What jobs can I get? How much can I get paid?
Conflict management and dispute resolution offer skills for nearly every career field and interpersonal arena. You can learn to resolve disputes through arbitration, negotiation, mediation, facilitation and other approaches. Specific focus areas include domestic relations, the workplace, ethical issues, organizational and community issues, or more advanced understandings of mediation or negotiation.
Opportunities for good conflict managers exist in:
- labor and employment disputes
- public policy
- legal actions
- health care
- education
- religious organizations
- human resources departments and other areas of business
Even if your job description doesn’t include conflict resolution skills, you can enhance your career by mastering them. Many people also take courses to improve their interpersonal relationships both at work and at home.
Why Is This a Good Career Bet?
Conflict management and dispute resolution are valuable skills in nearly every career field and job sector. These are specifically recognized skills for working anywhere where you will deal with groups of people and interpersonal conflicts that inevitably arise.
Since a major goal of dispute resolution is to avoid costly and time-consuming legal battles, the bottom line is that it saves employers time and money.
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has such diverse applications that it is usually not listed as a job in and of itself. Salaries vary widely according to education level and experience.
There is a growing need for conflict management specialists to work in widely diverse areas that include:
- Consulting with businesses and corporations in managing conflict
- Helping troubled youth in juvenile justice programs
- Mediating family, marriage and community issues
- Resolving personnel issues in schools, hospitals and private and nonprofit organizations
- Serving as a court-ordered mediator or arbitrator
- Serving as a human resources or personnel coordinator
- Training business people and educators in effective conflict management techniques
- Working in customer service in almost any business
- Working as a governmental ombudsman