Are you wondering how a business degree can advance your career?
The economy is on an upswing, but the job market is still a tough nut to crack. People displaced by job loss find themselves facing months of endless job searching with no offers. Instead of trying to crack the job market, it may be time to consider a career change or the education necessary to make yourself more marketable. The right education can better prepare you for rapid success.
With unemployment rates in the Miami area at 8.7% this is a good time to return to college. A bachelor’s degree in business administration is an excellent starting point to career advancement. Professionals looking for larger, six figure salaries should seriously consider a Master’s Degree (MBA) in business administration.
How A Business Degree Can Advance Your Career
A few possible jobs (and average annual salaries in Miami) for those with a degree in business administration include:
City Manager - $76,000
Public Relations Manager - $68,000
Marketing Manager - $64,000
Hotel or Motel Manager -$65,000
Department Store Manager - $25,000
Healthcare Administrator - $70,000
Training Manager - $53,000
These numbers are fan average and could be more or less depending on education and experience. However, with the average cost of living in the Miami area between $37,000-60,000, depending on the number of people in your household, a business administration degree can provide necessary income for the family. The degree also leaves room for salary improvement and job security.
The job market in business administration is expected to grow by 20% by the year 2018. That means there is security in investing in a degree in the years to come. Just keep in mind that employers also value experience in the field as much as a degree to go with it. You will need both to capitalize on potential income and employment.
MBA Vs. Bachelor Of Business Administration
The largest difference between an MBA and a BBA is in four main differences between the educations you receive.
Teaching format in a BBA program is more basic where an MBA program is more in-depth. In undergraduate classes students listen to and participate in basic lectures. They do not include the level of teamwork that graduate studies require. While MBA classes are more open to discussion, BBA classes are based more on lecture with occasional discussion. By allowing MBA students to control the flow of the discussion it brings a variety of experience to the table for everyone to learn from.
As previously mentioned, MBA programs are more about working with a team. This environment allows students to learn more about real-life workplace skills. BBA programs require students to do more of their own work on an individual basis.
The degree requirements are also different. To receive a BBA a student must generally complete 120 credits, of which only 36-42 credits are in the field of business administration while the rest are arts and sciences courses. To receive an MBA student must complete 60 credits, all of which are advanced career-focused courses. A student seeking and MBA cannot enter the program until completing a bachelor’s degree in a business related major.
Usage and salary are another difference between BBA and MBA programs. Some employers require a minimum of a bachelor’s while others require a master’s. Before signing up for a Master’s program make sure you want a career that will benefit from it. A student who receive a BBA is then qualified for entry-level positions. Generally upper management positions require both experience and an MBA. The largest difference between the two is in the salary. Undergraduate students who receive a BBA earn an average of $54,000 annually. Graduate students receive an average of $107,000 annually.
Regardless of which path you choose, there is one thing for certain that can be said about a business administration degree. A degree will give you a wide range of skills that enhance job placement in leadership roles. Getting a Business administration degree by taking business administration courses in Miami can help to advance your career goals. With this type of degree you gain a unique set of skills that give you proficiency in people management, organizational strategies, leadership, and business focused computer application.
What Do I Do After Graduation?
Once you finish the program, or are close to graduation, turn your career goals into a reality. Take to your student adviser about job placement programs available to you. Many colleges have programs in place to help graduates successfully find jobs. Prepare your elevator pitch. You never know where you will meet a potential employer so be prepared to wow them in less than a minute. Be aware of what turns career recruiters off when they meet potential employees. Create an interview cheat sheet. Being prepared for an interview will increase your chances of wowing them during. These skills will help you get the interview and get called back for more.
Take the time to obtain a business accounting degree and invest in your job security now.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
Bigstock
Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
Bigstock
Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
Bigstock
Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
Need more help with your job search?
Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
Bigstock
Bigstock
Bigstock
