How To Become A General Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is a general director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

General directors manage business start-ups from inception. They are responsible for overseeing daily business operations, developing and implementing growth strategies, improving overall business functions, training heads of departments, and communicating business goals. They also train low-level managers and staff and analyze accounting and financial data. General directors earn an average salary of $98,000 annually or $47 per hour.

General directors design strategy and set goals for growth. They primarily ensure employees work productively and develop professionally by creating a positive and productive environment in the workplace. They also assist in budget preparation and expense management activities as well as evaluate the effectiveness of the marketing program and recommend improvements.

In terms of academic qualifications, general directors typically hold a bachelor's or master's degree in business, management, or other related fields. They are expected to have some experience as a director or in a similar role. Some employers prefer candidates with the ability to develop strategies to improve overall quality and productivity.

ScoreGeneral DirectorUS Average

Salary

7.9

Avg. Salary $109,550

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.2

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.32%

Asian 2.72%

Black or African American 6.88%

Hispanic or Latino 10.00%

Unknown 3.54%

White 76.53%

Gender

female 28.95%

male 71.05%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress Level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.6

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.6

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a general director

Explore general director education requirements

Most common general director degrees

Bachelor's

55.4 %

Master's

25.9 %

Doctorate

6.9 %

Start to develop specific general director skills

Skills	Percentages
Digital Marketing	10.68%
SEO	9.96%
Lead Generation	9.39%
Marketing Campaigns	8.64%
ROI	7.19%

Research general director duties and responsibilities

Manage business start-up from formation including development of business and marketing plans, equipment selection/installation, staffing, and product offerings.
Maintain all payroll records for administrative and artistic staff.
Maintain portfolio of donors to increase relationships and donor revenue.
Assemble a team of direct marketing professionals to develop an integrate CRM solution.

Get general director experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a general director. The most common roles before becoming a general director include general manager, director team lead and manager.

Prepare your general director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your general director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a general director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable General Director Resume templates

Build a professional General Director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your General Director resume.

Apply for general director jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a general director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do general directors rate their job?

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General Director reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Cons

Antigienic people, irresponsible people, lazy employees

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

People Busy Money Busy and variety in a job Solving problems

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019