When career choice presents difficulty, one of the best routes to choose is Communications. For the simple reason that it covers so many options in the working world. Graduates may find their career path in advertising, marketing, public relations, journalism, or media. Not to mention sales, education, human resources – and any other occupation that requires dealing with people on persuasive and influential levels.
If you analyse the world of work in general, you’ll find that no matter what sphere of work you enter, communicating well and with clear purpose is one of the most helpful tools. Politics, business, team-building, training, entertainment, content creation, writing and event planning. In fact, just about every vocation will require a fair grasp of communication. So polishing communication skills no matter your career choice, makes good sense.
Communication skills will give you backing in the following ways:
You will be enabled to present any organisation’s aims and values, services and products in the most beneficial and influential light as possible. Whether you are communicating with consumers, clients or colleagues – if you have a good understanding of communications you will appear clear, coherent and comprehensible. This is no small skill and in the wider working world, one of the most valuable.
No company succeeds unless its message is put to the public with flair and effect. This means leveraging all the advertising media available: verbal interaction, newspaper, magazines, radio, television, social networks, online news platforms, and other useful digital technologies that will effectively spread a company’s message.
Social media management:
As a relatively new sphere, social media offers the communications student real creative engagement. And there is a wide spectrum of roles, from Digital Strategy Developer to Content Marketer to Analytics to ads management, and much more.
Public relations:
This is a responsible role where you will have responsibility for the spread of information and messages between individuals or organisations and the general public. The purpose is always to create a more favourable public image and involves: writing press releases; dealing with the media; analysing trends; and problem-solving.
Marketing and advertising:
Marketing and advertising both play a key role in business success. Professionals in these fields help to build brand identity and develop a customer base, with a view to expanding the business and making greater impact. Tasks include: conducting market research; monitoring market trends; planning campaigns; product development; collaborating with sales and public relations teams.
Sales:
Salespeople are busy people – delivering sales pitches, working to sell products, and winning over customers, and maintaining loyalty to the brand. Sales can be anywhere and everywhere, including: insurance, financial services, retail, real estate, manufacturing, the travel industry, etc. It’s definitely a people-person’s job, and therefore truly needs good communication skills.
Other careers that can present wide choices include:
Human resources: This means that your communication skills will be paramount. You will be dealing with the staff of a company through recruitment, training, remuneration, health and wellness, as well as workplace issues and conflict resolutions.
Writing and publishing: While everybody thinks digital will solve all problems, don’t forget that much of the information has to be written – therefore conceived and created. From authoring books, to writing speeches, to technical writing or publishing books, the written word, clear, concise and intelligently structured will be your world.
Media: The media covers a broad-base of opportunities, and includes mediums such as film, television, magazines, broadcasting, and journalism. As a media professional, you may be tasked with: presenting information verbally; interviewing notable individuals; providing commentary to shows; combining visual and audio elements to tell a story.
Entertainment: Whether you act, write, present or direct, involvement in entertainment is a massive opportunity for someone who has both a qualification in communications and the talent to be up close and personal with the public. It is one of the most diverse and demanding communication spheres there is.
Politics: The ability to craft and deliver a persuasive message is often critical to success in politics. This is true whether you’re running for public office, lobbying legislators to support a cause, or consulting on a campaign. Tasks may include: planning and drafting bills and legislation; conducting polling or opposition research; co-operating to form coalitions; making speeches and eloquently getting out of tricky situations.
Journalism: Perhaps the most popular choice of all. You can certainly make a good salary if you know how to direct your career in the competitive world of journalism. Technology has made this world faster and more influential. No more ink-stained fingers. Editors are always in demand, and bringing in the latest and the most attention-grabbing news has become an artform. It’s not for the fainthearted and can be one of the most rewarding careers on the long list attached to the field of communications.
One thing is for sure, you can never be sure where you may land up – except wherever it is, it will be exciting, variable, and challenging. You stand to enjoy unique opportunities you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. The world of communication is truly a world of possibility.
