How to hire a director of public relations

Conceptualizing and building a product might be an easy task for experienced entrepreneurs and business leaders, but building a public image for your company takes special skills. 

You need to know how to promote your product, create brand awareness (including for your employer brand), build media relations, and oversee corporate and client communication. 

While business owners of small and mid-sized companies can probably handle these tasks alone, as your company grows, so do your responsibilities, leaving you with less time for public relations. 

This is when you’ll need to hire a director of public relations (PR). 

Your PR director will handle media communication, content creation, drafting ad briefs, and cultivating and maintaining relations with clients. A great PR director must have stellar communication and leadership skills to delegate tasks to team members and oversee all aspects of your company’s branding. 

If you’re wondering how to find such a person and what skills to look for in a PR manager, then this article is for you. Read our comprehensive guide on how to hire a director of public relations and find the best person for your company today.

What is a director of public relations? 

The director of public relations is a PR specialist in charge of creating and maintaining a positive public image on behalf of their employer. They do this by developing corporate marketing strategies, increasing brand awareness, communicating with customers and corporate clients, and drafting social media campaigns. 

They are in charge of improving the company’s reputation by organizing social events, doing press releases, and talking to the media. The PR director will also implement different social media strategies (often in collaboration with an outreach manager), test what works best for the company, and provide valuable insights to stakeholders. 

If there’s a mishap with a product or the company receives negative coverage, the PR director will be the person to navigate and mitigate the situation, protecting the company’s interests and public image. 

Public relations director hard skills 

When looking to hire a director of public relations, you should first determine the candidates with the best skill sets. Look for the following hard skills in each candidate: 

Content creation

Your PR director needs to know the ins and outs of crafting a good content and PR strategy for your organization.

This includes strategic thinking, finding ways of resonating with audiences through content and driving performance. While you may think this skill trait is reserved for a content creation specialist, your PR director needs to create a compelling story for your company to maintain good public relations. Content is one sure way to do this. 

TestGorilla offers a Content Strategy test that will evaluate a person’s abilities to think out of the box, reach clients through compelling storytelling, and find gaps in your public image and manage them in a positive fashion. 

Social media management

Social media management is a must-have skill for a director of public relations.

They need to know how to successfully use your main channels of communication like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and others, as these will be the main tools to maintain a positive public image.

Our Social Media Management test will help you find people who have good writing and analytical skills. It will also identify those who can cultivate and manage a community and plan ahead. 

A skilled PR director will use these channels to show that your company has a voice, which will directly have a positive impact on your conversions. 

Branding 

Strong branding is essential to differentiate your company from competitors and remain top of mind with customers, so PR directors should be able to define, position, manage, and develop your brand. 

With the Branding Strategy test, you’ll be able to find candidates who are excellent at brand positioning, identity, management, and advertising. The evaluation will also test someone’s knowledge of visual identity, research, and messaging. 

Tech-savvy

Being tech-savvy is an important skill every director of public relations should possess. This will include knowledge of the following software and platforms: 

• Google’s software. Knowledge of the different Google platforms like Sheets, Docs, and Analytics will allow your PR director to navigate different tools, which will make their work more efficient. They will know how to analyze and create campaigns in Google ads, manage data, create documents, and present important information. You can find all of our Google-related tests by simply searching for the term “Google” in our test library.

• Microsoft’s software. Similar to the tests we have for Google, our library offers comprehensive evaluations for Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and others. Your public relations director needs to be flexible and understand different software and platforms to perform well under any circumstances. 

• Facebook ads. Facebook advertising is essential when building a strong brand. The Facebook Ads skills test will help you identify people who are versed in setting up campaigns, implementing pixels and tracking, and monitoring performance. 

Public relations director soft skills 

So, what are the most important soft skills for a public relations director?

Apart from technical knowledge and skills, your director of public relations should possess the following soft skills: 

Leadership

The larger your organization is, the bigger its needs and teams will be.

Your PR director will need to have excellent leadership qualities to lead their team and delegate tasks. Being able to command respect and influence others are traits every PR manager should possess.

TestGorilla’s Leadership test will evaluate a candidate’s skills to delegate tasks, provide guidance and feedback, and gain acceptance for their ideas. 

With good leaders at your disposal, your company can grow and succeed. Having a PR director who is a natural leader and can guide their team will help you build a strong brand and maintain excellent public relations. 

Communication

Naturally, your director of public relations has to be a good communicator, both verbally and in the written form.

Our Communications test will evaluate a person’s abilities to understand and interpret information, summarize messages, and actively listen to others.

Good communication is the foundation of excellent public relations, and your PR manager needs to excel in their communication both internally and externally. 

Problem-solving

Public relations are often linked to mitigating negative information about your company and brand. This is why your PR manager needs to be an excellent problem solver.

Our Problem Solving test will showcase people who can create and keep schedules, prioritize tasks, and analyze and interpret data to keep tight deadlines and reach the company’s goals. 

