Six of the Best Business Jobs

Not everyone can be a J.P. Rockefeller-style captain of industry, but there are loads of other great business jobs out there if you get the right qualifications. Here are just a few of the best of them…

Market Research Analyst

In business, few things are quite as broadly interesting as consumer habits. Which means that there aren’t many better jobs than studying and analysing emerging trends and patterns and advising businesses on how best to make the most of them.

A market research analyst basically assists a company in deciding what they should be selling, who might be buying their product or service and how – and to whom – they should be marketing it.

Financial Manager

All businesses are built on a strong financial base – there’s just no getting around it. What’s involved in a financial manager’s job? Overseeing a company’s financial wellbeing, essentially. You’re part of the team who crunch all the numbers to come up with – and crucially communicate – all the necessary financial, profit and loss and cash-flow reports that help a keep a business running in the black.

So if you’re studying business and you love nothing more than working through a good spreadsheet packed full of data, a financial manager’s job might be for you.

Marketing Manager

At the more marketing end of the business employment spectrum, a good business qualification should prepare you to slip into a role as a marketing manager.

What does it take to be marketing manager for one of the world’s best companies? First and foremost a blend of commercial instinct, strategic know-how and creative thinking – so you’re capable of moving effortlessly from analysing sales performance to conceiving and delivering an advertising campaign with maximum cut-through. Beyond that, you’ll need a personality that never backs down from a challenge.

Business Operations Manager

A business operations manager’s role stands out from that of a marketing manager in that it tends to be a little less customer-facing and a bit more to do with internal processes. The job requirements are just as broad, though, ranging from project management, work flow and human resources to contract negotiating and budget handling – everything, in other words, that makes a good business tick. Disorganised types need not apply.

Management Consultant

A lot of people shy away from the idea of being a management consultant. Why? Because it often involves being brought in by a company to make difficult and sometimes unpleasant decisions.

But, that minor downside apart, it’s a great (if rather senior) role: you have to be able to think on your feet, be independent, highly skilled and knowledgeable in a practically endless variety of different fields. Most of all, though, you’ve got to be really good and being right. All the time.

Entrepreneur

‘Becoming’ an entrepreneur isn’t, in all fairness, that easy a thing to do. It tends to be more the case that you either are, or you aren’t, cut out for it. That said, if you have entrepreneurial tendencies and think you’ve got what it takes to work alone and forge a successful business there are certainly ways you can hone those instincts and skills. Here are a few we rounded up earlier.

Wondering what A Levels to study to get a job in business? Check out our business bundle.

Or for more inspiration, read our pick of the best business books.