Hot Jobs That Pay $80K a Year

 

You can’t make the big bucks without taking on some responsibility. Those with the highest responsibilities—over life and death—earn some of the highest salaries, and perhaps that’s as it should be. We took a look at Monster salary data to pick out a half-dozen hot jobs that pay $80k per year (or more!) to give a picture of what it takes to earn a superior salary.

Not surprisingly, medical specialties offer excellent salaries, but that has to be balanced against the daunting educational requirements, potentially massive student loan debt and considerable workplace stress. The more common good-paying jobs require people with proven skills in their chosen professions who also have a knack for leading people and supervising projects.

While some careers require advanced science, technology and math skills, the common denominator for excellent pay is an ability to get people in a wide range of disciplines to pull together and get a job done right. Take a look at the following jobs that pay $80k a year to get a better sense of who earns what.

Pediatrics Nurse Practitioner

If you can envision yourself putting the little humans on the road to a healthy childhood, a pediatrics nurse practitioner may be the career for you, provided you have an aptitude for advanced math and science. After you become an accredited nurse practitioner, you'll need to pass the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board certification exam before coming within the range of a salary like this. The median annual salary for a pediatrics nurse practitioner is $105,630.

Find pediatrics nurse practitioner jobs.

IT Project Manager

IT project managers supervise all aspects of a computer system install: They must be fluent in the lingo of coders and engineers while capable of reassuring executives that the project will come in on time and within budget. Typically a bachelor’s degree is the minimum, as most IT project managers work their way up through the ranks, but certifications and master’s degrees will bolster a project manager’s prospects. The median annual salary for an IT project manager is $97,070.

Find IT project manager jobs.

Communications Manager

Communication managers supervise every aspect of a a company's media relations including editorial, social, advertising, circulation, and marketing. In this role, you’ll need a mix of profit-minded business savvy and a passionate devotion to storytelling. While a bachelor’s or master’s degree can provide a strong grounding in the media business, most comms managers work their way up through the ranks through the business or editorial sides of their organizations. While the entry-level comms positions aren't on the list of jobs that pay $80k a year, experience pays (literally). A communication manager salary can reach upwards of $94,725 per year. 

Find communications manager jobs.

Account Manager

Key players in the business-to-business realm, account managers supervise the relationship between companies and their key clients, making sure products and services are delivered to the customer’s satisfaction. A bachelor’s degree is the base minimum, as years of proven experience are the key to becoming an account manager, but an MBA might give a candidate a leg up for a hotly contested opening. An account manager salary can reach upwards of $92,610 per year.

Find account manager jobs.

Product Manager

You’ll need a combination of innate creativity and an ability to supervise creative people to succeed as a product manager, where you’ll coordinate advertising, public relations, marketing support, and campaign budgets either for clients in an agency or a company marketing department. Bachelor’s and master’s degree are helpful, but this job also requires an intuitive ability nurtured over years in the marketing trenches. The median salary for a product marketing manager is $97,045 per year.

Find product manager jobs.

Human Resources (HR) Director

Human resources directors are tasked with hiring new workers and supervising the pay, benefits and career prospects of existing employees. They’re usually also in charge of payroll and mediating disputes between workers and managers. In a union shop, they’re usually on the company’s bargaining team. A bachelor’s degree is the minimum but people with master’s degrees may have an edge in getting this job. The median salary for a human resources director is $92,110 per year.

Find human resources jobs.

Find More Jobs that Pay $80k a Year

Monster knows that your financial compensation is a key component of any job offer. Not seeing the big bucks you were expecting? Let us help you with that. Create a free profile on Monster. We can hook you up with recruiters in your industry, send you custom job alerts, and help you find employers who pay well. 

How to build the perfect resume (with examples)

 

Our best advice for creating the perfect resume, with resume examples to help you along the way.

Sending countless resumes off for different jobs can be a time consuming, disheartening process. You put so much work into making your resume stand out that every time it isn’t successful it feels like a real blow to your prospects.

Well, we say enough of the unsuccessful resume. We’re here to show you how to write a resume that will increase your chances of interview, and may even land you that dream role.

