Industry Sectors

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set entry requirements.

Previous experience in sales, marketing or customer services, or the right skills and attitude, could help you get into this type of work. 

Some new recruitment consultants are graduates. You can enter recruitment with any degree, although some employers may prefer one more closely related to the industry they find staff for, like human resources, marketing or public relations.

You could get into this role through an apprenticeship.

The Institute of Recruitment Professionals has more information about becoming a recruitment consultant.

2. Skills required

You’ll need:

• excellent communication and customer service skills 
• good sales and negotiation skills 
• the ability to work under pressure and meet targets 
• good organisational and administrative skills

3. What you'll do

Your day-to-day duties might include:

• ‘cold calling’ companies to generate new business 
• interviewing and testing job seekers, to create a pool of people ready to fill vacancies 
• matching candidates to suitable jobs 
• screening and shortlisting candidates before employers interview them 
• meeting targets for the number of vacancies taken or the number of people placed into jobs 
• keeping records of clients, employers and vacancies 
• negotiating your agency’s fees 
• ‘headhunting' – finding and approaching candidates for executive or specialist jobs

4. Salary

Starter: £16,000 to £20,000 (trainee)

Experienced: £38,000 

Highly Experienced: £60,000 (manager) 

Most recruitment consultants earn a basic salary plus commission.

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work standard office hours. In some jobs you may need to work outside office hours, contacting clients or interviewing candidates.

The work is mainly office-based, but you’ll also spend some of your time visiting your client companies.

6. Career path and progression

With experience you could move into business development or management, or set up your own agency.

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

1.Entry Requirements

There are no set entry requirements. A good standard of general education is important but employers will also want you to have an outgoing and confident personality.

Previous experience in customer service, sales or marketing will be helpful though not essential.

You could get into this career through an apprenticeship.

The Institute of Sales Management (ISM) is the industry body offering qualifications to help you progress in your career.

2. Skills required

You’ll need:

• excellent communication skills to build trust with customers quickly 
• sales and negotiation skills 
• IT skills 
• a well organised approach 
• determination and a focus

3. What you'll do

You’ll be:  

• contacting customers and businesses 
• promoting products, services and special deals 
• following up sales leads and taking orders 
• updating customer records on computer systems 
• advising customers about delivery times 
• setting up appointments for senior sales staff 
• providing after-sales service

4. Salary

Starter: £15,000 to £18,000

Experienced: £20,000 to £25,000

Highly Experienced: £25,000 to £35,000 (managers)

Some companies offer a basic salary with extra bonuses and commission linked to sales targets.

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work up to 40 hours a week on shifts between 8am and 10pm, Monday to Saturday.

You’ll be based in an office or call centre and spend most of your time using a computer. Some companies offer homeworking.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a team leader, senior salesperson or sales manager. 

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

Events managers often have a variety of backgrounds. You can do a college or university course in events management but it isn’t essential.

Whatever your qualifications or background, you should have practical experience gained from public relations, travel and tourism, or helping to organise events like live entertainment.

You could gain experience of organising events and activities in your social life. Paid or unpaid work as a crew member at large events or exhibitions can also be a good way of building contacts within the industry.

The Business Visits and Events Partnership has more information about working in events management.

2. Skills required

You’ll need:

• excellent organisation skills 
• the ability to carry out a number of tasks at the same time 
• good communication and people skills 
• a creative approach to problem-solving 
• a high level of attention to detail 
• the ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines 
• good negotiation, sales and marketing skills 
• budget awareness 

3. What you'll do

You’ll oversee the whole project, from planning at the start to running the event on the day.

Your day-to-day duties might include:

• discussing what the client wants 
• coming up with original ideas for events 
• agreeing budgets and timescales with the client
• researching venues, contacts and suppliers
• negotiating prices with suppliers and contractors
• booking venues, entertainment, equipment and supplies
• hiring and supervising contractors such as caterers and security 
• publicising the event 
• making sure that everything runs smoothly on the day 
• ensuring that health, safety and insurance regulations are followed 
• managing a team

4. Salary

Starter: £17,000 to £21,000

Experienced: £25,000 to £40,000

Highly Experienced: £50,000 to £80,000 

Your salary may include bonuses and commission, particularly if the job involves sales and marketing.

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll generally work standard office hours, although you may work long and unsocial hours in the run up to events. 

If you manage outdoor events, you’ll have to work in all weather conditions. You may also go to events in the evenings and at the weekend. 

Depending on where you run the events, you may need to spend time travelling and staying overnight.

