Media consultants are also called communications specialists, and can work in many different career fields such as telecommunications, sales and website design. You will work for a number of clients and learn the ins and outs of entrepreneurship along the way. A common and growing career for media consultants is in public relations.
Public relations media consultants are responsible for managing the public’s perceptions regarding a person or group. Some of the many duties of a public relations media consultant are drafting press releases and writing articles for newspapers and magazines, scheduling speaking engagements, developing media plans, and directing public relations campaigns. Consultants who work for a smaller business will have wider responsibilities, and may even train executives on how to handle the media.
Career Outlook for Media Consultants
The median salary for a public relations media consultant is around $55,000, although the top ten percent make over $100,000; this career field is growing at around 12%, with other media jobs growing at 8%. To get started in media consulting you need a bachelor’s degree, typically in some field related to communications, journalism, marketing, or public relations. During your course of study, you will probably also learn about business administration, speech craft and writing.
Once you enter the workforce, it could take several years of work experience, in which you learn to plan media campaigns, before you will qualify for an advanced position. To be competitive, you should consider specialization in certain business fields such as healthcare, finance, sales or engineering. This will allow you to apply for jobs not open to the general media consultant.
Consulting can be an exciting and rewarding career. You not only must have strong expertise, but an ability to problem solve and find the best solutions for your clients. You will also have opportunity to interact with professionals in many areas of business, and learn new aspects of entrepreneurship on a continual basis. The flexibility of consulting can even allow you to run your own business.