How to build the resume that will get you hired

Step 1. Understand who your resume is for

Sending the same resume for every different job is a big no-no. Not only will different roles require different skills (that you should highlight), they’ll also be recruited for via different processes.

If you’re applying for a smaller organization, your resume might go straight to the hiring manager. In which case, check out their social media feeds. This will show you how they speak, what their interests are, and if you’re really lucky, what they’re looking for in a candidate.

You can then tailor your resume to speak directly to them. Mirror their tone of voice where appropriate, highlight your shared goals, and be sure to mention how you meet all their dream candidate criteria.

In larger organizations, your resume might go through the HR department, or in some cases, a computer.

In these instances, they won’t be looking for writing flair or personality quirks. Instead they’ll want keywords pertaining to the job description. You should read the role again and again while writing your resume, ensuring you use the same language in the same way.

If the job posting asks for a hard worker with a keen attention to detail, make sure your resume says you’re a hard worker with a keen attention to detail.

Step 2. Be clear with your skills

Your resume is your first chance to show what you’re capable of. It’s your shop window, the place where your dream job will come and find you.

Make sure you sell yourself.

Pick the key requirements from the job description and detail how you’ve met them throughout your career history. If a job asks for team leadership, be sure to mention your team leadership experience in part of your career summary. If you don’t have that experience yet, talk about how you helped during busy periods, how you took junior members of staff under your wing, and how much you learned by following your manager.

Don’t assume the hiring manager will read between the lines. They could have hundreds if not thousands of resumes to look through. Make sure yours is clear enough to stand out.

Step 3. Prepare your resume for applicant tracking systems

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) have evolved drastically over the last decade, and they’re how many larger organizations handle their hiring processes. They read your resume in a specific way, and if it’s not designed for them, they could just ignore it.

Here are a few things you should know about ATS:

• They can’t read text in headers or footers. Put your contact details in the main body of your resume.

• They can’t read anything in text boxes.

• They can’t read images or video files. Text only.

• Colors won’t be recognised, nor will any text formatting such as bold-face or italics.

• ATS will scan your resume from left to right. Anything in columns may not appear correctly.

• PDFs might not work. Stick to Word.

To format your resume for ATS, use a simple MS Word document and lay your information out clearly. Use the keywords from the job description so that the system knows what to look for.

Step 4. Include a link to your LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a quick and easy way for hiring managers to check everything on your resume is correct. If yours isn’t up to date, or is lacking detail, they might not trust you and could end up with more questions than answers.

LinkedIn can also be a great place to show off your personality and passions. If you can demonstrate that you’re active in the professional community and can back up everything you’ve promised in your resume, you’ll be off to an excellent start.

You can also use the platform to network with potential employers. You might even be able to avoid the traditional hiring process by getting to know the companies you’d like to work with and arranging a quick chat.

Finally, chances are your hiring manager is on LinkedIn. Use their profile to tailor your resume even further.

Step 5. Understand the company’s values

Today, values are everything. If you want to work for a company, it’s important they can see that your values match theirs. If they care about the environment, you should too. If they believe in a fairer future, so do you.

That doesn’t mean copying and pasting word for word what they say they care about. They’ll spot that a mile off. It just means you should make sure you highlight any areas in which your values are matched, and be sure to remove anything they might disagree with.

Step 6. Ditch the introduction

If your resume contains several opening paragraphs of background information, you’re wasting valuable space. The hiring manager is likely busy and short on time, so put the key information at the top of your resume to make it impossible to miss.

A quick opening statement — no more than a few lines — is all you need to introduce yourself. Something like, “<name> is a creative, enthusiastic marketer with xx years of experience across a range of household names.”

It says all they need to know. It keeps your resume at the top of their pile.

Step 7. Make it skimmable

Long paragraphs of text look boring to read, and there’s every chance people just won’t have the time to go through them all.

Use bullet points to break your experience up. Compare the two sections below and see which one looks more engaging:

“At company name, I worked as the manager of a small creative team to help bring ideas to life. My work included taking client briefs and liaising with all parts of the agency to ensure information was clear. I would then lead the team on idea generation before pitching the final idea back to the client. I won a number of awards for my work.”

