Career Oportunities Essay, Research Paper

Being in a Business Management program has provided me with many carrer oportunities. Whether it is running the family business or managing a multinational firm. This is all made possible by the education which I have received here at Thomas College. I knew that in order to be ready for the workplace I needed to go to college. I hoped that this would provide me with the knowledge I needed to start working at a good salary and to be doing something that I enjoyed. The education has indeed provided me with the nessessary knowledge to be a very competitive member of the workforce. Where I am working (O?Connors GMC), has many employees that have been there much longer than I have. However, I have been offered a starting salary that is greater than what they are earning now. This is because I have been to college and in many cases know more about how to run a division than they do. These are just a few of the vast possibilities out there for me.

SALES MANAGERS design and measure marketing and distribution strategies. They are the driving force behind the sales strategies. ?Their work includes the supervision of sales staff and the development of sales programs designed to introduce prospective customers to new products and services. Sales managers are also responsible for reviewing market trends and evaluating sales. Sales management may include the selection and training of the sales staff and the development of a network of dealers who sell a product in the field.?(1)

MORTGAGE LOAN OFFICERS deal with prospective home owners. These are people who do or want to own their own homes. Appraisers carefully examine every detail of the building plans and site details. When a firm or business is the borrower, loan officers keep in mind the profit potential of the project. This may help them determine if the loan should go through. The bottom line that they are worried about is wheather the borrower will be able to make the payments.

CREDIT ANALYSTS deal with commercial loans to business and industry. They do credit checks on the business owners themselves, the trends in the industry which they want to venture, the projected future of the company to see if they will be able to pay back their loans, and the potential for growth in the industry. They look at business methods and operations to see if the business is solidly run and looks promising. ?To get facts, they talk with banks and other lenders who may have lent money to the loan applicant. They also read and analyze financial statements and compare past and current statements to learn whether the business is sound. If the loan is approved, they may assist with the preparation of the loan notes and other documents.?(5)

CREDIT MANAGERS have the final authority to accept or reject any and all credit applications. Before extending credit to businesses, the credit manager reviews detailed financial reports, interviews a representative of the firm, and reviews credit agency reports to see the firm’s record for paying back its debts. If they are new and have none they then look to see what the owners credit history looks like. They are the ones who make the last call on whether a company receives the requested monies or not. They want to make sure the company has strong financial capeabilities to be able to withstand bad times. They do not want the loan to become unpaid or delinquint. ?When extending credit to individuals, the credit managers rely on personal interviews, credit bureaus and banks. In large organizations, they may be responsible for establishing a credit policy. Some managers establish office procedure and supervise credit department workers.?(3)

EMPLOYMENT COUNSELORS help individuals make the correct career decision. They look at the potential employees abilities such as employment history, skills, what they like to do, what they have been trained to do, how well they follow directions, education and ability to learn. They give advice on what type of jobs to seek, where to seek them, interview techniques, along with many other helpful techniques on getting a quality job.

BANKMANAGERS are responsible for the everyday operations that go on inside their branch of a bank. This includes but is not limited to management of the staff, communication with the main office, dealing with customers, making decisions on transactions that employees under them are not allowed to make, and making any changes within the bank to try and improve the system.

LOAN OFFICERS may authorize or reject an application for credit based on their decision after carefully looking over a loan application. Their decision is based on weather or not they believe the borrowing party will have the financial resources to pay back the loan. They may choose to interview the borrower and contact past creditors to get more information on the borrowing party. Their other duties include but are not limited to; buying loans, purchasing real estate, handle foreclosures, and selling of loans or contracts.

PERSONNEL ASSISTANTS help the personnel manager in filling company employment needs. ?They may inform employees of transfers, promotions, or layoffs and handle the related details. They organize and maintain confidential employment files of workers; and they determine necessary requirements for job openings. They also make up work schedules and help employees with problems.?(1) They reach their hands out to many employment areas to try and find the right employees. They give primary interviews and research a potential employees background. They also speak with past employers of the potential employee.

