As a Development Candidate in Corporate America, you are expected to be knowledgeable of all functional areas of a company. We strongly encourage you to review and learn as much as you can about all of the career fields listed below. Remember these career fields are all interrelated, so the more you learn, the better you will perform in your new career. Keep this in mind as you peruse the different Cameron-Brooks discussion forums as well.
Definition: The provision of process support to internal business functions in order to improve efficiency and decision making, reduce redundancy, and ultimately enhance business results.
General: This is a broad area that describes positions where you will support the business activities of an internal customer. It includes areas like procurement, supply chain management, strategic planning, project/program management, and internal consulting. Your mission is to build relationships with your internal customers, develop an in-depth understanding of their business needs, and find ways to improve results. You will work with your customers to define requirements, establish goals, analyze process improvement opportunities, and implement projects that impact on business results.
Key Connecting Points:
• Project management skills. You must be able to handle multiple projects from start to finish. You will define project scope, develop specifications, analyze resource requirements, establish time lines, work with external vendors, manage budgets, resolve conflicts, and manage projects to conclusion. Use projects you managed in the military as proof.
• Leadership/Interpersonal skills. Because of your interaction with the various operating groups in your company, strong interpersonal skills are a must. You will spend the majority of your time working with teams of people, providing advice on a project, decision, or new strategy. While you have no responsibility to tell a team what to do, you are fully responsible for producing results. You must be able to influence others with your communication skills and establish rapport with them.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills. You must be able to dig into data and processes, find likenesses and trends, and make improvements. It is critical that you use specific military examples where you had to analyze a lot of information from a range of sources to identify and solve a problem. Since you have no authority over your peers in these positions, you will secure their agreement by making effective use of data.
• Technical skills. Due to the impact of computer technology on business, these positions will require a solid understanding of spreadsheets, databases, and project management software. Highlight your interest and aptitude to learn new technology and apply your knowledge to improve results.
• Business knowledge. You will use many business tools in these positions. Highlight your understanding of quality, process improvement, e-commerce, project management tools, disciplined problem solving, systems integration, and business process reengineering concepts.
Possible Job Titles:
• Business Analyst
• Project Manager
• Business Solutions Analyst
• Operations Analyst
• Procurement
• Supplier Manager
Definition: The development of systems that improve strategic, operational, technological, financial, and organizational processes in order to affect improvements to the products and services a client provides to customers.
General: Consultants help clients change to be more successful. You will work closely with clients in their work environment (engagement/project) to analyze business processes and develop new systems/processes that improve business results. You will not only deliver recommendations on ways to improve, but in many cases, consultants will often implement the recommendations they make. As your career progresses, you will develop valuable industry knowledge that will enable you to significantly impact your clients' businesses.
Key Connecting Points:
• Client relationships. You will represent your company to your clients. Your ability to relate, respond, and interact with clients in order to develop lasting and productive relationships is important. Poise, confidence, professionalism, trustworthiness, and crisp communication are key to being a great consultant.
• Project management skills. You must be able to handle a project from start to finish. You will define project scope, develop specifications, analyze resource requirements, establish timelines, manage budgets, resolve conflicts, work with external vendors and manage the project to conclusion. Use projects you managed in the military as proof.
• Leadership/teamwork skills. You will be a part of a team of consultants working on a client project/engagement, where each consultant has an area of knowledge that is key to the success of the project. You must be able to influence a team of peers where you do not have any direct authority. Use examples from your military experience where you influenced people to achieve difficult goals, especially in a team environment.
• Information technology skills. Consultants create and implement state-of-the-art information technology (IT) to support process improvement projects. You must highlight your education, work experience, and interest/aptitude to enhance your IT skills (regardless of how developed they are now). Show your ability to learn and apply new computer skills to produce enhanced results.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills. Consultants analyze client systems and processes to create lasting solutions to business problems. To help your clients transform their businesses, you must be able to dig into and analyze data and processes to find likenesses and trends in order to make improvements. Use specific military examples where you had to analyze a lot of information to identify and solve a problem. Quality, process improvement, systems integration, and business process reengineering concepts are tools you will use.
• Ability to learn. Consultants are world class learners. Professional development is a strategic advantage in any consulting firm. You must be able to discuss your ability and desire to develop your skills in order to make a larger impact on your clients. Highlight examples from the military where you taught yourself a new concept/skill and applied it to impact at work.
