.