Response 13

Graduating Year: 2006
Major: Marketing (Minor in Film Studies)

What company do you work for?
Forrester Research

Where are you located?
Cambridge, MA

What is your position?
Product Specialist

What are your basic responsibilities?
Direct marketing efforts for major Forrester events with 400+ attendees; Schedule, run, & monitor 20 marketing campaigns per quarter; Create & manage all marketing materials for the Analyst Relations and Technology Marketing roles, as well as the respective Forrester Leadership Boards (peer knowledge communities.); Create & maintain all marketing resources for Leadership Boards

How many hours do you work per week?
45–50 hours

Describe a typical day of work.
I get in to the office around 8:10 each morning and start by reading & responding to e–mails. From there, I get to work on the particular initiatives I have on my plate at that time. I facilitate one major e–mail campaign per week (on average), which requires set–up, meetings with the sales rep I'm assisting, and then the actual composition of the e–mail. I'm currently helping to launch a new product, so I've been setting–up and attending multiple meetings and teleconferences to introduce it to our sales force, while simultaneously creating the collateral to help them sell the product to the external market. I also get pulled in on various operations and marketing tasks. My specific daily tasks fluctuate, but this is a fairly standard outline of the product support I provide. I use my lunch time to go to the gym, and I typically head home between 5:30 and 6:00.

Have there been any significant changes in the industry or for your specific company since you started working?
The syndicated research/consulting market, and specifically the IT, Tech Industry, & Marketing spaces we "play" in, has remained relatively constant in recent times. Gartner, our primary competitor, continues to dominate the IT market, while we have really gained strength on the Tech Industry (IBM, Dell, HP, and other vendors) side. One big change was our shift to a "role–based" strategy, where we're trying to tailor our clients' user experience to be relevant to their particular role within their company, thus making it easier for them to find the specific research that will make their job easier.

What do you like most about your job? What experiences stand out?
The best part of my job is definitely the people with whom and for whom I work. We have an open seating "pod" system across our entire office, which facilitates dialogue and kinship among employees of different ranks. My boss, Mike, has achieved the "Michael Scott goal" of becoming my friend, while avoiding the "Michael Scott curse" of curbing my productivity – in fact, our relationship has inspired trust and allowed me to take on many new internal initiatives with his support. Mike's boss, who is one of the most powerful people at the company, sits directly across from me, giving me the chance to learn from his leadership style and have a great executive contact.

What do you like least about your job?
My job, not unlike most non–executive marketing positions, can sometimes be a bit too qualitative and seem a bit detached from true substance and the bottom line. I'd like to get to work more with numbers, and I plan to get my MBA so that I can have more opportunities to do so in the future. I'd also like to have more input into the company's strategy, but my boss is currently working on giving me those type of opportunities, so that is being addressed.

What did you think of the company as a whole?
Forrester is a great company with an amazing culture. Nearly everyone here is really smart, but also really interesting. Our CEO has created a flat structure that still leaves room for individual incentives, keeping everyone in–line to work towards similar goals. Training and development are heavily stressed, which shows a great commitment to us as employees. Substance is valued over style, and the varied personalities make every day interesting. I'm privileged to be able to work at Forrester.

Can you offer any tips for interviewing with this particular company?
Be yourself and be confident in your abilities. Any CSOM Honors graduate is qualified to work here – your intelligence is a given, and our positions require varied skill sets, so there is room for people from every major. Be sure to show that you are a well–rounded individual – leverage your speaking and writing skills in addition to your quantitative skills and business acumen. Emphasize your extracurricular pursuits and volunteer work along with your academic work. Most of all, show that you are passionate and you will settle for nothing less than getting the job done.

Did you participate in an internship as an undergraduate? If so, where? How did that impact you professionally?
I had an internship at an accounting firm after freshman year, which was valuable because it convinced me not to become an accountant.

I didn't have the traditional internship after junior year because I didn't apply to enough places and I shot too high – beating out 2,700 people to become a finalist for the ESPN The Magazine internship was nice, but ultimately losing it was not. The big lesson: get SOMETHING – anything relevant to business that you can put on your résumé. If you can get in at a big firm that may ultimately offer you a full–time position, that's icing on the cake. And if you do screw–up like I did, make the most of it – I wasn't just a "counselor" at Al Skinner's Summer School of Basketball, I was the "Director of Operations" That at least sounds managerial, and perhaps a bit entrepreneurial.

On that note, if you do have any important positions during the school year (for me, it was managing the Men's Basketball team), leverage them like you would an internship. If you can attain a leadership position, that's even better.

Considering your experience, can you make any further recommendations to current students?
Make the most of your time at BC – it goes by way too fast, and when it's over, you wonder where it went. Waste as little time as possible, and enjoy the hell out of your friends – they're the most lasting remnant of your time at BC. At the same time, try to pad your résumé and take care of business in the classroom – leadership activities and top grades have a big impact in helping you land a job, and a HUGE impact on getting into grad school. But don't burn yourself out and enjoy your life as an undergrad – you're never gonna get it back.

Be humbled by how smart your CSOM Honors peers are, but be confident that your business education is second to none.

If you are a Marketing major, send your resume to me and try to work for Forrester – you will not be disappointed. We have something for all of the other majors, too.

Follow the money…unless your sanity or happiness are on a different path.

Build strong networks, personally and professionally. Build a rapport beyond Facebook – but don–t undervalue Facebook as a career tool. Get to know everyone in CSOM Honors. Stay in contact with your professors (especially McGowan, because he can help you get a job AND do your wedding.) Don't be afraid to contact alumni – we love to help you out, seriously.