You are eager to climb the career ladder and make an impact in your field of choice. Management allows you to accomplish precisely that, while also pursuing a rewarding career path that includes plenty of room for advancement. However, moving into management is not easy without the right experience, connections, and credentials to take the next step up in your career.
Struggling to determine how to get into a management position? There is no single path to success, but some approaches can certainly streamline this process. One of the best options for aspiring business managers who feel drawn to this role is a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA): Management. This program equips you with a wide range of relevant skills and prepares you to move into management and make your mark as an impactful, highly respected business professional.
As you plan your ideal management career trajectory, you want to gain a strong grasp of the basics: What do business managers do, and what skills must they gain to succeed in the most demanding roles? Below, we outline the realities of the modern management role, along with the steps to become a manager in today’s competitive job market.
What Is Management as a Career?
Management is a compelling career path that centers around planning, directing, and overseeing a number of business activities and processes. This can take many forms, but in general, management professionals are responsible for ensuring other employees properly carry out expected responsibilities while contributing to the success of the organizations for which they work.
Managers often act as liaisons between employees and business executives. They help convey and promote central organization values and philosophies as well as ensure that employees feel heard and respected. While they certainly qualify as leaders, managers also must get into the specifics of day-to-day operations. It is through their guidance that workflows remain streamlined and conflicts are avoided or promptly resolved.
What Does a Business Manager Do?
No two days look quite alike for business managers, who function as jacks of all trades within the leadership space. Specific job requirements and expectations largely depend on the sector in which the manager in question works, but in most cases, a day in the life will include at least some of these tasks:
- Recruit, hire, and train staff members.
- Promote a positive company culture that aligns with overarching business values and missions.
- Create and manage budgets.
- Delegate tasks to employees who are best suited to driving positive outcomes.
- Consult with management professionals from other departments.
- Recommend procedural changes to improve productivity and performance.
6 Steps to Become a Business Manager
You feel drawn to the role of business manager and are excited to make progress toward your dream career. Now that you know what exactly a career in management might involve, it is time to develop the targeted skill set that employers expect and appreciate. Follow these key steps to prepare for success as a business manager—and to continue thriving long after you score that initial management position.
Step 1: Build a Strong Foundation: Education and Skills
Every aspiring business manager must possess a solid academic foundation, complete with numerous soft skills, targeted business skills, and even some technical abilities. A bachelor’s degree is a must, with many management professionals ultimately building on this to secure graduate-level credentials. Still, the bachelor’s remains essential, as this can set the stage for a range of professional and academic endeavors.
As a business student, you have the opportunity to hone your communication skills, especially as they relate to management essentials. You can also gain a firm grasp of business fundamentals, including everything from accounting to operations management to data modeling.
Step 2: Develop Leadership Skills
Fundamentals such as accounting and business communication are vital, but other more targeted leadership skills must also be developed to succeed in any management role. Strategic decision-making in particular is crucial, for—while other staff members will contribute to key decisions—the business manager often has the final say and must weigh various factors to determine which approach is preferable.
Another must for any leader? Effective delegation. No manager can handle everything, and for operations to run smoothly, many employees need to step up and take on greater responsibilities. It is the manager’s role to determine who is capable of handling important tasks while also dividing the workload in a way that feels fair, reduces conflict, and allows teams to achieve ambitious objectives.
There is no one way to develop these skills, although a business degree can bring a more purposeful, guided approach to boosting your leadership skill set. Additionally, it’s wise to be intentional about applying key skills in your day-to-day life, especially within current jobs or extracurricular activities. Make an active effort to take on opportunities that allow you to flex your leadership muscles.
Step 3: Seek Mentorship and Start Building Your Network
A mentor is invaluable for any business manager; the sooner you begin to establish this critical relationship, the better. Ideally, your mentor would have a wealth of experience not only in management but also in your preferred field or specialty. Your mentor can act as a sounding board for your plans and ideas. This trusted individual can provide much-needed support and guidance as you navigate the challenges of your business degree program and move into the early stages of your career.
While mentorship can play into networking efforts, you also want to expand your reach to include a range of students and professionals to form the basis of a robust professional network. Your business program can provide an excellent start and ample opportunities to interact and build powerful relationships with similarly ambitious individuals.
