Sales Managers Career Development Plan

Introduction

For a company to succeed, it should attain maximum profits to boost its sales. This can be achieved through vigorous marketing of the companys services or products to the right target market. The sales team is, therefore, necessary for any company to assist the company boosts its sales. The sales team needs the guidance of a qualified Sales Manager to lead them towards attaining the set goals. As a Sales Manager, a career development plan is important to help one achieve the set goals and objectives. The following is my five-year career development plan as a Sales Manager.

Career Development Goals and Objectives

I have developed both short-term and long-term goals and objectives to help me achieve my dream. Short-term goals are those that should be attained within a short span, and they will help in achieving the long-term goals and objectives that should be achieved within the stipulated five-year period. It is because the long term goals and objectives should be carefully applied as it concerns major changes in the company, and failure to plan well can lead to a major shortfall (Kroth and Christensen, 2009). The short-term goals and objectives include the following;

  • To increase the sales revenue of the company
  • To ensure cost control by implementing certain mechanisms such as staff reduction.
  • To improve the order entries control quality to reduce returns.
  • To expand a new geographic location.
  • To increase the marginalized profitability on the average sale.

The long-term goals and objectives include;

  • To penetrate the new market arena.
  • To strike strategic alliances that deal in sales.
  • To set up a cross-organizational team sales.

Possible Promotional Opportunities

The possible promotional opportunities to boost my career growth are being promoted from the Sales Manager to Area Sales and Marketing Manager, then to the Overall Senior Marketing Manager of the company. The final possible promotional opportunity to achieve my dreams is to be promoted as the Chief Executive Officer of the company, which comes with a better pay package. The promotion will come due to my hard work in achieving all the set goals and objectives and staying focused.

Methods for Career Management

To manage my career, I plan to engage in further training and to add to my education knowledge to qualify me for any promotional opportunities. It will help me to get a promotion and even a better pay package with the additional knowledge and skills that I will have acquired.

I will also attend Sales seminars and courses that are offered by several organizations to boost my knowledge and leadership skills.

An Inventory of Current Skills, Abilities, Training, and Education

As a Sales Manager, I have the sales ability and skills to increase the sales of the company attained a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, specializing in Marketing and a Diploma in Business Law and Economics. I have engaged in on-the-job training, and my leadership role in sales is an advantage to my sales management skill. I am also able to work under considerable pressure, an ability that enhances my performance.

Job Satisfaction Attributes

I am satisfied with my position as a Sales manager because of the positive lessons that give me daily. The management style and the culture of the company are effective and open encouraging the involvement of the entire workforce. Any problems that are handed over to the management are treated with urgency and resolved without any discrimination. My sales team members are satisfied hence creating a conducive working environment, and this has increased the sales.

The pay is also good, and there is a comfortable level of working pressure. I enjoy working with the consumer and relate to their contribution to the company product. I am currently satisfied with my job position and working for the company.

Action Steps To Be Applied To Achieve The Objectives And Goals

To be able to achieve my stated goals and objectives, I have come up with three main action steps that will assist me. The most important action plan is to further my education level by finishing my Masters Degree in Business Administration. It will add to my knowledge of sales and marketing. The second action plan will be to develop a contingency plan which will act as a guide in case anything that has been planned goes wrong. It will include the amount of marketing that will be required and the effectiveness of implementation and completion of my goals and objectives. The last action plan will be prioritizing the tasks at hand effectively to achieve each one of them. It entails making sure that the short term goals and objectives before embarking on the long term goals and objectives.

Potential Barriers To Reach The Stated Goals

As a Sales Manager, there is a great likelihood to experience some obstacles to reach my goals and objectives (Paling, 2010). One likely barrier will be the time set to achieve the goals and objectives set. The career development plan may fail to be completed in the set five year period, but that can be overcome with proper time management. The other barrier could be the lack of the required resources like money to complete my Masters Degree.

It can slow down the implementation and completion of the development plan. Lack of dedication from the sales team members can also act as a barrier to achieve the stated goals and objectives. It will slow down the set sales due to a lack of team commitment and work enthusiasm. Lack of follow-through of the development plan can also be a barrier to achieving the set goals and objectives. A possible economic crash of the country can also be a hindrance, as it will greatly affect the set sales.

Analysis Of The effect Of Career Training Programs

Career training programs are courses taken to promote career planning, career enrichment, and career transition (Bohlander & Snell, 2010). These courses will help me to conduct a self-assessment to help me achieve my goals and objectives. The courses have also helped the trainees to explore their potential in diverse career fields. It helps them to be dynamic in the different career fields that they engage in.

Conclusion

With the above development plan, I believe I have what it takes to lead the sales team to another level and increase the companys sales drastically. The plan will further assist me to implement and complete the set goals and objectives in the set five year period. The plan is also important in my career as it helps me boost my confidence in achieving my career dreams and to further plan the tasks systematically.

References

Bohlander, G. & Snell, S. (2010). Managing Human Resources. Canada: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Kroth, M. & Christensen, M. (2009). Career Development Basics. USA: ASTD Press.

Paling, S. (2010). The Accidental Sales Manager. USA: Library of Congress Cataloguing-In-Publication Data.

Career Management Topics and Their Analysis

Abstract

Career management is all about the nurturing and building of ones reputation and skills. This issue has been described by many scholars as a very fundamental venture, especially in this twenty-first century. Many people are known to be good managers of their finances, children, homes, and even relationships. There are however few good career managers. Management of ones career can be quite a bother and pain in one way or the other.

Many people who are carrying out career management in their lives have been compelled by various reasons. These include stiff competition in the job market. It is very clear that a job is never as demanding as the overall efforts of carrying out research and even securing a job. Career planning is an integral part of career management. This involves different stages like self-analysis, goal setting, opportunities, matching and mismatching, action planning, implementation and finally reviewing the plans.