Possible Job Titles:
• Management Consultant
• Business Analyst
• Consulting/Analyst
Definition: The application of scientific and technical principles to improve the design, manufacturability and operation of products, equipment, processes, and systems in a manufacturing facility.
General: Because of the emphasis on product quality, innovation, and rapid time to market, engineers play a critical role in the business world. You will work as part of an engineering team with the responsibility of analyzing existing processes and systems, identifying improvements, and managing projects from idea to implementation. You will tackle issues like continuous improvement, product quality, yield enhancement, reduced lead times, statistical process control, ISO compliance, production problems, documentation, external vendor certification, new product manufacturability and new product introduction.
Key Connecting Points:
• Technical skills. Engineering positions require an engineering educational background and technical aptitude. Even if your skills are slightly out of date, highlight your aptitude for working with technical systems or any technical-related work in your military experience. Most companies will ask engineers some basic technical questions in the interview, but will limit the questions to your field of expertise (i.e., if you are an ME, they will ask you mechanical-related questions). It is important that you prove your comfort level with technical systems, as well as your desire to improve your skills.
• Project management skills. Engineering work is project based. You should have several examples from your military experience of projects you effectively managed where you had to coordinate the efforts of a group of people to accomplish a difficult task by a given date while maintaining a budget and other resources. Some necessary skills include communication, analytical, and planning skills; the ability to coordinate resources across functional departments, to manage a time schedule and budget, to resolve conflicts, and to motivate people to produce results. In the interviews, use projects you managed such as shipyard repair projects, changes of command, implementing new operating procedures, leading unit deployment, program management, inspection preparation, etc.
• Leadership skills. While you will not directly supervise people as an engineer, you must show an ability to work well with, relate to, influence and motivate people when you do not have any direct authority over them. Think about ways you motivate peers and civilians in your military jobs when you cannot use your rank. Manufacturing plants are team based where you will interact with people from varied backgrounds such as operators, maintenance teams, other engineers, plant management, external vendors, and many more.
• Problem solving skills. Engineers solve complex problems. You must be able to talk about a disciplined problem solving method where you researched problems, analyzed possible causes, defined root causes, developed action plans, and proactively identified ways to avoid the problem in the future. Use military examples where you solved complex problems from start to finish.
Possible Job Titles:
• Process Engineer
• Project Engineer
• Maintenance Engineer
• Application Engineer
• Manufacturing Engineer
• New Product Engineer
Definition: The management, analysis, and planning of financial resources, involving investment decisions, as well as financing and capital structure decisions.
General: In the past, finance was a separate department in a company where analysts spent the majority of their time developing elaborate computer models for financial reporting. Today, finance has totally changed. Financial managers partner with operating groups and get involved in planning, problem solving and decision making at every level of the company. By encouraging interaction between financial managers and operating personnel, a company ensures that operational decisions have solid financial objectives built in from the beginning which facilitate strong short and long-term financial performance.
Key Connecting Points:
• Financial skills. Positions in Corporate Finance require a solid background in finance and accounting. You may be asked technical finance questions during your interviews (net present value calculations, etc.), and it is important that you are confident in your current skills, as well as in your ability to learn quickly on the job (especially if your skills are rusty). Highlight any finance classes you took in school (undergraduate or MBA).
• Leadership/teamwork skills. Because of the interaction between finance and operating units (your internal customers), strong interpersonal skills are a must. You will spend the majority of your time working with teams of people providing financial advice on a project, decision, or new strategy. While you have no responsibility to tell a team what to do, you are fully responsible for the financial aspects of your team's strategy. You must be able to influence others with your communication skills and ability to establish rapport with them. Your ability to understand the business strategy, as well as the financial aspects, is important.
• Analytical skills. As an analyst, you will look hard at numbers and data to determine courses of action. It is critical that you provide examples of times in your past where you had to interpret data and solve problems. Since you have no authority over your peers/team, you secure their agreement by making effective use of data and facts. Discuss any finance case studies that you did in a business class or masters program. PC spreadsheet skills are also important.
• Project management skills. You must be able to handle multiple projects from start to finish. You will define project scope, develop specifications, analyze resource requirements, establish timelines, manage budgets, resolve conflicts, work with external vendors, and manage projects to conclusion. Use projects you managed in the military as proof of your project management skills.