Step 4: Gain Practical Experience
Your college coursework may equip you with valuable communication and leadership skills, but they are of little value if not purposefully applied in real-world settings. Therein lies the benefit of practical experience, which allows you to see firsthand how business practices and principles play out in a professional environment.
The internship has long been the gold standard for gaining business experience, and for good reason: It can provide college credits, networking opportunities, valuable work experience, and (on occasion) job offers upon internship completion. In addition to gaining experience as an intern, you can apply newly mastered concepts through work in part-time positions or even as you take on leadership roles within college clubs or teams.
Step 5: Start in Entry-Level Roles
You’ve graduated with a BSBA, completed your internship, and perfected your resume. What’s next? Though some graduates continue on to pursue their master’s degrees, many prefer to immediately enter the workforce and apply critical leadership concepts within challenging business environments. A variety of entry-level roles allow you to put your management training to use. Meanwhile, you’ll get a better idea of what your ideal career trajectory might look like.
As an entry-level management employee, you may be responsible for overseeing small teams. Examples of roles worth pursuing include:
- Sales manager
- Account manager
- Business analyst
- Operations analyst
Step 6: Pursue Continuous Learning
The learning process never ends, nor should it. As new techniques, theories, and technologies emerge, you want to be at the forefront of these developments so you can promptly leverage them to boost business outcomes.
There are many ways to further your business education. For some, a graduate degree proves the most reliable path to advancement. Beyond this, however, you could continue gaining valuable skills by attending conferences, reading peer-reviewed journals, listening to podcasts, or staying in touch with a trusted mentor.
How to Get a Management Job after Graduation
You’ve put in the hard work as a business student and are ready to get your career off to a great start. How you proceed after graduation will determine a lot about your long-term career path. Follow these steps to become a manager and thrive in this dynamic role.
Set Clear Career Goals
While you ideally would have set targeted career goals prior to enrolling in a business program, these may need to be revisited now that you’ve developed and been exposed to important skills and leadership concepts. Through these experiences, you may have discovered new possibilities or ruled out positions you previously found interesting.
This is the perfect time for a reset. Outline a few basic goals for your immediate job search and for where you want to be in five or 10 years. These should be realistic yet also ambitious enough to keep you striving for more.
Update Your Resume and Online Presence
A solid business resume forms the foundation of a successful job search. This resume should emphasize your BSBA degree and any skills you developed along the way. Don’t forget to highlight relevant internships or other work experiences. Treat your resume as a living document, continuing to update it as you score new jobs or develop additional skills.
Don’t underestimate the value of a strong online presence. Employers may scour your LinkedIn profile and even browse your Instagram account. Update all relevant or public social media pages to reflect your professional goals and personal brand.
Job Search
Your resume is immaculate, and now, you are ready to embark on the job search. Begin by researching top opportunities in business management. Job boards can provide a wealth of insight, but don’t forget to look closely at company websites and LinkedIn pages. There, you will find important details about organizational culture and other essentials that could give you an edge if you eventually apply.
Prepare for Interviews
If your resume makes an impression, you may land job interviews to follow. This is your chance to reveal exactly what makes you such a compelling hire. It’s also a great time to determine whether potential jobs are a good fit based on your previously established career goals.
Interview preparation begins with researching each potential employer in depth. Get a feel for the company culture, training programs, and the long-range vision of the business in question. Through this effort, you can decide if you might be the right fit.
Next, examine common interview questions and practice with a fellow graduate or other close professional contact. Avoid the temptation to memorize answers, as this can make your responses feel forced, inauthentic, or awkward.
Apply Strategically
Haphazard job applications are best avoided. You want to be confident not only that you are a desirable hire from the employer’s perspective but also that you’ll actually want the job if you get an offer. This means you need to be careful about which jobs you pursue.
When in doubt, job applications should reflect your long-term career goals. Verify whether, by scoring a particular job, you would gain new opportunities to develop key skills and professional connections. Take a close look at details you’ve gathered through research, but don’t be afraid to trust your intuition at the end of the day.
Launch Your Management Journey with a BSBA in Management at UTC
It’s time to take the next step on an exciting career journey. The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: Management degree program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga could get this trajectory off to a solid start. Get in touch to learn more about the BSBA: Management, or apply today.
