Career Talk (Undergrad) Copy

8/13/2019 Career Talk (Undergrad) Copy

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A FEW THOUGHTS ONCAREERS

Chris Kondo

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Introduction

Several excellent

resources regarding

career planning, resume

writing, interviewing, etc.

CSUF Career Center

School advisors

Faculty

Professional societies

Working professionals

Internet, etc.

I wont duplicate

This reflects my

personalthoughts and

experiences

Based on questions from

CSUF students

Some abbreviations:

CSUF Career Center = CC

CSUF Career Center On-Line

Resource Website: CCOL

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Questions3

What functional area should I go into?

What careers are available in marketing?

What is product management?

What is sales?

Should I get my MBA? Whats the best way to find a job?

What are companies looking for?

What should I be looking for in a prospective

company? When I graduate is it better to work for a small or a big

company?

What general career advice do you have?


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What area should I go into?

If your priority

is:

Then look for:

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Why?5

If youre having fun

work longer hours

learn more quickly do a better job become more valuable to firm

job security &

pay increases and advancement

opportunities


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What careers are available in marketing?

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1. Internet Marketing

2. Retail Marketing

3. Marketing Communications

4. Nonprofit Marketing

5. Product Management (Brand Management)6. Services Marketing

7. Sales

8. International Business

9. Sports Marketing

Resources: CCcareer counselors, CCOLcareer exploration, Marketing Department faculty, SalesCenter, Marketing Department informational brochures (one for each of the above),http://www.careers-in-marketing.com/, American Marketing Association CSUF chapter
http://www.careers-in-marketing.com/http://www.careers-in-marketing.com/http://www.careers-in-marketing.com/http://www.careers-in-marketing.com/http://www.careers-in-marketing.com/http://www.careers-in-marketing.com/


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What is Product management?7

ProductManager

Sales

Research &Development

Manufacturing

MarketingCommunications


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A Product Managers life

Prepare next yearsmarketing plans forpresentation to seniormanagement

Ride along with sales

representative to checkcompetitive activity

Meet with finance todiscuss planned priceincrease

Travel to industrysymposium

Draft objectives forupcoming focus group

Meet with R & D to plan

line extension product Visit CSUF to recruit

Assistant ProductManager

Revise sales forecast forproduction planning

Meet with advertisingagency to providedirection for newcampaign

8Product

Manager

Sales

Research&

Development

Manufacturing

Advertising &

Promotion


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What about sales?

Some believe sales is:

High pressure

Closing the deal

Earning the commissionIn fact, many professional sales careers about:

Building relationships

Communications and management

Personal leadership and integrity

Applying business skills to solve client problems

(partnership)

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For example,

Sales representatives for BaxterHealthcare (medical products/pharmacompany):

Might have 25-30 hospital clients

Develop deep relationships withpharmacy, nursing, administration

professionals Expected to be part of the hospitals

team in delivering high quality carewhile managing costs

Receive several weeks training peryear on an on-going basis

Represents the companys singlelargest marketing investment

Training ground for companys seniormanagers

Training ground for healthcare industry

Earn more than product managers

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Should I get my MBA?11

Yes

If

youre planning a career in business

youre mentally up for it it fits with your personal life

you generally like school


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When?

Full-time program: theres a sweetspotAfter youve gotten some work

experience (some schools insist onit)or maybe you already have it!Before other aspects of your life close

in (family, job, travel, financial

responsibilities)Part-time program: typically more

flexibility in when, less in where

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Where?

Personal circumstancesA chance to see the country (world)Safety schools and stretch

schoolsNot fun to get, but rejection letters

do tell you bravo, you went for it

Resources: various guides to MBA schools in bookstore; US News & World Report rankings;CC; CCOLGraduate School; for CSF MBA program consult Graduate Business AdvisingCenter in Langsdorf Hall 700; websites of MBA programs

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Whats the best way to find a

job?14

Career Center (Titan Connection) Job postings (e.g., 100 sales jobs listed)

On-campus interviews

Resume preparation (CC + CCOLTitan ResumeBuilder)

Interview preparation (CC + CCOLInterview

Stream)

Networking, networking, networking

Resources: In addition to above, Networking bio assignment & Linkedin


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By the way, regarding electronic

communications15

Do not use unprofessional email addresses:

[email protected]

[email protected]

Using @hotmail.com, @yahoo.com, @gmail.comaddresses or similar perfectly ok

If a prospective employer tried to check you outon myspace or facebookwhat would they find?

If they did a web search on your name what wouldcome up?

Linkedin is the social networking site for businessprofessionalsall of you should be on Linkedin
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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What are companies looking

for?16

Solutions to their

problems

So, you must figure out:Whats their problem?

How can I solve their problem?

How can I best communicate this to the

company?


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For example

Opening: Sales Representative

Companys problem

Opening in LA districtsales sagging

How you can solve their problem

Youve had the opportunity to learn sales skills at CSF (TheSales Leadership Center) and research sales careers

Communicate to company

Ive had the opportunity to learn about your (shampoo) company

and am very excited about the new brands and technologies in

the hair care category

Ive earned my Certificate of Professional Sales

An opportunity to work in the LA would be a dream come true as

Im familiar with the LA culture and believe I could apply this to

the job

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What should I look for in a company?

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Above and beyond the obvious stuff:

Do you have what they need?

Do you trust your prospective boss?

Do you like the people youll be working with?


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Is it better to work for a big company or a small

company?

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If you want to work for a big company, its

better to work for a big company

If you want to work for a small company, its

better to work for a small company

Having said that, people generally move from

big to small


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Why?

Start at a big company:

Get training

Build network

Learn how a largecomplex organization

works

Learn current

management systems Develop skills and

demonstrate

performance in one or

two functional areas

Move to a small company:

Apply what youve

learned

Career opportunity vianetwork

Lead a department,

function or business

Enhanced earningspotential

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What career advice do youhave?

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Take Risks22


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Balance your personal and professional life

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Youll always be in marketing24


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Youll always be in marketing25

You

Your ideas

Your programs

Your employees

Your profession

Your department

Apply what youve learned in here!


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"We are looking for

ideas large enough to be

afraid of again.

Sir William Tyrone Guthrie (1900-1971),

award winning theater director


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The End27

Documents

Career Talk (Undergrad) Copy