Definition: The total responsibility for a profit center in a company, including profit/loss, finance, advertising, marketing, sales, operations, distribution, vendor relationships, and human resources. You will oversee every aspect of a business within a business.
General: General managers have a wide breadth of responsibility and a lot of visibility for individual performance. Most business people will wait 8 to 10 years for a general management position. For the opportunities here at the Conference, you will get that level of responsibility in your first job.
Key Connecting Points:
• Leadership skills. These are leadership positions where motivating people from diversified backgrounds will be a big part of your job. Many of the people you lead will have a significant amount of experience (relative to yours), and you will have to quickly gain their trust to be effective. You will tackle morale, teamwork, disciplinary and employee development issues. For you to be successful in your interviews, you must be prepared to discuss specific examples where you motivated large groups of people to achieve difficult objectives.
• Maturity. Given the significant amount of responsibility in these positions and the fact that you will lead people with more experience than you, you will need to show a strong sense of maturity. You will manage a large amount of business on a daily basis, and you will need good judgment, poise, and self-confidence to make sound and strategic business decisions. Give examples from the military where you had a significant amount of responsibility and produced results.
• Business skills. Strong business skills are a big part of general management. Any finance, accounting and marketing classes you have had are very relevant. You will also need a strong understanding of cause and effect, as well as an intellectual curiosity to look hard at your business and uncover opportunities for improvement. You must have an understanding of how a business grows more profitable by increasing revenue and lowering cost.
• Broad scope. General management is challenging work. You will be exposed to every aspect of a business. You will work in the trenches with your employees, as well as give strategic presentations on your long-term business plan to senior executives. You are 100% accountable for everything that happens in your business area. This is an excellent opportunity to learn how to hire, train, delegate, motivate, market, advertise, automate, lead, and grow a business. You will manage 1000 details, but will always keep your focus on the bottom line.
Possible Job Titles:
• Area Manager
• Operations Manager
• General Manager
• Branch Manager
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:
Definition: The development, implementation and maintenance of information technology systems to increase innovation, information flow and the value of goods and services provided to customers.
General: In today's global business environment, sharing knowledge and information is a powerful advantage. E-Commerce is one of the fastest growing business trends in business history. All companies are investing in IT infrastructure to get closer to customers, customize products and services, leverage the Internet, improve decision making, improve innovation, increase time to market, and improve productivity on a global scale. The faster a company can speed information across an organization, the faster it can make decisions and meet customer needs. Information technology continues to be the enabler of a fundamental shift in how companies look at their businesses, markets, customers and organizational capabilities. Companies are looking for technology savvy leaders who can help the organization develop and deploy IT infrastructure that impacts on business capability and results.
Key Connecting Points:
• Information technology (IT) skills. All IT positions require some degree of computer skills—PCs, networks, programming languages, client-server, relational databases, software development, etc. Whether you have user-level skills or advanced IT experience, you must show an interest and aptitude for developing your skills and for having your career in an IT environment.
• Problem solving skills. All IT positions require you to apply technology to solve business problems. Technology by itself is useless unless it improves the way a company does business. Look at your military jobs for projects where you applied information technology to improve the quality of work you were doing. This could be from something as simple as developing an Excel spreadsheet to designing and implementing a LAN or computer application.
• Leadership skills. You will work cross-functionally where you will be required to motivate and influence people over whom you have no direct authority (but you have total responsibility for results). You must be able to persuade them with your indirect leadership and interpersonal skills. You will interact with your internal customers to understand their work environment, define business problems, and communicate your ideas regarding opportunities for improvement. Highlight examples from the military where you influenced and motivated people where you could not use your rank to dictate their actions.
• Project management skills. You must be able to drive complex projects from start to finish. You will work with internal customers to define project scope, develop specifications, analyze resource requirements, establish timelines, manage budgets, resolve conflict, work with external vendors and manage the project to conclusion. Use difficult projects from your military experience as proof of your project management skills.
• Broad scope. IT crosses functional lines in a company. You will work on IT projects in many areas of the company such as distribution, sales, marketing, production, operations, and finance.
Possible Job Titles:
• System Analyst
• Operations Analyst
• Business Analyst
Definition: The supervision of a team of associates who make raw materials into finished products in a plant environment.
