Elevate Your Career: Insights into Outstanding Operations

When searching for operator positions on Aniday, you might notice an interesting phenomenon. Some operator positions have a wide range of salary levels. Although they are in the same job category, the salary differences are significant. Many factors contribute to this difference, including company size, candidate experience, and the importance of operations in the business. 

However, the main reason for this variation is that operators, who appear to have similar job titles, can bring vastly different results. For international students aspiring to work in operations, the difference between becoming an outstanding operator and an average one often manifests in various dimensions.

Familiarity with Conventional Operational Methods

An outstanding operator can use conventional operational methods, such as content planning, user activities, and channel deployment, to improve specific data. An outstanding operator understands what kind of content readers will prefer, how to motivate user participation in activities, and is clear about when certain operational methods are inappropriate. 

Using the most effective operational methods in the right situations is a fundamental skill for an outstanding operator. Ordinary operators may not understand all the conventional operational methods and may fail to engage users actively, often performing repetitive, task-oriented work.

Understanding of Unconventional Operational Methods

An outstanding operator needs to understand how to spread content, how to create a brand's impact in the market, and how to leverage public relations to accelerate information dissemination. 

Although operators do not need to understand every detail like professionals, they need to grasp the general operating principles, how to coordinate between product, communication, and operations, and how to generate positive interactions. 

An ordinary operator may lack a deep understanding of the relationship between marketing and operations, lacks a concept of product and communication synergy, and may not be able to effectively implement or promote these concepts. Each operational task is often carried out in isolation.

Understanding of Product Nature

Depending on the nature of the product, the focus and methods of operations will differ. For example, social products (e.g., Instagram) and e-commerce products (e.g., Shopee) pursue vastly different data outcomes.

An outstanding operator knows how to apply the most suitable operational methods for the product's nature and sets the framework boundaries for operational direction based on the product's nature. 

Conversely, an ordinary operator may not fully understand the scenarios suitable for different operational methods and may use a familiar method without regard for context, resulting in a discount on operational effectiveness.

Control Over the Rhythm of Operations

Conducting operations with rhythm is essential, especially for many new products and projects. Going all out too quickly is a significant mistake. The case studies discussed in previous operational articles clearly demonstrate the importance of having a sense of rhythm for successful operations. 

Development has objective laws, and an outstanding operator understands when to accelerate and when to slow down their pace in operations. They also know what data is more reasonable and valuable at different times. 

In contrast, an ordinary operator may lack control over the pace and often makes the mistake of thinking more users and a larger scale are always better. Rapid expansion can sometimes lead to unmanageable user loss or a collapse of reputation.

Overall Collaborative Ability

Operations are made up of many small tasks, and, in most cases, an operator can only focus on a few specific tasks. An outstanding operator has the ability to link these tasks together, so that each operation serves the whole. 

For example, running a fan welfare campaign, publishing several posts, and conducting user surveys seem like isolated events. In reality, all these efforts are made to achieve user conversion. An outstanding operator can make every seemingly isolated task relevant and, ultimately, serve the ultimate goal. 

An ordinary operator may not be able to connect various tasks and may get stuck in a repetitive, mechanistic loop, making shortsighted operational decisions.

Ability to Combine and Reuse

Operational methods and approaches are continuously evolving. There is no one-size-fits-all operational technique that can work universally. However, not every operational method is entirely new; many evolve from previous methods. 

An outstanding operator continuously adjusts their operational methods based on the product's situation, forming a sustainable and flexible operational framework. 

An average operator might not understand how to combine and reuse what they have learned. They might use operational methods separately or simply repeat past work without much thought or structure.

In Summary

For international students aspiring to work in operations, the path typically starts from being a beginner and gradually becoming an average operator. Eventually, with consistent improvement and learning, they can grow into an industry expert. With this growth comes higher wages.

In the world of operations, average operational work is akin to being a simple cog, focusing on one small part of the operation. It involves a lot of execution and repetitive work. These positions generally have lower salaries and slow personal growth. outstanding operators act as catalysts between products and users, striving to create a positive user ecosystem. 

Every task they perform has a clear goal, is well-structured, and maintains a balanced approach. These positions offer high salaries and rapid personal development. However, it's important to avoid continuously conducting low-efficiency, repetitive work and merely executing tasks. Instead, operators should constantly think, reflect, and search for suitable operational methods to create value and transform into outstanding operators.