6. Career path and progression

With experience and a good track record, you could run events that have larger budgets and eventually progress to management.

You could work freelance or set up your own events management business.

Role Description

Skills required

You'll need:

• the ability to understand the development process 
• some programming knowledge
• the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
• maths skills

What you'll do

You could work in a wide range of businesses and industries, public services, utilities, defence and research. 

You'll work closely with project managers, business analysts and graphic designers, to find out what the client wants and the best way to achieve it. 

Usually, you’ll work in a team.

You could work on a wide variety of projects, from financial databases to robotics to apps for phones and tablets. You may use a number of programming languages or project management tools.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• talking through requirements with the client and the development team
• taking part in technical design and progress meetings
• writing or amending computer code
• testing software and fixing problems
• keeping accurate records of the development process, changes and results
• carrying out trials and quality checks before release
• maintaining and supporting systems once they're up and running
• As an experienced developer, you may supervise a programming team and provide feedback on coding work.

Role Description

You could work for sales and marketing agencies, or in marketing departments of organisations like financial services or manufacturing. 

You could also work for fund-raising charities, heritage organisations or the education sector.

Your day-to-day tasks could include:

• researching and analysing market trends and your target markets
• creating marketing and social media strategies
• planning and managing the launch of new products and services
• setting budgets, targets and timelines
• working with in-house or external agencies to produce attractive campaigns that increase business
• organising and attending events to meet new and existing clients 
• managing budgets and reporting on the effectiveness of campaigns
• managing a team of marketing executives

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

You'll need a level 3 electrical or electro-technical qualification. You'll need to complete this qualification while you're working in a related job. 

A common way to get into this job is through an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship will give you a level 3 qualification.

Taking a level 1 or level 2 qualification in electrical installation may help you to find an apprenticeship or get a trainee position.

Electrical Careers has more information on how to become an electrician.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

practical skills

the ability to follow technical drawings, building plans and wiring diagrams

the ability to work carefully, methodically and safely

planning and organisational skills

problem-solving skills

3. What you'll do

You'll work in range of areas, from bringing power to people's homes to big engineering projects. You may also work with renewable technology, like wind turbines, 'smart' heating systems and solar power.

Your work will depend on the type of electrician you are:

installation electrician - installing power systems, lighting, fire protection, security and data-network systems in all types of buildings

maintenance electrician - checking systems to make sure they're working efficiently and safely

electrotechnical panel builder - making and installing control panels to operate the electrical systems inside buildings

machine repair and rewind electrician - fixing and maintaining electrical motors and transformers

highway systems electrician - installing and maintaining street lighting and traffic management systems

You may also supervise other people in a team.

4. Salary

Starter: £18,000 to £23,000

Experienced: £25,000 to £35,000

Highly Experienced: Up to £42,000

You could get bonuses and overtime pay. There are national rates for travelling time, travel expenses and accommodation costs.

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work 30 to 40 hours, Monday to Friday. You may work shifts or be on call.

You may have to travel between jobs and work away from home.

You may have to work around other trades. You may have to work in all weathers, in cramped spaces or at height.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could move into design engineering, site or project management, consultancy work or training.

You could also set up your own business.

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

There are no set requirements, but experience of working in an office or call centre could help.

For some sales jobs, such as technical or pharmaceutical sales, you may need to have a relevant qualification like a degree.

You could get into this job through an apprenticeship.

2. Skills required

You'll need:

• excellent customer service and communication skills
• the ability to sell and negotiate
• IT and presentation skills

3. What you'll do

You'll specialise in a particular industry, like consumer goods or energy. You may sell directly to consumers, or to other businesses. 

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• contacting new and existing customers
• making presentations to promote new products
• agreeing sales, prices and delivery
• keeping in contact with customers before and after a sale
• recording orders
• going to conferences to understand industry trends
• meeting sales targets

4. Salary

Starter: £15,000 to £20,000

Experienced: £25,000 to £35,000

Highly Experienced: £40,000 to £50,000 (sales executive or manager)

You'll usually get a basic salary and an extra amount for each sale (commission). You may also get a bonus if you meet targets.

You may get a company car and fuel allowance.

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You'll usually work 38 to 40 hours, Monday to Friday, but may need to work evenings or weekends. Occasionally you'll stay away overnight, or travel abroad to trade fairs and conferences.

You may drive to visit customers. When not on the road, you'll work from a sales office or call centre. Sometimes you’ll work from home. You’ll usually need a driving licence and may need a passport.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a sales team leader or an area sales manager.

The Institute of Sales Management (ISM) could help you develop your career.