General: Manufacturing is a core function in industrial companies and has received a lot of attention in the last 10 years due to the emphasis on quality, increased productivity, streamlined operations and customer focus. E-Commerce is driving industrial companies to invest in cutting-edge manufacturing processes. You will work in a production facility that manufactures product or a component of a product. Manufacturing plants are fast-paced and results-driven environments that are constantly changing and improving processes to meet customer demands. While companies invest a lot of money in state-of-the-art technology, people are the most important part of any manufacturing facility.
Key Connecting Points:
• Technical skills. Manufacturing facilities are technical in nature and always changing (companies constantly upgrade technology to improve production results). Most plants use a combination of mechanical, electromechanical, electrical, and electronic systems. As a result, you must highlight your technical aptitude. Your examples should show your ability and aptitude to function around and learn technical systems. Highlight times in your military experience where you learned new technology and applied this knowledge to improve results.
• Leadership skills. In manufacturing, you will be responsible for leading a team of 10 to 40 people who make a product or a component of a product. You will motivate them to achieve quality, quantity, cost, and process improvement goals. You will facilitate the creation of a continuous learning environment that fosters the development of teamwork, process improvement, and skill development. Because some plants are unionized, you will be the key conduit between management and your union team members. Highlight examples in your military experience where you built teams and motivated people to achieve difficult objectives.
• Teamwork skills. Since many plants use high performance work teams, you will need to be able to work cross-functionally where you influence teams of people without being directly in charge. As you interface with people from all parts of the plant, you must be able to motivate them with your vision, technical competence, listening skills, maturity, and ability to establish trust. Leading Self-Directed Work Teams is a great reference.
• Results-driven. Plants are intense and fast-paced environments. A company must see your ability and desire to step into a leadership position and produce results. Proof of this asset should come from military accomplishments where you "hit the ground running" and made an immediate and positive impact while keeping the concerns of your team a top priority.
Possible Job Titles:
• Production Supervisor
• Work Center Manager
• Maintenance Supervisor
• Manufacturing Team Leader
• Facilitator
• Manufacturing Manager
Definition: The development and implementation of strategies aimed at enhancing the profitability of a product.
General: Marketing is about idea leadership. Working with a marketing team, you will have the responsibility for the design and execution of marketing strategies for a particular product. A marketing strategy includes researching consumer demand, developing product positioning (value proposition), analyzing competitive activities, developing sales promotions, coordinating advertising development, creating new packaging strategies, developing sales forecasts, and analyzing and implementing pricing strategies based on internal manufacturing costs and the pricing strategy of competitors.
Key Connecting Points:
• Leadership skills. Marketers are visionary leaders. They take control of a product strategically setting forth the vision for what a product should stand for in the eyes of the customer. More importantly, they use their leadership skills to motivate the organization to buy into a vision by communicating consistently, efficiently, and effectively. In essence, you are the "hub at the center of a wheel" in that you will interact with every group in the business, yet you have no direct authority (sales, R&D, manufacturing, logistics, finance, and legal, as well as advertising agencies, market research firms, trade publications, etc.). Think of times in the military when you took the initiative to get others going on an important project and played a leading role in producing results.
• Creativity. In marketing, creativity means always looking "out of the box" at new ways to get improved results. You must have a track record of going beyond the "status quo" and looking at problems from a different perspective. Keep in mind that companies are not talking about artistic creativity, but rather strategic thinking (a new way to get better results).
• Analytical skills. In marketing, you will analyze market trends, competition, consumer buying habits, pricing, shipment reports, market research data and much more. Thorough analysis allows companies to reduce the risk associated with complex business decisions. You must be able to discuss examples of complex problems that you solved in the military where you used data/numbers to make decisions. Some examples of data: historical information, collaborating with others, After Action Reviews, inspection results, budget estimates, testing results, training evaluations, etc. You should not only discuss how you gathered information, but more importantly, how you used the data to uncover the root cause(s) of a complex problem.
• Strategic thinking skills/initiative. Marketing has the responsibility of developing new ways to make a product more successful. With your analysis, you will have a large role in conceptualizing, developing and implementing new strategies that improve business results. Companies want to see that you have a track record of "championing" ideas in high school, college and in the military. Prepare examples of times you developed a high demanding goal (organizational goals are best) and played a key role in making it happen. Make sure you focus on how the results produced a significant and lasting impact.
