Survey: Recruiters seek PR pros with metrics-analysis skills

Measuring campaigns’ ROI, once an afterthought—if any thought at all—has become a core competency, especially in hiring managers’ eyes. How do you measure up?

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You were probably told there would be no math.

A new U.K. survey reveals, however, that although 57% of PR pros cite writing/editing as a common activity (topping that list), recruiters rank research, evaluation and measurement among the top five most desirable skills.

Seventy percent of recruiters call that trifecta a valuable specialist capability, more than any other skill, according to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) 2019 State of the Profession Survey in the U.K.

The survey shows a skills gap in other areas, as well. For senior level PR pros, recruiters place high value on corporate governance and on people management.

PR measurement and evaluation have been more advanced in the U.K. than in the U.S., suggesting there may be an even greater deficit west of the Atlantic.

Analytics skills are increasingly important to measure PR campaigns and demonstrate PR’s contribution to corporate business goals. In a previous survey by the Global Communications Report from USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, almost two-thirds of PR executives said analytics is a required skill for PR pros.

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