Organisational and planning skills are highly sought after in many jobs. If you’re the type of person who keeps a spreadsheet for the weekly shop and meal plan and have been known to alphabetise your friend’s book collection as well as your own, we’ve found five jobs that are perfect for you.
1. Event organiser
Do you enjoy the process of organising parties just as much, or even more, than attending them? If so, becoming an event organiser could be your vocation in life.
Responsible for planning and executing events ranging from professional conferences and exhibitions to music festivals and product launches, event organisers need to have good budgetary skills and the ability to work under pressure.
Duties might range from identifying potential markets for events and drawing up proposals and budgets to booking guests, selling tickets or exhibition space and co-ordinating suppliers.
Qualifications required: Events organisers will usually have studied to diploma or degree level, possibly in event management, business, marketing or tourism and leisure. However, many employers operate graduate training schemes and recruit staff with non-industry specific qualifications.
Salary: Starting pay is around £18k to £25k, rising to as much as £45k for mid-level jobs. Senior personnel in the industry might earn £50k to £70k
2. Project manager
Project management might be a somewhat opaque job description, but it’s a role which exists across a wide variety of business and administrative sectors and which centres on a set of relatively transferable skills – making it easier to find work in some other professions.
The projects involved might be the implementation of a new software system, organising a building project or the introduction of new business practices or manufacturing processes.
Project managers have to translate a company or organisation’s desire for change into a detailed plan and schedule to deliver it – ensuring that the project proceeds on time, on budget and meet’s legal regulations as well as the client’s expectations.
Qualifications required: Candidates can enter the field after gaining relevant experience in their industry or having gained a relevant degree or postgraduate qualification. Knowledge of PRINCE2 and other software is a prerequisite for many jobs.
Salary: Typical salaries range from £25k to £50k – with up to £80k paid for high-flyers in certain industries.
3. Town planner
Often just referred to as planners, town planning professionals are employed (usually by local authorities) to make decisions about the long and short-term use of land and premises in both the rural and urban environments.
The type of “planning” involved requires having to balance the conflicting demands of communities and businesses with legislation and council decisions – rather than planning activities against a timetable.
Duties might involve liaising with officials, developers, members of the public and lobby groups, drawing up planning solutions and deciding on and enforcing planning applications.
Qualifications required: People go into town planning from a variety of backgrounds, but most will have become a chartered town planner by obtaining a Royal Town Planning Institute-accredited degree at either undergraduate or postgraduate level.
Salary: Starting salaries range from £16k to £28k and principal planners and team leaders can expect to earn £29k to £45k. Chief planning officer jobs and other senior roles pay between £55k and £80k.
4. Media planner
It might be another job with “planner” in the title, but media planning is an entirely different beast, with a much more abstract and fast-paced workload.
Media planners work in advertising agencies or media buying firms and their remit is to help advertisers get the most “bang for their buck” from their campaigns – booking advertising space across print, online, TV, radio and other media.
Good analytical skills are required to interpret complicated data, combined with good people skills and the ability to think on your feet.
Qualifications required: Most entrants have a degree or at least a diploma and, while not essential, a qualification related to business, marketing or statistics can be an advantage.
Salary: Pay begins at around £18k to £24k, with more experienced employees earning £25k to £45k and top-level staff, £60k-plus.
5. Logistics/distribution manager
Organising the storage and distribution of goods by road, rail, air and sea, logistics managers have to balance cost and time as they plan their work – and must monitor and analyse the supply chain in which they are working.
Many opportunities in logistics have arisen as a result of the growth in e-commerce in recent years, and roles are available with manufacturers, retailers and third-party providers. Information technology is the engine that drives the industry, so good computing skills are a definite advantage.
Qualifications required: A degree or HND in transport, logistics, geography or computing can provide a headstart when seeking a job – although the field is open to graduates in any discipline.
Salary: Starting salaries are between £15k and £18k, with £19k to £22k on offer for more experienced candidates. Senior roles can pay between £45k and £60k.