This semester has flown by! We are already highlighting our March Member of the Month, Jenna Samman, a sophomore majoring in Marketing and Global Management. In Pitt AMA, Jenna is heavily involved in Key Creations, our consulting committee. Both of the Co-VPs of Consulting have been thoroughly impressed by her work ethic!
​Ever since Key Creations landed Uzima as a new client, Jenna has really stepped up in leading this new campaign. She has led meetings with the owners of Uzima to understand their needs and offer solutions, as well as plan social media posts to benefit the traffic on Uzima’s social platforms. She has been and continues to be a star in Key Creations! As you can tell by her involvement in Key Creations, Jenna loves Pitt AMA. Her favorite part has been networking with guest speakers because she has learned so much about the marketing industry, which helped to develop her career goals.
As if her work in Pitt AMA wasn’t enough, Jenna is also the Vice President of Community Service for Women in Business and a Studio 412 member. In addition to Jenna’s extracurriculars, she is a Marketing and Communications Intern for Jumpstart Pittsburgh. Her biggest takeaways from this internship include website creation, brand management, social media content creation, and recruitment through marketing. Given her experiences, Jenna advises students to gain as much hands-on experience as possible. She has learned so much from her clubs and internship that have helped her find her passion for marketing, making Pitt Business worthwhile for her!
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Outside of all these activities, Jenna loves to do yoga and cycling, as well as travel and read. Discover more about her with the LinkedIn button below!
In this week’s meeting, Pitt AMA members welcomed guest speaker Ashten Farah, a Senior Recruitment Marketing and Employer Branding Specialist at Giant Eagle. Ashten did not discover the career path that interested her right out of college. Going back and forth between work and school, she ended up working for the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. She even created her own start-up, all before landing a job in recruitment marketing with Giant Eagle.
Ashten shared advice that helped her during her career journey. A key idea she shared was the importance of profession versus passion. The first step young professionals can take to do this is identify the things that pique their interest and determine what they like professionally; this can include finding a company that has good benefits for their employees. Then, it’s important to establish what they are passionate about, such as working with nonprofits. Ashten herself loves helping others, so she found a job at Giant Eagle where she can be of service.
When identifying companies for potential employment, young professionals shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions that quantify how much a company values their employees. They should ask about their maternity leave, working hours, management style, and anything else that relates to one’s personal interests. It’s also important to ask how long employees have worked at the company. If employees are constantly leaving a particular company, then it might be a sign of a bad workplace environment.
Ashten put a lot of emphasis on “having the audacity.” She highlighted the importance of reaching out to others with interesting positions. LinkedIn is an excellent resource to connect with other people, grow connections, and ask questions that will aid in future job searches. Ashten emphasized not being afraid to reach out to connections and ask for advice. Professionals love to help others, and it’s always beneficial to have someone on the inside to be a resource.
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When Ashten was in college, one of her hobbies included writing poetry. None of her friends carried this same interest, so Ashten would attend poetry-related events on her own. Ashten shared this information to express that it’s okay to do what feels good even if that means doing it alone. There are many niche opportunities that could be of interest and the only way of discovering them is by getting out there and doing it.
Her last piece of advice was the importance of finding the time to prioritize mental health, whether through self-care, time with friends and family, or sleeping the recommended hours each night. She highlighted the importance of making yourself a priority and finding a fulfilling career – it’s not worth it to be stuck somewhere. Ashten’s message reiterated the significance of finding joy and fulfillment in a lifelong career as finding a career path is one of the most important decisions we make.
Happy March everyone! You know what that means…. It’s time for Pitt AMA’s February Member of the Month! Alina McMahon, a sophomore majoring in Marketing with a minor in Film and Certificate in Leadership and Ethics, is an extremely active member of the Public Relations Committee in which she consistently designs graphics and edits videos for our social media platforms. Alina has also taken photographs for our 10th annual Regional Conference and designed this school year’s t-shirt. Her favorite part of Pitt AMA is actually the committees; she says it is super easy to get involved and stay engaged with the club while gaining real experience out of it!
Outside of Pitt AMA, Alina has an internship at Responsival, a digital marketing agency in Pittsburgh. She actually met her current boss at our Regional Conference last year! At this internship, she is currently working on a marketing audit of the Manor Theatre in Squirrel Hill, and will later on get to suggest changes for their digital marketing. On top of that, Alina is the social media manager and a staff writer for Agnès Films, a feminist film website.