Introduction

Todays job market is quite competitive in nature. This makes career management to be a very essential topic, especially in this twenty-first century. This topic can best be defined in many words. It is highly linked to individuals making decisions and choices in line with their professions of choice. It is also very clear that the current business environment is more challenging than before and therefore individuals have the challenge of revisiting this process more often.

Career management is a topic that is relevant and also carried out both at the individual and management levels. Career management is more so important to working people. This topic is closely linked to stress management. It is also very important that careers that have no boundaries be managed too. This venture also involves individuals taking care and the overall control of their development. This paper is an in-depth analysis of career management topics. (Ball, 2006)

Overall view

Research shows that employers may not be highly concerned about their employees careers. It is therefore very essential that individuals be responsible for their own career development. This is vital as it affects their portfolio and their employment status in the long run. An essential aspect of career management is career planning.

This is where there is the involvement of step-by-step actions or processes. In this case, the person involved chooses a career goal. The next step involves the formulation of different strategies that enhance the achievement of the goals chosen. After strategies are formulated, there is continuous reviewing of the individuals progress in the career and thereafter the corrections are made accordingly.

This is highly known to be continuous in nature. It can actually take quite a long time and sometimes an individuals lifetime. Research shows that many people are prone to carrying out planning in relation to their finances and family etc. It is however not a common thing for many people to plan their careers.

Research shows that many people just take actions in relation to their careers based on opportunities that they get in life. It is however highly recommended that people plan their careers in relation to their goals in life. As earlier on illustrated, there are various steps that need to be taken when one is planning their career. (Fisher, 2005)

Analyzing oneself

This is the first step that has to be taken in any career management process. It is quite important that an individual carries out self-analysis before they make vital decisions about their career. At this stage, one has to identify his general weaknesses and strengths. One has to clearly identify his or her guiding principles and values at large.

This is because research reveals that a persons goals have to rhyme with his or her principles and values in order for the person to be successful. It is important that a person maintain a notebook where he or she records these factors. After identifying these aspects one can then go ahead to the next step. (Butler, 2006)

Setting goals

This is also one of the most essential aspects of career management. It is clear that an objective analysis is important at this point in time. This is whereby an individual analyzes both their aspirations and their needs in life. These two factors always give a person direction concerning their goals in career fields. At this stage, individuals have to ensure that they do this with a clear focus where they have a clear picture of what they need to be in the long run. This means that the mind has to be clearly anchored towards the finishing point.

It is important that an individual asks him or herself various questions. These questions include where they see themselves in the next five, ten, and fifteen years. While doing this, one has to identify what they want to do with their life. It is also very important that an individual asks hi or herself the question concerning where they would like to be in their career in the next twenty or even thirty years to come. When doing all this they have to know where they are at present and whether it is far or near where they want to be. (Dinges, 2006)

Opportunities

It is important that when carrying out career management, an individual analyses the career opportunities that are available in the market. This stage involves extensive research carried out depending on where one comes from. This is concerning a persons state, the industry they wish to join, the stability of the economy, and the nation at large. This is because opportunities may be quite different depending on a persons country. It is very clear that the career opportunities in developed nations may not be very similar to those in developing nations. For instance, the career opportunities in the United States are quite different compared to those in Sudan

It is also very important to know that an individual can attain their career goals by using different paths. It is normally very common for many people to narrow their minds during this process. Such that they only think that using one path only can enable them to attain their goals.

When carrying out this task, it is important to know or research the career opportunities that are most likely to be available in the near future and not just those that are only available. During this stage, it is also very healthy to check on any changes in the external job environment. This means that there could also be opportunities outside the nation. More emphasis should however be given to locally-based opportunities.

Another important aspect that has to be considered is the overall demand for opportunities in the career field. This includes the attitude that is needed. This is because there are some careers that require a person to have a certain attitude as this influences the overall success. For instance, one wants to be a community social worker dealing with the marginalized in the community, then they need to have a humane attitude.

Other demands related to career opportunities include experience, skills, and knowledge. For instance, for one to be a doctor, one has to have the skills to do the job. Experience is also very vital to this career. In most cases having experience normally acts as a springboard to the attainment of goals. In this case, it is important to find out whether the opportunities that are currently available will still be available in the future. (Fisher, 2005)

Mismatch and match

This is also an important process of career management. In this stage, the stakeholder has to identify the different areas that the available opportunities match one goal and profile at large. An individual has to look out also at the areas that the two dont match and the reasons as to why. The first aspect of ones profile that should be matched and mismatched involves- attitudes experiences, skills, and knowledge.

This is whether the individual has the right attitude for the available options or not. This is also whether one has any experience in the available opportunities. This makes it easy for one to know where they can easily fit. The areas where ones profile does not match with the available opportunities have to be clearly recorded. After all these issues have been taken care of then the next step can be undertaken.

Action plan formulation

This step is taken immediately after carrying out the matching and mismatching. It is quite recommended that the time taken between these two stages be as minimal as possible. An individual has to carry out quite a lot of strategizing at this point. Action plan(s) have to be put in place to ensure that the gap between ones profile and the desired goals is narrowed. This is in terms of an individuals attitude, experience, knowledge, and skills. (Herriot, 2006)

This stage involves the formulation of an action plan to either remove the mismatch or to minimize it. Another action plan has to be formulated to ensure that the matched items as strengthened. Any impracticality of action is not encouraged and rather one has to analyze the other alternatives in terms of career professions. When this stage is well implemented, it leads to success in the entire career management.

