The average chief executive makes $118.48 an hour. With that salary, an executive job seems worth pursuing. However, as there are 199,240 chief executives in the U.S., competition may seem fierce.
Still, there are far more open jobs for executives than you may think. Read on to learn more about the opportunities people with executive-level experience can pursue. You’ll also learn how you can find them.
What Is an Executive?
An executive is typically a member of upper and/or senior management. To put it another way, they’re the top leaders of the companies they work for. These workers have to be strong team leaders who make tough decisions and oversee large projects.
Duties of Executive Officers
The exact responsibilities high-level officers have depend on the organization they work for. The highest positions in small operations often deal more directly with lower-level employees. They’re involved with hiring and training these employees and surprising them.
Chief executives of large companies work on larger overall tasks. These include planning strategies, creating policies, etc. Exact examples include the following:
Hire department directors
Analyze performance indicators
Create goals, policies, and procedures
Direct financial activities
Manage contracts and agreements
Cut costs to improve programs, policies, and performance
Skills Needed
There isn’t one particular college degree that guarantees workers an executive position. It’s best to pursue a degree related to a particular field of work. Then they can gain managerial experience and/or pursue higher degrees.
For example, a nursing executive will need a degree in nursing. They can then start as nurses at a particular hospital. While they’re there, they can gain more experience and education.
In general, though, top executives will need the following qualities:
Ability to convey information clearly and persuasively
Ability to assess options and make good decisions
Ability to coordinate people, policies, and resources
Ability to do many tasks at the same time
Ability to identify and resolve issues
Types of Executives
People with executive levels of experience typically find positions in the C-suite levels of senior management. The people in these positions are the company’s most influential and important individuals. To reach this high level, people must have a ton of experience and leadership skills.
Some of the titles that C-suite executive officers have include the following:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Chief Human Resources Manager (CHRM)
Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)
Chief Analytics Officer (CAO)
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
Chief Security Officer (CSO)
Chief Data Officer (CDO)
Chief Green Officer (CGO)
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
However, not all executives find themselves working at the C-suite level. They may instead become department directors. Titles they may take on in these areas include the following:
Marketing Director
Creative Director
Art Director
Sales Director
Director of Operations
Corporate Safety Director
Customer Experience Director
Other Jobs for Executives
Are you having trouble with your executive job search? It may be that you’re typing in the wrong keywords. As you have seen, many types of executives don’t even have the word “executive” in their titles.
Consider typing those keywords into job search bars. You probably have far more opportunities than you think. In addition, consider pursuing jobs such as the following:
The Board of Directors (B of D) is the company’s governing body. Shareholders are usually the ones who elect the members of this group. The head of the B of D is the Chair of the Board (COB).
The COB is usually elected by the B of D. Their best choice should be someone with executive experience. This individual is in charge of making many big-picture decisions.
In many cases, a B of D will ask the company’s CEO to serve as the COB. But this isn’t always the case.
President
Many companies will use the term “President” instead of Chief Operations Officer (COO). In most situations, the positions are indistinguishable. The President will report to the CEO and oversee sales, marketing, etc.
In other situations, a President will be more hands-on than a COO. This typically depends on each company’s industry and size.
Vice President
The position of Vice President ranks below the C-suite executives but above directors. In some companies, there are different levels of vice presidents. One person could be the Executive Vice President and there could be a Senior Vice President below them.
In addition, Vice Presidents often have assigned specialty areas. They may be the Vice President of Human Resources, for instance. A person with this title would manage Human Resources.
Essentially, the Vice Presidents are middle managers. They help their assigned division strategize, overview and direct its finances, and foster company culture. They also often report the results of their efforts to senior management.
Manager
Managers rank below directors. Like the other leadership positions, they often get assigned to particular departments. Sales manager, office manager, and marketing manager are all possible titles.
Most of a manager’s tasks involve working closely with employees. They oversee them as they work on projects and determine if they need to improve in any areas. Managers often also have the task of recruiting, training, and firing employees.
Learn More About Careers Here
So, in summary, the types of keywords you should use are “chief, officer, president, director, manager, and supervisor”. If you type these words into a search bar, you should find jobs for executives that you didn’t think existed. In doing so, you should find your dream job quickly and effortlessly.
You can also find more information about possible careers you could pursue in other articles we have. Just look in the “Career and Education” section. We also have articles on health, sports, entertainment, and more.
