Running head: CAREER ASPIRATIONS AND LEADERSHIP 1

Career Aspirations and Leadership

Leia Atas

Illinois State University

CAREER ASPIRATIONS AND LEADERSHIP 2

Career Aspirations and Leadership

As a second-semester college senior, graduation is approaching, which means that the

real world is, too. When I graduate and enter the workforce, I will interact with a number of

different leaders. As a follower, it is my job to understand various leadership positions and

styles. After analyzing job descriptions for executive-level positions, there are clearly required

skill sets and expectations of leaders in corporate, agency, advertising, and public relations

positions. Through the analysis of six executive-level job descriptions obtained online, I will

explain the importance of leadership skills, responsibilities, compensation, and past experience.

Leadership Skills

Leadership is defined as guiding a group of people. There are specific skills that a leader

must possess in order for the organization to succeed. In public relations positions, leadership

behavior is either transactional or transformational, meaning behavior is either collaborative or

there is a shared goal that is revised throughout the project. Public relations leaders must be

skilled enough to adapt to certain situations and have a variety of skills and tactics to guide their

group (Ewing & Remund, 2017). The position at Yeti (see Appendix F) mentions that the

director of public relations and communications will work closely with the executive team, key

internal stakeholders, and external consultants. The JobLeads public relations vice president

position (see Appendix D) lists similar criteria when it says it works with team members, client

contacts, and vendors. Transformational leaders are able to inspire, stimulate, and recognize

individual consideration, while transactional leaders’ employees thrive on rewards and

management. This is important to know because different groups are receptive to different

learning styles and motivation needs (Bass, 1990). Brand-management skills have been

increasingly desired in the field. This includes paid media, social media platforms, and brand
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building (Page, 2016). The following advertising and public relations operations all emphasize

the importance of creative ideas on social media and media relations strategies: Small Girls PR,

JobLeads, Yeti, and Choice Hotels (see Appendixes C, D, E, and F). In contrast, Finn Partners,

an public relations agency, and Horizon Next, a corporation, place emphasis on analytical skills.

Analytical skills capture and analyze data to find critical business insights and apply those to the

organization’s objectives (Page, 2016). It is important to recognize these skills in organizations

because the new age of mass production and the constant need for controlled interaction is

coming to an end. Losing these skills makes change harder for employees and the organization as

a whole (Connelly, 2000).

Effective communication is a critical skill for all leaders. It is crucial with employees that

are under them and executives that are higher up. Followers take cues from leaders based on

what they are told and what they have observed. (Seeger & Ulmer, 2003). Finn Partners requires

its vice president to develop and communicate media strategies, goals, media targets, pitch

angles, and media materials to all aspects of the organization. This is a key function in the

business development and the creation of presentations and agency visions (see Appendix B). In

Small Girls PR, it is emphasized that the group director communicates often with the vice

president, CEO, AND CFO (see Appendix C). This is important because managers spend most

of their days communicating with people. It occupies 70 to 90 percent of their time each day

through use of cell phones, e-mail, texting, and face-to-face interactions (Barrett, 2006).

Leader Responsibilities

Leaders have different responsibilities based on the leadership position they are in. It is

the leader’s responsibility to understand what is occurring inside and outside of the organization

they are leading. Their job is to adapt to changes to prevent their organization from extinction
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(Page, 2016). The Choice Hotels position highlights that a senior director is in charge of leading

and communicating internal strategic changes that impact the organization (see Appendix E). In

contrast, Horizon Next’s corporate vice president position seeks new media solutions and

evaluation outside of the organization which can affect plans and strategies (see Appendix A). It

is important to understand how to approach strategic changes because they define the course of

the whole organization. When adapting to change, the leader must successfully engage its

environment and be cognizant of the culture (Heifetz & Liinsky, 2017). Leaders are responsible

for creating strategic plans for the organization. The corporate performance management system

involves employees at many levels, and the process is crucially implemented by the leader of the

organization. Through management control, managers and leaders impact other members by

creating and monitoring plans and correcting throughout the process (Smudde, 2015). Horizon

Next lists strategic leadership and planning as the most important responsibility for its vice

president. It is 40 percent of the responsibilities listed on the job page. Seeing as this is a

corporate organization, it is fitting that strategic planning is a priority (see Appendix A).

