Exploring corporate communications as a career

Have you ever wondered why we know so much about a company and its leaders without even seeing their advertisements? Be it about Ambanis and Reliance or about Larry Page and Google. Their personal lives, their hopes and aspirations for their companies, and future plans. It is the Corporate Communication Department that ensures the public gets to know about an organization, regularly.

Role of a corporate communicator

Corporate communications is the most high profile department of an organization. It enables an organization to build a brand equity for itself in the public eye. It is a function of management, where the aim is to portray an organization as more than just a profit-making venture. This involves the implementation of a variety of communications strategies to develop relationships with various stakeholders like customers, dealers/channel, investors, later employees, government, industry etc., whose support and goodwill is necessary for the success of an organization.

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Through communicating corporate values and vision, corporate culture is strengthened and employees identify with the company to a higher extent. By developing two-way communication with its environment, the company builds and also manages its reputation and creates conditions for achieving business interests.

Corporate communication managers often craft company wide e-mails, and set up presentations describing new campaigns or initiatives, establish upward and downward channels of communication with senior management and employees, identify great internal stories, ensure consistent and coherent messages are disseminated across different mediums in-line with the company’s goals and ethics..

Entering this field

Corporate communications is a specialty field, highly sought after by numerous businesses today. The challenge for communicator is to ensure every message being sent from the company to an audience is as accurate and positively reflective of the business as possible.

Students who desire to launch a career in corporate communications will find the field challenging as well as rewarding, but they should keep a few things in mind in order to secure a successful future in the field.

Corporate communications is an exciting and prospering field. However, it can also be tough to break into due to the high level of competition for entry-level jobs so networking is crucial. Most large companies do not advertise these job openings positions, so it pays to make as many meaningful connections as possible to others in the industry.

Those who do well beyond the minimal requirement of a bachelor’s degree in the field and earn a master’s degree instead may get a nudge over other job seekers. Gaining plenty of on-field work experience is important as well. Participating in part-time internships, undertaking projects, full-time internships go a long way. Additional skills in multimedia, media management, effective public writing, research and analysis skills, and strategy development also helps.

Advantage girl power

It isn’t hard to believe that 4 out of 6 corporate communicators are female. Women are naturally more social, collaborative, participative, or chipper, people oriented and great multi taskers than men – making them organically enter this career. Women have been found to talk more than men when they’re in collaborative settings. Studies have also shown that women prefer to work in teams, whereas men usually do better in competitive environments and prefer to fly solo. Women’s 'people-pleaser' gene also attracts and/or makes it easier to excel in communications. Their multitasking ability fares higher than men who tend to be more singularly focused. Women also tend to enjoy working “behind the scenes”.

MISCELLANEOUS TOOLS OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATORS

Event Organization

Product and Brand Communication

Integrated Communication

Crisis PR

Public Affairs/Lobbying

Here is a list of top communication institutes in India (as rated by HT)

Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) Delhi: Established in 1965, IIMC was established to set global standards for media education, research, extension and training, using state-of-the-art technology. There are five campuses of Indian Institute of Communication which are located in Delhi, Dhenkanal (Odissa), Aiawl (Mizoram), Amaravati (Maharashtra), Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) and Kottayam (Kerala). Students can opt for the campus according to the course available and the availability of the seats. IIMC is a reputed name in the media industry and is known for its course structure. It offers various certificate programmes and regular post- graduate diploma programmes like Radio and TV Journalism, Advertising & Public Relations, Journalism.

Xavier’s Institute of Communication (XIC): XIC, Mumbai was established in 1969 as a professional media centre which aimed to offer variety of services in training and production. XIC is located in Mumbai is known to have good infrastructure and provide practical learning for students. In addition to a few certificate courses, XIC also offers a number of diploma courses like Journalism and Mass Communication, Public Relations and Corporate Communications, Advertising and Marketing Communications, Film, Television and Digital Video Production, Advanced Integrated Communication Programme and Communication for Development.

Asian College of Journalism (ACJ): Founded in 1994 in Bangalore, ACJ shifted to Chennai in 2000 and has been successfully running there ever since. ACJ offers a one year postgraduate diploma with specialisation in Television/print/ new media or radio under its 10 month programme. The various diploma programmes offered by the ACJ are Reporting, Writing and Editing, Journalism, Media Perspectives, Media, Law and Society.

Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication (SIMC): SIMC was established in 1990 with the aim to broaden the scope of media training and extend it beyond journalism. The SIMC campus is located in Lavale, Pune. SIMC offers two full time post graduate degree programmes in the areas of Mass communication (production of creative content), Brand communication and Media management (management of creative businesses). The courses offered by SIMC cover all aspects of the media industry, meeting all the industry expectations.

AJ Kidwai Mass Communication Research Centre (AJKMCRC): Founded in 1982, AJKMCRC has proved to one of the premier institutes for Mass communication. The college has been churning out well educated mass communication graduates every year. Situated in Delhi, AKRMCRC is amongst the few colleges that provide an M.A in Mass Communication as opposed to one year diploma courses offered by other institutions. It also offers a Ph.D in various disciplines of Mass Communication.

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Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA): Established in 1991, MICA is a top rated institute that provides an AICTE approved PGDM-C which is equal to an MBA with a specialization in Marketing Research, Digital Communication Management, Brand Management Media Management and Advertising Management. MICA offers a FPM-C (Fellow Programme in Management Communications), which is an AICTE approved doctoral level programme which allows both fundamental and applied research in the communication domain. MICA has programmes like Fellow Programme In Management - Communications (FPM-C), Post Graduate Diploma in Management (Communications) - PGDM (C), Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Crafting Creative Communications (CCC), Advertising Management and Public Relations (PGCPAMPR) – Online, Market Research and Data Analytics (PGCPMRDA) – Online, Retail Management (PGCPRM) – Online and Digital Marketing – Online

Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, Bangalore (IIJNM): Established in 2001 IIJNM aims to provide an excellent curriculum that combining both theory and practice to prepare its graduates for positions in the media industry. The curriculum offered by IIJNM is developed in association with Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, New York. IIJNM offers programs in print, television, radio and online/multimedia journalism, the teaching is based on the best practices followed in media industry and media technology.

Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, BHU: Established in 1973, the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, BHU has dedicated itself in making sure that the students gain expertise in the field of Journalism and Mass Communication. The teaching methods involve field visits, projects, films and reporting by students on various topics. Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, BHU offers a number of programmes for the students of Journalism and Mass Communication like Ph.D, MA Mass Communication, Masters in Corporate Communication Management, PG Diploma in Communication Skills, Health Communication and Theatre Communication.

Department of Communication and Journalism, Pune: Set up in 1956, the Department of Communication and Journalism, Pune boasts of a full-fledged news-room equipped with computers, laser printer, inkjet printers, flat-bed scanner with other accessories that are made available for training and practical work. The various programmes offered by the Department of Communication and Journalism, Pune are Master of Journalism and Mass Communication, Diploma in Mass Media, Journalism and Ph. D.

Bharati Vidya Bhavan's Sardar Patel College of Communication and Management, Delhi: Established in 1967, this is a constituent college of Rajendra Prasad Institute of Communication and Management, Bombay, Sardar Patel College set up to provide professional studies at the Post-Graduate level. The college has produced a list of outstanding professionals in the Media and Communications sector. The various courses offered include English/Hindi Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising and Industrial Relations and Personnel Management.

By Bonita Fernandes

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