A natural problem solver will be better equipped to find the best resolution for any sticky situation your company might find itself in.

Attention to detail 

Finally, someone’s ability to pay attention to visual details and information is key to building a good public image.

Your director of public relations will be able to locate trends, concerns, and potentially harmful messaging that can hurt your company. They should be able to evaluate campaigns from your marketing team that could have a negative effect on the company and mitigate any issues before they’re set live.

Our Attention to Detail (visual) test will help you find people who are able to pay close attention to visual cues, identify patterns, and correct harmful imagery that can negatively impact your company. 

How to test candidates for the position of director of public relations?

Now that you know what skills to look for when hiring a PR manager, you should know how to use and assess pre-employment evaluations. 

Pre-employment tests are the one sure way to find the right candidates for your organization. Using the above tests, you can sift through unqualified candidates and be left with only the top candidates for a position. 

TestGorilla provides you with pre-employment tests to find top applicants at all levels, from first-line workers to, in this case, a director of public relations.

Using pre-employment tests will save you time and resources, help you avoid bad hires, and keep turnover rates at a minimum.

Once your candidates take their tests, make sure to analyze their results the right way. Read our guide on how to analyze results for more information on this.

Where to find a director of public relations?

As with most job openings, you’ll want to widen the search and access a larger candidate pool in order to find the best person.

In order to do that, you can post your job opening on your website and advertise it on job boards and your social media channels. Even attending job fairs can yield great results. 

Don’t forget word of mouth is also a powerful tool when it comes to high-ranking positions as a director of public relations. Make sure to use everything at your disposal to attract as many candidates as possible. 

Director of public relations job description

When writing your job description, be clear and concise, providing all the necessary details for the role. Don’t write an essay, but don’t be vague as well. People want to know exactly what they’re signing up for, so make it clear and to the point.

Here are some of the most common types of information, plus examples of what to write in your public relations job description:

• Job title: Director of public relations/PR specialist/PR director/PR manager 

• Job overview: We’re looking for an experienced PR director who can create and implement marketing strategies, manage our social media presence, and expand our brand awareness. You are a creative, outgoing person, who is results-driven and wants to find the best strategies to build a strong brand and communicate with our clients. 

• Main responsibilities and duties: 

  • Maximize our social media presence

  • Ensure brand consistency 

  • Set PR objectives and create strategies to reach them 

  • Manage the PR team

  • Analyze PR campaign results

  • Manage sensitive information and protect the company’s public image

• Experience and qualifications needed: 

  • Proven experience as a PR specialist 

  • Expertise in PR campaigns

  • Experience using social media communication channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others)

  • Excellent communication skills

  • People management skills

  • Bachelors in Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism or any other relevant fields

• Remuneration

  • Depends on the location and size of the company (see next section)

• Other benefits 

  • List additional benefits like healthcare, free lunch, parking space, extra days off, coupons, and others. 

How much does a public relations director cost?

The average salary of a public relations director in the US is around $150,000, but it could go up to $176,000. These numbers will be affected by your location and the size of the company. You can expect to pay less in areas with a low cost of living and more in urban areas with a high cost of living. 

Before hiring a PR director, you need to assess if you’ll be able to afford them. 

If your company is small to medium size, you can probably do without one as it will be too expensive. A PR specialist’s salary is comparatively lower, ranging between approximately $52,700 and $69,000.

If you’re working for a large corporation, however, then you’re much more likely to need a PR director, and the investment will be worth it in the long run. 

Director of public relations interview questions

After your applicants have gone through the pre-employment testing stage, it’s time to call your shortlisted candidates in for an interview. 

Here’s a list of five interview questions to ask when hiring a director of public relations: 

1. Can you give an example of your biggest PR challenge and how you handled it?

This question will reveal someone’s problem-solving skills and crisis-management protocol.

1. What makes a social media campaign successful?

This question will give you insights into how well-versed someone is with social media platforms. 

1. What achievement are you most proud of? 

With this question, you can get a sense of someone’s passion and drive about their role. 

1. Do you have any professional relationships established with media partners and other businesses? 

With this question, you can understand your candidate’s abilities to communicate, network, and build relationships, which are essential for a PR director. 

1. Can you recall a time when you had to stop a campaign from going out to maintain the company’s integrity?

As mentioned, attention to detail is important, and this question will showcase if your applicant has a keen eye and also if they are able to voice their concerns when something is not right. 

Hire a top director of public relations with TestGorilla

Hiring a director of public relations can help you maintain your company’s integrity, build strong relations with the public and clients, and create a strong brand name. 

Your PR director needs to have strong communication skills and know the ins and outs of creating a strategy to expand your brand awareness. 

TestGorilla can help you find the right candidate through our pre-employment skills tests, which will save you time and money, not to mention headaches, in the long run. 

Sign up for your free plan today or request a live 30-minute demo with one of our specialists, and find the best director of public relations for your company with TestGorilla.