To find operation jobs, you can cruise the Internet or use recruiting services; we will talk about that little bit later. First, let us talk about your education. You will need a background in operations, and for that, you must have good grounding in mathematics first. Economics and engineering are two other fields highly sought after by those who look for people to handle their jobs in operation.
Second, you must have good analysis skills and be able to solve problems easily and quickly. You will need to analyze situations and see where the problems occur that cause the greatest inefficiency. Computer knowledge and knowledge of data processing is also a must. Some jobs in operation will have required postgraduate work, especially a master's degree in a field such as management science. Many schools offer complete graduate programs, including a master's and Ph.D. in operations. Good undergraduate programs to consider are those in mathematics or engineering.
Operation jobs skills
With operation manager jobs or in similar capacities, you are going to be solving problems. You must be able to analyze a problem — what it is and why it occurs —, and then figure out how to solve it. You may need more than one solution to a problem. Typical situations you may work in include those where you work for one company in operations, or where you work as an "on the road" operations manager; with this, you work for a company specifically, but you get to go to different job sites and help various companies solve their operation jobs difficulties. You may also work for the federal government or for the military, since these areas; too, require special operation jobs to be filled.
One example is that you may help the federal government with certain processes whereby they need to streamline efficiency. In effect, things may be bottlenecking in one area of a process and you will need to be able to analyze why that is happening and then set up a solution for it. Even simple things like office traffic or bathroom locations can mean a positive difference to a company's efficiency.
Remember, though, that all operation jobs have at their core the concept of efficiency. You need to make whomever you work for more efficient, by helping them streamline processes, come up with new ways of doing things, and so on. Because of its common need and nature, operation manager jobs are very plentiful in every sector of the economy and you can choose a field you are particularly interested in, such as a sector in the federal government or in the military; alternatively, you may work for yourself after you've had some experience in operation jobs, or you may choose to work with a company in the private sector on a permanent basis.
Applying for special operation jobs or other types of operation jobs
Because being in operations is so necessary to the economy and is quite innocuous as well, you should be able to pretty much choose where you would like to work and find jobs in operation in your chosen field. What do you like to do? Would you prefer the stability of a job with one large corporation on its staff? Do you like to travel, so that working for a variety of different companies is your speed? Or do you prefer to work for yourself? Independent consultant work for jobs in operation is also one way to go, although it is probably necessary for you to get some on-the-job experience as an operations manager or something similar before you hang out your own shingle.
Once you've discovered what sectors you would like to work with, it's pretty easy to go online and do a search with keywords like, “Operations manager food service,” or something similar in various search engines, these keywords will pull up job sites with job listings close to what you are looking for. Recruiters, too, are looking for people to fill operation jobs, and hooking up with a recruiter can make it much easier for you to find a job than if you look on your own. Recruiters are hired by companies to find candidates to fill particular positions, and the best part is, you do not pay anything for this yourself. The recruiters work for the companies they are hired by, so that the companies pay these monies and you are not spending anything in that regard yourself.
Recruiters can also be a good resource for you if you are looking for operations jobs, because they can help you polish your resume and your interview skills; this may help you getting the job. In addition, many recruiters have a variety of contacts, so that a recruiter may look at you and your areas of expertise and find a job that is a much more perfect fit for you than one you could find on your own.
Getting operation jobs
Of course, first, you are going to have to get your resume written and polished. This is the first thing any employers going to see in regard to you, so you have to do it well. On your first page, briefly synopsize your job objective, relevant skills, education, and work experience. On the second, third, etc., pages, provide more details with job descriptions and the like. Alternatively, of course, you can have a job recruiter go through your resume with you and polish it up so that it is perfect for the position you are looking to land.
Once you have done these things, go ahead and begin to send out resumes or consult with your recruiter and start setting up those job interviews. Keep in mind that when you go to the interviews, in effect you want to be interviewing the employer instead of the other way around. Another good thing to keep in mind is that you want to be able to provide (or in essence "be") a solution to a problem that that company has; that is why they are looking at hiring you. So when you go into that job interview, treat it as though you are there to help the company solve a problem, and treat that job interview as though you are the one interviewing the company, instead of the other way around. Not only does this help put you on an even keel with the interviewer, but it also shows that you have a problem-solving mindset, which is exactly what you want to showcase with jobs in operation.
Conclusion
Jobs in operation can be very rewarding and challenging; they can even fit a specific area you are especially interested in, because they're so wide-ranging and diverse. In fact, you can find jobs in operation in just about every sector of the economy, including the military and the federal government. One caveat to keep in mind is that you are going to have to go to school for quite a long time before you qualify for this type of position. Most operation manager jobs and operation jobs in general require that you have advanced degrees beyond your undergraduate. However, if this is a field that interests you and you are very good at analyzing and solving problems, this type of job may be perfect for you.
