Many people who are interested in a job field like communications, advertising, marketing, public relations, or sales eventually pursue an account management job. While there are many variations of business functions that fall under the title of account management, most jobs generally require that one completes a four-year program and obtain a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. In some rare cases, one can secure an account management job with a two-year degree and a combination of relevant work experience that has involved managing teams and clients.
Most often, the path to an account management job will begin with a communications, marketing, or business track at a university. Coursework generally includes writing, communications, and meeting planning. Other areas of study likely will include business-oriented coursework in economics, management, operations, or a similar subject.
It typically is important to select a college with a robust communications, marketing, operations, or business school that offers a strong internship program, or at the very least have plenty of resources for developing an internship at an area agency or corporation. In addition, internships should involve shadowing other account management teams and leaders, including participation – even if by observation only – in meetings and conference calls. Even an entry-level account management job often requires direct client interaction; applicants who have real-world experience in a client-facing role usually will gain preference in securing an initial interview.
An account management job also requires interpersonal traits like being outgoing, maturity in client interactions, able to communicate easily with others, and being an expert multitasker. Since a large portion of time in an account management job is spent dealing with changing client needs, one should be adept at reacting efficiently, adapting quickly to changing needs, and having the ability to clearly communicate those changes to a team. In addition, one should be well-equipped to handle the complexities of business relationships.
Account management job seekers should begin to pursue their career path by sending e-mail letters of interest with a resume when specific jobs are posted, and by joining industry organizations that key potential employers attend. These groups often hold social functions that present an opportunity for those seeking an account management job to network with hiring managers, account directors, and sales and operations managers of companies that are of interest to the applicant. Since account managers need to be leaders, demonstrating comfort and ease in communicating with business executives will reflect positively on an applicant’s ability to be an account manager.
