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Career ZoneCareer Research and PlanningEmployment sectorsBusiness Administration and Business Management

Business Administration and Business Management

If you want a career with a huge amount of flexibility and variety, business administration or business management could be for you.

Business administration focuses on company efficiency, how well a company is performing and how improvements can be made. Business management refers to the daily operations of a specific business department and managers will often form part of the leadership team.

Business administration and management professionals are found in every industry. You could work in sport, law, education, retail, healthcare or any other area. You could work for a big corporation, public sector organisation or within the third/charity sector. You might work in-house, within an agency on client accounts, or for yourself. 

Most companies have a range of administrative or management roles in different parts of their business hierarchy. Roles in administration and management are open to graduates from all disciplines. You could enter administration and management via a graduate scheme, graduate job or progress from a junior role such as an administrative assistant. You may require or be offered additional training and qualifications relating to the industry or company you work for. Post-graduate study isn’t essential, though may be part of your development.  

Sector overview and areas of work

For an overview of the main areas of work in the administration and management sector visit the sites below:

Sector Careers Advice

For sector-specific statistics, please visit the Industry Report pages on My Career Zone Digital.

Sector News

If you would like to do further research into this sector, the following webpages may be useful. 

Information and links from professional bodies

If you have studied a related degree, check if your course is accredited by one of the professional bodies. Being a member of a professional body is voluntary, however it can be valuable for developing networks, continuing your professional development, and generally keeping up to date with what's happening in the sector.

The Institute of Leadership and Management has a range of podcasts as well as other resources, including worksheets and models which you can access for free.

The Institute of Administrative Management, one of the oldest management institutes in the UK. It focuses on developing professional administrators, managers and business leaders. Student membership for 1 year costs £20 (2024)

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) aims to increase the number and stand or professionally qualified managers. You can join as a CMI friend and have articles on the latest management trends, inspiration and resources delivered via a newsletter to your inbox.

Find professional bodies outside the UK on GoinGlobal by selecting ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each of the individual country guides.

Making contacts

Making contacts is essential for success in this and other sectors. Many jobs in this field come through networking and speculative applications. You could start by speaking with the experts – find out what they did after graduation and contact them for advice using the Career Mentor Scheme or Ask An Alum.

  • This video describes how to use the LinkedIn Alumni tool. Why not see if there are any Exeter alumni working in this sector that you can connect with to gain insights and learn more.
  • Start networking to build contacts. Attend events, comment on blogs, follow professionals on X and join a professional body, such as ICSA the Chartered Governance Institute.

 Events

  • Recruitment fairs, open days, talks, and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. For details of future events visit Handshake. If you have not yet activated your account, select the Single Sign On (SSO) option and follow the onscreen instructions.

Job roles

Explore roles in the sector by visiting the job profiles below. Each profile covers typical duties and responsibilities, entry requirements and the key skills required for the position.

Skills employers look for in Business Management or Business Administration roles:

Employers look for a diverse range of skills, some of which you might think of developing by using the resources listed below.

Work experience and placements

Getting a graduate role is competitive. Undertaking relevant work experience will not only make your applications stand out, but it will also allow you to develop new skills and gain a valuable insight into the sector.

Finding Work Experience

Internships

Internships in the UK are usually, but not always, designed for undergraduate students, so do read application criteria carefully.  The internship does not necessarily need to have ‘manager’ or ‘administrator’ in its title and could be in any sector which will help you gain relevant transferrable skills.

Further information here on Target Jobs –‘What is an internship and how do I get one?’

Find a job or internship you love | Magnet.me

Virtual Internships are a good way to understand the sector better and can also look impressive on a CV or application – check out these websites to learn more.

  • Forage – complete a job simulation, typically between 3 and 6 hours in your own time. You could target a sector, a particular company or a role.
  • Bright Network (Virtual) Internship Experience UK – a 1-week virtual experience  which takes place annually in the summer.  

Any of Career Zone's internships with an element of office / administrative work will be useful experience if you want to work in administration or management.

  • Career Zone Internship schemes are a great way to gain work experience and evidence many of the skills required to work in business management or business administration.  Student Campus Partner (SCP) and Student Business Partner (SBP) internships at Exeter are designed to fit in alongside your studies and help enrich your experience.
  • Professional Pathways: a suite of sector specific training courses and paid week-long internships that take place in June.  
  • Grand Challenges is a project week in June each year in which you work in interdisciplinary groups with other like-minded students to design innovative solutions to real world challenges.

