Careers in Organizations
The Careers You’ll Find in Any Organization
While most of the career resources in this website area focus on specific sectors or facets of the economy, this page focuses on the kinds of careers and employment positions you might find at any organization, regardless of sector, and often regardless of size. No matter their specialties or unique role in the economy and society, similar basic organizational needs are felt by all of the following:
- Privately-owned or publicly-owned businesses, from start-up to conglomerate;
- Not-for-profit organizations, from community organizations to major charities;
- Government departments, ministries, and offices, at all levels of government;
- Universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher learning;
- Indeed, any organization that employs staff, manages teams, and engages the public.
Essential Roles that Fulfil Organizational Needs
Broadly speaking, the following working units can typically be found at almost any organization over a certain size. There are, of course, others, and each organization arranges teams differently, but the following general categories tend to be of relative interest to social sciences students:
Human Resources
Any organization that employs paid staff needs to have team members who can lead the way in supporting hiring, payroll, benefits, and more. Human resources professionals also support training and development, foster institutional change, and work to create more equitable and inclusive workplaces.
Communications & Marketing
Communications and marketing staff, broadly speaking, manage the external and internal-facing messaging and information-sharing needs of the organization. This can encompass everything from press releases to emails to social media to crisis management through public relations.
Finance & Accounting
Any organization that makes and spends money has to pay attention to its resources. Whether budgeting, forecasting, tracking expenditures, or preparing to pay taxes, the financial and accounting teams of an organization play a crucial role.
Information Technology
It takes a lot of work to keep an organization’s hardware and software running so that everybody can do their work, and the digital age makes having strong infrastructure, stable platforms, and nimble user support more essential than ever.
Administration
Administrators do the essential work that helps teams and processes run, including fielding inquiries, sharing information, and planning events and meetings. They tend to use organizational and detail-orientation skills to manage documents, keep records, and update online information. Because of their crucial function, administrators tend to be crucial to the collaboration and proper functioning of teams and units within an organization.
Lawyers
Lawyers perform a range of duties within organizations, with the nature of their work varying by the type of organization and by the field and function of the particular legal team. Some lawyers may focus on litigation, bringing or responding to adversarial challenges. Other lawyers working for organizations may focus on the financial, practical, or other dimensions of partnerships, contracts, and business operations. These are only some of the many functions that lawyers can play in various kinds of organizations.
Related Occupational Categories
Whereas exploring careers by ‘sectors’ helps us to sort by employer type, industry, or general field of work, Economic and Social Development Canada’s ‘occupational’ categories tend to focus more on the duties and functions that people play in specific roles. Here are just a few of the occupation categories that may be relevant to this sector:
Academic Program Connections
As you select your program of study and the courses you will take, you can chart a path towards success in this sector from any one of our social sciences departments and programs. Here are just a few examples of academic disciplines that have connections with this sector:
Sociology Learn More
Sociologists understand how individuals and institutions interact, and study the patterns and social dynamics that can help deepen our understanding of organizational problems in order to help teams function at their best. Building on these strengths, sociology graduates take on diverse roles in organizations around the world.
Anthropology Learn More
Courses and programs in anthropology prepare graduates to contribute leadership and insight to work in organizations across various sectors. Due to anthropology’s focus on culture, meaning, and human practices, they are particularly attuned to the cues, communication, and needs of colleagues and clients. These kinds of traits and skills make anthropology students successful and valued members of teams, often in leadership positions.
Work & Labour Studies Learn More
Work and Labour Studies graduates lend their particular knowledge about employer and worker dynamics to help build safe and healthy workplaces and solve organizational problems. Alternately, they often translate their versatile skills and experiences to contribute to organizations across a wide range of fields and professions. Whether working in human resources or in organized labour, or leveraging their skill sets in law or administration, Work and Labour Studies apply their wisdom throughout organizations in many sectors.
Social Psychology Learn More
Social psychology students develop a keen interest in the relationship between mind, motivation, and culture, often making them insightful listeners and thoughtful leaders. Using their ability to ‘read the room’, social psychology students can help to respond to organizational needs across diverse sectors, solving problems and innovating by connecting and engaging effectively with peers, clients, or the public.