With all her experience, Alina’s advice for those applying to internships is to network as much as you can and apply to as many internships as you can. She says the worst they can do is reject you, and if they do, at least you got some experience in the process! Remember to give it your all and keep trying – it will all work out one way or another.
If you couldn’t already tell, Alina loves photography and movies, so that is where she spends most of her free time. She also really enjoys going out to new restaurants around the city! To learn more, connect with Alina on LinkedIn!
A new year, new semester, and new member of the month! We are starting off strong with Bella Magill, our January Member of the Month who is a junior majoring in Marketing. She is an active member in Pitt AMA’s Regional Conference Committee, in which she has gone above and beyond to connect Pitt AMA with incredible professionals through her excellent communication! One of her favorite parts of Pitt AMA are the different career-building opportunities. As someone who is not certain what job she wants to pursue post-graduation, hearing from real professionals in the business world helps her learn about all the different career options that are out there!
Before Bella became a Marketing major, she was on track to be in Social Work. During that time, she took a social work internship where she learned a lot about business – from the grant application process to project description writing. With that experience, Bella decided to transfer to Pitt Business before her junior year. Her advice to any student is to take the time in college to explore new things. As Bella says, “we have the rest of our lives to figure out what we want to do and who we want to be. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to know those answers just yet. They will come with time, but for now, surround yourself with people, interests, and activities that make you happy, and the rest will work itself out.”
Outside of Pitt Business, Bella loves playing piano, painting, and spending time with friends and family. Learn more by connecting with her on LinkedIn!
A new year gives us a chance to recognize how much we’ve accomplished, as well as determine our goals for the upcoming year. To grant us more insight on our business journey, this week AMA invited three alumni, Samantha Hovis, Kaitlin Augustine, and Shelby Smith, to answer our questions:
​1) How were you able to pinpoint your specific area of marketing? Have you found your right match in the marketing field?
The panelists discussed the difficulty of settling on a “niche” and emphasized the importance of exploration. Augustine discovered her love of analytics through an internship and focused on specializing in marketing analytics for a few years. Wanting to become a “generalist” and develop a variety of skills, she decided to join a startup. Smith came to Pitt unsure of what she wanted to study. An internship senior year gave her experience with marketing research, and she doesn’t know if she’s found a specific area yet but likes where she is now. Similarly, Hovis mentioned that although she enjoys her current position as a Paid Search Specialist, she hopes to expand into a more creative role in the future.
2) Is there anything you did during your undergrad that you found helpful later in your career? Is there anything you wish you had done?
All panelists were part of the CPLE program, and each believed that this program had given them valuable insight on the business world. They mentioned that the hands-on experiences of CPLE helped them figure out new approaches to problems and served as examples of leadership during interviews. While programs like CPLE can be extremely beneficial, Hovis mentioned that the most important thing to an employer is that you are teachable. A positive attitude and adaptability are great ways to market yourself.
3) What is your biggest piece of advice or takeaway for finding an internship or entry-level job?
People can explore many routes to find job opportunities. While there’s no right or wrong way to do things, our panelists shared what worked for them. Augustine recommended going beyond what was taught in classes by getting online certifications to solidify your interest in a subject. Hovis encouraged us to not pass up any opportunities, as she was surprised at how much she enjoyed some roles. Smith says the key is persistence. She had applied for an internship in the summer of 2020 and was rejected. Despite that, she decided to reapply in the fall; the interviewer recognized her and was eager to see how she had grown during that time.
4) Do you think it’s feasible to jump right into the creative side of marketing or do you recommend going through the analytical side?
The overall consensus was that you could definitely focus on the creative side but having an understanding of analytics could be beneficial. Augustine said that as a “data person,” she is often partnered with creative groups so they can discuss projects and ideas. For people pursuing a more creative track, Hovis recommends having a portfolio website to showcase art or creative ventures.
5) How did being involved in student organizations help you in interviews and your future positions?
The panelists said that we can highlight anything, whether it be projects, internships, group work, or events. The key is to walk through the process, outcomes, and what you took away from the experience. Smith mentioned that she was a Pathfinder during her time at Pitt. This helped with interviews as it demonstrated that she was happy to meet and connect with a variety of people. These skills have also aided in her current job, where she talks to clients and addresses their needs.