Top 7 Career Options in Management To Choose [For Freshers & Experienced]

Today, both young aspirants and working professionals are attracted to management careers, and rightly so. Besides promising a host of exciting and rewarding career options, a management career allows you to take over people-centric roles, gain a respectable position in the workplace, and take home a hefty annual salary package.

After pursuing a management career, you can rise to top management positions in companies where you can make impactful changes powered by data-driven business strategies. For instance, you’ll be better equipped to create meaningful changes in a company, such as enforcing better utilization of resources, streamlining business operations, supervising staff’s performance, planning business campaigns, and so much more. 

Typically, organizations offer a wide range of managerial positions, ranging from front-line supervisory positions (Sales Manager, R&D Executive, General Manager, etc.) to the top executive level such as CEO, COO, and CTO. Managers in all tiers within a company are together responsible for its smooth functioning as an efficient and successful business entity. 

The bottom line – management roles are here to stay. So, if you plan to capitalize on the ever-evolving and emerging career options in the management domain, now is the time to kickstart your journey!

Top Career Options in Management

As we mentioned earlier, management job roles not only promise job satisfaction, but they also come with hefty annual packages. Plus, most management jobs have an upward-sloping career graph – the more you upskill and the more experience you accumulate, the higher up you go in the career ladder!

The most rewarding aspect of pursuing a career in Management is that you acquire transferable skills that apply to all industrial sectors. Moreover, there are plenty of management specializations to choose from, including Marketing Management, Human Resources Management, Business Management, Finance Management, IT Management, Retail Management, Hotel Management, Management Consulting, and International Business Management, to name a few.

Here are the top seven career options in Management that you should look out for:

1. Marketing Manager

Marketing Managers play a pivotal role in creating brand awareness, expanding brand reach, and promoting a company’s products/services to the target crowd. They largely determine the look and feel of a brand and how it communicates with its target audience.

Marketing Managers manage internal teams, plan & design the company’s marketing/sales campaigns, determine seasonal promotional offers/discounts, and liaise with the marketing team to promote the brand’s messages on print, digital, and social media channels.

Since marketing is an integral aspect of all sectors, Marketing Managers can find employment opportunities in retail, media&advertising, hospitality, healthcare, finance, IT, etc. Candidates with a creative mind and strong business acumen are best suited for this management role. Plus, good communication and leadership skills are two vital prerequisites for Marketing Managers.

2. Sales Manager

A Sales Manager is primarily responsible for managing and supervising a company’s sales team, creating and accomplishing sales targets, and increase sales by expanding the brand reach. Apart from designing sales strategies and campaigns, Sales Managers spend a significant amount of time building relationships with clients and business partners.

The role requires them to collaborate with product development and marketing teams to create the right campaigns to boost customer-brand engagement and drive sales. 

Sales Managers must be well-versed in marketing, business management, business administration, and customer relationship management. They should possess exceptional communication skills, team spirit, and a passion for driving the company forward.

Read: Management Free Online Courses with Certification

3. Financial Manager

Financial Managers manage all finance-related matters of a company. In this capacity, they develop short-term and long-term financial goals and devise data-centric strategies to achieve them. They work with Project Managers and departmental managers to determine the company’s critical financial decisions, including budget planning, resource allocation, investment plans, etc.

Financial Managers create detailed financial reports, implement strategies for budgeting and forecasting, brainstorm on fund procurement, perform risk assessment, monitor key metrics, and evaluate the organization’s financial performance. 

Finance Managers must possess an advanced degree in relevant domains like Mathematics, Economics, Accountancy, Finance, and Business Studies. Also, they must have excellent problem-solving, analytical, and technical skills.

4. Computer and Information Systems Manager

Computer and Information Systems Managers are in charge of a company’s technology functions and requirements. They are also sometimes called IT Managers who work closely with top executives to determine their computer, and IT needs. Once the provisions are drafted, Computer and Information Systems Managers create specific goals and plans to meet the company’s tech-related (both software and hardware) needs. 

Being a highly tech-oriented job role, a Computer and Information Systems Manager must be fully aware of the latest technology trends. They must also possess in-depth knowledge of mathematics, software development, network security, cybersecurity, Internet operations, etc. 

5. Public Relations Manager

Public Relations Managers focus on building and maintaining a favorable public image of their client or employer. They plan, create, and oversee the campaigns and content directed at enhancing a company’s public image.

Public Relations Managers write press releases, field media questions, write appropriate speeches for their client for product launches/media events, prepare articles for corporate newsletters, prepare media kits, and organize conferences. They must counter any negative publicity and handle any PR-related crises.

PR Managers must have a degree in Journalism, Communications, or Public Relations. They should have commendable communication, presentation, organizational, time-management, and leadership skills.

Must Read: Highest Paying Cities for Management in India

6. Human Resources Manager

HR Managers direct and manage a company’s human resources (employees). They are the link between the company’s top management executives and its staff. Together with the top executives, HR Managers strategize on recruiting, interviewing, and retaining employees.

HR Managers perform many other diverse functions such as boost employee morale and productivity in the workplace, create talent acquisition plans, monitor employee performance, evaluate employer-employee relations, craft HR policies, conducting annual salary surveys, developing training programs, etc. 

In essence, HR Managers are responsible for the smooth functioning of a company’s human resources. They ensure that all HR policies and plans adhere to the company objectives, vision, and goals. HR Managers must have excellent listening, negotiation, and communication skills.

7. General Manager

As the name suggests, a General Manager is in charge of managing a specific unit within a large organization. A General Manager’s role is pretty standard in MNCs or large corporations that divide the business into multiple divisions within the company.

Since General Managers are the top leaders of a particular business unit, they are responsible for planning and executing its strategy and budget, allocating resources, supervise running projects, monitoring staff performance, formulating policies, liaise with vendors and stakeholders, identify new business opportunities, hire new employees, etc. In other words, General Managers are all-rounders who manage all aspects of a business unit.

General Managers should possess excellent commercial awareness, communication, organizational, and leadership abilities. They must be proficient in using computers and office tools like Excel, Outlook, Drive, etc.

Why study a management course?

If you wish to build a strong foundation in Management, the best pathway is to enroll in a management course. PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) courses are trending now, thanks to their thorough training and 360-degree career support.

Most PGDM courses are 2-year programs that aim to help students gain both general and niche skills while enjoying hands-on experiences. Like any management course, PGDM courses promise overall personality grooming to prepare students for the job world and help them climb the promotional ladder. 

upGrad’s PGDM course, in collaboration with the Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH), is one of the best online PGDM courses in the country. The 2-year program allows you to specialize in four tracks – business management, retail management, banking insurance & finance service, and information technology.

It covers relevant industry topics like Marketing Management, Financial Management, Economics, Strategic Management, and Supply Chain Management. Not only will you get dedicated mentor support and personalized feedback, but upGrad also promises placement assistance to each candidate. After completion, you will be ready to bag job opportunities in sales, marketing, business development, retail, BFSI, healthcare, etc.