• Provide basis for measuring performance, and performance appraisals
• Provide clear description of the role
• Enable total organization structure to be compiled by allocating tasks across the board
• Remove possibility of misinterpretation by employee or manager
• Allow pay and grading to be structured fairly
• Provide a reference tool in the event of a dispute or discipline
• Provide a reference point for training, development, career progression, succession planning, or counselling
II. Smaller Businesses
Staff in smaller businesses usually cover a wider or more mixed range of responsibilities than in a larger organization. In smaller businesses job descriptions might therefore cover a greater number of listed responsibilities. This should never exceed about 15 because the result can become unwieldy.
III. Compiling Job Descriptions
This is an opportunity as an employer or employee to clarify expectations of the role. Start by writing down all the tasks which the role is expected to carry out. This may be quite a long list, but be careful to distinguish what might be covered by an Operations Manual, if one exists. Wherever possible refer the details of procedures or processes to the “Operations Manual”, or “Agreed procedures”, or “Agreed standards”. It is easier to change a Job Description than an Operations Manual! By looking at the list in Paragraph V below you will find that you will be able to group some tasks under these headings.
IV. Job Description Template
Use the following headings:
• Job Title
• Where based (Business, unit, section – if applicable)
• Position reports to (Line Manager, Supervisor etc)
• Job Purpose Summary (Ideally one line or sentence)
• Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities (8 – 15 numbered points in order of importance if possible)
• Dimensions (The areas to which responsibilities extend e.g. staff, customers, territory, products, equipment, premises etc.)
• Date and any other references necessary
V. Writing Job Descriptions
Group and allocate the list of responsibilities you have compiled in Paragraph III above into the following general areas, in order of importance to the role, if applicable:
• Developing strategic direction as part of a Strategic Business Plan
An example of a Job Description is given below.
OPERATIONS MANAGER – Job Description
Page 1 of 1
26 July 2007
JOB TITLE – Operations Manager
BASED AT – Head Office
REPORTS TO – Board of Directors
JOB PURPOSE – To manage and oversee the day-to-day operations of (Company) production facilities in a profitable manner. Plans and schedules production through all studios, in all company locations, supervises staff to achieve the schedules and oversees marketing and customer service functions.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
Ensure effective allocation of resources across all areas of the operation to accomplish expanding customer driven priorities. This includes work allocation, staff training, problem resolution, evaluating performance, and motivating employees to achieve peak productivity.
Plans and coordinates the business functions of the organization, to include customer service, and marketing and advertising activities.
Participates in the development of operating goals and objectives, recommends, implements and administers methods and procedures to enhance operations.
Monitor profitability of operation by reviewing costs against budgets set.
Monitor marketplace and recommend strategies and business plans to increase (Company’s) share of the potential market, to improve competitiveness.
To monitor performance ensuring the operation is totally customer focused.
Balance market growth with organizational ability to follow through on implementation.
Participates in the development of the Strategic Business Plan
Provide reports for Board of Directors as required
Career guidance and counseling can be helpful to choose the right career path because each career requires some special skill sets for success. Similarly, when embarking on a business career, it is important to have the right guidelines before selecting a specific direction. To excel in business you need to be intelligent, analytical, meticulous, motivated, dedicated, have good oral and written communication skills, and should be fluent with the use of modern technology. You also need to analyze whether you can fit into a team and work with other competitive people.
Deciding On The Aspect Of Business To Specialize In For Your Career
The word “business” covers many diverse activities. Therefore, deciding on what type of business you want to pursue is only one part of the decision. Another factor is what aspect of business you want to specialize in. You might be planning your career in finance, marketing, computing, or some other job within a business. You should also decide whether you want a home business career or a separate workplace.
Planning And Applying For Business Education
Choosing A Program
Careers in the business field offer many options to students, so when considering a career in business, it is important to consider your own strengths, skills and experience, as well as your interests. It is also important to take into consideration your long-term goal – whether you want to be the owner or a chief executive. The better you know and understand your own motivation for wanting a business career, the more likely you are to take the best decision for your future. Basic knowledge about the key aspects of running a business and how they inter-relate to one another is also important in order to make a correct decision.
