Management

Career Profile (Salary, Job Titles, Grad School Data)

One of the most important skills any professional could possess is the ability effectively manage and lead others. Gies students who earn a management degree will have a strong understanding of how to assume leadership roles. Their skills prepare them to enter a wide range of career paths including human resources, information technology, consulting, marketing, and operations.

Management Double Majors

When pursuing a business degree, double majoring can be valuable, especially when selected in a strategic way. The best double-major combinations ensure you are prepared for more than one career, in more than one field — so you're ready to succeed no matter how the world of business changes, and no matter what comes your way.

Job Categories Pursued by Gies Management Majors

General Management

Professionals in this field oversee the day-to-day operations of goods, services, and employees. Managers are in charge of executing company goals. Most new hires will enter into a management training program that will last between 18-36 months.

Human Resources

Human Resources professionals ensure that an organization makes effective use of its human capital. This means hiring people who fit the organization's business strategies, making sure the administrative systems are running at maximum efficiency, helping employees overcome obstacles, and serving as persuasive change agents when new practices, structures, or cultures are needed.

Consulting

Consultants perform database analysis, financial modeling, general business analysis, research, and generate reports for the client or project team. In addition, consultants are actively involved in the application and transfer of specific skills and knowledge to the client.

Additional Areas of Opportunity

Accounting: includes opportunities with public or private accounting firms.
Sales: you can become a specialist in dealing with jobbers, chains, or vendors, selling a product, or in selling to specialized target groups or a sales manager.
Retail: expect to do some sales work or work as an Assistant Manager, managing one or several departments before advancing to a store management position or to a position that involves buying, advertising, location analysis and brand management.
Operations: responsible for the ins and outs of how an organization runs. They look at all the systems and processes and help evaluate the best way to do them.
Financial Planning/Asset Management: help customers put together a plan for managing their financial resources; investment advisors suggest specific investments.
Information Systems/IT: manage information and process data to be analyzed within complex network providing a link between hardware/software and the people who need the data to complete their projects.

Spotlight: Administrative Manager

Plan, direct, or coordinate the operations of public or private sector organizations. Duties and responsibilities include formulating policies, managing daily operations, and planning the use of materials and human resources.

Retrieved from: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Administrative Services Managers

How to Get a Job Using Your Management Degree

Follow these steps to prepare for the job search process!

Use Keywords

When using job search platforms, such as Handshake, utilize keywords to find appropriate positions the industries you are interested in.

Below are titles Gies Alumni have had:

  • Consulting Analyst
  • Area Manager
  • Consultant
  • Client Specialist
  • Account Executive
  • District Manager
  • Leadership Development Program
  • Business Development Representative
  • Risk And Compliance Consultant
  • Account Representative
  • Advisory Consultant
  • Associate Account Manager
  • Business Analyst
  • Business Development Specialist
  • Development Assistant
  • Enterprise Applications Consultant
  • Investments Associate
  • Leasing Manager
  • Management Program AnalystManagement Trainee
  • Management Trainee
  • Marketing Associate
  • Operations Analyst
  • People Advisory Services
  • Procurement Buyer
  • Product Specialist
  • Programmatic Strategist
  • Project Manager
  • Recruitment Consultant

Know How to Find These Opportunities

A simple way to get started is by learning more about the companies that hired Gies students in the past. Once you have identified your target companies, follow these companies on Handshake to be informed about opportunities and info sessions, in which you can network with recruiters and professionals.

Below are employers who have hired Gies students:

AbbVie

Accenture

ALDI

Alight Solutions

Allstate Insurance Company

Amazon

Associated Equipment Distributors

Boeing

Capgemini

Chicago Blackhawks

ComEd

Common Ground Research Networks

Crowe

Cru

Datassential

Deloitte

Discover Financial Services

Epic Systems

EY

Farmers State Bank

Groupon

Guerrero Howe

Havas Media

IBM

Jimmy John's

Kohl's

Lexus

Lynk Global

Medline Industries

Monsanto

Morgan Stanley

Morningstar

Nielsen

Nike

Oracle Netsuite

PepsiCo

Protiviti

Ralph Lauren

RSM

Sphera Solutions

Stax

Textron

The Bradford Group

U.S. Foods

Unilever

United Airlines

Vanguard Group

Von Maur

Walmart

XPO Logistics

Yelp

Customize your Resume & Cover Letter

It's important to customize your application documents for the industry/position you will be pursuing. Highlight your relevant experience by incorporating desired skills and qualifications into your application documents. How does your experience align with the skills the employer is seeking?

Some of the important skills you may want to highlight:

• Leadership

• Strategic thinking

• Collaboration

• Critical Thinking

• Communication

• Attention to detail

• Focus under pressure

• Data Analysis

• Project Management

• Excel Database



Interview Preparation for Management Roles

When interviewing for a management role, the hiring manager usually asks questions to gain a deeper understanding of your previous roles, acquired skills and overall leadership and management abilities. To set yourself apart from the competition, it's important to be able to thoroughly answer the interviewer's questions and display why you'd be an asset to any organization. You can practice your interview responses by having a good idea of questions they may ask.

General Management Interview Questions

  1. Tell me about your leadership experience.
  2. Can you tell me about a time when a member of your team made a mistake? How did you handle it?
  3. What's your plan for building rapport and credibility with your team?
  4. How do you stay in contact with your team members?
  5. What's your process for prioritizing tasks during busy times?
  6. What's your definition of an awesome manager?
  7. How do you handle missed deadlines?
  8. Tell me about a time you had to give some difficult feedback.
  9. How do you give helpful feedback?
  10. How would you help prevent employee burnout?
  11. How would you describe your management style.
  12. How do you define success?
  13. How do you handle conflict between team members?
  14. Tell me about a time you led by example.
  15. How do you motivate people?
  16. Give an example of a tough decision you had to make.
  17. How do you delegate tasks to your team?


Sample Interview Question and Response

Question: How do you handle conflict between team members?

Response: There are always two sides to every story, which is why it's so important to me to remain as neutral and open-minded as possible whenever I hear of conflict between teammates. I was in a situation recently where two members of my RSO team that I was leading were clearly unhappy with each other.  This was interfering with our team's progress on the project.  Rather than let it fester or ignoring it with the hope that they would be able to work it out themselves, I sat down with them individually and asked them to explain what was going on. We discussed reasonable and professional solutions that worked for both parties and the matter was resolved.  As a result, we were able to complete our project on time.