Undergraduate Students

Exploring Careers

Career Paths for General Business Majors

Career Description

Various business functions are essential for all companies and organizations from the large corporation, to the small non-profit organization, to entrepreneurial start-ups. Many companies will bring employees into their organization through an entry-level position and then provide company-specific skill training. In the case of the entrepreneur, your experience will train you in just about every area of business. In either case, there are a number of resources outside of your academic coursework to help prepare and direct you along your career path.

Sample Career Opportunities

Customer Service Coordinator- Customer Service continues to be a growing focus among competing companies. It encompasses interpersonal communication, technology support, and product/service quality. To coordinate or manage such a team, a broad understanding of many business fields can be advantageous.

Human Resources- Human Resources includes payroll and employee benefits, recruiting, job description development, mediation, and many other areas. An HR representative will be most effective when they have a grasp of basic HR principles in addition to a general understanding of the business they are serving.

Store Manager- A Store Manager typically relates to retail, but not exclusively. Such a manger must be a quick thinker with a strong foundation in areas of business such as logistics, basic economics, HR, finance, general management etc. Full time management training programs are growing in number.

Sales/Marketing Associate- A demanding yet lucrative field, sales and marketing opportunities are available at many retail and service organizations. Though unfortunately perceived as ‘cold-calling’, the field of sales is a diverse and creative field where employees receive direct compensation for productivity.

Entrepreneur- An entrepreneur is an individual who not only starts a new business, but also one who builds that business on a novel idea or unique product/service. Though the business drive may be very specific, broad business acumen is absolutely essential to even get started. For more information: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/career/undergraduate/explore_ent.html.

Skills Needed:

Following are some skill sets that General Business employers will commonly look for during interviews:

• General quantitative skills
• Ability to learn new skills quickly
• Online and traditional research skills
• Self-motivation
• Teamwork
• Strong interpersonal skills

Resources for Further Research

Online Resources:

• MonsterTRAK (formerly JobTrak) http://www.monstertrak.com

• Business Job Finder http://www.careers-in-business.com

• Executive and Management Job List http://www.nationjob.com/management

• Job Web http://www.jobweb.org/

• Occupational Outlook Handbook http://www.bls.gov/oco

• National Management Association http://nma1.org/

• Washington Center Internships http://www.twc.edu/

• Best Bet for Internships Abroad http://www.cie.uci.edu/~cie/iop/internsh.html

• Salary Expert- salary, bonus, cost-of-living, and benefits data for US, Canadian and international jobs: http://www.salaryexpert.com

Print Resources:

• Discovering Your Career in Business: Timothy Butler Ph.D.

• Great Jobs for Business Majors: Stephen Lambert

• Harvard Business Review on Managing Your Career: Harvard Business School Press

• Not Just A Living: The Complete Guide to Creating A Business That Gives You A Life: Mark Henricks

• Turn Your Passion into Profits: How to Start the Business of Your Dreams: Janet Allon

General Business Employers at Smith

Following is a small sample of employers who recruit general business majors at Maryland. These positions are just an example. Always be sure to read the actual job description thoroughly. Assumptions from the job title may be misleading. You can find out more through SOURCE and the OCM.