• Communication skills. You must present your ideas in a clear and logical manner where they can be easily understood. Your ability to "sell" your ideas to a broad array of people, as well as management, is critical.
Definition: The supervision of personnel in a non-production environment.
General: Operations is a broad term that includes everything from the end of a production line all the way until a product is delivered to a customer. Examples are warehousing (raw materials and products), distribution management, logistics, transportation, supply chain management, and customer service. In the past, manufacturing and marketing products were core competencies in business, and operations was an ignored cost center that added no value to customers. Today (especially in an E-Commerce environment) the new competitive advantage for any company is getting the right product to the right customer at the right time for the right price and using the most cost effective means. Companies who focus on effective operations are seeing dramatic improvements in the service they provide to customers.
Key Connecting Points:
• Leadership skills. Operations positions are supervisory/leadership based where you will be responsible for a team of 10 to 100 associates who are involved in moving products through the supply chain. You will motivate them to achieve quality, quantity, cost, and process improvement goals. You will facilitate the creation of a continuous learning environment that fosters teamwork, process improvement, and skill development. Highlight examples in your military experience where you built teams and motivated people to achieve difficult objectives.
• Teamwork skills. While you will supervise your team, you will also interface with many different functional areas of your company. Since you will not have direct authority over these other areas, you will motivate them with your interpersonal skills—your ability to establish rapport, gain trust, and motivate with your vision, technical competence and ability to effectively communicate your ideas. Because of high performance work teams, your ability to facilitate improvements and problem solving without being in charge is important.
• Technical skills. Operations is becoming more technical, especially relating to computer technology. Many of the improvements in operations have come from using computers to improve the quality of work being produced, as well as to improve coordination and the speed of decision making between different functional areas in a company. You must show an ability and aptitude to learn and apply new technology to produce improved results.
• Logistics experience. Highlight any military experience you have with scheduling, logistics, transportation, inventory control and resource management. The military is known for being logistically intensive, involving the coordination of many groups of people under tight timeline and budget requirements. Develop examples of times you improved results by optimizing logistics/transportation processes (process improvement).
Possible Job Titles:
• Team Leader
• Operations Manager
• Operations Facilitator
• Maintenance Team Leader
• Distribution Manager
Definition: The representation of a company to customers in a geographic region with the mission to grow sales revenue by selling products.
General: Sales is a key area of Corporate America. More CEO's come from sales than any other area in business. You will have responsibility for growing the revenue in a sales territory, which is defined either by geographic boundaries or by a list of accounts. You will spend the majority of your time with customers in their environment, learning their processes and developing ways that your products can positively impact on those processes. Because these are professional sales positions, you will be calling on professionals and selling products to them that have a major impact on their operations. In most cases you will take over a territory that already has a significant amount of existing business and customers.
Key Connecting Points:
• Relationship builders. Customers buy from people they like, and you will spend the majority of your time establishing professional relationships with your customers. The better you are at establishing healthy relationships with all of the buying influences in your accounts (remember The New Strategic Selling), the more effective you will be at managing and growing your business. Remember, the military is a "melting pot" of different kinds of people, and the successful officer can build relationships with all of them.
• Technical mastery. Becoming a master of every aspect of your business is an integral part of professional selling. You not only will continually improve your understanding of the technical aspects of your products, but you will also have to master the APPLICATION of your products in your accounts. Think of times in the military where you learned new skills and applied them to produce enhanced results. This is a big part of selling.
• Goal-oriented/autonomy. Sales representatives have the goal of strategically developing ways to grow a business in a territory. You must have a track record of establishing and achieving high demanding goals despite adversity, especially when you had the responsibility to make it happen. Use military examples where you set demanding objectives and worked hard to accomplish them. Remember, as a sales representative, you are like a Commander, who has total responsibility for everything that happens and fails to happen in your market.
• Competition. Your competitors will also call on your accounts. Excellent sales representatives like to win the business and are competitive. Just as you will target your competitors' accounts to acquire and grow your business, so will they target your accounts. Think of times in your life when you excelled in a competitive environment.
• Work ethic. Excellent sales professionals work hard. The harder (and smarter) you work, the more successful you and your company will be. This is not a 9 to 5 job, but you will be well-compensated for producing results. Highlight times in the military when you went "above and beyond" to be successful.