Implementation

This stage sometimes can really be time-consuming and quite long. It is a stage that requires patience and resources. The resources include time, finances and books, etc. It involves the implementation of action plans that aim towards narrowing the gap between desires and attitude, experience, knowledge, and skills. This stage of career management requires an individual to be quite disciplined. This is to ensure that every aspect of the action plan is dealt with. It is very essential that a person keeps track of his or her own progress in this entire venture.

Reviewing of plans

Career plans have to be reviewed often to see the progress. The periodic review of career plans helps a person to ascertain whether the plan is focusing towards the intended direction intended. Reviewing process enables a person to slot in any opportunities that may have come up due to various external factors. These factors can include changes in a nations economy among others. During the reviewing process, necessary adequate changes are made. (Herriot, 2006)

Distractions to career management

Many people start managing their careers and then just lose track somewhere along the line. Research shows that there are very many distractions in career management. This is especially if career management is self-based. One of the major factors is that they may get a promotion though they dont like it, they just get contented. Other peoples expectations can also distract people in their career management. Wealth, possessions, and power can also distract someone. Family and relationships are also potential distracters to career management especially when they are not well managed. All these factors can be managed very easily through frequent self-assessment. (Schein, 2005)

Conclusion

Career management can either be carried out by an organization or an individual. Many organizations however are not quite concerned about managing their employees careers because the task can be quite overwhelming. Career management is quite important to every individual whether employed or not. This task involves career planning which when well-implemented results in success in ones profession of choice. The first step when planning a career includes self-analysis.

This is where a person identifies their strengths and their weaknesses. There is no single person without strengths or weaknesses. Next is to set goals concerning individual desires for their future. Then the available opportunities are thoroughly analyzed. The available opportunities are then matched and mismatched with the strengths and weaknesses. This is best done in written form. Then there is the formulation of the action plan, implementing it, and lastly reviewing the plan where necessary changes are made. When all these are well carried out it results in overall success in an individuals career.

Reference

Ball, B. (2006): Career management competences  the individual perspective Career Development International; Vol. 2; pp. 74-79.

Butler, T. (2006): Discovering Your Career in Business; Addison-Wesley; p.17.

Dinges, F (2006): Principles of management; New York; Prentice Press.

Fisher, A. (2005): Six Ways to Supercharge Your Career; Fortune; pp 47.

Herriot, P. (2006): The Career Management Challenge; London; Sage Publications.

Schein, H. (2005): Career Anchors Revisited; Implications for Career Development in the 21st Century; Academy of Management Executive; Vol. 10, No 4 p. 80.

US-Qatar Business Councils Internship and Career

Introduction

US-Qatar Business Council is a non-profit organization that is meant to create an easy entry for American companies wishing to conduct business in Qatar. The council was started in 1996. Furthermore, it is a membership-based company, which has tremendously grown over the years. The council strives to ensure that American investors have an easy entry to the country. The organization has also been keen to ensure that there is a positive relationship between the government of Qatar and that of the US. The council has been actively involved in various activities to ensure that its members rights are fully protected. As Adam (46) observes, this company was started by American investors in Qatar to protect their rights in the foreign environment. The council has been able to achieve this dream and many other objectives

US-Qatar Business Council: The Organizational Structure

As stated above, this is a non-profit organization that was established to ensure that US investors are able to invest in Qatar, with minimal difficulty as possible. A board of directors, who are elected by members, runs the organization. The board of directors is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the organization is run as per the expectations of the members. The board is directly answerable to members of the council on whose behalf the board works. The board is the main decision-making body and it formulates most of the policies that run the organization, which must be approved by the council members. Communication in the organization flows from the top office of the chairperson of the board down to employees in their hierarchical order, and back to this high office.

Conflict Management within the Organization

Conflict management is a very important ingredient in ensuring that an organization remains peaceful and coherent. Atkinson (20) says that a peaceful organization is able to work as a single unit, making it able to achieve its objectives easily. For the duration that the scholar was attached to this organization, there was no conflict witnessed in this organization. The organization had a well-laid mechanism through which differences between workers or council members could be addressed. This has seen the firm grow tremendously because the entire fraternity of the council is able to work as a team. The internal environment was very pleasant, with no form of tension. All the members had a positive attitude towards one another.

Effectiveness and Efficiency of the Organization

Effectiveness refers to how well an organization achieves what it claims to do while efficiency is the ease with which work is done (Barnes and Huntington 29). US-Qatar Business Council has put up structures that have seen it achieve most of its dreams. The main objective of the firm is to ensure that American investors, who come to trade in Qatar, receive the necessary support to ensure that they succeed in this foreign country. It has achieved this as can be witnessed by the massive increase of American investors in the country. To ensure efficiency, the firm has employed locals who have a deeper understanding of the local business environment to implement most of its activities. The efficiency of the firm has also been ensured using emerging technologies to monitor market changes. The employees are also competent.

The Nature and Scope of Students Original Responsibilities

The intern was attached to this organization for a period of ten weeks. She was supposed to work for a minimum of 15 hours a week. The intern was supposed to support the US-Qatar Business Council by providing promotional support that includes highlighting business opportunities for US companies seeking to do business in Qatar. This would involve research on various relevant industries such as infrastructure, hotel, investment, amongst other industries. She was also expected to participate and support the Council in holding invents. However, this evolved over time because of the organizational needs (Cunningham 78). The intern was called upon on various occasions to support the clerical staff to undertake various clerical duties. She was also called upon to deliver messages from one office to the other.

Clarity of Instructions from Supervisors

The internship is part of the course. Instructions from the supervisor are therefore very important, as it would be in a normal classroom set up. Through attachment, there are specific sets of objectives that the instructor feels the intern should learn. The instructions would therefore help the intern gain maximally from the process. Clarity of the supervisors instructions was facilitated by the use of e-mail. The intern would keep the supervisor updated on the entire progress by e-mailing activities of the day, how the entire experience was, and the main issues learned in the process. The supervisor replied by noting issues that were to be observed in the following day. Through the e-mail, the supervisor would also point out some issues of concern in the previous days work. The intern would take note of the instructions the following day.

