Within the business world, what is the job description that best fits this skill set? (consulting, degrees)

[BobCasaubon]

My goal:

•To contribute to a dynamic and creative organization using my research, communication, and analytical skills.

My core skills:

•Searching through vast quantities of published and unpublished information, from a variety of sources and languages, interpreting the results, and reporting my findings in clear and persuasive language to a diverse audience.
•Put another way: Communicating complex ideas to diverse audiences in an engaging way [through lecturing and publishing].

My background:

•I am a liberal-arts junior professor exploring the possibility of a move outside the university.
•Although I enjoy academia, I want to work in a more fast-paced and team-oriented context, and have a broader impact than the field of other specialists.
•Other personal benefits to me of switching: geographical flexibility for my spouse's career, and more financial security for my family.
•My subject-matter knowledge of my academic field (in the liberal arts) is probably not relevant to the business world, but I am hoping that my skills are.

My other skills:

•Excellent emotional intelligence: understanding where people are coming from, engaging them constructively, coming up with solutions that satisfy everyone.
•Excellent high school-level math (800 SAT) but no advanced math.
•Expert computer user (office & internet software) but no coding skills.
•Broad and deep knowledge of history and current affairs (won grand prize on TV game show).
•Undergrad and graduate degrees from highly prestigious universities, in purely academic (liberal-arts) fields.
•Very curious and open to learning new things: Crest vs. Colgate toothpaste is as interesting as Hemingway vs. Fitzgerald.

[Hemlock140]

You would have good skills for a research position at a consulting firm. Most of them specialize in certain areas such as accounting, finance, HR, insurance, law, and unfortunately you don't appear to have the required experience in any of those areas to combine with your skills. About the only thing I can think of from my recent employers is the person that scans news and internet to identify and relate articles on issues that may affect us, and that's done by the receptionist.

[davenj08]

You are admitting that your area of expertise is your subject matter (liberal arts); so essentially, you are looking for someone to hire you and then train you to do the job?

You do seem to have good analytical and communication skills but so do most graduate students from good schools (especially the ones who graduate in degrees that require high analytical skills, like math, applied science, statistics, finance, business management). What is it that you have that makes you unique or have an edge over other 20-something young graduates who might be willing to work for half your pay (I am assuming you already have a decent salary being a junior professor)?

[Sgoldie]

I'd go with the current affairs, ability to digest large amounts of complex information, proper and easy communication. Try for an assistantship at your state senators office, as the communications officer of a large company, and things like that.

[Weichert]

You might try the CIA or the state dept.

[BobCasaubon]

I appreciate the replies. Let me put it another way. My salary is about $50,000 with little prospect for more. (Liberal arts profs make much less than technical / professional faculty. Unlike many in the liberal arts, I am very enthusiastic about business.)

I see Executive Assistant positions for about the same salary as mine, that involve arranging travel, conference calls, meetings, etc. I would be good at that, and if it would give me a chance to learn the business, I would then have a chance to move up. But I would have to convince someone to hire me.

I think I could do well in an analyst program in management consulting, but probably couldn't get in the door. I see these salaries are around $70-80,000, but I would take the job for my current salary, or 70 percent of the going rate.

I genuinely wouldn't mind doing grunt work for a couple of years (answering phones, proofreading) in exchange for a chance to learn the business and move up, but it's a matter of convincing an employer of this.

I have a number of college connections who got liberal-arts undergraduate degrees and have since moved up the ladder to executive positions (without going to grad school), and I'm going to ask them for feedback.

What do I have over a new grad with quant/math/coding skills? Possible answers: Willing to work for less money, good at the "soft" side of teamwork/management, good at researching things like "what's going to happen with the Indian rupee?", good math foundation that could be built on (made it to the American Invitational Math Exam back in high school, now kicking myself for not going further with that.)

[Teckeeee]

Originally Posted by BobCasaubon

I genuinely wouldn't mind doing grunt work for a couple of years (answering phones, proofreading) in exchange for a chance to learn the business and move up, but it's a matter of convincing an employer of this.

I am in sales, why don't you start by convincing us.

I wrote a cover letter basically saying I am not looking for the most money I would take less for a better fit, an account manager position as opposed to hard core hunter in sales, less pressure less money.

[Hemlock140]

If you announce that you are willing to work for less money it's raising a red flag. As a hiring manager I would not have to take someone without experience with so many experienced people available, but it wouldn't be up to me anyway. All of our analytical positions require specific experience, 3-10 years depending on the job, and HR wouldn't even give me your resume. Unless you run into someone you know in a smaller company, your best hope is starting at the bottom somewhere and working your way up after demonstrating your skills.

[EzPeterson]

You're looking at salary first and job second. Tack an MBA onto your experience and you might be able to pck up a management development track.

[nybbler]

Cab driver.