• Communication skills. Sales representatives spend the majority of their time in front of customers discussing the ways a product can impact a customer's business. You must be able to stand up in front of a group of people and make points in a way that they will understand (persuasive communication).
Sample Job Description - Business AnalystPlease keep in mind the following job description is just one of many possible Business Analyst job descriptions.
You will work with internal business groups on process improvement projects designed to improve their business results. Your mission is to act as an internal consultant, proactively identifying and initiating projects that overhaul business methods (strategy, information technology, processes, change management, etc.). In this role, you will actively interface with your internal customers to conduct structured business analysis of work processes. You will play a key role in translating business problems into opportunities for improvement. Analysis, interdisciplinary program management, project management, and process reengineering will be key facets of your work. You will be responsible for solving business problems by leading complex projects from idea to implementation. You will provide project leadership to teams made up of personnel across many departments while you drive your projects to produce results. You also will work with outside vendors negotiating programs that produce desired results identified through your internal interactions. Strong analytical skills, structured critical thinking, excellent oral/written communication skills and proven indirect leadership skills are critical to your success. This position will enable you to utilize and combine both your business and technical abilities.
Sample Job Description - ConsultingPlease keep in mind the following job description is just one of many possible Consulting job descriptions.
As a Consultant, there are a variety of initial assignments depending on your background and level of experience. In all cases, you will be part of a team which provides a full range of innovative solutions to client technology problems to include design and architecture planning, management and integration services, network assessment and optimization, and network security services. You will spend a large portion of your time working directly with clients to understand business processes and to assess their current information technology capabilities. You will play a role in translating client requirements into new technical solutions that add value to your clients' businesses. You will get hands-on experience in solving client problems and implementing cutting-edge IT solutions. You will add significant value to the client by managing technology integration with minimal interruption to their business results. You will play a key role throughout the client engagement including proposal development, design/development of the technical solution, developing and executing an integration strategy, troubleshooting, maintenance, seamless implementation and client support. As you continue to improve your technology knowledge and experience, you will have the opportunity to grow your level of responsibility where you will lead client engagements from both a business and technical perspective, mentor other consultants on the client team, and manage all aspects of the client relationship to include staffing, billing, and administration.
Sample Job Description - EngineeringPlease keep in mind the following job descriptions are just three of many possible Engineering job descriptions.
As a Manufacturing Engineer, you will work closely with production teams in a manufacturing plant to identify ways to optimize the process and equipment. Your mission is to improve production results (product quality, efficiency, yields, regulatory compliance, etc.) and to provide technical support and assistance to the production areas. You will get involved in troubleshooting production problems, developing corrective solutions, participating in process validation and acting as a liaison between manufacturing and other departments in the plant. While you will have the responsibility to identify process improvement initiatives, you will work with a broad range of plant groups for implementation including production, quality assurance, technical support, and engineering services. Engineers fill key positions that will have a lot of exposure within the company. This plant is highly automated using state-of-the-art equipment and systems. The plant's internal structure is moving toward high performance work teams, with fewer management layers and a more direct line of communication. They are ISO9000 certified which creates the need for state-of-the-art systems in the areas of quality, process validation and documentation.
As a Project Engineer, you will be responsible for diverse engineering responsibilities in support of several plants and facilities. You will coordinate numerous projects simultaneously and bring all phases of projects into one organized action. At times you will be involved with and responsible for design, purchasing, construction, installation, vendor relations, start-up, debugging, operations and training. You also will provide technical assistance to plants in areas such as troubleshooting, design, procedures, safety and operations. Projects might range from implementing corporate-wide facilities (structural) improvement to correcting a particular plant's quality problems. You will do a good deal of work with vendors and contractors; they will be implementing a lot of projects you handle (construction, maintenance, testing, etc.). Therefore, you will have to be able to organize and direct them, monitor and ensure compliance. This position requires excellent engineering skills, strong cross functional leadership skills and an ability to manage complex projects from start to finish. You will interact with all levels of management throughout the company's plants.