Placements

Placements in the UK usually refer to 9-12 month paid work placements, are often credit-bearing and are normally designed for undergraduate students during year 3 of a 4-year degree programme.  You can search for placements on Handshake and on all of the normal jobs platforms such as Rate My Placement, Bright Network and others listed here.  Many degrees at the University of Exeter offer the option of a placement year, so do contact your department Info Desk or programme director to enquire further. Applications are just as competitive as graduate jobs and the process is broadly similar.

Volunteering

Voluntary work experience which will give you administrative and/or management experience can enhance your skills and increase your chances of success. 

Finding Part-time Work

Many students work part-time during their studies.  Part-time jobs are often in the hospitality or retail sectors and frequently have administrative or managerial tasks associated with the individual roles.  Search for part-time work here:

Graduate jobs and schemes

Graduate Schemes and Graduate Jobs

As many large organisations need administration and management there are graduate schemes available across most sectors. Graduate schemes last typically between 1 and 3 years, provide on the job training, supported by professionals experienced in the area as well as more formal learning. Sometimes this will include industry qualifications specific to management. You may also have a variety of projects in other parts of the business during rotations which will give you a broader understanding of the whole organisation.

Graduate Jobs are usually normal permanent positions which are recruited for throughout the year as and when a specific need is identified by an employer.

Competition is strong, especially for entry-level positions for both graduate schemes and graduate jobs. Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers.

  • The Bright Network, Target Jobs and Prospects – jobs boards where you can filter by sector, location and salary for graduate jobs, placements and internships
  • Student Circus – a jobs platform specifically for visa-sponsored jobs for international students.
  • efinancialcareers– specialist site where you can search for management roles in finance.
  • Ecocareers UK – Discover Green Jobs and Environmental Careers in the UK
  • Indeed – worldwide jobs platform, can search for part-time or full-time jobs in any sector. Large companies as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) advertise vacancies on this platform.
  • NHS Jobs – search for management or administration roles 
  • Charity Jobs – search for management or administration jobs in the third sector

Recruitment Consultants – there are a wide range of recruiters working in the management and administration sectors and they often advertise graduate and entry-level positions. They also have a wealth of industry knowledge. See Agency Central for a list of specialist recruitment agencies for the administrative sector. Ensure any recruiters you connect with are members of a professional body such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development or the Recruitment & Employment Confederation.  

For general information about finding graduate opportunities, please visit our Graduate Jobs page, and for a list of general job search engines please visit our general job sources page. You could also have a look at Handshake, our vacancy database where employers advertise roles targeted at University of Exeter students.

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Finding companies for speculative applications

As jobs are not always advertised, it can be useful to develop your networking skills and apply speculatively. Before visiting the sites below you may find it useful to read our Researching employers page.

Further sources of support

For further advice on finding graduate opportunities, visit our Finding a graduate job page.

If you are an international student, visit our international webpages for help finding opportunities both in the UK and globally.

To find opportunities outside the UK use GoinGlobal. Log in using your university email address. The worldwide country guides cover everything from job search resources and CV guidelines to cultural advice and visa information. Watch a short training video on how to get the most from GoinGlobal

Further study and professional development

Some individuals decide to undertake further study to build their skills and knowledge of the sector. Not all roles or employers will require this, so it is important to research entry requirements and employer preferences before committing to additional training or qualifications. You may have the option to gain professional qualifications after graduating which will show your commitment towards the industry. Use the sites below to research your further study options.

If you would like to pursue postgraduate study before entering your chosen sector, please visit our Postgraduate Study page for more information about choosing further study. If you are unsure whether further study is for you, you may wish to attend our ‘Postgraduate study: is it right for you?’ session which runs termly. Find these advertised on Handshake.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Many major graduate recruiters have policies and processes that are proactive in recruiting graduates from diverse backgrounds. To find out the policies and attitudes of employers that you are interested in, explore their equality and diversity policies, and see if they offer ‘Guaranteed Interview Schemes’ (for disabled applicants) or are recognised for their policy by such indicators as ‘Mindful Employer’ or as a ‘Stonewalls Diversity Champion’.

The UK law protects you from discrimination due to your age, gender, race, religion or beliefs, disability or sexual orientation. For further information on the Equality Act and to find out where and how you are protected, as well as information on what you need to do if you feel you have been discriminated against, visit the Government’s webpages on discrimination.

To learn more about how to share details of a disability with an employer and the support you can receive applying for jobs and work experience visit our equality and diversity page.