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To become a communications manager, you need a degree in communications or a related field, plus five years of experience in marketing or communications. The role’s responsibilities and pay depend on the employer, and there are two paths: traditional corporate or non-traditional small business/non-profit.
You can become a communications manager through a combination of education in a related field and approximately five years or more of experience working in a marketing or communications department. The title has a scope of responsibility and pay scale that depends on the underlying employment context. A communications manager in a corporate environment is a member of a team in a structured marketing or communications department. In other contexts, the manager’s title tends to indicate responsibility for all communication functions with minimal additional staff.
A communications manager is typically a mid-level generalist with experience in most of the key functional areas that define business communications. This includes proficiency in internal and external correspondence, public and media relations, advertising, event and product support, messaging, new media and social networking. You need a bachelor’s degree in communications or a course that is normally associated with the field, such as journalism, English, public relations or marketing, to be considered for the position. Some employers prefer a master’s degree, particularly in corporate settings.
The number of years of experience you’ll need to become a communications manager depends on the employer. Many employers expect you to have five years or more of experience as a communications or marketing assistant with increasing responsibility. Some employers look primarily at proficiency and substitute specific skills for years of experience. For example, a company looking for a communications manager to manage its extensive online community might prefer someone with proficiency using Internet applications and social networking over someone with more years honing traditional communication skills.
There are two functional paths to becoming a communications manager. The traditional route is to a corporate marketing or communications department. If the position reports to the head of marketing, the main responsibilities will revolve around advertising, branding and product support. If the position reports to the head of communications, it will typically focus on one specialty, such as managing media relations.
The other path to becoming a communications manager is to take a position in a non-traditional setting such as a small business, non-profit organization or political campaign. These types of employers often treat a communications manager as a generalist. The manager, and perhaps an assistant, typically make up the entire communications team. Managing in this instance means you’ll end up doing everything else that needs to be done related to the field. On the other hand, a small business may hire what it calls a communications manager to handle a critical area of communications, such as its online presence, without being able to provide comprehensive communications management.
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