Standards Used To Evaluate the Work of the Office Staff and the Work of the Interns

Although the organization has no clear mechanism for evaluating intern workers, it has an elaborate technique for evaluating its staff members. All staff members sign the performance contract upon their hiring. Each employee has a target to meet within a specified period. In most cases, it is usually a one-year contract. The performance of the employees would then be measured against the set targets in the performance contract (Briggs 89). If the performance of the individual staff exceeds the set goal, the staff would be considered to have surpassed the performance level. The organization is relatively small and therefore, interns were integrated into the mainstream staff. The interns would work as a team and the success of the entire team would be taken as a success for individual members of the team.

Problems and Problem Solving Techniques

The kind of task the student was involved in was suitable for a marketing or communication student. The intern is an interior design student. Therefore, the task was not directly related to the basic theories learned in class. It, therefore, took some time for the intern to internalize the tasks. This was a big challenge at the beginning of the internship because the expectation the organization had towards the intern was a little too high. However, through consultation and active participation in these activities, the intern was in a position to master what was expected of her in the firm. The intern also kept close communication with the supervisor whenever a challenge that appeared too big faced her.

The Possibilities for Career Advancement in the Office

The experience in this office was very enjoyable. The intern was able to learn the business aspect of her career. Moreover, she was able to meet professional interior designers who were in the business world and who could help her advance her career. However, the office would not be the best place to advance her career. The office duties would help advance business and communication skills. However, the researcher is an interior design student. The best environment to advance such a career would be in an architectural, engineering, planning, and Interior Design firm. These firms would allow the intern to practice what was learned in class. Through this, she would be in a position to advance her career.

Contribution of the Work Experience to Students Personal and Professional Growth

An internship is meant to introduce a student to the industry. In most cases, students are exposed to the theory part of the course in class. A three, four, or five-year course would dedicate much time to learning the basics of the course in form of theories or simple practical set-ups in a schools laboratory. When the student is approaching the end of her studies, he or she would go to the field to practice and experience what was learned in classrooms. In this case, the intern was able to put to practice what was learned in the classroom. Business communication, which was a unit in this course, was fully expanded and the marketing aspect of the profession was enhanced. Through interaction with professional interior designers, the intern was able to get insights into how the industry is, as well as what to expect as a professional in the field. In other words, the internship program fulfilled its objective.

Works Cited

Adam, Frank, and M. Healy. A Practical Guide to Postgraduate Research, Dublin: Blackhall Publishing, 2000. Print.

Atkinson, Peter. The Ethnographic Imagination: Textual Constructions of Reality Routledge, London, 1990. Print.

Barnes, Charles, and B. Hummington. Creating & Delivering your Value Proposition, London: Kogan Page, 2009. Print.

Briggs, Christine. Learning How to Ask: A Sociolinguistic Appraisal of the Role of the Interview in Social Science Research, Cambridge: CUP, 1986. Print.

Cunningham, Brian. The stress management sourcebook, Los Angeles: Free Press, 2000. Print.

Bob Bennett and His Career Motivation

The choice is one of the main activities which people provide every day. Some choices are not visible, the others are made with a great deal of thinking and evaluation. Motivation is one of the reasons why people make this or that decision. One of the main decisions which people make during their life is the decision about their future occupation. To be specific, let us take Senator Robert Bennett and consider his motivation for choosing this profession and evaluate his decision from Henry Murrays theory of needs.

Bob Bennett is a 79-year-old Senator of Utah, who works and provides the changes which can make peoples lives better. Bob Bennett devoted some time of his life to management economics, working as a staffer on Capitol Hill, which allowed him to become a successful entrepreneur. The position of CEO in Franklin International Institute made it possible for him to get not only the basis of business but to make succeed in this field. This stage of his career comes to finish in 1992 when he provided a good election campaign and was elected to the Senate (Senator Bob Bennett, 2009).

Before evaluating Bob Bennetts choice from the point of view of Henry Murrays theory of needs, it is crucial to discuss this theory and find out the main principles according to which the motivational evaluation should be provided. Motivation is one of the most problematic psychological notions, which are impossible to understand and research fully.

There are three aspects according to which people their choices, psychoanalytic, humanistic, and diversity. The psychoanalytic view comprises four aspects of peoples motivation. (1) Determinist is when people are unable to control the changes which occur in their life (fate). (2) Drive that is people are always motivated by their inner drives and instincts. (3) That is conflict, which always occurs in peoples life. The inner conflicts are the most important as the winner motivates a person. (4) This aspect of the psychoanalytical view of motivation is the worst one, which characterizes our unconscious. People often make decisions without understanding the reasons for these decisions (McAdams, 2008).

Considering the humanistic view about motivation it is useful to note that the main concept of this motivation is that the supreme motivator is the striving to actualize and perfect the self (McAdams, 2008, p. 271). There are at least two opinions about peoples choice in diversity theory. Some scientists state that peoples choice is based on the simple basic drivers which are common for everybody. The representatives of the opposite point of view, the representatives of the diversity tradition, state that when it comes to motive and goals, everybody is different (McAdams, 2008, p. 279).

Henry Murray is one of the most famous representatives of the diversity tradition. His biggest belief is that people are ruled by different needs (physiological and psychological) while providing their choice, and these needs are influenced by personal motivations. Murray defined a need as

a construct which stands for a force in the brain region, a force which organizes perception, apperception, [interpreting perceptions], intellection [thinking], conation [striving], and action in such a way as to transform in a certain direction an existing unsatisfying situation (in McAdams, 2008, p. 279).