Programs On Offer
-Certificate, diploma, and degree programs at business institutes and career schools.
-Diploma and degree programs at community colleges.
-Undergraduate programs at traditional colleges and universities:
-Graduate programs at colleges and universities:
-Online programs
For those seeking an entry-level position, companies may hire graduates of a certificate, associate degree or bachelor’s degree program. Entry-level courses, especially those for the business executive, give a broad outlook for a career in business and may include study of accounting, economics, finance, business communication, human relations, business law, management and organizational principles, and the use of computers in business. Major programs on offer by various business schools are MBA Programs, Accounting Programs, Business Administration Degrees, E-Commerce, Health Care Administration, Public Relations, and Human Resource Management, among others.
Applying To Business Schools
Generally, admission for higher education in the United States is based on high school grades, college admissions tests such as the ACT and the SAT, letters of recommendation, and an application completed by the student. There are various top business schools in the United States, such as Harvard and Stanford University.
Details of various business schools and their admission process can be found on the Internet.
Points That Need To Be Considered When Choosing The Right Business School
When investigating business degree and certificate programs, some of the general points that need to be considered are:
-The degree program should be state accredited.
-The flexibility of the programs offered.
-The career services that include job placement, a resume service, job fairs and networking opportunities, the fee connected with the career services offered, if any and the placement rate for graduates of the program.
-Program schedules to suit your needs – full-time or part-time school, evenings or weekends only and online or distance learning.
-The cost of the education. If you require financial aid, ask about scholarship, loans or grants available.
Some Careers In Business:
-Managers – Account Managers, IT Managers, Operations Managers
-Executive and Corporate Officers
-Administrative and Executive Assistants
-Accountants and other financial personnel, including tax accountants, payroll specialists, and credit & collections specialists.
-Supply-chain and Logistics specialists
-International business specials
-Business consultants
-Entrepreneurs
-Public-relations Personnel
-Human-resources personnel
“the Fastest Way to an Entry Level Business Job ? and a Six Figure Income?
“The Fastest Way To An Entry Level Business Job … And A Six Figure Income”
By Nick Moreno – Sales Trainer & Head Sales Coach
The National Sales Center
I went to college to learn about the world. I wasn’t focused on any particular skills or expertise and I assume that’s why they call the degree I received “Liberal Arts”. Please know, I would not trade my education for anything and if I could do it all over again, I’d do it the same way. Although it was a great experience to learn about the world but there was one problem… I didn’t learn to earn! That sad reality hit me just before graduating. How was I going to make a living?
I met with my Guidance Counselor and asked how my degree in History could lead to a job. I was told I could be a Historian or a History teacher but neither of those appealed to me. But then, just as the meeting was about to end, the Counselor came up with one more suggestion… a career in professional sales. His career suggestion changed my life forever and served me well throughout my professional career. I now encourage others looking for an entry-level position in the business world to consider a career in professional sales. If you, or someone you know, are looking for an entry-level career opportunity, a career in sales should be on your radar. While I traditionally work with experienced salespeople interested in improving their selling skills, I also enjoy introducing people to a new career in sales.
Professional Sales Career
Upon graduating from college with a degree in History, I was ready to take on the world. Armed with a brand new suit and a trim haircut, I lined up my first job interview with a reputable company.
I was prepared to work hard by giving it my all, but most of all, I was prepared to make lots of money. After all, I had the energy, youth and optimism of a new graduate, so as far as I was concerned, the world was my oyster. But, I forgot one very important thing. I didn’t know anything about selling. In my naiveté, I thought all I had to do was get people to like me, and once they saw what a great guy I was, they wouldn’t be able to resist what I was selling. Obviously, I didn’t have a clue about professional selling, which takes into account every aspect of a prospective sale such as knowing what’s in your buyer’s mind, getting the results you want, preparing for a sales presentation and seeing it from the customer’s point of view. As I said, I knew absolutely nothing about sales.
