Explore & Discover

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set requirements, but it’s common to have a qualification in a relevant subject like:

logistics

international transport

supply chain management

transport management

geography

You could also start in a more junior role like transport clerk and work your way up.

Skills for Logistics and the The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT UK) have more information about careers in supply chain management.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

planning and organisational skills

the ability to motivate and lead a team

spoken and written communication skills

problem-solving and maths skills

good geographical knowledge

If your employer operates overseas it may be useful to speak a foreign language.

3. What you'll do

Supply chains are made up of different operations, from forecasting trends and buying through to transport and distribution. 

Depending on which part of the supply chain you're in, your day-to-day tasks may include:

working with procurement managers and buyers to select products that are in demand and will sell

negotiating and managing contracts with suppliers

planning the best way to get goods from suppliers to distribution centres and retailers

tracking shipments and stock levels using computer software

working with retailers to make sure they receive their goods on time and in the right condition

looking at ways to improve supply chain networks

monitoring overall performance to make sure targets are met

preparing forecasts and inventories

recruiting, training and managing a team of supply chain staff

You might also be involved in brand and marketing planning.

4. Salary

Starter: £20,000 to £25,000

Experienced: £25,000 and £45,000

Highly Experienced: Up to £60,000

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. You may work evenings and weekends on a rota basis, or be available on-call to deal with emergencies. Some companies run 24-hour operations involving shift work.

You’ll usually be office-based but would travel to meet clients. This could include travel overseas.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could progress to senior planning jobs and consultancy work.

Role Description

You could work in hotels, restaurants, pubs, schools, colleges, cruise ships, the NHS or the armed forces.

In a small kitchen you may be a general chef. In a large kitchen you may be a specialist chef, in charge of one area like pastry, fish or vegetables, working under a head chef.

Your day-to-day tasks will vary with your role, but may include:

• preparing attractive menus to nutritional standards
• controlling and ordering stock and inspecting it on delivery
• gutting and preparing animals and fish for cooking
• scraping and washing large quantities of vegetables and salads
• cooking and presenting food creatively
• monitoring production to maintain quality and consistent portion sizes
• working under pressure to make sure food is served on time
• keeping to hygiene, health and safety and licensing rules
• You’ll need knowledge of allergens, nutrition and diets.

Role Description

Entry requirements

There are no set requirements but some employers may expect you to have a degree. Relevant subjects include:

advertising
media and communications
digital marketing
journalism
public relations
business management
You could get into this job without a degree if you have the skills and experience in areas like marketing, advertising or PR. 

You can do college courses in social media and business. 

You could also start as an assistant manager and work your way up. 

You’ll usually need some knowledge and experience of social media. To get experience you could:

manage your own social media profiles
volunteer to manage social media for a charitable organisation
ask to get involved in social media sites of the company you already work for
You’ll need excellent IT skills as you’ll be using social media software and tools. You’ll also need knowledge of search engine optimisation (SEO) methods and ‘key’ or ‘searched for’ words to drive more users to your social media site.

Experience of graphic design and digital editing software can help. You can use these skills to make your social media posts better by adding videos, photos and infographics.

You could get into this job through a creative and digital media apprenticeship.

iCould has a video interview with a social media assistant.

Skills required

You’ll need:

an eye for detail and the ability to work accurately
the ability to deal with more than one task at a time
creativity
presentation skills
an analytical approach to data
writing skills

What you'll do

You’ll monitor and upload content to sites like:

Facebook and Twitter
Instagram and Pinterest
YouTube and Vine
Your day-to-day duties may include:

updating social media sites
writing blogs, articles and posts
responding to social media posts and developing discussions
checking online for company mentions and customer feedback
searching for interesting posts, news and articles to attract site visitors
overseeing competitions and campaigns promoting your company
taking part in conferences and group chat relevant to your industry or company
educating other staff on social media use
promoting social media use within your company
developing strategies to increase your audience
using social media tools like Hootsuite, TweetDeck or Buffer to manage multiple sites
using web tracking tools like Google Analytics, Social Report or Bitly

Salary

Starter: £23,000

Experienced: £25,000 to £35,000

Highly Experienced: £75,000 (head social media manager)

These figures are a guide.

Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work normal office hours, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. You may need to work evenings and weekends when working on a campaign or with deadlines.

If you’re freelance, you may work longer hours depending on the needs of your clients and the amount of work you take on.

You’ll be based in an office and spend a lot of time working on a computer. You may also attend meetings and make presentations about your work to clients or colleagues.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could move into managing social media for larger companies or progress to a senior or head social media manager job.

Role Description

Your day-to-day duties could include:

• supervising a team of care assistants 
• writing care plans 
• monitoring patients’ vital signs, like blood pressure and heart rate 
• completing patient medication records 
• developing and leading activities for service users 
• keeping families up to date about their relative's progress 
• training and mentoring new staff 
• attending team meetings with service managers 
• providing emergency cover

Role Description

You’ll be:  

• discussing work schedules with the farm manager 
• carrying out equipment and machinery checks 
• inputting instructions into the cab’s control panels 
• ploughing fields and sowing seeds 
• spraying crops with fertilisers and pesticides 
• harvesting vegetable, cereal and non-food crops 
• using baling machines to bind crops and hay ready for storage 
• maintaining hedges and roadside verges with tractor cutting attachments 
• carrying out basic maintenance and repairs

Role Description

You'll specialise in anything from electronics, domestic appliances and machinery to company services and web apps.

Your day-to-day duties could include:

• discussing what your client wants
• investigating how existing products work or how services are used
• developing ideas and making initial sketches or outline plans
• deciding on suitable materials or resources
• using computer design software to produce detailed blueprints
• making samples or working models, known as prototypes
• testing and refining designs

You'll need:

• creative ideas and a logical approach 
• the ability to express your ideas through drawings, 3D models and computer-aided design
• the ability to plan and organise a project through several stages
• the ability to work out costings and budgets

Role Description

All measurements have an associated uncertainty and if the uncertainty is not understood, the result of a measurement may lead to incorrect end results and conclusions. The Metrology Engineer is responsible for the management and control of all systems, devices, equipment and items requiring calibration. The Senior Metrology Engineers primary role is day-to-day technical management of the calibration/metrology program.

• Maintain a laboratory quality management system
• Develop procedures and methods.
• Review, revise, document and maintain calibration systems and procedures and methods

Perform: 

• Analyse data and caliberation to acheive reliable goals
  
• Analyse, evaluate and measure the capability of lab and equipment
• Evaluate equrements to measure and make recommendations on products to purchase.
• Identify abnomralities and trends
• Apply measurement science, mathematics, physics and engineering to design and develop systems, equipment and methods of calibrating electrical, dimensional, optical, physical, mechanical, environmental, and/or chemical inspection, measurement and test equipment.

Role Description

You may work for a local education authority, social services, or a voluntary organisation. You'll accompany passengers on journeys, usually in a mini-bus.

• Your day-to-day tasks may include:
• checking timetables for pick-ups
• talking to carers and families
• helping people to and from the vehicle
• securing passengers, wheelchairs and baggage
• dealing with emergencies
• supervising passengers at all times
• keeping the mini-bus tidy
• filling in paperwork
• You'll need patience and an understanding of disability needs.