According to Murrays theory (in McAdams, 2008), the person is usually pressed by them (time) and in these limits influence peoples choice through needs.

So, considering Bennetts biography, it is possible to separate several factors, which could become the basic in his choice of political profession. Being the son of the Senator of Utah, Bob Bennett was influenced by his fathers ideas and choices for his future way, the politics were dominant from the point of view of motivation (psychoanalytic). The successful political career of his father (the Senator of Utah from 1951 to 1974) pushed Bob to follow his steps (humanistic). Being the student body president at the University of Utah, where he studied, was also one of the motivational aspects to choose the political career (Senator Bob Bennett, 2009). In this case, the press and thema factors (diversity theory) took place. So, on the example of Bob Bennett, it was proved that peoples choice is motivated according to psychoanalytic, humanistic, and diversity aspects.

Reference List

McAdams, D. P. (2008). The Person: An Introduction to the Science of Personality Psychology. Wiley, New York.

Senator Bob Bennett: Biography. (2009). Web.

Management Career Possibilities and Development

Introduction

There are multiple ways to become an efficient manager, which are individual for every student and have to be consistent with ones values, temperament, personality, interests, and skills. Management is one of the most widespread and essential occupations in todays world, which is used by ninety percent of spheres in the labor market. Therefore, the following paper is to discuss and determine the personal steps that one has to take in order to become a conscious manager.

Life Values and Career Success

The first thing that plays a significant role in ones career choice is the persons expectations of his or her future life. As to me, I would like to be employed by a company, which specializes in creative management. I have a passion for developing various marketing strategies and working with creative people because the job does not seem boring that way. I do not want to work for an average company that requires its managers only to process large amounts of reports, quantitative information, and so on.

One of the main factors that attract me to the profession of a manager is a high level of income. Although managers are not challenging to find, there are many frauds and non-professional people in the labor market. This situation makes highly-educated and adequate managers very valuable for any respectable company. Moreover, managers receive high salaries, which gives them an ability to afford a good car, a spacious house, and vacations to any part of the entire world.

Besides, it is important for employees to have enough spare time and to balance out their personal life and working hours. In my opinion, managers have a great opportunity for this factor because an average manager works from nine oclock in the morning till five oclock in the evening. Such a schedule is very convenient for people who want to have a walk or some entertainment at the end of the working day and for those who prefer to spend time with their families or friends.

I have some values that I would like to live by, which may also affect my career choice. My primary value is the appreciation of everything that life gives me, whether it is something good or challenging. Besides, it is essential for me to believe and trust people who environ me because these values are the foundation of a good relationship. Moreover, I need to see progress and particular achievements in my life that get me closer to my dreams and goals (Six steps to job search success, 2012).

In my opinion, career success is evident when one has the ability to purchase all that he or she needs to enjoy ones life and to become professional in the sphere that a person has a passion for. Nevertheless, according to my philosophy, success is not measured only by money. Instead, it combines everything  wealth, health, relationships with ones family, overcoming personal challenges, and traveling around the world.

My five interests that may affect my career path are the following: I like new beginnings, I like to communicate and to get acquainted with various people, I like to be responsible for some projects or work, I enjoy reaching new horizons in my life, and career, and I am interested in art. My five skills that may affect my career path are the following: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, finance, and project management skills.

Research on Management Occupation

My career choice for this research was the occupation of administrative service manager. In order to obtain and gain credible information for my research, I used the database of the United States Department of Labor because this source is trustworthy and displays only scientifically proved statistics. The following part of the paper is to research and identify the possibilities and opportunities of the management career in the United States of America.

According to the aforementioned source, the administrative services managers occupation is expected to grow by eight percent during the next ten years. Professionals of this sphere will be employed and requested by various industries of the country (Administrative services managers, 2015). Moreover, the efficiency or productivity of administrative services managers is expected to increase due to the new technologies and inventions that might accomplish the major part of calculations and reports instead.

There are some external factors that may affect my career path, which might be the following: the labor market conditions and requirements, personal requests of the customers that sometimes do not have any relation to ones occupation, and the yearly payments, which may increase or decrease due to the deficient or sufficient demand on the market. The occupation of administrative services manager fits my skills and interests almost perfectly because it does not require working long hours or overtime. Besides, this profession gives great opportunities for personal growth as a leader or manager, and its activity might require a person to be creative in order to reach ones companys financial goals.

Administrative services managers have multiple duties, which are usually aimed at the proper organization of the working process in any company or office. Therefore, I, as a future manager, will be responsible for setting various goals and deadlines for the team of my department. Besides, my duty will be to analyze, develop, and manage essential statistics and records. Moreover, I will have to be in charge of financial planning for required equipment, different supplies, and contracts.

In order to become an effective administrative services manager, one is obligated to obtain a suitable bachelors degree. Although it is possible to receive this job only with a high school diploma, one might have better opportunities in this occupation with the knowledge of facility management, business, and information management (Administrative services managers, 2015). Besides, it is necessary to undergo a certification program that identifies ones competence and professional skills.

According to the 2014 year statistics, the number of jobs occupied by administrative services managers is equal to two hundred and eighty-seven thousand (Administrative services managers, 2015). As it was mentioned above, the discussed occupation is projected to grow because it requires exclusive professional skills, which not all people are able to obtain. Besides, professional analytics of the countrys labor market claim that employment in this sphere was growing during the last thirty years and is not expected to decrease.

