Graduates contemplating their next steps once their studies are over will find many exciting prospects.Yet the enthusiasm they show towards gaining real world experience can often become dampened by the myriad of options available to them.
It’s important that fresh graduates pick the right opportunity that will work for them in the long-term. Those career goals can become swiftly eschewed by early missteps.Therefore, choosing the right first job can require some tough decision making.
A first job that enables graduates to work in the sector that they’ve been studying while bringing them various advantages that would otherwise take years to achievewas once a rarity. Now,Request For Proposal (RFP), or proposal writing,does exactly that.
RFP writing gives a 360-degree view of a company’s business, products and services while also allowing those in the role to hone writing and communication skills. This makes it a valuable first job that not only builds skills vital to business success; it also is a rewarding long-term career, especially for finance graduates.
A global viewpoint
Thanks to the nature of the job, in a short time, proposal writers learn more about their organisation and industry than those who spend years in their roles. Proposal team members are responsible for working with subject matter experts (SMEs) across the organisation to gather the most relevant and up-to-date information to include in RFPs and proposals. Thus, they are exposed to the deal making process that is critical to winning new business, allowing them to gain expertise over a shorter amount time than in the majority of other roles.
Consorting with the C-suite
A graduate will quickly gain exposure to senior management. Not only are proposal writers in close touch with SMEs across the organisation, they have direct access to VP and director-level executives who are involved in the RFP process, opening the doors to a number of opportunities.
For example, a junior proposal writer has the unique opportunity to build relationships and prove her worth to the decision makers at her company while her peers at other organisations might be stuck in entry-level jobs without any access to the executive team.
Hero status
As a graduate, your work will have a significant impact on the organisation’s bottom line. It is rare for entry-level position, but proposal team members are knee-deep in creating the documents critical to winning multi-million-dollar deals, which can lead to higher job satisfaction and inspire individuals to consider long careers in this role.
It’s both a career path and a career. Company and industry expertise, senior-level face time, and having a hand in driving revenue all translate into setting up proposal managers to succeed in many different roles with a company. While many will – and should – make a career out of proposal writing, after several years in the job, employees are well qualified for other roles in marketing, sales, consulting, training, content management, and operations, among others.
Whether looking to build a resume or start a lifelong career, proposal writing is a great position
to hold.
Lewis Miller is the CEO of Qvidian