I am currently pursuing an Associate Degree in Business Administration. I am also working as an Office Manager in a CPA firm and my previous work experience includes working as an Administration Assistant in a medical center. I possess all appropriate skills required for an administrative manager post like general office management, organizational control, interpersonal and communication skills, reporting and evaluation, leadership skills and behavioral competencies like thinking analytically, customer service orientation, professional confidence, team-working, flexibility, intercultural competence etc. This well-balanced combination of business, technical and communication skills enable me to work effectively as an administrative manager or financial manager or business analyst etc.
Step 3: Formulate Research Questions:
After a close-analysis, following questions popped-up in my mind.
What is the most appropriate job in management that closely aligns with my education, previous experience and skill sets?
In which business areas I can work as an administrative manager?
What is the future scope and projections of an administrative manager position?
What are the earnings and other perks related to this job?
What qualifications and certifications are required to move up the ladder?
How to secure the administrative manager’s job for a new entrant and how to cope with the competition?
Step 4: Find Sources
In order to find answers to above-mentioned questions, I extensively searched the “ Occupational Outlook Handbook” provided by Bureau of Labor Statistics (Bureau of Labor Statistics) on its website. This is a very comprehensive and informative website that provided me information on various options about administrative positions in a variety of business fields like education administrators, financial managers, real state manager etc. but I kept myself limited to Administrative Manger. In order to locate further information related to Administrative Manger, I logged on to my school library and found some appropriate articles from the Reading Room. Though I located various articles but I selected the most recent article “ Start your job hunt early, students” published by Randy Ray on the issue of effective strategies for students for job-hunting. It is a very informative article that provides valuable information to young graduates.
Step 5: Answer Research Questions
I collected following answers for my questions.
What is the most appropriate job in management that closely aligns with my course work of an Associate Degree in Management?
Occupational Outlook Handbook on Bureau of Statistics website provided various options in the management sector for a Business Management Degree holder with appropriate management skills. Almost all business areas require administrative managers like education administrators, financial managers, real state manager etc. But Administrative Services Manager is the job whose nature and requirements match with my degree and previous experience. Generally most companies look for extensive experience in the field but large companies look for a bachelor degree holder in management sciences. Furthermore, they look for hands-on experience in the field. I have both degree and experience in the field. I am currently pursuing a management degree and also work as an office manager in CPA firm. Occupational Outlook Handbook also list all essential skills for an Administrative Services Manager and I posses almost all administrative, business, communication and interpersonal skills that are hallmark of an administrative manager. So this job suits my combination of academic background and experience.
Which industry/business is will suit me the best?
A close analysis of Occupational Outlook Handbook reveled that there are various factors that contribute toward suitability of a specific business area. My degree and previous experience enable me to look for many business areas but I have to consider other factors such as industries with the highest published employment and industries with top salaries for administrative services manager. Education sector has the most published jobs according to BLS but I do not have experience of education industry. Though corporate and health care sector stand relatively low at number 4 and 5 relatively in terms of published jobs but they offer good financial benefits and I have enough experience in these field. So an administrative manger job in both health care and corporate sectors will suit me the most.
What is the future scope and projections of an administrative manager position?
Occupational Outlook Handbook shows that there is a marked growth of 12% through the year 2018. There are bright prospects of growing professionally and moving up to middle and senior management positions within the industry but there is keen competition for higher-level management jobs as there are fewer positions available within a specific sector. This website further states that “ Job prospects will also be better for those who can manage a wide range of responsibilities, than for those who specialize in particular functions.” (BLS)
What are the earnings and other perks related to this job?
Though earnings for administrative jobs vary greatly depending on the industry and level of responsibility but BLS statistics clearly show that “ median annual wages of salaried administrative services managers in May 2008 were $73, 520” (BLS) and the middle 50% earn between $52, 240 and $98, 980. (BLS) The lowest earning of an administrative manager is $37, 430. (BLS) There are specific businesses areas where administrative can earn more. For example the corporate sector pays much better (an annual average of $85, 980) followed by health care (hospitals) management with an average annual income of $77870. (BLS)
What qualifications and certifications are required to move up the ladder?
A postgraduate degree in administration is the best qualification to grow up to high-level positions. Obtaining appropriate professional certifications are also encouraged for senior management positions. For example International Facility Management Association provides various specialized programs that can offer potential candidates an advantage in facility management field. The Association of Professional Office Managers also offers certain program online to enhance the level of professionalism. (BLS)
How to secure the administrative manager job for a new entrant and how to cope with the competition?
Randy Ray article suggests various strategies for new entrants to make a mark on recruiters. Social networking, blogging, personal website etc. are some tools that students can use to make an impact on recruiters. (Ray, 2010) It further says that “[r]eaching out to employers, rather than waiting for a job to be advertised, shows persistence and creativity” (Ray, 2010). So I will use these strategies to get a successful entry in the field.
Step 6: Present Your Research
Feasibility Report
Introduction: My present job as an office manager for a CPA firm and an expected bachelor degree in business management prompt me to consider administrative management field as my future career. In addition to above two qualifications, I also have previous experience of working as admin assistant in a medical center. In order to locate the suitability of this career move for me, I aimed at researching general administration and management field further and this report is a manifestation of this extensive research. This report seeks to assess the overall appropriateness and relevancy of administrative service manager’s job for me.
