Public Affairs Consultant Requirements, Skills & Qualifications

The following common skills and qualifications are required of a Public Affairs Consultant:

  • Bachelor's and Master's in Law, Journalism, Public Policy / Administration etc
  • A strong interest in, and enthusiasm for, politics, policy issues and current affairs
  • Excellent research and communication (written and oral) skills
  • Ability to assimilate, analyse and summarise written material quickly
  • Excellent listening skills, as well as the ability to take an impartial view
  • IT skills
  • Ability to inspire trust and confidence in clients as they may be making commercially-sensitive decisions, based in part on your advice, and will therefore need to trust your judgement and discretion
  • Commercial awareness, in order to attract new business.
  • Time-management skills and the ability to work to tight deadlines
  • Ability to organise and prioritise your workload
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Capacity to work on your own initiative and to relate well to colleagues, as well as clients and other contacts
  • Teamworking skills

Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Public Affairs Consultant skill, qualifications and experience. Job requirements for specific Public Affairs Consultant roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.