Manager Career Description
Managers plan, organize, structure and exercise control in organisations.
What am I going to do in this occupation?
All employees have a set of tasks to complete. Manager-s, to whom they have to report the progress or results of their work, delegate these tasks to them. Tasks are thus constantly completed in an organized manner to reach a predetermined set of goals. Managers do the planning, co-coordinating and organizing of activities to reach these goals and exercise control over the whole process of goal reaching.
Managers can function on three levels namely:
» Top management (board of directors, chairman and managing director / stockholders in a close corporation).
» Functional managers (administrative, production, financial, marketing, purchase and other managers of a specific vocational group).
» Operational managers (advertising, credit and cost calculation managers).
All managers fulfill tasks for which they are specifically suited and trained for. The different managers have different work circumstances and different tasks, for example:
» General managers handle personnel functions, marketing, finance, production and administration. They are not specialists in a specific field, but with the broad background knowledge of their training, they can work in most subsections of a company.
» Marketing managers organize, plan, control and co-ordinate all the marketing activities in an organisation.
» Production managers are responsible for budgeting, scheduling and activating the production process.
» Purchasing managers do purchasing for organisations and negotiate with suppliers about the prices of items that have to be bought.
» Personnel managers work with matters concerning personnel, for example selection and interviewing, salaries and leave .
Requirements
What kind of personality do I need? Successful managers have to be selfdisciplined, responsible and presentable. They must also be positive, enthusiastic and good listeners. Managers must be able to work well with people and must have leadership abilities. They must persevere in helping the company to achieve its goals. Excellent communication skills are of critical importance.
Where can I work?
Every organisation needs managers. There are no limits to the employment possibilities for managers, but persons who qualify themselves as managers are seldom appointed as managers immediately after their studies. They will enter the job market as first level supervisors who are in charge of operative workers. They will be promoted with time to higher levels of management.
Can I work for myself in this occupation?
Persons who received training as managers, can start their own businesses if they have the necessary insight and motivation. Such persons have the necessary knowledge to start and manage any small or medium size company.
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