Proposed Action: I propose a career change for me from an Office Manager in a small firm to an Administrative Services Manager in a medium-size organization.
Criteria: Following parameters are taken into consideration to evaluate the suitability of the proposed career change;
Alignment of my proposed career with my previous career path,
education and skills required to do the job effectively
availability of job in a better industry area,
fringe benefits,
chances for personal and professional growth.
Sources: Though various sources were available, but following two sources were consulted thoroughly; (1) “ Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition” available on the website of Bureau of Labor Statistics. It provided comprehensive and updated information related to the job. (2) Randy Rays’ valuable article “ Start your job hunt early, students” on strategies for job hunting found through the school library’s link is another resource that provided valuable insights into the occupation.
Conclusions:
Information available in “ Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition” has enabled me to conclude that a wide range of administrative jobs are available that match with my previous career path. Almost every industry and business area maintains general administration and management section for the smooth running of their businesses. So there are plenty of opportunities available within the administrative management field like education administrators, financial managers, real state manager etc. But after a careful scrutiny of the job descriptions and profiles of each administrative job option available on the BLS website, I found that Administrative Services Manager is the job whose nature and profile closely align with my previous experience. Occupational Outlook Handbook says that “ Administrative services managers plan, coordinate, and direct a broad range of services that allow organizations to operate efficiently. They might, for example, coordinate space allocation, facilities maintenance and operations, and major property and equipment procurement.” (BLS) I have almost the same job description and responsibilities in my current job as an office manager.
Administrative Services Manager generally requires a simple bachelor degree but high-level administrative manger in highly complex services requires a “ bachelor’s degree in business administration, human resources, accounting, or finance.” (BLS) As I am currently pursuing an Associate Degree in Business Administration, so I meet the criteria of high-level administrative manager of highly specialized services. As it is clear from industry perspective that academic credentials alone do not pay until they are combined with appropriate skill sets, so I researched about the required skills as well. Occupational Outlook Handbook list all essential skills for an Administrative services manager like communications, interpersonal skills, office and estate management, forecasting, budgeting etc. (BLS) and I posses all these skills and use them on daily basis to carry out my routine work.
As far as the availability of the job within this sector is concerned, Occupational Outlook Handbook shows that Administrative Services Manager jobs are growing at an average rate but it also indicates that it will have a marked growth of 12% through the year 2018. (BLS) Though this field is competitive but there is low competition at the lower and middle management level. BLS further says that “ Administrative services managers employed in management services and management consulting should grow as companies increasingly look to outside specialists to handle a myriad of administrative tasks that have become increasingly complex and expensive.” (BLS) So this occupation has job opportunities and its scope will increase tremendously in future as BLS website further explains; “ Job prospects will also be better for those who can manage a wide range of responsibilities, than for those who specialize in particular functions.” (BLS) As far as the industry is concerned, two factors contribute toward making decision about industry i. e. industries with the highest level of employment and industries with top-paying opportunities. After a careful analysis of the facts and figures in Occupational Outlook Handbook, I concluded that Management of Companies and Enterprises pay well and have adequate opportunities on an ongoing basis. Due to competition in the industry, social networking, use of school career service centers and blogging are effective tools (Ray, 2010) to make my presence felt and to captivate the attentions of the recruiters. Blogging also indicates what an individual can offer as a professional to the organizations. (Ray, 2010)
As monetary benefits overshadow all other concerns while making a career move, so I conducted a detailed research on the salaries for an administrative services manager. Though earnings for administrative vary greatly depending on the industry and level of responsibility but BLS statistics clearly show that “ median annual wages of salaried administrative services managers in May 2008 were $73, 520” (BLS) and the middle 50% earn between $52, 240 and $98, 980. The lowest earning of an administrative manager is $37, 430. (BLA)There are specific businesses areas where administrative can earn more. For example the corporate sector pays much better (an annual average of $85, 980) followed by health care (hospitals) management with an average annual income of $77870. (BLS)
In addition to monetary benefits, future prospects and career growth are the others key factors that help making a decision about career. Occupational Outlook Handbook on BLS website reveals that there are ample opportunities for career growth in the management field but one need to have proper education and professional certification for this purpose. A postgraduate degree in administration is the best qualification to grow up to high-level positions. (BLS) Obtaining appropriate professional certifications are also encouraged for senior management positions. (BLS) For example International Facility Management Association provides various specialized programs that can offer potential candidates an advantage in facility management field. The Association of Professional Office Managers also offers certain program online to enhance the level of professionalism. (BLS)
Recommendations: Based on the analysis and conclusions above, I think that Administrative Services Manager job is the most appropriate occupation for my combination of academic qualifications, skills and previous experience. This report further recommends that working for corporate sector i. e. companies and enterprises will suit me professionally and financially. I further aim at growing with the profession by acquiring new qualifications and skills. So I must start planning for this from now. As this job is fairly competitive, so I should use my social networks and online job hunting opportunities to search for an appropriate administrative manager job in the corporate sector.