Similarly, one of Finn Partners’ main responsibilities is to develop strategic platforms and earned

media strategies (see Appendix B).

Compensation

Compensation is an important aspect of all executive positions. On average, top public

relations executives in the United States earn anywhere from $174,760 to $274,126 (salary.com,

2019). This range varies based on education, certification, other skills, and the number of years

in the field. After analyzing these six executive positions, it is evident that these leaders do not

have a salary that high. Although the salaries are all six figures, they do not exceed $150,000.

The Choice Hotels director senior position salary is $150,000 (see Appendix E). The salary for
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Yeti is only $105,000 (see Appendix F). The corporate vice president position for Horizon Next

offers a $138,000 salary (see Appendix A). It is crucial to be aware of executive job

compensation because although relationships and charisma are important to executive leaders,

pay is highly related to performance (Tosi, 2004). It is also important to note that leaders who

display charisma and effort have the potential to receive a better salary in the future.

Past Experience

After close analysis of these six leadership positions, it is clear that past experience is a

key factor in hiring. Each executive level job requires at least eight years of experience, if not

more, regardless of the operation or position. Studies conducted by Connelly have shown that

performance improves over time due to practice (Connelly, 2000). The JobLeads position

requires at least eight years of experience in public relations or communications whereas Finn

Partners requires eight to 12 years of experience in agency or marketing communications (see

Appendixes B and D). While Yeti and Choice Hotels require at least 10 years of experience,

Choice Hotels specifically requires at least five years of leadership experience. Yeti requires at

least 10 years of experience in corporate communications such as public relations and crisis

management (see Appendixes E and F). The Small Girls PR director position and the Horizon

Next vice president position both require at least 12 years of relevant experience (see

Appendixes A and C). It is important to note that the corporate position at Horizon Next requires

the most years of experience while the other positions, mostly public relations, require eight to

10 years of experience. The more practice or experience one receives, the more successful they

are. The same studies show that expertise develops slowly over periods of 10 years or more

(Connelly, 2000). After analyzing experience across the three public relations positions,

familiarity and experience with team orientations and group work is preferred. Yeti, Small Girls
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PR, and JobLeads all emphasize working in large groups across multiple hubs, accounts, or

projects (see Appendixes C. D, and F). Learning interpersonal and small-group skills over time

improve learning retention, critical thinking, and career success. Experience in careers that

emphasize group work will increase success within the organization (Johnson, 1989). With this

experience, it is also expected that these executive leaders are well versed in problem solving

with large groups. In contrast, with the agency position for Finn Partners and the corporate

position with Horizon Next, they require experience working directly with the client and building

relationships and trust with them directly as opposed to internally (see Appendixes A and B).

Leader-client relationships are important for organizations, especially if they are large. It is

important to deliver higher levels of performance and change with client needs due to an increase

in everyday competition (Winer, 2001).

Career Aspirations

This generation of college students is different than in those in past generations. A variety

of new skills have presented themselves and today’s college students have different strengths

that are unique to this generation. Strengths of this generation include being hard working,

technologically savvy, career oriented, and determined (Dean & Levine, 2012). Keeping these

strengths in mind, along with a few others, my career goals most align with the director position

at Yeti (see Appendix F). Because the director must have a background in public relations,

corporate communication, crisis management, and reputation management, I would apply to jobs

that would give me this experience before applying to this one. In order to better understand the

aspects of this executive level position, it would be beneficial to attend graduate school.

Receiving another degree would better prepare me for jobs prior to this position. With that, the

success in those jobs would provide a more enriching experience that would better aid me in this
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executive level position. Another preparation tool would be to attend leadership conferences and

seminars so that I am fully prepared for the leadership role, not just the tasks that I am assigned.

Conclusion

After explaining the importance of leadership skills, responsibilities, compensation, and

past experience, it is clear that there are required skill sets and expectations of leaders in

corporate, agency, advertising, and public relations positions. Analyzing executive positions in

the public relations field will be useful in future endeavors when interviewing for positions after

college. Thorough research has been done which proves knowledge and interest in the topic.

After doing extensive research on executive positions, I am confident in my ability to function

under different executive leaders and hopefully find myself in an executive leadership position

one day.
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