There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of different shop manager jobs across the globe, and each of them refers to the person who is responsible for the overall operation of the business. That individual may be responsible for hiring employees, handling financial transactions, inspecting the products and service given by the staff, and working with customers whenever a problem arises. Some of the more common places that have shop managers are automotive, fabricating, and service businesses.
Auto body shop manager jobs involve many different aspects of the shop's daily operation; just finding and ordering parts alone can take up the better part of the day. On top of that, those in this role are required to oversee the staff members to make sure that they meet the standards set forth by the owner of the company, plus verify that the insurance companies approve of the repair process and the materials ordered. This is one of the more difficult shop manager positions because there are so many local regulations involved. The individual in this role has to have a strong background in automotive repair, accounting, and customer service.
Machine shop manager jobs are not a whole lot different; the person in charge has to understand every single aspect of the business and be able to fill in at any position whenever a problem arises. Since the average machine shop will employ a dozen or more employees with very specialized skill sets, this could a very difficult management position, especially if the company is not large enough to staff inventory and control experts to share parts of the managerial burden. A good candidate for machine shop manager jobs would have strong mathematical skills, several years within the fabrication industry, and a proven background in management.
The service and entertainment industry also has several shop manager jobs, and each of them has much lower overall requirements. A coffee shop manager, for example, is normally promoted from within and trained to handle the inventory and everyday responsibilities by the owner. Internet café shop managers do little more then collect money and troubleshoot computer problems for customers. Thrift store shop manager jobs are often filled by students straight out of college with very little experience. Restaurant and retail store shop managers will vary depending on the company, but the vast majority of them promote from within and offer training programs for promising employees.
