How Do I Become a Corporate Services Manager?

A corporate services manager is usually second to a director, who oversees all of a company's operations. This kind of professional works with other executives to make decisions regarding financial strategy, company philosophy, personnel, and organizational structure. To become a corporate services manager, you should first earn an undergraduate degree. While a concentration in business is valuable for a number of aspiring corporate services managers, degrees in economics, psychology, sociology, or in a field related to your industry also can put you at an advantage. You should also plan on earning a postgraduate degree since this can make you eligible for many high level positions.

To become a corporate services manager, it is almost always essential that you gain years of leadership experience. The degree and nature of leadership experience necessary depends largely on a company offering this position. For example, a multinational corporation might require that a corporate services manager have five years of experience leading teams of employees from different cultural backgrounds. A small company, on the other hand, with minimal transactions and limited interests might ask that a corporate services manager have experience as a regional or site manager in a particular industry.

Plan on taking some entry positions where you can learn about real world practices of a business. To become a corporate services manager, you have to work your way into beginning management positions. Employers want to know that job applicants for this position have had experience dealing with different challenges and in different environments. In many situations, a corporate services manager is required to travel and to communicate with individuals in different departments. For this reason, a person who would like to become a corporate services manager should become familiar with as many different aspects of an industry as possible.

In some companies, a corporate services manager has responsibilities that are more similar to human resources (HR) tasks. For example, he or she might lead recruitment initiatives, perform high level training, and negotiate with third party service providers. In these scenarios, to become a corporate services manager, you should have some experience in a human resources department. A human resources degree or a degree in psychology can be valuable.

Technical experience is required in most cases. Even though a corporate services manager might not perform operational tasks or take part in daily workflow, he or she might oversee these processes. In order to evaluate effectiveness and find solutions for operational problems, a corporate services manager should understand the details of regular operations.