PERSONNEL MANAGERS head a group of employees who recruit, interview, and choose applicants to fill jobs. They inform employees of company changes in structure and policies. ?Personnel staff keep records of absentees, promotions, transfers, layoffs, retirements, insurance payments, and pension plans. They look into accidents and write reports for insurance companies; do wage surveys to learn competitive wage rates; and suggest ways to cut down on absenteeism and employee turnover.?(6) In a workplace inviornment, personnel managers are the communications link between senior management and employees.

MARKET RESEARCH ANALYSTS help companies determine if the market is right for their products, and if any changes need to be made to the current products. They collect, analyze and interpret data. This helps them to determine if the public has a want, need, or desire for the product. It also helps them determine how the product should be sold and which segment of the market to go after. They study present and future products, comparing these to items they may be competing against, and make recommendations about marketing strategy and the product itself.

FINANCIAL ANALYSTS analize data that has influence on the current and upcoming market situation. They look at reports to determine trends that will take place in the market. They make and use charts and graphs to interpret investment data, and stay informed about social and economic trends that affect the investment field.

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES work for advertising agencies and are in charge of developing advertising campaigns for various clients. They meet with clients to determine their budget, needs, media capabilities, and type of audience that is desired to go after. They meet with other agency departments and other specialists to select media routs and estimate costs. They submit an advertising plan and estimated budget to the client for approval; upon approval they coordinate activities of workers involved to produce the media plan.

MEDIA PLANNERS work in the ?Media Department deals with planning a marketing strategy and buying air time and space in printed media for the agency’s ads. While Media Planners are specialists, they are, in a way, “generalists” who oversee all of the media activities employed to satisfy a client’s needs. Primary prerequisites for a media planner are a broad knowledge of all areas and a basic understanding of the marketing process.?(5) To this the planner must personalize details of each client’s marketplace position. This means they must know the areas in which the particular advertising they are doing will be most effective. Beer commercials may be most effective during the Super Bowl while pantyhose commercials may be most effective during the daytime soap oprahs.

?FOREIGN-EXCHANGE TRADERS maintain bank balances on deposit in foreign banks to insure foreign exchange human resources, personnel departments develop policy and supervise the work of department managers.?(2) Their tools are good management practices, area laws, and the overall company goals. They study the trends in the industry to help them make decisions. Lawyers are involved to be sure all laws and legalities are followed.

PLACEMENT COUNSELORS, bridge the gap between job seekers and employers. They try to get out of work employees in good jobs that they are qualified for. In order to do this they must get a complete work history from the prospective employee. They may ask questions about health, training, skills that may have and how much schooling they have. After they record the applicant’s qualifications, they search for job openings for that person. When they find a job that fits the person seeking employment, they tell the job seeker about the job. They discuss all of the aspects of the job and tell the seeker about the place of employment. ?They explain the company and union policies, sum up advancement prospects with the company, and pass on other facts to the job seeker.?(4) They can arrange interviews for the potential employee and pass on the individuals information to the hiring consultant at the company resulting in a future interview.

A BUYER purchases items which their employer sells. They are responsible for finding the best prices and most reliable distributers. They study past and present sales records and inventories to determine the amount of merchandise needed, and which items need to be carried at different times of the year such as Christmas. ?They study their market and watch economic conditions. They must know the quality of merchandise and business standards of the firms with whom they may deal. They determine the cost of the items they buy plus the cost of sales or marked-down items. They also work closely with advertising to plan sales campaigns and window & floor displays.?(1)

SALES REPRESENTATIVES sell products that their company distributes. They must know what the consumer wants and how much they are willing to pay for it. In order to do this they must first know what they are selling and be able to talk about it. They also need to be able to solve problems the consumers have with the product. This is because they are the person at the company that sold them the product and that is whom they want to speak with when there is a problem.

Todays changing market offers a new wide range of exciting job opportunities. This requires some specialization, however an employee needs to be able to perform many tasks in today?s job market. This will make that person a valuble commodity.

These are just a few of the potential jobs out there for a graduate with a business management degree. Limiting yourself is the only thing that can hold you back, otherwise there is a limitless number of new job opportunities out there for us. In the next several years we will be seeing many changes in the type of jobs and how they will be performed. Keeping up with the times will allow us to remain ahead in the job market.