Career Opportunities in Corporate Communication

Dr. Satyanarayana Pattnaik

Globalization of economy is the basic trend of 21st century. In this age of globalization, most of the academic discussions concentrating on communication management. This is important in the application of marketing techniques and overall development in the industry. The purpose of communication management is the accessibility of information flow from top management to bottom and vice-versa. It will be effective only when all parties (both internal groups as well as stakeholders) in the organization should be communicate and transfer the necessary information meaningfully and resourcefully. Communication is the cornerstone function of every organization to build up its status in the corporate world as well as its stakeholders. Communications is one of the most important link between an organization and the public. Communication generating from an organization and going out of its various audiences­­ ? whether within or beyond ? is termed as corporate communication. Communication is the key factor in the creation, implementation, monitoring and reporting on all corporate activities. Through communication, stakeholders understand company?s purpose, goals and values. Communication also aimed to influence employee?s attitude toward the workplace loyalty and pride in the company in which they are working. Major companies are considered communication as an effective tool to intensifying its scope and rationalizing its service. They have renewed their communication strategy to expand their business empire. Leading organizations have their own communication team with efficient communicators who are responsible for communication function with various national and international organizations. What is Corporate communication? Theoretically speaking, Corporate Communication plays a critical role in building and maintaining relationships with the stakeholders of a corporation. Media communications are an essential channel through which all stakeholders receive information and develop perceptions of a company. Corporate communications are effective in the successful business and its effects identified by the leading companies. It is equally important as technology since application of technology need to communicate effectively in the corporate world. Without effective communication corporate relationship will be impossible. Corporate Communications is the processes; a company uses to communicate all its messages to key constituencies. It encodes and promotes a strong corporate culture, a coherent corporate identity, an appropriate and professional relationship with the media, and quick, responsible ways of communicating in a crisis. It also defines how an organization communicates with its stakeholders and how that brings a company's values to life. Corporate Communications are often defined as the products of communications, memos, letters, reports, Web sites, community engagement, social and environmental initiatives or programs. These make up most importantly an aggregate of messages that a company sends to its audience whether internal or external. To put it simply, corporate communication is an umbrella that encompasses fields like advertising, public relations, internal communications, investor relations, crisis management, brand management, events and in some cases can extend to marketing as well. Communication in changing corporate sector Just until a few years ago, companies communicated with their consumers via press releases, and with their employees through internal bulletins. Today however, the importance of communication has gone up manifold. Now-a-days information technology and management are the recent trend in the career field. Most of the company is looking for the people who are able to make some changes. Communication skill is an essential element in this new generation job. Also employees should be able to take new challenges and to perform the job responsibility effectively. In this competitive world, employees should be able to understand the situation and to communicate the meaningful information in time. The field of corporate communication serves as an excellent example of the evolution of corporate functions and its subsequent impact in terms of career prospects. The field has undergone radical developments over the years and has become a full-fledged career option today. The number of job openings has increased what with more companies taking notice of its importance in business objectives, and a rise in competition. As competition grows and as reputation becomes more important, any company serious about its image will always have a need for corporate communication. This is one among a few areas where career opportunity is going upwards. Till about a decade ago, one would have never ordinarily followed a career in corporate communication. However, the influx of multinational companies (MNCs) has brought in new trends that are followed in developed countries. Several large, medium and even small sized companies now employ a full time executive dedicated to image building. With companies realising the potential benefits from corporate communication, there is no looking back for professionals in this field. In fact even NGOs have started hiring communication professionals to look at their ?corporate image?. Duties of Corporate Communicator As a corporate communicator, an individual becomes the face of the organisation. The skill sets required in corporate communications are an ability to articulate ideas, ability to write lucidly and above all? being a people?s person. The corporate communicators are involved in internal communication with employees and are responsible to effectively transmit information originating from the management. For a stock market listed company, the communication department within the organisation is responsible for channelling investor queries as well as ensuring a constant flow of information between various stakeholders. In large organisations, the advertising and PR strategies also fall within the ambit of corporate communication. Corporate Communication experts are the advocates for organisations in managing the complex communications that take places between organisations and their external and internal audiences. These specialist communicators are representing the organisation and make the organisation to aware of public views and attitudes. Other responsibilities of corporate communicators include media contacts, drafting press release, arrange and conduct programmes of internal and external communications. Corporate