Economics Assistant
(Female, Age 23) from washington, DC
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 23 who works as a Economics Assistant in washington, DC. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Economics Assistant |
|---|---|
| Salary | $34,200 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 45 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | washington, DC |
| Years Experience | 1.5 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I currently work for the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA. IDFA is based in Washington, DC, and represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 530 companies representing a $90-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA’s 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85% of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. Currently there are approximately 50 employees in my office.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Edit data for analysis. Provide administrative duties to the Chief Economist, including, but not limited to: travel planning, expense reports, calendar management. I also organize and edit powerpoint presentations to our members and other educational speeches. I provide analysis of the market, and work with federal regulations, so our members are most benefited.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
employee paid on health insurance; sick leave at 12 days a year, vacation days at 12 days a year; 100% match on 401k. (up to a certain level); flex hours
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes, I frequently work with others in organizing senior staff schedules. additionally, the majority of the work is team work, where consultation is required.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Office. I like working here, however, office gossip is abundant. i don’t like that the temperature isn’t controllable for myself. i do like that my computer monitor can’t be seen by anyone else.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 6
Hours: 4
Co-Workers: 7
Supervisors: 3
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 5
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | 7:45: check my work e-mail from home using our intranet system. nothing important, but helps me get in the correct state of mind for a monday. |
| 8am to 9am | 8:10-8:25: walk to work: think about my upcoming week and the projects due at work today. |
| 9am to 10am | Talk to my boss about his upcoming trip to rome. check the federal registrar page for any hearing announcements related to the dairy industry. complete agenda for the 11am econ department staff meeting, including but not limited to: looking forward on the internal calendars and making notes of what needs to be discussed. also had coworkers stop at my desk for monday morning “gossip” |
| 10am to 11am | formatting, in excel, a cultured dairy products market research report. this included me having to make check all the numbers on a 300 page report, and formatting it so it would be bound in a book correctly. also took a 15 minute personal break |
| 11am to 12pm | economics department meeting, my agenda was completed from 9am-10am this morning and was ready for the meeting. my role included a rehash of everyones personal schedules and reminders of what needs to be done in order to prepare for several trips around the country for speaking and educational engagements for my boss. |
| 12pm to 1pm | personal – lunchtime. but answered two phone calls for requests from data from the media. |
| 1pm to 2pm | continued to format, in excel, a cultured dairy products market research report. this included me having to make check all the numbers on a 300 page report, and formatting it so it would be bound in a book correctly. completed 3 of 5 workbooks up to this point. personal break at this point for doing this survey |
| 2pm to 3pm | Economics and Legislative joint meeting. my role in it was to offer facts and information on the role of dairy products on the economy in iowa. additionally, i listened to some bickering among my coworkers and doodled on my agenda sheet. |
| 3pm to 4pm | completing this survey while flipping back and checking my outlook e-mail and formatting of more excel workbook on the cultured report. i finished 1 more section with 1 more left. i’ll save that for tomorrow. i sent 2 personal e-mail this afternoon and am im’ing with my friend on aim. |
| 4pm to 5pm | compiled statistics on the iowa dairy industry including, but not limited to: milk production in iowa (annual); milk production per cow in (annual); cash receipts from marketing (annual); cheese production (annual) for the years from 1996-2006. and then provided a 5 year and 10 year analysis. took a 15 minute personal break. |
| 5pm to 6pm | editing statistics for use in a powerpoint. doing this survey and doing “end of the day” tasks such as: cleaning off my desk, checking my supervisors calendars for tomorrows activities and making a list of what needs to be done tomorrow, for reference. |
| 6pm to 7pm | check personal e-mail from home. |
| 7pm to 8pm | nothing work related |
| 8pm to 9pm | nothing work related |
| 9pm to 10pm | nothing work related |
| 10pm to 11pm | nothing work related |
| 11pm to 12am | nothing work related |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
monster.com
What was the application process?
e-mailed resume; follow up with a personal e-mail.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
yes. initial phone interview with the hr manager. 2nd interview with my current boss. 3rd interview with the third person in our department.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
i don’t remember them all, but basically: give me an example of a time you were in a group and things didn’t go as planned, what did you do? my biggest weaknes? what did i know about the company? what did i know about the industry?
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
yes, my supervisor gave me plenty of time to get used to my job and plenty of pointers and hints. he was very patient with my initial period of employment.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
no, but while i’ve been here i have enrolled in an excel course for supplemental training
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
yes, i got my degree in posc and my minor in economics. it helped to be aware and knowledgeable about numbers and experience with data entry and the importance of being meticulous
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
i did not have an internship.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
complete undergradute work, and remember that the gpa isn’t everything. the ability to have a positive attitude and a “can-do” outlook is extremely important. additionally, have knowledge about politics and keeping abreast of the economy to converse intelligently.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
social skills: ability to float over gossip w/o coming off as standoffish. the ability to converse with others at work about current events. organization skills: are extremely important. keep things well organized so you know where to find them. write down lists, keep track. technical: a full working knowledge of excel (ranked 1), word (2), outlook (3) and powerpoint (4).
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
yes – undergraduate degree and prior office experience
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
keep things well organized; listen to the boss when he talks; don’t be too gossipy; and be positive.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
it is a part of my career plan. it gives me insight into this industry and working knowledge that i will carry with me as i pursue my future education plans
What are your current career goals?
to be respected and be reliable by everyone.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
this is currently not my career. but my job is a good way to get my feet wet and will help guide me in the right direction for grad school.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | secretarial assistant | 2 years | 6$/hour | supported my the secretary and professors of the social science departments at my university by screening phone calls, making copies, etc. |
| Prior Job 2 | research assistant | 3 years | 8$/hour | worked in conjuncted with the head of the political science department in researching projects, data entry, data analysis, troubleshooting, etc. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:4.2
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.8 | west virginia state universtiy | political science |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
n/a |
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