Sales Skills
So, there I was at my first sales interview with an electronic cash register manufacturing company. Keep in mind that this interview was quite some time ago, so electronic cash registers were just becoming very popular. And even though the interview was many years ago, I can still remember it as if it were yesterday. I remember it, because it literally changed my life. While talking to the Sales Manager, who was conducting the interview, he looked me squarely in the eye and said: “So, you think you can sell?” He then handed me a ceramic turtle that was sitting on his desk and he said, “Sell this to me.” Once again in my innocence and lack of knowledge, I went on and on about how beautiful the turtle was and how the turtle was something he should buy. It was painfully clear that I knew nothing about the art of selling nor did I know anything about the sales process. I didn’t even know there was such a thing called sales training. Not surprisingly, I didn’t get the job, but I learned something very beneficial. I learned that there is something called salesmanship and if I was to become a good salesperson, I needed to master it. Because I genuinely wanted to be trained correctly, it was at that moment that I decided to become a true student of the sales process.
Studying the Sales Process
From that day forward, I started reading every book I could get my hands on about sales training. Initially, I made a lot of mistakes and often got very discouraged. However, I kept reading books, studying the sales process and observing successful salespeople. Thirty-five years later, I’m proud to say that I’ve accomplished a great deal in my sales career, as my own success has allowed me to work with and train thousands of salespeople from some of the largest companies in the nation. But, I actually attribute my success to that day I met a ceramic turtle and a wise sales manager. Instead of getting a job, I uncovered what I needed most: to develop a great sales career. I learned that I needed to become an expert in the sales process, which in my professional opinion is the difference between sales success and sales failure.
An Entry Level Position In Sales
In today’s competitive job market, it is difficult to get your foot in the door of a major corporation. It seems there is always someone with just a little more experience that gets the job. However, if you search the popular Internet job sites, you’ll discover the numerous openings for entry-level positions in sales. These companies are looking for bright individuals to represent their products or services. The sales department is a great place to launch a career that could, and should, lead to a six-figure income. Sales representatives also receive many additional benefits not offered to those in other departments.
Professional Selling
Professional salespeople are very important key employees because nothing happens until something is sold. Since salespeople are meeting with clients and prospects every day, salespeople know more about the markets a company serves than employees in other departments. For that reason, professional salespeople receive extraordinary benefits such as a car allowance, paid expenses and the freedom to set their own schedules for customer appointments. In addition, professional salespeople receive commissions and those commissions allow salespeople to achieve a six-figure income. If you are looking for career advancement, know that most Chief Executive Officers started their careers by becoming sales representatives.
What Constitutes a Good Salesperson?
In the process of my own sales career, I discovered that most people believe that selling has to do with having charisma or just an outgoing personality. But selling has nothing to do with either of those two characteristics. To be a good salesperson you must first become aware of and use sales skills. So, if you are interested in a career position in sales, here is the strategy you can use to avoid the mistakes I made the day I met that ceramic turtle.
Strategy For The Sales Interview
Interviewing for a sales position is different than interviewing for any other corporate position. Sales Managers receive a great amount of interview training so they are experts at uncovering strengths and weaknesses. During the interview, sales managers are busy determining if they would buy something from you. Sales managers want to know if you can sell yourself because if you can’t, you probably can’t sell a product. Also, the sales manager expects you to ask for the job to demonstrate you are capable of asking for an order.
Due to the factors just mentioned, I urge you to prepare for your interview by getting some strong training on how to interview for a position in sales. Training of that kind is available at many places including The National Sales Center.
Sales Training
Avoid making the mistakes I made the day I met that ceramic turtle. Besides some interview training, get some sales training. No one experts you to be a sales expert when you apply for an entry level sales position but some knowledge of the sales process will improve your chances of getting hired. An understanding of the sales process will also help you to sell yourself to the sales manager and it will also help you with the all important post interview follow up contact. Your follow up effort after the interview demonstrates you will follow up after a sales appointment.
Keys To Your First Sales Job
I urge you get some interview training and some sales training prior to your first sales interview. This type of preparation will greatly enhance your chances of getting hired. A career in sales is rewarding and exciting so the effort you put in to being prepared is well worth it. In fact, that preparation is the difference between success and failure. Also, your knowledge of the sales process will get you off and running the very first day of your new professional career.