communication is responsible for creating and maintaining the brand and looking after the organisation's reputation. It works towards projecting an excellent image at all times. The positive image a company projects helps in moulding public opinion in its favour in times of an actual crisis. Specific responsibilities of a corporate communicator include: · Supervise the status of the organization · Develop, execute and evaluate communications strategies · Ensuring effective two-way internal communications · Taking the lead on media handling, proactively placing good news stories, dealing with enquiries and producing media releases · Developing links with other departments, which enhances the smooth functioning. · Planning proactive communications · Leading public relations, including customer services · Playing a key role in issue management and planning · Ensuring that other health organizations are kept fully briefed on developments, plans and any incidents in your organization · Producing high quality information service · Advising senior colleagues on strategic communications and related issues · Engaging in business promotion campaigns · Typically, the following skills would be necessary for a communications role: · Ability to work equally well both on your own and within a team · Ability to write, speak and brief others clearly · Ability to assess and select appropriate communications routes for different messages and audiences · Ability to remain calm under pressure · Ability to recognize sensitive situations and act appropriately · Negotiating and influencing skills · Ability to work well with others at all levels both within and outside your company · Ability to gain the trust and respect of senior colleagues · Ability to provide creative input to projects · Ability to think strategically Above all, corporate communicator represents the corporation's voice, its reputation, integrity and the images it projects of itself on a global and regional stage populated by its various audiences and stakeholders. What do aspirants need for it? There are no defined qualifications for entering this field. Those with the gift of the gab and the ability to write have an edge. Soft skills like networking, inquisitiveness and time consciousness are also important. Graduates in English literature and mass communication with some hands-on experience are preferred at the entry level, so are MBAs. A degree or diploma in mass communication helps for a career in corporate communication. However, many professionals agree that more than the degree, it is your personal skills that matter the most. "It helps to have a degree in communication, but it is not essential. What matters is being able to understand issues related to your organisation, an understanding of current affairs, and an eye for any development that could affect the organisation. A degree or diploma in communication, no doubt, helps get an entry into the field. Also, language skills and the ability to see opportunities are important qualities. Ideally before getting into this field one should have a relevant degree in communication. A formal degree in journalism & mass communication can help you get an easier access into this sector. Communication education gives you an understanding and helps to grasp things faster.? Armed with degrees job seekers can directly consider entering the sector. In today?s a job market students can easily start a rewarding career in this field. A degree would not give you the strategic thinking and the ability to make and maintain contacts that matter a lot in corporate communication. You also need an ability to understand the business, ability to network within and outside the organisation and the ability to make people believe you as well as believe in you. It is only after that your audiences trust you. Future prospect in the field There is enormous scope for corporate communication in India. Industries are expanding and need to recognise the importance of having to communicate with the public that matters to the most. With the kind of development we are witnessing in India and abroad, corporate communication is here to stay. Prospects in the field are plentiful for more than one reason. Firstly, competition has grown. The need to maintain the brand has grown considerably, with regard to Indian as well as global consumers, as more foreign companies are coming to India than never before. Secondly, the need to communicate has exploded. Even the target audiences have expanded radically. We have come to use more and developed tools of communication to reach out to them. Finally, the external scenario has become extremely dynamic. More variables affect the image of the company now than before. Also, the number of tools of communication has increased significantly. Television and internet have changed the communication scenario. What would reach the public in 24 hours in case of newspapers or 12-14 days in case of magazines earlier, now reaches them in a matter of seconds. The tasks formerly being taken care of with a couple of press releases are now being handled by entire departments. The size of the corporate communication department is dependent upon the size of the company. Large organisations have a full fledged department that works on their communication objectives. While small companies may have just one individual managing the entire show. In such a scenario, fresh talent is always welcome. A fresher can earn anything between three to five lakhs per annum. And from there, the sky is the limit.

The pay package

The pay scales in the sector vary based on the organisation and experience on part of the candidate. A candidate with a relevant degree and good communication skills can also get remuneration in the range of Rs 3.5 lakhs per annum. Once you have relevant experience of 4-5 years in the field, the annual remuneration can easily go up to Rs 5-6 lakhs. While talented people can make their way up to the level of vice-president in a company, at the entry level, corporate communicators usually draw salary of Rs 15,000-20,000.

The demand from organisations is only going to increase given the growth we are witnessing. If you feel that communication is your strength and have an ability to understand businesses then this is the career for you. After all, like finance and marketing professionals, a corporate communication professional too is not restricted to a specific industry.

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The author is course coordinator of Journalism & Mass Communication at IGNOU, Puri (Orissa). Contact at: snpattnaik@yahoo.com