Leadership Coaching: How To Qualify For A Management Job

What Managers Do

Doing a management job means you're getting things done through the work of others instead of doing them yourself. As an example, there's the Production Manager. Being a production manager doesn't mean you'll be operating machines even though you're very good at working them. A Software Manager may be so adept in writing lines of codes, but he/she doesn't do so. The one thing that these people do (people in management), is manage.

Being a lead welder, a team leader, a senior programmer or a head cashier requires some kind of managing, but these are not management jobs. Basically, it's not a management job if you do the same job as others in your group. In every location, every industry and every profession, there are management jobs. Small companies, large companies, non- profit companies and for- profit companies have management jobs.

How To Qualify For A Management Job

You may be interested in a management position. What do you need to qualify as manager? Primarily, you should have the ability to manage people. As important in a managerial role is also the mastery of the tasks done by the people you manage. If it's a first managerial job you're applying for, you need to have experience. A company will not hire somebody to be manager if they don't have experience. You want to land your first managerial job? Then do a good job at the job you have. You don't have to be the best at doing the job, but you ought to be proficient. There's the best programmer in the company, for instance, who would prefer to write codes instead of being Development Manager. But it's apt to say that the Development Manager is a good programmer.

Promotion To Higher Management Jobs

There are higher management jobs you can ascend to in the same manner. To move one step higher in a management position, you need the same thing- you need to be competent in the current managerial job you are holding. Demonstrate your ability to handle your job easily. That's one major key to getting promoted. Recognize the fact that as you go up the career ladder, you'll be competing with more candidates at each level for fewer and fewer managerial positions. In a large company, you'll see that many people occupy first line managerial seats, but there's only one CEO.

Getting promoted in a managerial position means you start from mastering basic management skills and move up by improving your abilities. Here, you should also learn how to manage with substance over style, deal with office politics, utilize networking, handle difficult employees and do employee coaching, among others.