The average American will change jobs 12 times over the course of their working life. In a 50-year career, that means you'd spend roughly four years in each job.
If you're not happy at your current job, know that it's normal to change jobs throughout your career. The question is, what kind of job should you look for?
If you're good with organization and enjoy balancing a lot of moving parts, you should consider the role of scheduling coordinator.
Read on to find out what a scheduling staff member does and the steps you need to take to become one.
A scheduling coordinator creates and manages schedules at their workplace. Depending on what company you work for, you might manage the work schedules for employees, travel plans for executives, the activities in event spaces, or even product manufacturing.
No matter what industry you work in, it's your job to make sure all the schedules align and everything happens on time. It's also important to make a schedule that makes the best use of everyone's time.
You'll find scheduling jobs in a wide range of industries including healthcare, education, business, event management, manufacturing, and IT. Your daily duties will look different depending on your industry.
In healthcare, you might manage patient appointments, schedule surgeries, or outpatient treatments. In education, you might be in charge of student schedules and assigning classrooms to each teacher. In manufacturing, you might handle employee scheduling, machinery operation, maintenance schedules, or shipping.
Sometimes your scheduling duties won't be your entire job, especially if you work at a front desk. Scheduling is often a part of administrative assistant or office manager positions.
In healthcare and business, you might have other duties like answering the phone, filing paperwork, and greeting clients.
As a scheduling coordinator, you need to stay organized to be successful. After all, scheduling means you have to juggle a lot of moving parts. Plus, the more organized you are, the less stressed you'll feel.
Hitting deadlines, staying on top of appointments, and making schedules are all examples of organizational skills. It's also about knowing what to prioritize and how to delegate smaller tasks to others.
You can work on your organizational skills before you even get the job. Start by tidying up your workspace at home and setting a goal for the day or week. If it's a big goal, break it into small steps and keep track of your progress.
Some people are just naturally more organized than others, but it's still a skill you can get better at. Whether you're setting goals and making lists in your personal life or at your current job, it's a great way to build organizational skills.
While every industry and business will have different scheduling needs, they'll all use some form of scheduling software.
The trouble is, there is no uniform software that's used in all positions. Some software is great for school scheduling while some is better for restaurant workers. Some hospital networks use one software program for their entire operation.
Look at the job description and see if they mention the name of their scheduling software. If they do, try to read up on the software before you start. If not, teach yourself how to use a new technology so you remember how to understand new systems.
Aside from learning the scheduling software, you should also know how to work with spreadsheets. At least 63% of American businesses use Excel for planning. Staying organized is critical to being a good scheduling coordinator and spreadsheets can help.
Programs like Excel and Google Sheets come with a learning curve. That's why building this skill before you start will make transitioning into your new job a lot less stressful. Plus, having spreadsheet experience will help your chance of getting hired in the first place.
If you're working as an executive or administrative assistant, you might need to update data spreadsheets for your boss. If you already know how to work with spreadsheets, managing the rest of your workload will feel easier.
The exact education requirement will depend on the type of scheduling job and the industry you want to work in. In most cases, you'll need to have at least a high school diploma or a GED. In some cases, relevant work experience can replace an education requirement.
If you're working as an executive assistant in a corporate setting, the employer may ask for a high school diploma or an Associate's or Bachelor's degree. In a factory setting, you might need a degree or certificate in project management.
For a job in healthcare scheduling or in a law office, you might need to get a certificate from a tech school or career college. Both of these fields come with a lot of terminology and jargon. Even if it's not required, taking a medical terminology course would give you an advantage over the competition.
Once you decide what industry you want to work in, see what employers want. Do they ask for a specific certification or a Bachelor's degree? When you know what employers want, you can set your educational goals.
Even if you don't have the education yet, you can still apply. Depending on the certification, employers might be willing to hire you even though you're not done with the course.
If you're organized, comfortable with spreadsheets, and willing to learn scheduling software, you might make a great scheduling coordinator. It can be a satisfying job that can lead to promotions to more senior administrative positions.
Effective scheduling starts with the right software. At Sub It Up, we offer all the tools you'll need to prevent scheduling conflicts, manage payroll, create work schedules, and more. If you'd like to streamline your business scheduling, contact us today to learn more.