According to the 2016 year statistics, the median pay for the aforementioned job is equal to ninety thousand and fifty dollars per year, whereas the median wage is equal to forty-three dollars and twenty-nine cents (Administrative services managers, 2015). These payments are considered to provide a high quality of life to one and correspond to the primary needs of a human being. Nevertheless, the top ten percent of administrative services managers earn more than three hundred thousand dollars per year, whereas the lowest ten percent of employees receive only twenty-five dollars yearly.

My career choice might affect my family and personal life in several ways. For instance, the administration of my future company might send me to work in another city or country, which will make my entire family move to another location (Christensen & Schneider, 2010). Nevertheless, some employers give their auxiliaries an opportunity to work remotely, which reduces the time for ones travel to the companys office and gives an ability to spend more time with a persons family (Baruch, 2006). In order to pursue this career, it would be proper to make such lifestyle considerations as not long working days, lunch breaks in the noon, regular vacations once or twice a working year, international travel, and so on.

The government of the United States of America is very loyal to this occupation and provides the required environment for administrative services managers career growth. All the necessary laws and official positions are usually professed in colleges or universities for students of this degree. Nevertheless, there are some difficulties in a managers way in the country, which requires specific documentation for ones legal professional activity.

I have outlined some strategies for me to obtain that will ensure my employment and consistency in pursuing my career goals, which are to be discussed below. The first strategy is to study and gain new professional information in order to remain competitive and aware of all the markets trends and standards. The second necessity is to be respectful to my colleagues and generals because relationships with competent people might help to get promoted. The last strategy is always to respect my clients because they might leave recommendations to their friends about my services.

Conclusion

I have chosen the occupation of administrative services manager because it corresponds to my lifestyle and ambitions in a personal career. Moreover, I got acquainted with the requirements and opportunities for this job, which I consider attractive and promising. Besides, I am very interested in this occupations duties that require taking responsibility for various processes and employees.

References

. (2015). Web.

Baruch, Y. (2006). Career development in organizations and beyond: Balancing traditional and contemporary viewpoints. Human Resource Management Review, 16(2), 125-138. Web.

Christensen, K., & Schneider, B. L. (2010). Workplace flexibility: Realigning 20th-century jobs for a 21st-century workforce. Ithaca, NY: ILR Press.

. (2012). Web.

Career-Style Interview Questions and Reflection

Introduction

For this interview, a subject by the name of Dennis was chosen for his unique situation and perspective on life. Dennis is a 36-year-old Caucasian male that still lives with his elderly mother and has no family of his own. A decade ago, he had completed a bachelors degree in engineering but never found a job to his liking. He began to show interest in forging with metal as a hobby while working odd jobs through his youth. Eventually, he focused full time on that, working from his garage fulfilling scarce orders. Concurrently, it puts him at risk of financial instability and stagnation in both professional and personal development.

Main body

Dennis feels like his craft is his passion that both excites and challenges him. He is seeking a way to be able to practice his craft professionally. Meanwhile, efficiently apply the skills of planning, designing, and construction professionally would bring about numerous opportunities. It is important to help steer Dennis towards the right professional decision, while he is still in the establishment phase of his life, hopefully allowing for growth given his acquired perseverance and patience.

It is evident that Dennis is a rational and slightly eccentric individual, but not to the point of being unsociable. A normal development incurs a change in opinions and perceptions that differ from the ones expressed by Dennis when he was younger. Self-concept changes over time and develops as a result of experience (Supers Theory). Here are some themes observed during the interview:

  • Dennis admires some of the great minds in history, not so much for their achievements but their perseverance and resilience. He feels like he has many obstacles to overcome.
  • Some of Denniss favorite books included works by Greek philosophers, a book on metal forging, and a book on astrophysics. His favorite TV shows and movies are all history and science-related. It shows a variety of interests and desires for self-growth.
  • When questioned about free-time, Dennis implied that outside of his hobby, and some brief reading/TV before sleep, he rarely does anything else. He says that in between his garage and doing some chores around his private home, there is simply no time left. In his work, he also loses track of time. Overall, this suggests a lack of balance in the schedule, perhaps the reason his life has stagnated.
  • Overall an optimistic person with the motto Why be sad when theres so much to live for, Dennis, however, has a rather grim outlook for the future, believing that his age hinders new opportunities.

Looking at Dennis as a person, he is obviously seeking to widen his knowledge and develop new skills. He is resilient and independent, but that makes him extremely hardworking. If he finds a balance in life, he can be very successful in whatever he attempts. Satisfaction depends on the extent to which the individual finds adequate outlets for abilities, needs, values, interests, personality traits, and self-concepts (Supers Theory).

Due to his age, Dennis has work experience that used his natural wit, the ability to strategize, and technical skill. Through this trial stage, he never discovered anything worthwhile, always feeling restrained in action and creativity. While Dennis is following his passion, he is unable to guarantee himself stability, which in turn is a necessary keystone to any future growth, balance, and happiness. He can find the correct career approach now and enter the field to establish himself. Later in life, Dennis will be able to tweak the little dissatisfactions in the maintenance stage of his human growth, as rationalized by Supers theory.

Conclusion

It may be possible to grow his hobby into a business to utilize Dennis enormous talent without stifling his creativity. Another way would be to enter the metalworking industry in a higher position due to experience and be able to pitch projects there while having the financial and industrial support of a whole staff. Consequently, Dennis will find balance and the ability to work with others in his personal growth.

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Questions used in an interview

  1. Who do you admire the most and why?
  2. What are three of your favorite books and what do you remember about the books?
  3. What is your favorite saying/motto/line from a song?
  4. What are three of your favorite TV shows and why?
  5. Name three movies that you like and explain what you liked about them.
  6. What do you picture when you think about your future?
  7. What were you doing the last time you lost track of time?
  8. What do you like to do with your free time and why?

Work Cited

 CareersNZ, New Zealand Government. 2015. Web.

