Helpful Tips If You’re Considering a Career in Management

career in management

Does the idea of a career in management sound appealing to you?  If so, there are likely to be plenty of job opportunities, depending on what facet of management you focus on.

There’s one skill that’s essential to all management career paths – the ability to manage people.  With that as a core, you can add the education and experience that matches up to your personal interests.  Here are four of the more common directions you can go to build a career in management.

Marketing Management

Do you love matching up products and end users?  If so a marketing management career might be perfect for you.  Marketing is tasked with promoting the various products and services that are offered by the company.  The marketing department crafts campaigns to increase product awareness, and ultimately drives sales.

Sales management is sometimes housed within the same department with marketing.  But sales differs in that the primary roles is the actual sales of the product, while marketing is focused on creating a demand for the product.

Risk Management

Companies, just like people, encounter various risks 24 hours a day.  As a risk management professional, you’ll be charged with identifying potential risks to the company.  Those might be with products, premises, or employees.  Then, the risk manager will develop risk management strategies to mitigate the risks.

The job of managing risk requires monitoring and responding to changes in risk exposures.   It requires intuitive thinking, keen observational skills, and an eye for detail.

Operations Management

Think of operations management as process management.  The operations manager will oversee the efficient and profitable conversion of material and labor into goods and services.  In turn, those goods and services are then provided to sales and marketing for delivery to the end user.

A strong set of organizational skills is essential for success as an operations manager.  Managing and planning for proper flow of inventory is closely associated with operations management, and the two are often accomplished within the same department.

Financial Management

If you love to crunch numbers and work with budgets, financial management could be your career home.  From cash management to bookkeeping to financial statements, the financial manager’s job is all about making sure the numbers come out right.

As a financial manager, you’re responsible for keeping owners, managers, and investors supplied with all the required reports and commentary to give them an accurate picture of the profitability of the company.

No matter which management path you choose to pursue, it’s a step on the corporate ladder.  Your performance will open doors to the next level.

Jackie LaMar

Beach lover. SoCal dweller. Life is never over unless you surrender. Keep going, the prize IS out there.