If you have an investigative personality type, specific careers might suit you better than others. These are types of investigative careers that allow you to use your analytical, intellectual and observant qualities.
As someone looking for exciting work and a new challenge, an investigative career might be ideal for you. Plus, the pay is excellent and they come with great job security, making the investigative career a great choice.
Below is a list with the eight most popular types of investigative careers. All the below careers have an investigative angle and may be of interest to you.
Type #1: Private Investigators
Private investigators are professionals contracted by individuals or companies to get specific information. The information may include finding missing persons, verifying employee backgrounds or investigating crimes. To gather this crucial information, the investigators may need to interview witnesses, search records for clues or conduct surveillance.
As much as it is legal to carry out private investigations, the investigators must be very mindful of the law as they go about their business. For this, the investigator must be conversant with the federal, state and local laws. Being a private investigator requires patience, intelligence, and problem-solving skills.
Type #2: Data Analysts
By definition, a data analyst is a professional who scrutinizes information using data analysis tools. For these types of investigative careers, you’re investigating data, so to speak. Information gathered from raw data helps an employer or client make sound decisions.
Many businesses conduct surveys to define their consumer base and find out how best to utilize their resources. The data analyst uses the information gathered to advise the company on what to do to realize higher profits and fewer losses, and keep customers happy.
For these types of investigative careers, you should consider a major in information technology, business management, or information systems.
Type #3: Regional Planners
This is the go-to person whenever a developer wishes to construct or build something. The regional planner usually comes up with plans for how the land in a particular region should be used.
The plans ensure consideration for the growing community as well as revitalizing the physical facilities in specific regions. Often, these regional planners visit different sites to inspect land conditions and use.
Type #4: Industrial Engineers
Basically, the work of industrial engineers is to come up with ways to minimize wastefulness in the production process. They come up with efficient systems that ensure only the best is output by the workers, machines, materials, energy and information.
Other than in an office setup, you would also find industrial engineers working in other different environments that need improvement. These include factories and plants.
Type #5: Economists
These are financial experts who investigate and study market activities, such as the production and distribution of resources, goods and services. Their primary responsibilities include researching economic issues, conducting surveys, and analyzing data using mathematical models. They’re also responsible for interpreting and forecasting market trends, advising businesses or governments on economic topics, and making recommendations for solving financial problems.
In almost every case, economists are known to work for the federal, state, or local governments. They use historical information to forecast future economic trends.
Type #6: Medical Researchers
These are professionals whose aim is to carry out research to improve human health. They are the people you would typically find pursuing a cure for an incurable disease.
In these types of investigative careers, the researchers will investigate medical breakthroughs that involves exhaustive research and numerous clinical trials. Medical researchers are often found working in research labs, hospitals and government agencies.
To qualify for this type of job, you require advanced graduate-level education. A significant advantage of a career as a medical researcher is it gives you job security since, in most instances, you will be working on long-term projects.
Type #7: Strategic Planners
The role of a strategic planner is to assess both the short- and long-term goals of a company and to formulate strategic ways in which these goals can be achieved. To be termed as an efficient and effective strategic planner, you must wisely investigate and pinpoint areas in a company’s current practices that need improvement.
As a strategic planner, you are required to carry out research on market behaviour and new industry trends. You then prepare reports on strategic ideas that management can delegate to junior staff for implementation.
Other duties of a strategic planner include assessing day-to-day sales metrics of an organization to establish whether the company is profitable.
Type #8: Auditors
Auditors are authorized to inspect and verify the accuracy and validity of a company’s financial records. To protect your company from fraudsters or untrustworthy employees, you may need to contract an auditing firm to audit your financial records and investigate discrepancies if any.
During the auditing process, the auditor will be tracking the cash flow from the beginning to the end. They will also audit the company’s finances to ensure they are put to proper, authorized use.