A Day in the Career Field of Management

Introduction

Business management is an evolving and dynamic career field that has ever increasing demands and requirements in the present competitive corporate world. Business management demands professional knowledge, experience, social networking and emotional intelligence at the same time. A manager ought to be a very skillful and diverse personality, who must be readily equipped with time management, stress management and leadership skills while being creative and rational in his approach.

Communication

A typical managers day starts with attending to the immediate inquiries and communications from other institutions, like banks, legal consultants and suppliers. Any established business is continuously going through affairs concerning legal or financial matters. The manager needs to respond to all such inquiries and matters of business. He then needs to communicate any concerns of importance to higher management. Any manager is always accountable to a higher authority. In this regard he may be required to meet the higher responsible and bring in their notice any matters of importance. The manager then finds some time for what is very vital for the organizational culture. He meets the staff, in groups or individually, to discuss their concerns and thoughts about their work. He makes sure that all his staff is on board regarding any important decisions. He tries to motivate them in view of stress and heavy workload. He makes sure that no one is lacking on morale and diligence

Control

After such correspondence, the manager resorts to the routine work of monitoring and control. Business goals and objectives are set by higher management, and managers job is to apply appropriate controls to make sure that those goals are met with given resources and manpower. For this purpose, the manager first conducts a meeting of all staff of his department. The meeting starts with the accounts and affairs of importance from the previous day. The personnel discusses among themselves any political and financial changes in the industry that may affect the organizations practices and objectives. The main objective of this meeting but is to discuss the progress on the projects that the organization is working on. This is most important part of the meeting. This discussion will emphasize the matters related to progress, timeline, phases and objectives of the project. The projects and endeavors that any business is undertaking are always subject to change and modifications, and it is managements job to recognize and realize what changes are necessary.

Decision making

The manager then confines to the individual work and analysis. His job includes finding new ventures and opportunities for the business. It depends what department he is heading. A marketing manager would look for new ideas and platforms for marketing. A financial manager would try to find new investment opportunities. A business manager would look for new ventures and expansion opportunities. A production manager would be interested in cutting down costs and smoothing the production line. For these purposes, the manager would analyze the opportunities himself. He might discuss them with close peers and subordinates. He also prepares the material to present to directors regarding such decisions in the meetings for such purposes.

Conclusion

Businesses worth billions of dollars are at the stake when managers make highly important decisions regarding the future of the business. A business manager, in short, bears huge responsibility that demands high level of intelligence, diligence, communication skills and competitive knowledge at the workplace.

Accounting Studies for a Career in Marketing

Marketing as a field of business is connected to many other aspects of business and requires interdisciplinary knowledge. Marketing mainly relates to accounting through managerial accounting, which is important for decision making and performance evaluation. Thus, the knowledge of accounting is valuable for majority of processes in the marketing field. This essay will explore vital connections between marketing and accounting and discuss why students should learn about accounting when planning a career in marketing.

The first undeniable connection between accounting and marketing lies in the financial terms of marketing. Marketing activities are predominantly used to achieve profit maximization, which is the drive behind the marketing strategy (Cvitanovi, 2018). Moreover, according to Matsuoka (2020), accounting and revenue accounting, in particular, contribute to the plan and control of marketing through the marketing budget. Some of the accounting techniques are even used in marketing to manage customer data.

In an article by Cvitanovi (2018), the author states that marketing professionals share misconceptions of financial terms and important accounting aspects in both conceptual and pragmatic ways. However, according to Stewart, to ensure effective communication between different branches and fields of business, the marketing specialists should be able to speak the same financial language (as cited in Cvitanovi, 2018, p. 84). In some companies, the issue is solved by organizing educational workshops for marketing employees on financial analysis and accounting topics.

In conclusion, the students that plan on making a career in marketing should learn about accounting to gain the skills and knowledge required for the financial aspect of operations in marketing. The fact that some of the same techniques used in accounting could be used in marketing highlights the importance of expanding the students scope through interdisciplinary knowledge. Moreover, to ensure an effective connection between the employees, the marketing staff should understand the basic financial terms and concepts.

References

Cvitanovi, P. (2018). Managing accounting and financial aspects of marketing. Journal of Accounting and Management, 8(2), 83-94.

Matsuoka, K. (2020). Exploring the interface between management accounting and marketing: a literature review of customer accounting. Journal of Management Control, 31, 157-208. doi:10.1007/s00187-020-00299-9

Career Options for a Computer Programmer

This report discusses career options for a computer programmer. The report extensively looks into the typical job titles and roles or duties performed by people who hold the job titles. Further, the report discusses the personal skills necessary for success in this job category. Most organizations require new employees to have some level of experience. This report looks into this requirement and explores the way by which an individual without experience can enter the industry or gain entry into a company. Money is the greatest motivator for employees. Apart from many other numerous reasons why people choose careers, the earning power in a profession plays a critical role in career choice. Therefore, this report will consider the attractiveness of remuneration perks given to computer programmers.

Information technology is a diverse field. The diversity manifests in the form of myriad career options that one can pursue in IT. There are different specializations in IT in line with specific information technology needs in organizations. One field in IT that is widely respected is computer programming. People who do computer programming are called computer programmers. In this age, most organizations require the services of a computer programmer. Computer programmers go by different names depending on the focus in a given organization. For instance, an organization that focuses on software development call computer programmers, software engineers or software developers. Some organizations focus on system development and thus computer programmers in the organization go by titles such as system developer, system administrator, system designer, and system analyst or system engineer. In some organizations, computer programmers are known to handle the technical aspect of computer systems. Therefore, they go by titles such as technical assistant, system technician or generally IT officer.

