Marketing Communications Manager
(Female, Age 28) from Plano, NY
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 28 who works as a Marketing Communications Manager in Plano, NY. 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 | Marketing Communications Manager |
|---|---|
| Salary | $66,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Plano, NY |
| Years Experience | 2 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.
Environmental service organization and market leader in industrial hazardous waste management, parts cleaning technology and oil re-refining. We generate more than U.S. $1 billion in annual revenue and our 4,200 employees continue to build on our history of innovation by developing new products and services to meet the changing needs of more than 330,000 customers across the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Oversee marketing communications, lead in-house creative team, holding bottom-line accountability for production of error-free, highly effective marketing collateral. Communicate and coordinate with vendors regarding current projects, and provide management status updates, concurrently tracking 60-100 open projects. Manage online literature fulfillment system. Prepare PO requests and approvals.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
2 weeks vacation, 2 weeks sick leave, personal time, BCBS health insurance
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
slightly under (took 5% company-wide pay cut last year)
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 work with a creative team, management and internal clients on projects. I enjoy working with others, so this is a positive aspect.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
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.
Corporate office. I love that it is very close to my home.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 2
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 4
Supervisors: 3
Job Title: 6
Level of Responsibility: 8
The Actual Work: 7
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 | Checking Blackberry while getting ready for work, responding to emails |
| 8am to 9am | Continue to respond to emails on the way to work. Arrive at work at 8:30am. (Majority of the office goes in at 8am.) Update status report for 9am meeting (status report tracks/logs all projects). This is time-consuming as I have received a number of Marketing Briefs with new project requests within the last few days. |
| 9am to 10am | 9am weekly Marketing Communications status meeting with Marketing Director, Creative Director and Graphic Designer to review all projects currently in the works and prioritize for the following week. My role is to lead the meeting, update the status of each item, assign projects and review new projects. |
| 10am to 11am | Prepare staff notes for EVP Marketing’s weekly staff meeting, which includes only high-level, priority projects. Work on items for President’s Council (trip for company’s top performers, I do all the planning/prep work) – consumes much of my time. Update agenda with Title/Platinum Sponsor meetings. Work on logistics of vendor tradeshow. Coordinate both golf tournaments, work on foursomes. Review travel manifest and send to ground transportation vendor. Ensure that VIPs (key execs/Title Sponsors) are noted. |
| 11am to 12pm | Lunch (responding to emails on Blackberry) |
| 12pm to 1pm | Back to working on President’s Council. Spend an hour focused on seating charts for 300 people. Difficult as it is very political, which vendors are to be seated with which executives. |
| 1pm to 2pm | Meeting to discuss new direct mail campaign for parts washer promotion with LOB (line of business) manager and Marketing Director. Next steps are to confirm promo, obtain estimates, communicate with field and proceed ASAP. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Create accounts for two individuals for our literature fulfillment site (where they order marketing brochures/collateral online – they contact me to provide logins). Call with a national account manager to coordinate an upcoming tradeshow. Follow with a call to tradeshow vendor to confirm booth shipment and paperwork details. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Review thick folder of estimates with EVP Marketing for approval. Defend expenses (cross fingers he’s in a good mood). Once signed, create PO requests (paperwork required) for each one and submit to A/P. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Conference call with President’s Council A/V team. Review requirements for Vendor Dinner, General Session and Awards Banquet. Change specs and confirm deadline for presentations to be sent over. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Work on President’s Council presentations to be presented by CEO, CFO and EVP Marketing. Take to VP Marketing for review at 6pm. He marks up and makes suggestions. |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Monster.com
What was the application process?
Recruiter contacted me (found resume), had phone screening with him, then came in for interview and filled out application.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. I interviewed with my current boss, VP Marketing, and had a follow-up interview with his boss, EVP Marketing.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I was asked about my background, job experience and education, as well as what I was looking for in my next role. I asked quite a few questions as well and they provided A LOT of information on the position and company.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not entirely. I was sort of thrown into the position, but I also feel that you either sink or swim and you can either hack it or you can’t.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
No
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Very much so. I have and MBA and a second MA and my coursework in Marketing, as well as classes focused on teams, management, corporate finance, etc… have all prepared me for my current job functions.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I had an advertising internship many years ago and it was great experience, but not necessarily preparation because I was very young.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I was recruited for my position after completing my MBA, so this, as well as 3-4 years experience as a Marketing Coordinator would get you there.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Creative, innovative, flexible, work well under pressure, able to simultaneous manage multiple projects (I manage/track 60-100 projects at any given time), work well with others (you will be interacting with internal “clients,” as well as the creative team on a daily basis)
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
At LEAST a BA in Marketing or Advertising, MBA highly recommended
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be able to roll with the punches. My particular role is very demanding, stressful and often difficult. You have to have a great attitude and most importantly, be passionate about the job or you won’t be happy.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes. This role is exactly wher I wanted to be, but I am ready to progress in my career path.
What are your current career goals?
I plan to continue down the Marketing management path, eventually to an upper management role, one day serving as EVP Marketing for a medium to large corporation.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
N/A
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Sr. Marketing Coordinator | 4 years | $46k | Provided marketing coordination and oversight. Managed promotions and advertising for Motel 6, Studio 6 and Red Roof Inn locations across North America. Served as marketing interface for field and franchisee marketing requests. Prepared extensive reports on status, market and completion. Project-managed media projects. Utilized Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign to create and update brand artwork. Tracked expenses and maintained annual departmental budget. Managed contracts; negotiated rates, and coordinated field, vendor and franchisee interactions. |
| Prior Job 2 | Fortune 500 IT Company | 3.5 years | $40k | managed retail accounts, including Proctor & Gamble and Ericsson, for industry-leading technology company. Served as liaison between national sales managers and customers. Provided extensive project management; developed and maintained key customer relationships. Developed sales support materials and collaborated with business analyst to establish and implement processes. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.8
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.6 | University of Texas at Dallas | BA, Psychology (minor Business) |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
3.5 / 3.8 | University of Texas at Dallas | MBA / MA (International Managment) |
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