Or

• Ran the creative team

• Worked directly with clients to take briefs and pitch ideas

• Responsible for all idea development and final execution

• Won numerous awards including xx, xx and xx.

Congratulations, you’ve been invited to the interview.

Step 8. Show, don’t tell

Saying you’ve got excellent project management skills is one thing, but showing it is a whole lot more impactful. Give examples of how you put these skills into practice, detail the results of your work, show how your work made a difference to the company.

Step 9. Remove outdated information

Things like an AOL or Yahoo email address instantly show a company that you’re not technically savvy. Set up a free Gmail or Outlook address and use that for all your job applications.

You should also consider removing any mention of old IT systems that you’re proficient in, as it’s unlikely they’ll be used anymore. The same goes for any unnecessary qualifications, such as college degrees or school grades. These should only be on your resume for five years after completing them. Once that time is up, you should highlight your experience more than your schooling.

Sorry, that high school diploma might still have a place on your mom’s wall, but it no longer belongs on your resume.

Step 10. Proof, proof and proof again

After you’ve spent all that time making your resume career-ready, the last thing you want to see is a spelling mistake. Even if writing won’t be a key part of the job you’re going for, mistakes will make you look lazy, and could be the difference between you or someone else getting the job.

Read through your resume to check for any glaring errors, and consider getting it looked over by a friend or family member. If they help you get the job, you could always treat them to a drink to say thanks.

Resume examples

Take a look at these three resume design examples and consider them when building your resume. Determine which best fits your personality and industry.

The 7 best ways to prepare for a virtual interview

 

Virtual job interviews present a unique set of considerations. Here's how to ensure yours goes smoothly.

So you’ve got a job interview — congratulations are in order. But there’s work to do before the celebrations begin. You need to practice for your interview, prepare answers to common questions, and consider the in-demand job skills and professional accomplishments that will make you stand out to the hiring manager. After that, you’ll have to decide what to wear. (If you could use some sartorial help, check out our advice on how to choose a job interview outfit.)

If you’re applying for a remote job, or a position at a company headquartered far from home, you’ll probably have a virtual interview, which presents a whole new set of considerations: how to communicate effectively in a virtual environment, how to avoid tripping over your technology, how to prepare a #workgoals Zoom background worthy of Instagram.

Let’s go over some tips for nailing your virtual interview.

How to prepare for a virtual interview:

Schedule wisely

The first step toward a successful remote interview is to schedule it at a quiet, convenient time.

• Adjust your schedule so that you can focus entirely on your interview. Give yourself some padding time beforehand to get in the zone, and some extra time after in case your conversation runs long.
• Background noise is deadly in a virtual interview, so try to anticipate any potential disturbances. Yelling over the sound of the garbage truck that rumbles outside your window every week will not help you make a great impression.
• Tell your family and roommates about your interview so that they can help minimize distractions. We’re sure your roomie is truly excellent at the clarinet, but your Zoom interview is not a good practice time.

Embrace your space

Getting ready for a virtual interview is all about preventing disruption. Conduct your interview in a quiet, clean, orderly space — or at least as close to that as you can get.

• It’s best to take a seat at a table or desk where you can place your computer. You might even elevate it with a stack of books to get the perfect camera angle.
• Make space for a notebook where you can keep track of important topics and details. Just don’t rely too much on notes. If you treat them like a script, constantly glancing down at them, you’ll come across as distracted and uncomfortable.
• Conduct your interview somewhere with an ample — but not harsh — light source. Natural light from a large window is your best friend. You want the light in front of you, falling on your face, rather than emanating from behind you, which will make you look like a dramatic shadow instead of a qualified candidate. Check your webcam before your interview to see how the lighting looks and make any adjustments.
• Home offices or dining rooms are ideal, but it’s perfectly fine to do your virtual interview in your bedroom if you don’t have any other options. Just make sure the room is clean and professional. Make your bed. Try to keep your background neutral: books, plants, shelves. You probably shouldn’t interview for a highly formal job at a bank from underneath a poster of your favorite heavy metal band, no matter how hard they rock.
• If you just can’t find a good background where you’re interviewing, see if the video conferencing program offers virtual backgrounds. Select one that is simple and professional-looking.