Irrespective of the title used computer programmers are individuals who have the technical know-how in computer program creation. Computer programs or software are encoded instructions that a computer executes. This field is highly specialized and requires a proper understanding of logical sequencing. Therefore, the first duty a computer programmer can have is software development. However, given software development means one can also troubleshoot and correct says instructions on software, computer programmers also offer support and maintain systems.

For one to launch self into a computer programming career, one has to take professional courses in computer programming. Most companies only take in people with experience. Therefore, it is normally recommended that students take up apprenticeship or internship positions while still learning. Volunteering also helps to offer one enough experience. Career progression is guaranteed by further education and accumulated work experience. Some programmers move from the level of being mere technicians to becoming managers or administrators of other programmers. Moreover, some computer programmers specialize in teaching computer languages to students who later qualify as computer programmers. Despite what the computer programmer actually does, he or she must have the capacity to design and implement software solutions.

In some organizations, computer programmers are involved in the testing of computer programs, operating systems and other advanced software. In order to implement an IT solution, many times organizations source ready-made software from the market but they can also develop software in-house. When the software has been bought or when the system has been developed fully, a computer programmer has to test it. Once the system or software has been installed and is running, the computer programmers focus is on offering support in maintaining the system.

The work performed by software engineers is complex and technical and the knowledge of computer science is highly appreciated in the working environment. The computer programmer has to have a number of technical skills or capacities. The first technical capacity required of a computer programmer is the ability to accurately interface with the users requirements. The computer programmer is responsible for translating the users requirement into a specific and well-written command that the system can accept. This capacity is achieved through familiarizing with the external interfaces and ways of ensuring that functional designs capture different user specifications.

The second technical skill requirement is designing. The computer programmer is responsible for creating and designing the system by selecting major components. He or she investigates the possible ways of designing the system from the requirements gathered. Thirdly, the system engineer ensures that the new system being designed will meet the users requirements; he or she analyzes and predicts input, output, memory, software and hardware aspect of design to ensure they meet the required development standards.

Thirdly, the computer programmer has to understand software validation and verification of data. Computer programmers plan and subsequently implement verification for the systems to ensure that they meet the specific requirements. He or she develops a test plan and test data which is used to validate the system to ensure it works to its specification.

Long gone are the days when computer programmers operated as an indifferent tech whiz. System development and implementation in modern organizations is an interactive process approached as projects. For each project, a project team composed of various professionals is formed. Therefore, apart from technical skills, soft or personal skills are critical for success in this area.

To succeed in the current job market, a computer programmer should be able to communicate well with the client and the team that he or she is working with. Efficient and accurate verbal and written communication is necessary for giving information. Secondly, the person should have needed to have strong analytical and judgmental skills. This is an important aspect because it helps in analyzing the processes involved throughout the development of a system to ensure every step is considered based on the requirements.

Good communication, analytical, problem-solving skills and good judgment should be complemented by strong leadership or management skills. The system engineer should display assertiveness; confidence and hard work to enable him or her to realize the best of what he or she is doing. Good leadership goes hand in hand with being a good team player.

How You Could Make a Difference by Choosing CNA as a Career?

CNA career development proposes every professional nurse great opportunity to become a real professional in this field. CNA makes a difference for me because it meets my personal values career goals. CNAs philosophy of healthcare will help me to become a passionate and dedicated nurse. Entering the CNA program, I would be able to develop my personal skills and master professional knowledge in patients with special needs. I suppose that the main qualities of a CNA nurse are based on universal principles of ethics and morality. They include dignity at the mercy of patients and openness, sensitivity to individual needs and patience, personal aspiration and commitment to work, humanism and tolerance. CNA makes a difference for me because it promotes openness, impartiality and objectivity in assessing the validity of the beliefs of oneself and others, and a willingness to revise beliefs as new evidence comes to light. Also, it is important for a CNA nurse to possess critical thinking and an awareness of the consequences of ones actions in rational decision-making, and to the need for patients to develop a critical response to the attitudes and values.

I suppose that nursing should be based on a moral responsibility to facilitate mediation. The CNA philosophy is based on the idea that a nurse should be well informed about ethical issues in nursing, have moral knowledge and have a complex range of learned skills and guided experience that will enhance their ability to act wisely and creatively as reflective moral agents when confronted with moral problems, to anticipate moral problems and take the necessary action to prevent them from occurring in the first place; to think critically and reflectively about emergent and emerging moral issues. I am a dedicated and passionate person, I developed a passion for nursing professionals when familiarizing myself with CNA. This situation helps me to choose my life path and profession. I recognize that CNA nurses are both psychological and physical caregivers and human values such as compassion and concern based on cultural knowledge should be the main priority in this profession. Every nurse should take into account the social environment in order to inspire and empower enthusiasm in others. Nursing values involve psychosocial, spiritual and physical factors of care. I am a determined person who pays attention to detail, loves people and is able to help others.

CNA makes a difference because it treats patients as close people who need care and support. CNA philosophy underlines that the main responsibilities of nurses are to acquire knowledge and skills important for effective cultural communication. A nurse should be responsible for improving the quality of services and think about the large nursing practices which involve the development of the unique personal approach to cultural competency. For a nurse, self-assessment and clients assessment should be the core of professional communication and development. Self-assessment includes analysis of personal beliefs and religious awareness, communication patterns and analysis of the social environment.

The way in which CNA has to employ a cultural approach and communication is a part of competitive advantage. Patients needs assessment should include analysis and evaluation of their religious beliefs and cultural patterns of behavior which affected communication with medical staff and treatment. In this case, detailed career planning and management are important ingredients in a successful profession. This has speeded up health delivery processes, transformed working practices and increased the efficiency of healthcare services. I suppose that CNA can be characterized as an environment that influences the values and ethical principles of nurses, their cultural competency and knowledge.