As an Application Engineer, you will be a part of the corporate headquarters where you will work closely with marketing, R&D, and the Field Application Engineering groups. You will develop a thorough understanding of one of your company's product groups, their application with customers and how they compare technically to the competition. You will provide technical engineering guidance to the Field Application Engineers on product specifications, customer training, and future product enhancements, as well as assist them with product performance issues and customer problems. You will work with R&D groups to define and develop the next generation of product architectures and features, keeping your company on the cutting edge of new product trends. You will get involved in developing alternative customer help and training mechanisms (www, etc.), prepare technical proposals for future products, establish relationships with industry experts, and represent your company on key technical and standardization committees. In this position, you will become an expert on your market, your company's product offerings, and the technical application of your products in the customer environment.
Sample Job Description - FinancePlease keep in mind the following job description is just one of many possible Finance job descriptions.
You will begin your Finance career as a member of an audit/business process review team (3-5 people per team). In this role, you will work on projects designed to obtain an understanding of business systems controls for various functions and activities throughout the company. You will work with internal business groups to evaluate processes and systems and identify opportunities for improvement. While you will be responsible for the analysis of financial and operational data, you will also be expected to go beyond the numbers to understand the effectiveness and efficiency of their business condition to include strategy, processes, technology, risk, controls and more. You will identify business trends, develop root causes of business issues and proactively identify opportunities to reduce costs or improve productivity. As a result of your review, you will be actively involved with management, making oral and written recommendations and presenting agreed-upon actions to improve operations and reduce costs. Finance serves as the primary "feeder" group for talented professionals and, as a result of the exposure and valuable experience you gain in this role, you will be well positioned for roles of increased responsibility within the company.
Sample Job Description - ITPlease keep in mind the following job descriptions are just two of many possible IT job descriptions.
As a Systems Analyst, you will provide IT project management and analysis to support the business groups in your company (sales, marketing, manufacturing, finance, etc.) You will work closely with your internal customers to understand business needs and develop IT solutions that add value to business results. Due to the rapidly changing business climate, you will play a large role in proactively finding ways to use IT to improve company capabilities. You will perform IT program management and analysis, helping your internal customer use IT to become more successful. You will work closely with your internal customer to gather and document their requirements, provide proactive, closure-oriented project management support, coordinate and execute system or application testing, perform risk analysis, and prepare and deliver presentations. You will get involved in the management of large scale projects that cross multiple systems and platforms. Any experience with PC, client server, Internet, or mainframe platforms is relevant. PC proficiency, including MS Office Suite, strong organizational and interpersonal skills, and an aptitude for integrating IT into business processes are essential.
As a Project Manager, you will analyze project proposals and scope documents recommending the most appropriate planning and scheduling formats. You will implement and maintain schedule reporting systems ensuring status visibility and project control. You will assist the program and functional managers in analyzing schedule problems and in developing contingency plans to ensure timely project delivery. You will compile baseline/actual statistics to improve planning process accuracy and effectiveness. This position requires a good understanding of project management disciplines, budgeting constraint analysis, and scheduling, as well as strong communication, presentation, and negotiating skills. You must have a strong desire to work in a dynamic IT environment. A strong aptitude for project management software is a plus.
Sample Job Description - ManufacturingPlease keep in mind the following job description is just one of many possible Manufacturing job descriptions.
To support their business model, the manufacturing operation is state-of-the-art and constantly evolving, using cutting-edge concepts such as high performance teams, JIT, Kaizen, TQM, continuous flow, cellular manufacturing, SPC, and computer integrated manufacturing. Due to the demand for their products, this manufacturing operation is a dynamic, rapidly changing, and fast-paced environment. You will start your career as a Team Leader where you will lead and guide production teams in one of the functional areas of the plant. You will be responsible for planning, directing and coordinating all activities of your team to meet and exceed production goals. You will work closely with your team to create programs for their career development, skill enhancement, and performance improvement. You will get involved in production planning, managing budgets, determining staff requirements, identifying training requirements, developing training programs, monitoring product quality performance, and initiating and implementing process improvement programs to improve the performance and efficiency of your team. You will evaluate production processes, analyze and resolve production bottlenecks, and initiate ways to enhance production capabilities to meet consumer demand. This position will allow a successful candidate to have many future career opportunities throughout the company (manufacturing, marketing, sales, etc.).
Sample Job Description - MarketingPlease keep in mind the following job description is just one of many possible job descriptions for the career field of Marketing.
