Careers For Collaborators And Team Players
Opportunities abound for people ignited by cooperation and striving toward group successes.
Some folks like to work alone. Some thrive on being part of a mutually dependent team. If your preference leans to the latter, plenty of interesting career paths await.
As a collaborator you’ve honed some of the top soft skills employers look for. Turns out not everyone likes interacting frequently and helpfully with others, sharing credit for completed projects, or getting rewarded based on group performance.
Yet there can be a sense of serving a crucial function as a spoke in a well-oiled wheel.
So check out the following careers where team players are in demand.
Software Development
Popular culture often portrays IT workers as talented loners. But for software developers the truth is very different. They’re working together with other subject matter experts. For instance user requirement specialists must first translate customer needs into technical specs.
Coders create the digital sequences that make software work. Another specialist designs the GUI (graphic user interface). Then testers go over the end product with a fine tooth comb. It’s kind of like working for a hockey team except with programmers, not pucks.
Marketing
Launching new products and increasing demand for existing ones are a marketer’s domain. They can’t be effective on their own. The market research group measures consumer sentiment and purchase intent. For retail items sales staff persuade buyers to stock up on units. Packaging designers enhance shelf space placement and eye appeal.
Don’t forget that packaged goods require manufacturing facilities. Also logistics for shipping. Agencies for promotion and advertising are used by marketers of goods or services.
Logistics
Getting stuff from here to there is as vital for manufacturers as it is for online stores. Logistics takes care of the lot. They arrange transportation, storage and retrieval of goods for production and sale.
Warehouse employees put packages on pallets, forklift them to storage pods then pick and pack on demand. Government regulators ensure that hazardous material shipping conforms to the latest laws.
Find logistics jobs and manufacturing jobs on Monster.
Social Media
Making that cat meme go viral takes a village. Seriously. Web, social media, and content publishers rely on teams of specialists. You’d collaborate with writers, editors, photographers, video crews, and broadcasters.
Plus you need to work across departments: legal, marketing, sales and PR play a role. Add social media and you’re likely to deal with a variety of clients, agents, traffic analysts, and (if lucky) some celebrities.
Event Coordination
Are you exceptional at organizing, and is putting on shows a personal thrill? Think about becoming an event coordinator. It’s definitely not an isolating career. First you have the client to liaise with (note: they can be very demanding!).
Once they agree on event specifics you’re off to the races. Contacting venues to book rooms. Speaking with the audio-visual crew. Hiring a catering staff and selecting meals. Getting a speaker’s bureau on board to source talent if needed. Logistically there’s also insurance coverage, security (when necessary) and a publicist to make arrangements with. Whew.
Live Theater
Speaking of putting on a show, here’s the ultimate. Working in live theater is a teamworker’s daydream. Assembling and overseeing a cast of performers can be like herding cats. On the technical front there’s a sound and lighting squad.
Set designers and assemblers bring to life the producer’s vision for each scene. Theater staff sell tickets, greet and seat guests, then handle glitches. Of course the spectacle would be stranded without initial monetary backing of financiers.
Employee In A Very Small Business Or Start Up
No matter your profession, practicing it in a small organization makes you a team player by default. Limited resources and lean staffing make every person essential. There are no big departments filled with redundant people. Either fulfill your role in a timely way or the whole entity is affected.
On the upside you can quickly build a positive reputation. Word will travel fast that you’re reliable, accurate and helpful. Start preparing yourself now with teamwork interview questions and answers.