Get comfortable with the technology

We can’t always anticipate technical difficulties, but we can keep a forgotten password or faulty webcam from ruining a virtual interview.

• The day before your interview, make sure that your internet connection, computer, microphone and webcam are working properly.
• Sign into the video conferencing software — it could be Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, or another program — to make sure you have all the correct login information. Double-check your Zoom profile name; it should be your first and last name, not a nickname.
• On the day of your interview, log into the meeting early to test your webcam and microphone one more time. A simple phrase, like “Testing, testing,” will do. Unless you’re interviewing to be a singer, you don’t want the hiring manager to log in ahead of time and catch you mic-testing the latest pop chart-topper.
• The best way to cut down on background noise is to mute yourself when you’re not talking. Just don’t forget to click that little microphone button when it’s your turn to speak!

Prepare like it’s an in-person interview

Any time you interview for a job, whether it's in person or remote, you should come prepared. Here are some general tips on getting ready for a remote interview:

• Research the company’s website, social media and news appearances. Go into your interview with a solid understanding of what the company does, how it presents itself to the public, what goals it wants to achieve, and what challenges it might face. You should also know the hiring manager’s name, as well as the names of top executives like the CEO of the business.
• Prepare answers to these common interview questions.
• Remain conscious of your body language. Your virtual interviewer has to look at your face the whole time, so try not to look bored. Nod your head. Smile at amusing anecdotes. Oh, and don't pick your teeth.
• Skills have become the most important factor in hiring, so it’s important to make a list of the skills and accomplishments that qualify you for this role. Think of stories with specific details about when you used these skills in previous positions. Try to slip these examples into your conversation. A story about how you solved a problem at work will stay in the interviewer’s mind long after they’ve forgotten mere adjectives like “professional,” “dedicated” or “personable.” Show them real examples of how you’re professional, dedicated and personable.
• Make a list of questions to ask the interviewer, such as “Why are you hiring for this position?” and “What does success look like for this job?” It gets you important information and shows that you’re prepared.
• Ask a friend or family member to conduct a practice interview with you. Try out your answers and get comfortable with the interview process.

Dress for the job you want irl

Jobs have dress codes “in real life,” but they also have dress codes for the virtual world. When you turn your webcam on, the cozy home where you lounge in your PJs becomes a work space where you need to look professional.

It might feel silly to dress up just to go from your bedroom to your living room, but you want to make a good first impression. Do some research on the company to see if their employees tend to dress to the nines. If you’re applying for a job in finance, law, or another highly formal industry, you should dress accordingly. Otherwise, a kind of extra-special business casual is recommended. If you just can’t decide, check out our guide to selecting an outfit for your job interview.

One quick tip: Some elaborate geometric patterns don't show up on webcams quite right. Stick to solid colors or simple patterns.

Take a breath. It’s just a conversation.

We can’t overstate how important it is to prepare for your interview. Take this seriously. But when the time comes, take a deep breath, and remember that this is really just a conversation between two people.

If the employer wants to ease in with a little small talk, let them. Share an insight about a hobby you might share. Talk about something the company has done that you admire. Make sure to get across all the points you practiced, but don’t be afraid to let the conversation take a slight organic detour.

The more relaxed you are, the more authentic you’ll sound, and the easier it will be to bring up all the great things you’ve done in your career. Since this is a virtual interview, there are a few more things to keep in mind:

• Pretend your camera is your interviewer. That’s where you want to look. If you’re looking at yourself on the video call the whole time, you’ll appear to be staring off into space.
• Cross talk is unintelligible on a video or phone call. Let the interviewer finish their thought before chiming in. You can still let them know that you’re listening by nodding your head or reacting to their statements with a positive word here or there, but don’t start a full sentence before they have finished theirs.

Follow up on your job interview the right way

Within 24 hours following your interview, send a thank-you note like this to the hiring manager. Show them you appreciated their time. Mention a topic you discussed the interview to show that you were engaged. End with an action the interviewer could take — something like, “Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. I’m excited about what we can do together and look forward to hearing back from you.”

After you send a thank-you note, resist the temptation to pester the interviewer about the hiring process. If it’s been a few days and you haven’t heard back, use these tips for following up on a job interview or application.