You will start your career assigned to a specific product team. The mission of your team is to maximize volume, market share, and profitability of the product to which you are assigned. In essence, you will be part of a team that runs a business within a business fully responsible for all business results for your product. You will conduct in-depth analysis to become an expert on your product and its consumers, and develop (in collaboration with your team) an annual business plan for your product. This includes conducting analysis on industry trends, consumer dynamics, competitive activity, product segment, product positioning, advertising strategy, packaging, volume forecasts, and profitability. While you will spend a great deal of time analyzing numbers and information to understand your customers and the market, you will be expected to go beyond the numbers, to contribute actively and constantly to the success of the product. Based on your knowledge of your consumers and the competition, you will get involved in developing and evaluating advertising, promotions, volume forecasts and promotion budgets directed toward attaining sales volume and profit objectives for your product. While you will provide a lot of analytical expertise to maintain a pulse on retail and competitive dynamics, you will also play a big role in developing initiatives to help position your product to win in this competitive industry. Marketing is highly interactive where you will collaborate across the organization with groups such as market area staff, channel partnerships, corporate management, market research, legal, field sales management, distributors, retailers and more. This position requires strong analytical skills (using numbers to solve problems), excellent leadership skills (ability to develop a vision for your product and implement it across functional lines), and a track record of producing results despite complexity and adversity. Excellent career opportunities in all areas of a company exist for the successful marketing candidate.
Sample Job Description - OperationsPlease keep in mind the following job descriptions are just two of many possible Operations job descriptions.
You will start your career as a Team Leader, supervising 20-75 distribution associates in one of the departments in the distribution center (receiving, warehousing, order fulfillment, shipping, etc.). You will be responsible for motivating and leading your team to provide high quality and cost-effective service to the next customer in the logistical chain, with ultimate responsibility to customers. Distribution is sophisticated in its use of advanced systems, both mechanical (gravity flow conveyors) and computerized (inventory control/automation). They use state-of-the-art systems for managing mass distribution of low cost goods obtained from a broad array of suppliers. The distribution center is the key link in the "raw materials to finished product" chain. You will be responsible for motivating, training and counseling your team to meet the standards of the distribution center. This is an extremely fluid, flexible environment, and a close working relationship with your team is vital. The complexity and intricacy of the entire distribution process is such that any knowledge you have of statistical methods, sampling techniques, and accounting and finance principles are beneficial.
You will start your career as a Service Team Leader, where you will lead a team of 10-14 service technicians who perform the service of sophisticated company products. You will plan and manage the day-to-day service operation to fulfill customer requirements and maximize profitability. You will interface with customers to understand their service needs, develop and negotiate service agreements tailored to those needs, schedule resources to meet workload, and monitor and interpret service agreement contracts. You will work closely with your technicians to plan activities, help identify and troubleshoot customer problems and develop training programs addressing policies, procedures and other business requirements. You will take part in developing market plans and coordinate with the sales force to support area and regional objectives and meet customer demands. This is a unique position in that you will need excellent leadership skills to motivate your team of technicians, good technical skills to understand maintenance on sophisticated equipment, and strong customer interface skills to grow the business.
Sample Job Description - Professional SalesPlease keep in mind the following job description is just one of many possible Sales job descriptions.
You will have responsibility for the sale of your company's products in your territory (either defined by a geographic boundary or a list of accounts). Your mission is to grow the sales revenue in your territory by building relationships with your accounts and helping them become more successful by using your products and services. Professional selling is a consultative process where you play a key role in understanding the business processes and needs of your customers and consulting on how your products can impact their results. You will become an expert on all aspects of your product capabilities and their application in the customer's environment. You will spend the majority of your time in the customer environment, building relationships with key buying influences, analyzing processes, uncovering needs and presenting ways that your products can add value. Since this is repeat selling, you will play a key role in your company's long-term success in your accounts. You will also have a large role in providing world class service to your customers after the sale. You will get involved in order management, inventory control, pricing strategies, contract management, working with business partners (distributors, etc.), product delivery, product training and problem solving. You will be the "steward" of the customer relationship, acting as the point person for all of your company's activities in your customer accounts. You will have full responsibility for everything that happens or fails to happen in your territory (you will run a business within a business). Successful sales representatives have excellent career opportunities throughout the company in areas such as sales management, marketing, operations, manufacturing, product development and more.
