International Public Relations Duties and Functions

The public relations industry is responsible for managing a company's reputation and relationships with customers and suppliers. Essentially, this is accomplished by closely monitoring and altering how the company is represented in the media and other mediums. International public relations is more complex because companies are often dealing with several different segments of media, customers, competition and suppliers; therefore, international public relation specialists must be able to navigate each of these segments effectively to be successful.

Typically, international public relations specialist need a minimum of 5 years' experience in domestic public relations. Once more, the salary for this position ranges from $56,000 to $70,000 a year depending on the company and location.

The international public relations specialist must act as a spokesperson in the global and domestic business realm. This duty can span from external damage control to internal memos within the organization. Overall, the communications aspect of international public relations requires impeccable writing skills, cross-cultural knowledge and a strong sense of the company's mission and desired perception.

Public relations is often thought of as simply being able to control the media's view of the company. While it is not the sole function of the public relations specialist, it is certainly a major concern. The international public relation's role is more challenging than a domestic role because there are more media outlets to monitor and deal with. The most effective international public relations specialist has the ability to tailor strong universal messages and specifically cater to an international market's needs at the same time.

An often overlooked duty of the international public relations specialist is the gathering of opinions and information relevant to the company. It is necessary for the specialist to conduct surveys and interpret data regarding the company. Even if the company has a marketing department, it is still the job of the public relations specialist to implement a campaign using the information she has.

Another main function of the international public relations specialist is to set up and coordinate company events. These events can range from fundraisers, company parties, news conferences and many more.